Autodesk introduces 3ds Max 2009 for the entertainment industry and 3ds Max Design 2009 for professional designers

Autodesk, the global leader in 2D and 3D design software for manufacturing, construction, media, and entertainment, announced at its regional press conference Autodesk World Press Days Europe 2008 two new versions of its modeling, animation, and rendering software Autodesk 3ds Max, a leading creative tool for game development. The company introduced Autodesk 3ds Max 2009 for professionals in the entertainment industry and newly presented 3ds Max Design 2009, a specialized 3D application for architects, designers, and visualization specialists. Both versions offer new rendering capabilities, improved interoperability with other applications including Revit, and additional tools for animation and mapping workflows that save users time. 3ds Max Design 2009 also provides lighting simulation and analysis technology.

“Every design tells a story,” explains Marc Petit, Senior Vice President of Autodesk Media & Entertainment. “Entertainment technology allows professional designers to explore ideas, verify concepts, and communicate design intent. It enables them to truly see designs before they go into production.”

“We now offer Autodesk 3ds Max in two special versions tailored to the needs of customers in the entertainment industry and professionals working in visualizations,” adds Petit. “The 3ds Max 2009 and 3ds Max Design 2009 applications provide users with a customized online environment, user interface, and presets, along with tutorials, samples, and more. This simplifies the learning process and allows users to find relevant information more easily.”

Key New Features

Key features of Autodesk 3ds Max 2009 include a new set of rendering tools called Reveal, which simplifies repetitive workflows, and the ProMaterials material library for simulating real-world surfaces. This version also brings numerous enhancements for animation of bipedal characters and new UV editing tools. Improved import and export of OBJ and Autodesk FBX file formats significantly eases interoperability with Autodesk Mudbox, Autodesk Maya, Autodesk MotionBuilder, and products from other vendors. Additionally, the new Recognize scene loading technology greatly facilitates data exchange with Revit Architecture 2009.

“Autodesk 3ds Max has never let us down, and with specialized versions, it’s even more powerful,” said Technical Director Yunus ‘Light’ Balcioglu. “3ds Max 2009 offers great new features that allow me to be more productive and creative. Enhanced features for animating bipedal characters make it easy to create quadrupeds as well, Reveal rendering allows for faster repetition cycles, and the revamped OBJ import simplifies switching between 3ds Max and Mudbox.”

3ds Max Design 2009 includes all of the features of Autodesk 3ds Max 2009 except for the Software Development Kit (SDK). The SDK is a set of development tools that are used in the entertainment industry to integrate software into production processes and to develop internal tools used in conjunction with this application. 3ds Max Design also includes Exposure technology for simulating and analyzing sunlight, sky, and artificial lighting for LEED certification 8.1.

“At SHoP Architects, we use computer-aided design technology not only to create innovative architectural forms but also to achieve greater efficiency and cost savings in the design and construction process,” said David Fano, designer at SHoP Architects. “Autodesk 3ds Max Design will help us go even further in this regard. The newly improved tools for simulating daylight and the enhanced rendering workflow will allow us to iterate cycles with greater freedom and produce higher quality work more quickly. Data exchange with Revit in FBX format will provide us with a seamless digital workflow, enabling us to leverage the building information model for advanced visualization in 3ds Max at all stages of design.”

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