Autodesk® 3ds Max®
Detailed Features
Autodesk® 3ds Max® software is a powerful, integrated 3D modeling, animation, and rendering application. Its easy-to-learn environment enables artists to quickly ramp up for production. 3ds Max software is used by film and video artists, game developers, multimedia designers (print and web), design visualization professionals, and 3D enthusiasts to achieve stunning results in less time.
(Note: 3ds Max is available for the Microsoft® Windows® operating system.)
3ds Max 9 includes toolsets for

• Modeling and Texturing
• Animation
• Visual Effects
• Rendering
• Hair and Fur
• Cloth
• Asset Management and Collaboration

PLUS

• 3ds Max API/SDK and MAXScripts
• Tutorials and Documentation

• 3ds Max User Interface
• Data and Scene Management Tools
• Modeling
• Polygon Modeling and Texturing
• Spline/Extended Spline and NURBS Modeling
• General Animation
• Character Animation
• Modifiers
• Space Warps
• Dynamics
• Cloth

3ds Max User Interface

Maximize your productivity

• Gain unmatched productivity through a combination of performance and workflow features, including a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) viewport environment, schematic view, multiple coordinate systems, interactive axis constraints, customizable menus and buttons, and modeless keyboard entry.
• Unique modifier stack gives you the option of using a powerful, visual, parametric workflow: changes made anywhere in the modifier stack, no matter how significant, are automatically propagated to the end result. This feature enables you to work in a nonlinear fashion—for example, on a completed high-resolution character model, revert to the original low-resolution geometry at the bottom of the stack, and add details, such as buttons on a shirt or tweaks to the nose. Those changes pass up through all the finishing modifiers (such as smoothing, mapping, and skinning) to appear in the completed character.
   
• Use mouse or tablet-based, paintbrush interface for object selection and deformation, vertex color, and radiosity touchup.

Data and Scene Management Tools

Boost productivity and workflow flexibility with external and internal data and scene management features

• File management utilities—such as project folders, relative paths, repathing tools, asset tracking, increment on save, auto-backup, resource collector, dynamic texture reloading, and log files—manage daily use and transfer of 3ds Max data between file iterations, users, and locations.
• An intelligent, external file referencing feature (for scenes, objects, or materials) enables efficient team management of complex scenes and animations.
• Quickly isolate related scene elements by working in layers via the Layer Manager.
• Use source control management for in-use assets through Asset Tracker. This feature is tightly integrated with Autodesk® Vault asset management software and compatible with all third-party asset management solutions.

See Connectivity and Integration for more information.

Modeling

Efficiently create parametric shapes and objects to begin modeling quickly

• Vast selection of ready-to-use geometry includes standard primitives, extended primitives, 2D shapes, and architectural elements, such as doors, windows, and stairs.
• Create compound objects using any of the following operations: Scatter, Connect, Booleans, ShapeMerge, Morph, BlobMesh, Terrain, and Loft.
• Convert parametric and compound objects to any of the following base geometric types for more detailed editing: editable mesh, editable poly, editable patch, or nonuniform rational B-spline (NURBS) objects.
• Use 2D shapes as a starting point for creating editable splines and spline cages to convert to any of the 3D geometry types.

Polygon Modeling and Texturing

Use polygon/trimesh architecture for creating, editing, and texturing mesh models. These models can contain color-per-vertex channels, mapping channels, selection channels, and explicit normals, all of which can be animated in the modifier stack.
Polygon Modeling Tools

• A complete set of creation and editing tools includes create, collapse, attach, bridge, flip, hinge from edge, turn, cut, split, slice, quick slice, wedge, bevel, extrude, chamfer vertex, extrude along a curve, mirror, edge loop, and edge ring tools.
• A Boolean operations toolset, ProBooleans, is now available. Use this toolset to re-evaluate and optimize the topology of meshes, among many other features. The ProCutter tool lets you quickly fracture geometry into smaller, individual chunks.
• Workflow features include Preserve UVs, which separates texture coordinates from the polygon vertices to edit the mesh without destroying UV data; subobject (for example, vertices, edges, faces) selection sets, which intelligently convert between different types of selections (for example, edges to vertices); and interactive previewing of edits and animated edits.
• A large range of modeling modifiers is available for working with geometry and subobject geometry in the modifier stack, including Projection, Edit Normals, Vertex Paint, and those that let you bend, bevel, cap holes, cross section, displace, extrude, and subdivide polygons.

