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This is the main tool panel that you will use to create, edit, and control the objects in your scene; it’s located to the right of your interface, with tabbed groupings. The tools found here give access to the various settings that control the behavior and shape of an object; they are set up with the subsets top, object buttons below, and then expandable editing sets for the settings of the objects below that.

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Main Tools and the 'Create' Panel

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This tab gives you access to every in-scene object that 3DSMax will let you create; it, like the others, is broken down into smaller subsets, accessible by the buttons at the top of the tab.

• Geometry: Represented by an image of a sphere, selecting this subset lets you draw any three-dimensional geometry. The default is Standard Primitives (box, sphere, etc), but using the dropdown menu you can select Extended Primitives, Compound Objects, Particle Systems, Patch Grids, NURBS Surface, and Dynamic Objects.
• Shapes: Represented by a shapes icon, this subset gives access to the drawing tools for flat, 2D objects: Splines (circles, rectangles, etc.) and NURBS curves.
• Lights: Subset represented by a “flashlight” with the tools to create light sets: Target Spot, Free Spot, Target Direct, Free Direct, and Omni. The dropdown menu for this subset contains only Standard types.
• Cameras: Represented by a graphic of a camera, this contains the camera types: Target and Free. The dropdown menu for this subset contains only Standard types.
• Helpers: The icon for this subset looks like a small tape measure, and like a tape measure the tools contained within are useful to the construction of your scene. The dropdown options for this subset are Standard (dummy, tape measure, compass, etc.), Atmospheric Apparatus, Camera Match, and Manipulators. You may see other options here if you have certain plugins (like Reactor or Shag Hair).
• Space Warps: This subset (represented by an icon depicting several waves) lets you create forces and other environmental factors in your scene. The dropdown options include Forces (motor, push, vortex, etc.), Deflectors, Geometric/Deformable, and Modifier-Based. Like the above, you may see other options if you have additional plugins.
• Systems: This subset, whose icon depicts two gears, lets you create complex systems with the push of a few buttons: bones, sunlight systems, full biped systems, and ring arrays. The dropdown menu for this subset contains only Standard types.
• The last in the four panels displayed above is merely an example of the selection dropdown menus on the various subsets. This one displays the options available on the Geometry subset.

'Modify' Panel

You’ll be using the tools on this panel more than any others when modeling; these tools control your shape’s appearance by applying modifiers to its polygons; anything from meshsmooths (smoothing the surface through iterations of polygons) to extrusions (drawing out one or more faces) to bends and tapers (literally bending or squeezing your shapes) and much, much more. There’s a default set of eight of the most commonly-used buttons, but you can customize it to display whichever tools you prefer.

The easiest way to get to the majority of the modifiers, however, is through the dropdown menu listing every modifier available. Once you’ve selected a modifier, the window below will display the shape/object you’ve selected and a hierarchy of the modifiers applied to it. Below that, the expandable editing panels let you change the settings of how they affect your shapes.

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'Hierarchy' Panel

You’ll find this panel useful once you’ve set up hierarchies of objects (linked objects) or linked bone systems; you can set their behaviors in relation to each other, and to the scene, using the three tabs.

• Pivot: Adjust the pivot points of objects, including how the move/rotate/scale tools affect them (such as setting them to affect only the pivot points affect the object only, or affect the entire hierarchy), which will change the results of using those tools; you can also set the alignment in relation to each other and the “world”, or change whether or not changes made to a “parent” object affect that object’s linked “children”. This is key to “forward kinematics” (a method of animation where you move things in a straightforward fashion, one pivot-point at a time).
• IK: Here you can control your IK (inverse kinematics) settings. IK is an animation method that can control the behavior of an entire chain of objects at once, as though they truly were attached and affected by each others’ forces (for example: if you pull on a human wrist, the wrist alone will not move; it will pull the forearm with it, which will, in turn, draw the upper arm, then shoulder, then body behind). We’ll talk about this in more detail in a separate lesson on IK.
• Link Info: This subset is very simple; it lets you either lock or unlock movement, rotation, or scaling on an axis, and determine on which axes motion, rotation, or scaling is inherited.

'Motion' Panel

The options here are more tied to the animation of your shapes/objects than the forms of the shapes themselves. (Another is Track View, which is something we’ll discuss later, but the two act as alternatives to each other.)

• Parameters: Here you can assign a controller to your motion (such as position, rotation, or scale), create keys for those controllers, or edit your key frame information to set motion to ease into a key, ease out of a key, or various other settings.
• Trajectories: This lets you view the path an object travels over time, and use that visual to control the path.

'Display' Panel

This controls the display of objects in your scene. You can hide, unhide, or freeze objects or groups of objects at your discretion. You can also change how they're displayed/in what form or change viewport characteristics.

