home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
CD Action 9 B
/
cdactioncoverdisc
/
max
/
w_techx2.txt
< prev
Wrap
Text File
|
1996-07-07
|
16KB
|
360 lines
3D STUDIO MAX(tm) Technical Specifications
3D STUDIO MAX(tm) for Windows NT & Windows 95
Architecture
True Windows NT(tm) design - 32-bit, object-oriented and multithreaded
throughout for a high level of scalability. Familiar Windows
interface uses extensible dynamic linked libraries (DLL)
architecture for all components.
Object Oriented throughout - nearly every process in a scene is
considered an object and obeys the same rules of operation, making
MAX easy to learn. Selection sensitive commands, intelligent
cursors, consistent methods, and class references benefit from this
architecture.
Everything is Animateable - just click on the ANIMATE button and
change nearly any parameter in MAX to create a keyframe. Everything
from creation parameters to volumetric effects can be animated by
this method and every graphable operation has interactive function
curve control.
Everything is Editable - a history of modeling modifications is
stored in an editable stack that stays with objects for as long as
you wish.
Everything is Extensible - Plug-In Component architecture
seamlessly supports the addition of any new functionality that
third-party developers and users create. Plug-Ins know how to work
with one another by design and behave like core features.
True Referencing Architecture - goes beyond simple object
instancing and allows references, derived from master objects, to
have their own modeling operations while still sharing the
instanced history.
Interaction
Unified User Environment - All modeling and animation tools are
used in one unified user environment.
Fast, Interactive, Texture Shaded Viewports - operate with standard
Windows NT displays. All viewports update simultaneously and can be
shaded to display an unlimited number of textures. 3D hardware
acceleration supported for faster interaction.
Modeless - operations do not place you in a "mode". Freely interact
between different commands and methods without being delayed.
Adaptive Degradation - maximizes performance by dynamically changing
levels of displayed detail to ensure optimum interaction
on given hardware.
View Options - include perspective, axonometric, current spline,
current construction grid, spotlight, camera, front, back, left,
right, top, and bottom. Views have dynamic pan, arc-ball rotate,
zoom, zoom all, zoom selected, transparent pan and zoom snapping.
Creation, editing, and animation playback supported in all views.
Undo & Redo - is user definable in depth with separate streams for
scene and viewport actions.
Film Quality Rotoscoping - 24-bit viewport background display with
comprehensive animation synchronization options. Customize
video-safe frames include live area, action, and title safe.
Time - SMPTE, frames, absolute, or custom. Internal calculation
with 1/4,800 second intervals ensures accuracy and compatibility.
Rendering
Film Quality - production scanline renderer provides an optimal
combination of rendering speed and quality, rendering internally at
64-bit super truecolor with full gamma control at up to 10,000
lines of resolution for frames or fields. Extensible rendering
system supports third party renderers and effects.
Multi-Threading- increases performance up to 1.9x from a second CPU
with no additional RAM requirements.
Analytical Antialiasing - ensures superior images without rolling
edges or scintillating lines.
Volumetric Lighting - supports animated smoke, glow, and haze
effects with volumetric shadows for lights.
Atmospheres - provide fire, smoke, fog, layered fog, volumetric
fog, full-screen fog and distance shading for render-time-free
effects. Variables such as density, size, uniformity, wind
strength, direction and referenced bitmaps can all be animated.
Extensible environment system supports third party volumetric
effects.
Environmental Shaders - can be composed of bitmap hierarchies and
map to scene or screen coordinates spherically, cylindrically, or
shrink-wrapped for rotoscoping.
Effects/Options - object and scene motion-blur, A-buffer analytical
anti-aliasing, super black luminance keying, field or frame
rendering, cropped or enlarged region rendering.
Network Rendering - client/server architecture with TCP/IP network
protocol allows LAN, WAN, and even Internet rendering to 10,000
machines from one licensed copy. Network management is
fault-tolerant and low bandwidth. Network queue manager, with net
analysis capabilities, manage network rendering processes remotely.
Render and manages as many simultaneous jobs as there are networked
machines.
Modeling
Geometric Classes - parametric, spline, polygonal mesh, and Bezier
patch objects are included while supporting any new class third
party developers may choose to introduce. Models can be
interchangeably edited as either parametric, patch, or mesh. An
object's geometry can be cut and pasted into another even after
animation is complete.
Parametric 3D/2D Primitives - include box, sphere, geodesics,
cylinder, torus, tube, cone, polyhedra, teapot, quadpatch, and
tripatch Objects, line/spline, text (.TFF and .PFB), n-gon, donut,
rectangle, circle, ellipse, helix, arc, and star splines.
Loft Objects - model from multiple spline cross sections of any
number, size, or arrangement. Defining splines and deformation
curves (scale, twist, teeter, bevel, and fit) can be animated.
Resulting geometry can be edited as splines, patches or meshes.
Boolean Objects - include union, intersection, subtraction.
Booleans are interactive, nondestructive, and maintain individual
edit histories that can be animated.
Space Warps - include explode, spline fit, ripple, wave, gravity,
wind, deflector, displacement. These are scene based effects that
model bound objects as they change relation to one another over
distance or time.
Particle Systems - include all-purpose spray and snow systems (with
adjustable emitters) that can be constrained with wind, gravity,
displacement and deflection space warps and viewed in real time.
Object Modifiers - include bend, taper, twist, stretch, skew,
noise, ripple, wave, optimize, displace, extrude, lathe, bevel,
Xform, linked Xform, Edit Mesh, Edit Spline, Edit Patch. All work
with object or sub-object selections, contain animateable
parameters, and have apparatus "gizmos" that define their influence
and can be animated as objects.
