3ds Max — Transfer Vertex ID (Alpha)

Transfers vertex IDs from one mesh to another, provided they share the same topology — something 3ds Max couldn't do natively before this. The meshes don't need to share form (world or local coordinates can differ completely) and they don't need matching UVs: you anchor the transfer by picking three corresponding vertices on each mesh.

How it works

Install by dragging the .mzp into the Max viewport (it adds a RevScript menu), or run the .ms from the script editor. Reset xform and collapse the stack on both meshes, then on each mesh select three neighbouring vertices one at a time — each must touch at least one other in the selection — registering them with the numbered buttons, and process the mesh. Do source first, target second, in corresponding order, then hit Transfer Vertex ID.

There's a video tutorial walking through the whole flow.

State of the tool

It's an alpha and my first MaxScript, so expect rough edges: the current recursive algorithm is slow on large meshes and hits a recursion limit past 10,000 vertices. Both are fixed in the next release, which moves to an iterative bit-array method over mapped faces. Also planned: a UV-based transfer option for floating geometry, and removing the temporary-folder requirement.