'Utilities' Panel

3DSMax utilities are actually plugins to the program and can be accessed via this panel to accomplish various useful tasks.

Autodesk 3ds Max, formerly 3D Studio and 3D Studio Max, is a professional 3D computer graphics program for making 3D animations, models, games and images. It is developed and produced by Autodesk Media and Entertainment.^[1] It has modeling capabilities and a flexible plugin architecture and must be used on the Microsoft Windows platform. It is frequently used by video game developers, many TV commercial studios, and architectural visualization studios. It is also used for movie effects and movie pre-visualization. For its modeling and animation tools, the latest version^[which?] of 3ds Max also features shaders (such as ambient occlusion and subsurface scattering), dynamic simulation, particle systems, radiosity, normal map creation and rendering, global illumination, a customizable user interface, new icons, and its own scripting language.^[2]

• 1History
• 4Modeling techniques
• 5Predefined primitives

History[edit]

The original 3D Studio product was created for the DOS platform by Gary Yost and the Yost Group, and published by Autodesk. The release of 3D Studio made Autodesk's previous 3D rendering package AutoShade obsolete. After 3D Studio DOS Release 4, the product was rewritten for the Windows NT platform, and renamed '3D Studio MAX'. This version was also originally created by the Yost Group. It was released by Kinetix, which was at that time Autodesk's division of media and entertainment.

Autodesk purchased the product at the second release update of the 3D Studio MAX version and internalized development entirely over the next two releases. Later, the product name was changed to '3ds max' (all lower case) to better comply with the naming conventions of Discreet, a Montreal-based software company which Autodesk had purchased.

When it was re-released (release 7), the product was again branded with the Autodesk logo, and the short name was again changed to '3ds Max' (upper and lower case), while the formal product name became the current 'Autodesk 3ds Max'.^[3]

Version history[edit]

Features[edit]

MAXScript

MAXScript is a built-in scripting language that can be used to automate repetitive tasks, combine existing functionality in new ways, develop new tools and user interfaces, and much more. Plugin modules can be created entirely within MAXScript.

Character Studio

Character Studio was a plugin which since version 4 of Max is now integrated in 3D Studio Max; it helps users to animate virtual characters. The system works using a character rig or 'Biped' skeleton which has stock settings that can be modified and customized to fit the character meshes and animation needs. This tool also includes robust editing tools for IK/FK switching, Pose manipulation, Layers and Keyframing workflows, and sharing of animation data across different Biped skeletons. These 'Biped' objects have other useful features that help accelerate the production of walk cycles and movement paths, as well as secondary motion.

Scene Explorer

Scene Explorer, a tool that provides a hierarchical view of scene data and analysis, facilitates working with more complex scenes. Scene Explorer has the ability to sort, filter, and search a scene by any object type or property (including metadata). Added in 3ds Max 2008, it was the first component to facilitate .NET managed code in 3ds Max outside of MAXScript.

DWG import

3ds Max supports both import and linking of DWG files. Improved memory management in 3ds Max 2008 enables larger scenes to be imported with multiple objects.

Texture assignment/editing

3ds Max offers operations for creative texture and planar mapping, including tiling, mirroring, decals, angle, rotate, blur, UV stretching, and relaxation; Remove Distortion; Preserve UV; and UV template image export. The texture workflow includes the ability to combine an unlimited number of textures, a material/map browser with support for drag-and-drop assignment, and hierarchies with thumbnails. UV workflow features include Pelt mapping, which defines custom seams and enables users to unfold UVs according to those seams; copy/paste materials, maps and colors; and access to quick mapping types (box, cylindrical, spherical).

General keyframing

Two keying modes — set key and auto key — offer support for different keyframing workflows.

Fast and intuitive controls for keyframing — including cut, copy, and paste — let the user create animations with ease. Animation trajectories may be viewed and edited directly in the viewport.

Constrained animation

Objects can be animated along curves with controls for alignment, banking, velocity, smoothness, and looping, and along surfaces with controls for alignment. Weight path-controlled animation between multiple curves, and animate the weight. Objects can be constrained to animate with other objects in many ways — including look at, orientation in different coordinate spaces, and linking at different points in time. These constraints also support animated weighting between more than one target.

All resulting constrained animation can be collapsed into standard keyframes for further editing.

Skinning

Either the Skin or Physique modifier may be used to achieve precise control of skeletal deformation, so the character deforms smoothly as joints are moved, even in the most challenging areas, such as shoulders. Skin deformation can be controlled using direct vertex weights, volumes of vertices defined by envelopes, or both. Capabilities such as weight tables, paintable weights, and saving and loading of weights offer easy editing and proximity-based transfer between models, providing the accuracy and flexibility needed for complicated characters.

