Key Features
Accelerated Performance
The integration of new technology into the software’s Adaptive
Degradation System improves interactive performance by automatically
simplifying scene display to meet a user-defined target frame rate.
You control how 3ds Max adjusts scene display—whether the smallest
objects are hidden, or distant objects have less detail, etc.—and
3ds Max calculates how best to achieve it. When combined with the
new Direct3D® mesh caching that groups objects by materials,
the result is that tens of thousands of objects can be just as interactive
as ten objects. In addition, loading, arrays, Autodesk® FBX® and
OBJ export, and other areas of the software perform significantly
faster.
Scene Explorer Scene Management
3ds Max 2008 delivers Scene Explorer, a robust new tool that provides
you with a hierarchical view of scene data and fast scene analysis,
along with editing tools that facilitate working with even the
most complex, object-heavy scenes. Scene Explorer gives you the
ability to sort, filter, and search a scene by any object type
or property (including metadata), with stackable filtering, sorting,
and searching criteria. This new tool also enables you to save
and store multiple Explorer instances and to link, unlink, rename,
hide, freeze, and delete objects, regardless of what objects are
currently selected in the scene. You can also configure columns
to display and edit any object property, and because this feature
is scriptable and SDK extendable, you can use callbacks to add
custom column definitions.
Review
This powerful new toolset gives you immediate feedback on various
render settings, enabling you to iterate rapidly. This means you
can now quickly hone in on your desired look without waiting for
a software render—perfect for over-the-shoulder client/boss
feedback sessions and other iterative workflows. Based on the latest
game engine technology, Review delivers interactive viewport previews
of shadows (including self-shadowing and up to 64 lights simultaneously),
the 3ds Max sun/sky system, and mental ray® Architectural and
Design material settings.
MAXScript ProEditor
3ds Max 2008 marks the debut of the new MAXScript ProEditor. This
intuitive new interface for working with MAXScript includes multilevel
undo functionality; fast, high-quality code colorization; rapid
opening of large documents; line number display; regular expressions
in search/replace; folding of sections of the script; support for
user customization; and many other features.
Enhanced DWG Import
3ds Max 2008 delivers faster, more accurate importing of DWG™ files.
Significantly improved memory management enables you to import large,
complex scenes with multiple objects in considerably less time. Improved
support for material assignment and naming, solid object import,
and normals management facilitate working with software products
such as Revit Architecture 2008. Plus, a new Select Similar feature
identifies all objects in an imported DWG scene that contain characteristics
similar to those of a selected object. This capability lets you select
and edit multiple imported objects simultaneously—dramatically
streamlining DWG-based workflows.
Artist-Friendly Modeling Options
3ds Max 2008 gives you a more streamlined, artist-friendly modeling
workflow through a collection of hands-on modeling options that
let you focus more on the creative process. These options include
selection previewing and the ability to have existing modeling
hotkeys and pivots become temporary overrides.
Biped Enhancements
This latest release provides you with new levels of flexibility with
regard to your Biped rigs. A new Xtras tool lets you create and
animate extraneous Biped features anywhere on your rig (for example,
wings or additional facial bones) and save them as BIP files. These
files are supported in Mixer and Motion Flow, as well as in Layers,
where new layering functionality enables BIP files to be saved
as offsets from each layer to isolate character motion. As a result,
each layer can be saved as its own asset for export into a game.
Expanded Platform Support
3ds Max 2008 is the first full release of the software officially
compatible with Microsoft® Windows Vista™ 32-bit and
64-bit operating systems and the Microsoft DirectX® 10 platform. |
