I am fortunate enough to have participated in every 3DS Viz beta since its inception in 1997 after the release of Max R1, up to last year’s release Architectural Viz 2008.   Architectural design and visualization are two industries that I have always had a passion for, which explains why I was on the ‘Viz’ path.  It has been five releases since I last used Max in production so I knew I was in for a big change.   Now, with the shift away from Viz platform, Autodesk has released 3ds Max 2009 and 3ds Max Design 2009.  The differences between the two are minute with the main difference being 3ds Max 2009 ships with the SDK (software development kit), 3ds Max Design 2009 does not.

In the author’s opinion, the logic behind eliminating the Viz platform is straightforward; it costs less to develop one platform (Max) than it does for two (Max and Viz).  The SDK expandability has always been a part of the Max/Viz platforms, but in order to build the current release of Viz on the newest Max builds, so much of the feature-set had to be removed code wise, and then re-tested.  This move serves to benefit the industry leader by vesting in one platform, as well as the end user because it opens the rich feature-set of Max to the visualization artists who cut their teeth on Viz.

The technologies behind the 3ds Max platform have always set the bar in the industry.   Autodesk continues to find ways to increase the quality and speed of its rendering engines as well as provide the end user with intuitive, powerful tools which can be used for evaluation and examination or production and creation.  3ds Max 2009 and 3ds Max Design 2009 continues in this evolution and does not disappoint.  Let’s examine the key features of this release.

One of the most beneficial tools for the artist has to be the iterative rendering technology deemed Reveal by Autodesk.  This rendering technique streamlines the end users efforts to explore various design options without having to re-render the entire scene.   This creative workflow gives users the ability to render, explore, and enhance, all without compromising time.   The rendered image Framebuffer, shown below in Figure 1, has several simplified tools which refine levels of quality and rendering speed.

Figure 1, rendered image Framebuffer, 3ds Max Design 2009, scene by Jeff Patton

Another key feature in 3ds Max Design 2009 is the set of simulation tools for analytical lighting.  These new lighting tools are collectively titled Exposure.  The Lighting Analysis Assistant is a powerful addition for validating sustainable design investigations for both architects and engineers.   The dialog contains a built in assessment to determine if errors will be found prior to initiating the examination.  Like most features in Max, there are an abundant amount of settings which control the output of the analysis, but the organization corresponds with the workflow.

These new controls are further complemented by a Light Metering feature and Light Image Overlay Effect which works with any of the new photometric enhancements to provide quantitative maps of the light on the scene objects.

Figure 2, Lighting Analysis Assistant and output, 3ds Max Design 2009, scene from CGArchitect.com

In this release, Autodesk has added a new material library called ProMaterials.  It is an incredible asset to the mental ray rendering engine.  Many of the most common materials are already set up to use right out of the box, with simple settings to speed up and develop consistent results.  Materials which are typically difficult to simulate parametrically, like natural Stone, Concrete with surface variation, Wall Paint and Glass are all included each with options for further articulation.  In total, there are 14 new ProMaterials for the mental ray rendering engine which work in conjunction with parametric lights to portray realistic results.   It is important to point out that these materials correspond directly with the Revit 2009 materials.

Figure 3, new ProMaterials, (back row) Ceramic, Concrete, Generic, Glazing
(third row) Hardwood, Masonry/CMU, Metal, Metallic Paint (second row) Mirror, Plastic/Vinyl, Solid Glass, Stone
(front row) Wall Paint, Water

Along with new materials, Autodesk has provided enhancements in the material editor as well.  The Composite material has been completely redone and now supports layer stacking, blend modes, layer opacity, alpha channels, masks and more.  Even simple efforts yield amazing results.  This material emulates the much of the layering functionality of Photoshop directly in 3ds Max material editor; so those us who are also Photoshop users will find familiarity with this material immediately.  The organization of the material is simple and intuitive with the map settings accessible on the left (click of the thumbnail) and the mask features accessible from the right.  Options to adjust color tinting, use alpha channels and control opacity are, in the author’s opinion, actually better organized than the software it mimics.  It is important to point out that as a material itself, the Composite material remains the same as in previous releases; however the layering functionality is found when it is used as a map of a material.