Subdivision Surfaces and Polygon Smoothing

• Subdivision methods include NURMS Subdivision, which produces an object similar to a NURBS object; classic, which like MeshSmooth produces three- and four-sided facets; and quad output, which produces only four-sided facets.
• Mesh smoothing of polygon objects provides control over the polygon count of the final mesh for render optimization or level of detail.
• Subdivision surface and polygon smoothing tools available to those modeling with the modifier stack include a hierarchical subdivisions surface modifier, MeshSmooth and TurboSmooth.

Optimization Tools

• Geometry cleanup and level-of-detail tools enable scene optimization for interactive display.

Texture Assignment/Editing

• Wide range of 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.
• Streamlined texture workflow includes 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 you to unfold UVs according to those seams; copy/paste materials, maps and colors; and access to quick mapping types (box, cylindrical, spherical).
• Up to 99 UV sets for texture layering.
• Extensive UVW mapping tools with direct manipulation of texture mapping coordinates.
• Texture modifiers—for working in the modifier stack—include Camera Map, Material Modifier, UVW mapping modifiers, UV Xform, Map Scaler, and Surface Mapper.

Shaders/Materials: see Rendering

Spline/Extended Spline and NURBS Modeling

• Precise spline-based curve and surface construction tools include loft, one- and two-rail sweep, beveling, extrude, filet, cap, offset, lathe, ruled, mirror, multisided blend, and other tools.
• Surfaces can be attached, detached, aligned, stitched together, extended, filleted, or rebuilt, with a high degree of control over parameterization and continuity.
• Merge multiple NURBS patches into a single polygon mesh.
• Spline modifiers—for those modeling with the modifier stack—let you deform, lathe, normalize spline, set spline render properties, sweep, and trim/extend. A range of modifiers is provided for direct manipulation of subobject geometry (for example, Curve CV, Surface CV, surface).

General Animation

Benefit from a broad range of tools for keyframe and procedural animation that can be used to animate almost any parameter in your scene
General Keyframing

• Two keying modes—set key and auto key—offer support for different keyframing workflows.
• Use fast and intuitive controls for keyframing—including cut, copy, and paste—to create animations with ease.
• View and edit animation trajectories right in the viewport.

Animation Controllers

• Use a wide range of controllers, both key based and parametric, to animate the full transform or the position, rotation, or scale of objects.
• Key-based controllers, such as Bezier and TCB, store values and interpolation methods in each key, which can be edited with those controls.

Constrained Animation

• Animate objects 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.
• Constrain objects 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.
• Collapse all resulting constrained animation into standard keyframes for further editing.

Procedural Animation

• Parametric controllers store values that affect the animation throughout: controls are unique to each controller type.
• Choose from many built-in controllers—including noise, expressions, waveform, spring, and audio—to create procedural animation based on those functions.
• Collapse all resulting procedural animation into standard keyframes for further editing.

Script and Expression Controllers

• Create custom controllers using scripts and expressions.
• Expressions allow the animation to be controlled by any math function as well as by any MAXScript.
• Scripted controllers allow the animation to be controlled by any relationship describable using MAXScripts.
• Collapse all resulting script or expression-based animation into standard keyframes for further editing.

List Controllers

• Blend multiple animation tracks into a single result using a hierarchy of controllers in a list.
• Use list controllers to store different poses and versions of animation on the same object or objects.
• Weight and animate the influence of each controller in the list over time.

Reaction Controllers

• Set up reactions to make objects respond to the animation of other objects.
• Set up states for reactions and trigger them with desired values, such that the reacting object will be controlled without having to be keyed by hand.

Parameter Wiring

• Wire together one- and two-way relationships between controllers to offer a more custom method of keying animation.
• Implement custom animation controls by wiring UI elements such as sliders and spinners to objects’ animatable tracks.
• Control multiple attributes with a single slider.

