SAM Path ArrayFree · 3ds Max 2025 to 2027

Place objects along splines, then bake real instances.

A free procedural object for 3ds Max. Pick your objects and splines, set spacing and variation, and bake the result to native 3ds Max instances that open anywhere.

Download free (191 KB)How to install

Version 1.0.0 · ZIP · 3ds Max 2025, 2026 and 2027

  • As many objects as you likeMix any number of source objects, picked at random, in sequence or by weight. Each one can have its own move, rotate and scale.
  • Every spline you pickFill any number of shapes and all their splines, open or closed, spaced by count or by distance, from a start to an end percentage.
  • Natural variationRandom rotation, side and height offsets and scale, from a seed, so the same settings give the same layout every time.
  • Bake to real instancesTurn the array into native 3ds Max instances or copies, grouped and ready to move, swap or export. They open on any machine without the tool.
  • Stays editableEverything lives in the Modify panel and follows your splines and objects as you edit them.
  • Safe with heavy modelsVery heavy arrays show as boxes until you choose to build them in full, so a dense tree cannot run your scene out of memory.

Install in a minute

  1. 1Unzip the downloadKeep the files together in one folder.
  2. 2Drag install.ms into 3ds MaxIt installs for your Windows user only and works straight away. Restart Max to see the SAM Free Tools menu.
  3. 3Select objects and splinesThen SAM Free Tools, Path Array from Selection. Or Create panel, Geometry, SAM, Path Array.

What it needs

  • Windows, 3ds Max 2025, 2026 and 2027.
  • No SAM account and no other SAM software needed.
  • Free for personal and commercial work. Please do not share the file; link to this page instead.

Scenes that still hold a live Path Array need the tool to open it. Bake before you send a scene to someone without it.