Figure 4, the enhanced Composite Map material and an example rendering

Proxy objects have been used in various rendering engines for several years now.  Now in 3ds Max 2009, Autodesk has introduced the mrProxy for use with the mental ray rendering engine.   A proxy object is a simplified view of a complex object so it doesn’t tax the working environment.  Use of the mrproxies substantially reduces memory usage in the scene.  An example of this would be a modeled and textured tree, which is likely heavy on face count and perhaps is used several times in a scene.  This could be cumbersome for the end user without the most up to date equipment. At rendering time, despite the number of proxy objects, the rendering times are not significantly affected as they are only translated to the mental ray rendering engine once, saving rendering time.

Figure 5, 330 yuccas, an mrProxy object example, with rendering times at 6s on a P3.0ghz quad-core / 4g of ram

Under the heading Recognize, interoperability between Autodesk Mudbox, Maya, MotionBuilder, and other third-party applications is even more persistent using the improved OBJ and FBX® import and export.   This file format is has also been added to the Revit 2009 platform allowing the translation of lighting, materials, views and model seamlessly into 3ds Max Design 2009.

The Scene explorer (shortcut ‘H’) has also undergone a major overhaul, providing a much more intuitive user interface.   Plus access to the category, family, level and type are also prevalent when working with Revit files.   The interface is more user-friendly and allows customization of the columns which are displayed.   Simple icon filters make searching even easier.

Figure 6, Scene Explorer demonstrating default column listing

Photometric light objects have been enhanced as well, to emulate the settings found in Revit 2009.  New options for choosing the distribution and shape properties of a photometric light are now in the General Parameters rollout and the Shape/Area Shadows rollout.  There are three new shadow-casting shapes as well; they include disc, sphere and cylinder.

Figure 7, Photometric Light Object enhancements include Templates, Light Distribution Types and new Shape/Area Shadow rollout

In the author’s opinion, the new viewport navigation, consistent among the entire Autodesk software suite is one of the most intuitive features devised since the inception of the software.  ViewCube and SteeringWheels are the two complimentary tools which are very easy to use and provide instant feedback visually to communicate how the scene is oriented.  In the past, navigation was always based upon trial and error, not anymore.  Even more amazing, is the rewind function of the SteeringWheels.  The feature can play back previous views of the scene that can be accessed like a movie reel.  The implementation of a home button is ideal for anyone who succumbs to the ease of this feature and quickly wants to reset the view.

Figure 8, Left to right, SteeringWheels, ViewCube 2d, Viewcube 3d and the Rewind tool

Even the animators have something to look forward to in this release; the Walk Through assistant has been even further simplified, and mirror in place has been added in the biped functionality as well as four feet (the ability to use the hands of the biped model as feet).   From the Architectural side, the Walk Through Assistant makes quick work of animations for the visualization artist by applying the camera directly to the selected spline path.  With a change of the eye level, the user can render a quick preview anywhere or further manipulate the camera settings without leaving the dialog box.

Figure 9, (left) Walkthrough Assistant, (right) biped mirror in place

As I mentioned, it has been five releases since my last production use of 3ds Max and I have to acknowledge how impressed I am at the simplistic yet powerful enhancements which allow daily production to be consistent and yet remain fluid.    The amazing part of this is that I only highlighted some of the new features and enhancements.   Most are further documented in the help files along with the video explanations of some of the new features.  I found the help file documentation easy to search and simple to understand, a long standing trademark of Autodesk software.   Out of the box was a great quick reference cube for all the most common shortcuts; perfect for those who speed thru the day combining text shortcuts like shorthand.  The two disc DVD set is compiled of an installer DVD and a samples DVD which contains matlibs, examples, maps, movies, assets and more.  The software also includes an Archvision All Access for Design Visualization Content as well as a $100 dollar off coupon for any Autodesk Certified animation plug-in good at TurboSquid.

Simply put, Autodesk continues to abide by its users requests for well thought out features which are intuitively organized and tuned to ease of use.  3ds Max Design 2009, it really is visualization made easy.

I would like to thank Autodesk for the opportunity.  If you would like to know more, find out http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?id=10369488&siteID=123112