Track View: Curve Editor and Dope Sheet

• Edit keyframe animation track by track using curves along the timeline—so you can more easily visualize the components of the interpolation.
• Use tools for editing curves—such as limiting, curve drawing, and curve modifiers—for ease and multiplication.
• Edit keys individually or in groups and ranges using the Dope Sheet.
• Slide, move, and scale keys or sets of keys in both time and value.
• Edit animation track by track by copying, pasting, and instancing controllers.
• Use Track Sets to organize complex animation into discrete entities for easier editing.
• Better control dense animation using soft selection falloff, and key-reduce into sparse keys that maintain the integrity of the original animation.
• Load sound tracks into a Track View for easy syncing with the target animation.

Ghosting

• View animation before and after the current frame, so you can evaluate object motion.

Modifier Animation

• Using the modifier stack offers another procedural approach to animation because all modifier parameters can be keyed.
• Use the Point Cache modifier to save and load surface deformations for easy swapping and fast playback.
• The Morpher modifier is an interface for organizing and animating morphing targets and includes support for progressive morphing.

Skinning

• Use either the Skin or Physique modifier to achieve precise control of skeletal deformation, so that the character deforms smoothly as joints are moved, even in the most challenging areas such as shoulders.
• Control skin deformation 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.
• Use the rigid bind skinning option, useful for animating low-polygon models or as a diagnostic tool for regular skeleton animation.
• Use additional modifiers, such as Skin Wrap and Skin Morph, to drive meshes with other meshes and make targeted weighting adjustments in tricky areas.

Character Animation

Get the tools you need to animate sophisticated digital characters
Character Studio Overview

• Integrated Character Studio toolset provides fast, intelligent biped, physique, and crowd animation functionality.
• Biped automates the creation of bipedal character skeletons—enabling you to animate before the biped skeleton structure has been determined and retarget onto bipeds of differing structures.
• Biped delivers state-of-the-art, intuitive FK/IK blending as well as a powerful IK pivot animating system that lets hands and feet roll and rotate around points other than their base pivots.
• Biped also provides high-level tools for asset sharing, animation layering, and nonlinear editing.
• Unique Biped and spline dynamics tools enable you to precisely control the physical forces acting on a character—and can be used to calculate biped airborne trajectory, knee bend on landing, and overall balance.
• Use physique to attach skin geometry automatically to your biped or bones hierarchy.
• Integrated crowd system lets you control biped characters or any 3ds Max object using intelligent behavioral interactions—like goal seeking and avoidance.
• Script or write behaviors as C++ plug-ins and move between them based on any scriptable or programmable criteria using cognitive controllers.

Skeletons and Inverse Kinematics (IK)

• Rig characters with custom skeletons using 3ds Max bones, IK solvers, and rigging tools.
• Use all animation tools—expressions, scripts, list controllers, wiring—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 character’s animating.
• 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.
• History-independent solver delivers smooth blending between IK and FK animation and uses preferred angles to give you 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.

High-Level Animation Tools
Animation Assets

• Both Biped and 3ds Max objects have systems for storing, loading, and retargeting animation assets, thus greatly expanding the usefulness of each clip.
• Though the Biped file format is specific to itself—thereby offering unparalleled power and ease of restructuring and retargeting—it can also contain 3ds Max animation that a biped may depend on.
• Export animation data from any object or character to an XML file and then reimport it with track-to-track mapping, or in the case of a character, object-by-object control for retargeting onto characters whose proportions differ from the original.

Motion Mixer

• Both Biped and 3ds Max objects are supported by the nonlinear animation mixer.
• Store libraries of motions for use with the mixer, and apply and retarget motions to single objects, entire characters, or specific sets of objects and tracks within characters.
• Motion Mixer lets you intelligently move between motion clips, based on the patterns of the clips themselves, for ultimate smoothness.
• Muting and soloing capabilities provide control over each animation sequence in isolation, or in the context of other animations.

Animation Layers

• Animate both Biped and 3ds Max objects in layers, allowing for targeted tweaks on even the densest of animation data without compromising the underlying keyframes.

Parameter Collector

• Use an intuitive interface for collecting, managing, and sharing specific sets of animation controls.

