Autodesk 3ds Max 9 Software Accelerates Next-Generation Digital Content Creation and Design Visualization

Autodesk 3ds Max 9 Key Features

Along with 64-bit support, new lighting, more shaders and accelerated rendering, 3ds Max 9 offers the following features to maximize core performance, productivity and pipeline efficiency:

mental ray 3.5 Upgrade

mental ray 3.5 adds powerful rendering functionality to 3ds Max 9. It offers a simplified user interface for working with Final Gather, as well as a unified indirect lighting model that provides consistent results when switching between different 3ds Max radiosity modes.

XAF Parsing Improvements

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With the .XAF file format (animation data in an XML file) speed improvements in 3ds Max 9 artists will now enjoy improved loading times when transferring and retargeting numerous animation data from one character to another across a production pipeline.

Style Hair in Viewport

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As of 3ds Max 9, Hair is now integrated into the 3ds Max interface. Artists can create, manipulate, and style hair directly in the viewports using standard navigation and selection tools. The highly interactive display lets artists visualize the flow of the hair as the object moves in the scene.

Splitting and Merging Functions Added to Interface

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Merge and Split groups have been added to the styling tools in the UI to allow you to define distinct behaviors for sections, for example, a part in a character�s hair.

Default Context-Sensitive Quad Menu for Hair

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Full integration, including a context-sensitive quad menu, allows artists quicker access to Hair styling tools. Assign a MR Shader to Hair For more realistic rendering of hair, artists can now assign a MR Shader to the hair itself, not just the objects on which the hair grows.

Layered Animation

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The ability to place animation into separate layers allows artists to easily tweak dense and complex animations.  Layers can be turned on or off to evaluate an animation, can blend new keys with existing motion, and allow for a full range of adjustments without having to modify the key frames of the animated object.

Physical Sun and Sky

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mental ray now has shader support for a physical sky based on the Sun position and turbidity of the atmosphere, reducing pixelation, and creating more accurate results. When artists use this feature, a gradient with soft shadows from the Sun is created automatically

PointCache2

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PointCache2 features adjustable playback ranges and a playback graph to animate cache frames played back. Cache file management is improved in the UI. PointCache2 allows you to load a cache, then animate it slowing down, stoping, reversing, etc. Nth frame sampling allows sampling every few frames to save disk space if sampling every frame is not necessary. Pre-loaded caches speed up playback. The "strength" is adjustable in Absolute mode, so you can easily blend the cache with what is below in the stack.

Re-Factor Translation System for High Poly-Count Scenes

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Data is now parsed more efficiently for very large scenes (more than 20 million polygons). This improves performance by reducing mental ray translation time. When 3ds Max renders a scene using mental ray, a portion of the time is used translating the scene for mental ray. This improves performance in scene translation and results in improved rendering performance overall.

For a complete list of new 3ds Max 9 features, please visit www.autodesk.com/3dsmax.

With support from HP and Intel, a number of third-party developers in the Autodesk Developer Network (ADN) Sparks program have already produced 64-bit versions of their plug-ins to support 3ds Max 9, giving users immediate access to a pool of 64-bit development tools.

Pricing and Availability
Autodesk anticipates that 3ds Max 9 will be available in English in October 2006, and in additional languages in the future.  The Autodesk suggested retail price for 3ds Max 9 software is US $3,495.  The Autodesk suggested retail price to upgrade from 3ds Max 8 to 3ds Max 9 is US $795.

3ds Max Subscription
The Autodesk suggested retail price for 3ds Max Subscription is US $440 per year and is available for purchase simultaneously with the product purchase or upgrade.  Subscription customers qualify for access to the latest software updates, valuable product extensions and e-learning materials.  For more information about 3ds Max Subscription, please visit www.autodesk.com/subscription.