The rigid bind skinning option is useful for animating low-polygon models or as a diagnostic tool for regular skeleton animation.

Additional modifiers, such as Skin Wrap and Skin Morph, can be used to drive meshes with other meshes and make targeted weighting adjustments in tricky areas.

Skeletons and inverse kinematics (IK)

Characters can be rigged with custom skeletons using 3ds Max bones, IK solvers, and rigging tools powered by Motion Capture Data.

All animation tools — including expressions, scripts, list controllers, and wiring — can be used along with a set of utilities specific to bones to build rigs of any structure and with custom controls, so animators see only the UI necessary to get their characters animated. Four plug-in IK solvers ship with 3ds Max: history-independent solver, history-dependent solver, limb solver, and spline IK solver. These powerful solvers reduce the time it takes to create high-quality character animation. The history-independent solver delivers smooth blending between IK and FK animation and uses preferred angles to give animators more control over the positioning of affected bones. The history-dependent solver can solve within joint limits and is used for machine-like animation. IK limb is a lightweight two-bone solver, optimized for real-time interactivity, ideal for working with a character arm or leg. Spline IK solver provides a flexible animation system with nodes that can be moved anywhere in 3D space. It allows for efficient animation of skeletal chains, such as a character's spine or tail, and includes easy-to-use twist and roll controls.

Integrated Cloth solver

In addition to reactor's cloth modifier, 3ds Max software has an integrated cloth-simulation engine that enables the user to turn almost any 3D object into clothing and even build garments from scratch. Collision solving is fast and accurate even in complex simulations. Local simulation lets artists drape cloth in real time to set up an initial clothing state before setting animation keys.

Cloth simulations can be used in conjunction with other 3ds Max dynamic forces, such as Space Warps. Multiple independent cloth systems can be animated with their own objects and forces. Cloth deformation data can be cached to the hard drive to allow for nondestructive iterations and to improve playback performance.

Integration with Autodesk Vault

Autodesk Vault plug-in, which ships with 3ds Max, consolidates users' 3ds Max assets in a single location, enabling them to automatically track files and manage work in progress. Users can easily and safely find, share, and reuse 3ds Max (and design) assets in a large-scale production or visualization environment.

Max Creation Graph

Introduced with Max 2016, Max Creation Graph (MCG) enables users to create modifiers, geometry, and utility plug-ins using a visual node-based workflow.

With MCG you can create a new plug-in for 3ds Max in minutes by simply wiring together parameter nodes, computation nodes, and output nodes. The resulting graph can then be saved in an XML file (.maxtool) or be packaged with any compounds (.maxcompound) it depends on in a ZIP file (.mcg) which you can share easily with 3ds Max users.

Adoption[edit]

Many films have made use of 3ds Max, or previous versions of the program under previous names, in CGI animation, such as Avatar and 2012, which contain computer generated graphics from 3ds Max alongside live-action acting. Mudbox was also used in the final texturing of the set and characters in Avatar, with 3ds Max and Mudbox being closely related.

3ds Max has been used in the development of 3D computer graphics for a number of video games.

Architectural and engineering design firms use 3ds Max for developing concept art and previsualization. 3ds Max shares a close resemblance to AutoCAD.

Educational programs at secondary and tertiary level use 3ds Max in their courses on 3D computer graphics and computer animation. Students in the FIRST competition for 3d animation are known to use 3ds Max.

Modeling techniques[edit]

Polygon modeling[edit]

Polygon modeling is more common with game design than any other modeling technique as the very specific control over individual polygons allows for extreme optimization. Usually, the modeler begins with one of the 3ds max primitives, and using such tools as bevel and extrude, adds detail to and refines the model. Versions 4 and up feature the Editable Polygon object, which simplifies most mesh editing operations, and provides subdivision smoothing at customizable levels (see NURMS).

Version 7 introduced the edit poly modifier, which allows the use of the tools available in the editable polygon object to be used higher in the modifier stack (i.e., on top of other modifications).

NURBS in 3dsmax is a 'legacy feature' none of the features were ever updated since version 4 and have been ignored by the development teams over the past decade. for example the updated path deform and the updated normalize spline modifiers in version 2018 do NOT work on nurbs curves anymore (they did in previous versions).

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NURBS (Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines)[edit]

An alternative to polygons, it gives a smoothed out surface that eliminates the straight edges of a polygon model. NURBS is a mathematically exact representation of freeform surfaces like those used for car bodies and ship hulls, which can be exactly reproduced at any resolution whenever needed. With NURBS, a smooth sphere can be created with only one face.

