Author: by Staff

Developer Autodesk has announced that with the forthcoming release of 3ds Max, it will be splitting the release into two products, 3ds Max 2009 Entertainment, for game and movie producers, and 3ds Max Design 2009, for architects, designers and visualization specialists. Autodesk says both versions will offer new rendering capabilities and improved interoperability with other products like Revit, as well as "additional time-saving animation and mapping workflow tools." Its entertainment branded version will include a new Reveal rendering toolset to streamline iterative workflows, a ProMaterials material library for simulating real-world surfaces, as well as numerous biped enhancements and new UV editing tools. It will also include Recognize, a new scene-loading technology which it says will significantly improve the inter-application workflow with Revit Architecture 2009. Its design branded version will include all features of the entertainment branded version, with the exception of an included software development toolkit, used primarily in game and video markets to to integrate software into a production pipeline and develop in-house tools to be used in conjunction with the 3ds Max. The design version will also include "Exposure technology," to simulate and analyze sun, sky, and artificial lighting to assist with LEED 8.1 certification. Said Autodesk president Marc Petit, "Autodesk 3ds Max now comes in two distinct flavors to better meet the specific needs of our entertainment and visualization customers. 3ds Max 2009 and 3ds Max Design 2009 provide users with tailored online experiences, user interface and application defaults, tutorials, samples, and more. This simplifies the learning process and makes it easier for users to find the information that's most relevant to them."