3ds Max
| 3ds max 2009 | |
|---|---|
| Maintainer | Autodesk |
| Latest Version | 31 March 2008 |
| Website | Autodesk |
| Forum Link | CGTalk Forum |
Contents |
Introduction
3ds Max, previously known as 3D Studio MAX and 3dsmax and also called simply "Max" by its users, is a modeling, animation and rendering package developed initially by the Yost Group for Autodesk and further developed by Autodesk and its various Multimedia divisions throughout the last decade : Autodesk Multimedia Division; Kinetix, a division of Autodesk; Discreet, a division of Autodesk and recently Autodesk Media and Entertainment (AMED).
Contrary to popular belief, 3ds Max has never been acquired by other companies but has remained an Autodesk product since the first version of its predecessor - Autodesk 3D Studio DOS - up to the current version 2009 (11.0) - for a total of 15 major releases since 1990.
User Base and Main Usage Fields
3ds Max has the largest user base of any commercial 3D application on the market (although the exact numbers are difficult to obtain). 3ds Max is being employed predominantly in the fields of game development, design and architectural visualization, but is also being used in the areas of TV, video and movie production.
Package and Price Structure
3ds Max used to provide one base package with all features for all markets. With 3ds Max 2009, there are two flavours of the same package with almost identical features and the same list price, but different packaging, documentation and branding to cover the growing design and visualization market (3ds Max Design 2009) and the existing entertainment industry market (3ds Max 2009). The suggested retail price in North America for 3ds Max has remained US$ 3495 throughout its history from 1996 until today. A price-reduced educational version with identical feature set is available to students, schools and universities. The price varies between markets and is usually much higher outside of North America, esp. in Europe. Localized versions of the software are available in English, German, French and Simplified Chinese. The MAXScript Reference is available only in English and Japanese.
Software Protection and 30 Days Demo Version
3ds Max is copy-protected using a software lock from Macrovision. (Until version 4, it used a Rainbow Technologies parallel port dongle). It can be node-locked with the option to move the license between machines using a Portable License Utility, or use a FlexLM network license available upon request. If not registered, the software will run in demo mode without any feature limitations for 30 days. The full version of the software can be downloaded as a 30 days demo from the Autodesk website and can be purchased and converted to a full license at any time.
Related Products
A special reduced feature set package for architectural visualization called Autodesk VIZ (initially called 3D Studio VIZ) which lacks some of the higher-end animation and effects options of 3ds Max has been available since 1997 and will be discontinued in 2008 to be replaced by 3ds Max Design 2009. Last version was Autodesk VIZ 2007.
In the past, two other "spin-off" products were available (both based on the 3dsmax 4 core) - Plasma, a product targeted at web developers featuring Flash vector rendering and Shockwave 3D export, and GMax, a product intended for developing extensions (mods) for games created with 3ds Max. Most of the features of both products except for the Flash vector renderer have been incorporated into later versions of 3ds Max, while both products have been discontinued by Autodesk. GMax is still being distributed and supported by TurboSquid, a company specializing in the online sharing of digital content.
History
User Interface and Workflow
Modeling
3ds Max provides a number of different modeling toolsets and workflows, each with its positive and negative sides. These include Procedural Modeling (parametric objects and non-destructive modifiers), Editable Mesh and Editable Poly explicit modeling, Surface Tools Spline To Patch modeling and NURBS. Please follow the link above for details.
UVW Mapping
Materials, Maps and Textures
3ds Max Materials, Maps and Textures
Animation
Rendering
Particles and Dynamics
3ds Max Particles and Dynamics
Lighting
Post Effects
3ds Max features multiple separate systems for applying post-effects to the final image. These are:
- Video Post
- Render Effects
- Exposure Control (a.k.a. Tone Mapping)
Scripting
3ds Max provides a poweful proprietary scripting language which can be used to control the application from the command line, create scripted functions, tools, User Interfaces, plug-ins, read and write binary and ASCII data and bitmaps, drive animations procedurally via scripted controllers and lots more. See the MAXScript article for details.
Plugins
File Formats
Interoperability
3ds Max can read and write FBX files. 3ds Max shares the PointCache file format of Autodesk Maya, allowing FBX to move baked fully-animated objects between the two applications. 3ds Max can also be integrated into other pipelines thanks to its Software Development Kit and MAXScript language - data can be easily exported in or imported from any format a developer might need. Other often used file formats for data (mainly geometry) transfer between 3ds Max and other packages are OBJ and 3DS, but they have their own limitations.
Misc
Current Version
- The current release version of 3ds Max is 2009 (equivalent to Max 11), released on March 31, 2008.
- Both 32bit and 64bit builds included on the same DVD.
- Full-featured version of the 32bit build available for 30 day testing from Autodesk Website.
- The new naming brings 3ds Max (and Maya) in sync with other Autodesk products which are named according to the company's fiscal year the product was released in.
For a list of new features, see the 3ds Max History>Autodesk 3ds Max 2009 topic.
Upcoming Version
None announced yet.
Bug Reporting
Bug Reports can be submitted to Autodesk via the following link:
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/item?siteID=123112&id=5600504&linkID=5573345
Be sure to include a detailed description of exactly what steps can be taken to cause the bug to occur again.
Revision History
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