The non-uniform property of NURBS brings up an important point. Because they are generated mathematically, NURBS objects have a parameter space in addition to the 3D geometric space in which they are displayed. Specifically, an array of values called knots specifies the extent of influence of each control vertex (CV) on the curve or surface. Knots are invisible in 3D space and you can't manipulate them directly, but occasionally their behavior affects the visible appearance of the NURBS object. Parameter space is one-dimensional for curves, which have only a single U dimension topologically, even though they exist geometrically in 3D space. Surfaces have two dimensions in parameter space, called U and V.^[5]

NURBS curves and surfaces have the important properties of not changing under the standard geometric affine transformations (Transforms), or under perspective projections. The CVs have local control of the object: moving a CV or changing its weight does not affect any part of the object beyond the neighboring CVs. (You can override this property by using the Soft Selection controls). Also, the control lattice that connects CVs surrounds the surface. This is known as the convex hull property.^[6]

Surface tool/editable patch object[edit]

Surface tool was originally a 3rd party plugin, but Kinetix acquired and included this feature since version 3.0.^{[citation needed]} The surface tool is for creating common 3ds Max splines, and then applying a modifier called 'surface.' This modifier makes a surface from every three or four vertices in a grid. It is often seen as an alternative to 'mesh' or 'nurbs' modeling, as it enables a user to interpolate curved sections with straight geometry (for example a hole through a box shape). Although the surface tool is a useful way to generate parametrically accurate geometry, it lacks the 'surface properties' found in the similar Edit Patch modifier, which enables a user to maintain the original parametric geometry whilst being able to adjust 'smoothing groups' between faces.^{[citation needed]}

Predefined primitives[edit]

This is a basic method, in which one models something using only boxes, spheres, cones, cylinders and other predefined objects from the list of Predefined Standard Primitives or a list of Predefined Extended Primitives. One may also apply boolean operations, including subtract, cut and connect. For example, one can make two spheres which will work as blobs that will connect with each other. These are called metaballs.^[7]

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Standard primitives[edit]

Extended primitives[edit]

Rendering[edit]

Scanline rendering

The default rendering method in 3DS Max is scanline rendering. Several advanced features have been added to the scanliner over the years, such as global illumination, radiosity, and ray tracing.

ART Renderer

Autodesk Raytracer Renderer (ART) is a CPU-only, physically based renderer for architectural, product, and industrial design renderings and animations. It is integrated into 3ds Max as of version 2017.

mental ray

mental ray is a third-party renderer using bucket rendering, a technique that allows distributing the rendering task for a single image between several computers. Since 3ds Max 2018, mental ray is no longer shipped with 3ds Max and needs to be obtained directly from NVIDIA.

RenderMan

A third party connection tool to RenderMan pipelines is also available for those that need to integrate Max into Renderman render farms. Used by Pixar for rendering several of their CGI animated films.

V-Ray

A third-party render engine plug-in for 3D Studio MAX.

Brazil R/S

A third-party photorealistic rendering system. It is capable of fast ray tracing and global illumination.

Arion

A third party hybrid GPU+CPU interactive, unbiased ray tracer, based on Nvidia CUDA.

Indigo Renderer

A third-party photorealistic renderer with plugins for 3ds Max.

Maxwell Render

A third-party photorealistic rendering system providing materials and unbiased rendering.

Octane Render

A third party unbiased GPU ray tracer with plugins for 3ds Max, based on Nvidia CUDA.

Luxrender

An open-source ray tracer supporting 3ds Max, Cinema 4D, Softimage, and Blender. Focuses on photorealism by simulating real light physics as much as possible.

Arnold

Arnold is an unbiased, physically based, unidirectional path-tracing renderer.

Corona Renderer

A third-party unbiased,physically based render engine plug-in for 3D Studio MAX.

Verge3D

A third-party real-time WebGL renderer for 3ds Max.

Licensing[edit]

Earlier versions (up to and including 3D Studio Max R3.1) required a special copy protection device (called a dongle) to be plugged into the parallel port while the program was run, but later versions incorporated software based copy prevention methods instead. Current versions require online registration.

Due to the high price of the commercial version of the program, Autodesk also offers a free student version, which explicitly states that it is to be used for 'educational purposes only'. The student version has identical features to the full version, but is only for single use and cannot be installed on a network. The student license expires after three years, at which time the user, if they are still a student, may download the latest version, thus renewing the license for another three years.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^'Autodesk | 3D Design, Engineering & Entertainment Software' November 21, 2013
2. ^'Autodesk 3ds Max — Detailed Features', March 25, 2008
3. ^History of Autodesk 3ds MaxArchived October 24, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
4. ^http://www.pcauthority.com.au/Review/17001,3ds-max-4.aspx
5. ^'NURBS Curves and Surfaces', November 22, 2013
6. ^'Why is the Convex Hull property so important, November 22, 2013
7. ^'Metaballs/Blobby Objects', November 22, 2013

External links[edit]

• 3D Studio Max at Curlie