Biped Motion Flow

• Use the Biped clip network interface for setting up transition between motions and for building scripts of clips.
• Use Motion Flow with the crowd system to determine the animation behavior that the crowd-driven biped has to choose from.

Biped Copy/Paste

• Use a powerful copy and paste system for storing, sharing, and retrieving poses, postures, and tracks on whole bipeds or sets of objects therein—thereby facilitating animation blocking and hand posing.

Biped Workbench

• A specialized version of the track view is available for editing, analyzing, and modifying biped animation based on high-level criteria such as acceleration, spikes, and noise.

Biped Footsteps

• Animate bipeds with footstep gizmos that represent and control the placement of IK constraints for locomotion.

Motion Capture

• Easily import and retarget motion capture data—both hierarchical and marker—onto both bipeds and 3ds Max objects.
• 3ds Max objects are supported using the HTR and TRC import formats, which can be converted into XML or biped formats for reuse and retargeting on any character.
• Biped supports BVH and CSM data and has tools for extracting IK constraints, reducing keys on any body part within set tolerances, and defining offsets within the character figure.

Modifiers

Select, model, map, and animate objects and subobjects using the modifier stack
Selection

• Pass subobject selections up the stack to other modifiers using Mesh Select, Poly Select, Patch Select, and Volume Select.

Animated Deformations

• Use animated deformers to add life to creatures, simulate fluidic effects, and more. Deformers work on all geometry types, including particles.
• Modifiers for creating animated deformations include free form, ripple, wave, squeeze, twist, bend, stretch, spherify, noise, displace, skew, and relax.
• World Space modifiers operate at the top of the modifier stack and bind objects to animated world conditions, such as surfaces, forces, fields, and deflections.

Modeling and Mapping

• Edit mesh, poly, patch, and spline modifiers let you use base-level geometry editing tools on parametric objects.
• Meshsmooth, Turbosmooth, Subdivide, Tessellate, and HSDS modifiers increase the resolution of objects or subobjects and offer controls specific to each technology.
• Optimize and Multi-Res reduce the resolution of objects while maintaining important characteristics.
• UV Map and UV Unwrap add texture coordinate manipulation tools into the stack of any object.
• Other parametric processes—such as adding custom attributes, capping holes in geometry, painting vertex colors, overriding material IDs, and adjusting surface normals—benefit from the modifier stack’s flexibility.

Space Warps

Add world space conditions to control the behavior and interactions of all scene objects

• Space Warps—objects that can be bound to geometry and particles—introduce world space animation effects.
• Force-based Space Warps, such as wind and gravity, add natural behavior to selections of objects.
• Deflectors contain the animation of objects and particles to enable parametric bouncing and friction.
• Use modifier-based Space Warps to deform many objects in relation to each other.
• Include Space Warps in dynamics simulations to enhance physical realism.

Dynamics

Create effects through the dynamic interaction of geometry, including collisions between rigid and soft bodies

• The integrated reactor plug-in, based on the Havok 3.2 solver, lets you create a full range of rigid and soft-body dynamics simulations, and is compatible with the 3ds Max Space Warp modifiers.
• Use a host of constraints to create intricate and accurate physical relationships between objects.
• Simple constraints, such as springs and dashpots, require little computation and create realistic dynamic connections between two objects.
• Cooperative constraints, such as hinge, car wheel, point-to-point, and rag-doll, although more computationally intensive, enable you to generate more-complex and accurate multiobject simulations.
• A real-time simulation window facilitates trial-and-error iteration.
• Simulation results are written into 3ds Max PRS keys and can be optionally added to list controllers or Biped layers so as to not overwrite existing animation.

Rigid-Body Dynamics (reactor)

• Realistic, high-speed simulations of multiple rigid objects are easy to set up and iterate upon using reactor object collections.
• Detailed control over mass, friction, and elasticity lets you determine each object’s physical characteristics.

Soft-Body Dynamics (reactor)

• Introduce deformable objects and surfaces to interact with rigid bodies and to add secondary motion effects, such as clothing, jiggling fat, and floppy ears.

Cloth

Use powerful cloth simulation tools to create realistic fabric simulations and tailor-made clothing for characters

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