Polygonal Modeling - extensive vertex, face, edge, and mesh based
tools including vertex magnet, interactive face and edge extrusion,
planarity control, and face normal modification and display.
Polygon optimization is included with separate levels of detail for
display and rendering with material/smoothing preservation. All
modeling transforms can be animated.
Patch Modeling - flexible vertex, edge, or patch based tools
respect selections, have localized detail control, and can be
animated.
Spline Modeling - extensive vertex, segment, and spline based
tools respect selections and can be animated.
Organic Modeling - includes meshsmooth, relax, and displacement for
smoothing geometry, rounding edges, and influencing surfaces with
pure geometric fields and/or bitmaps.
Transforms - translation, rotation, scale, nonuniform scale, and
squash in any coordinate system about any point. Modeless keyboard
entry of any transform supported. Multi-axis mirroring and array.
Hierarchies can selectively inherit transforms in any combination.
Coordinate Systems - include view, screen, world, parent, local,
construction grid, and selected object for creation, transform,
modeling, and sophisticated object or normal based alignment.
Construction - orthogonal or perspective modeling based upon
viewport alignment or custom construction grids. Keyboard input or
absolute/relative snap to geometric vertices and edges or grid
lines and intersections in 2D, 2.5D, or 3D space. Floating-point
accuracy maintained in all modeling operations. Industry standard
and custom unit options coordinate with absolute unit storage to
ensure international modeling compatibility.
Selection Methods - include volume, fence, rectangle and circle
with object class filters, select by name, polygons, smoothing, and
material. Organizational methods include named selections, groups,
nested grouping, and hierarchy selection/navigation.
Animation
Track View - windows provide channel and time control in a modeless
manner. Complete function curve and keyboard control is available
for every animated parameter in the scene. Dynamic linking
instantly shows adjustments in all viewports and allows
interchangeable interaction with the scene.
Track View Options - include automatic keyframe reduction,
interactive function/ease/multiplier curves, out-of-range looping
options, metronome, stereo .WAV sounds, constant velocity, notes,
object selection, filtering, and time based editing.
Controllers - are assigned to every track and include generic
linear, Bezier, tension/continuity/bias, noise, sound, and
expression controllers for every parameter and transform specific
controllers of smooth, Euler angle, follow-along-a-path and
look-at. Controllers can be layered, blended, copied and instanced
to give unlimited control.
Expressions - use math equations to dynamically reference any Track
View value as variables to build intelligent relationships
between object interactions.
Inverse Kinematics - is true 3D with 6 degrees of freedom per joint
and individual constraint, ease, precedence, and joint damping
control. Closed loop solutions, branching hierarchies, pinned
objects, and path constraints are integral. IK is always available
for interactive operation in real time, or can compute an optimal
solution by following another object.
Lights & Cameras
Light types - include ambient, omni, free spot, target spot, and
directional. Lights are named objects, unlimited by number, and
have individual exclusion and inclusion lists controlling object
illumination and/or shadow-casting. Locate lights according to
desired highlight.
Spotlights - animated control of color, multiplier, cone shape
(circular, rectangular, elliptical), penumbra size, distance
attenuation, target, shadow-casting parameters (shadow-map or ray
traced), and projected material maps. Volumetric lighting and
shadows with animated atmospheric parameters assignable per light.
Cameras - include targeted and free. Cameras are named objects and
unlimited by number. Interactive cursor zoom, roll, orbit,
perspective, dolly, horizon indicator, and field-of-view control.
Animated control of field of view, environment ranges, and near/far
clipping planes. Image, video, and title safe frames displayed on
demand for all viewports.
Materials
Materials Editor - provides interactive control for creating
realistic material and environmental effects. Shaders use a
branching hierarchy with unlimited depth and instancing
opportunities. Interactive scene renderer instantly displays
materials and allows real time adjustment of texture maps on
geometry. Includes visual thumbnail browser for materials and maps.
Material Possibilities - include standard, multi/sub-object,
top/bottom, blend, double-sided, and matte/shadow Material Types
that include bitmap, mask, color tint, checker, mix, marble, wood,
dents, Photoshop plug-ins, noise, reflect, refract, flat reflect,
gradient, and composite Map Types that use ambient, diffuse,
specular, shininess, shininess strength, self-illumination,
opacity, filter color, bump, reflection and refraction Map
Channels. Multiple maps of every type can be combined with
individual percentage contributions for layered surface effects.
Bitmap Options - include individual settings for texture-filtering,
fractal noise, UV scaling, offset, rotation, output, and blur
parameters. Every parameter can be animated and has full function
curve control.
Mapping - includes procedural, lofted, face, planar, cylindrical
(with caps), spherical, box, and shrink-wrap with 3D vertex
locking. Spherical, cylindrical, and shrink-wrap environmental
mapping. Mapping assignments can be animated as objects or by
individual parameters.
Postproduction
Video Post - composite an unlimited number of events and animation
with precise layering control. Transition, filter, mask, input,
export, and device events are all extensible. Support for Photoshop
plug-ins.
Effects/Options - cut and crossfade between multiple cameras,
fade-in, fade-out, and user customizable transitions, time-line
control, image resizing and alignment, multiple image-processing
effects, scene motion blur with adjustable shutter speed, masking
and 3D "movie" editing.
Channels - includes RGB, Alpha (transparency) , Z (depth), and G
(geometry) with material ID, node ID, UV, surface normal, and
unclamped color per pixel to allow unlimited post process effects.
Formats - include .JPG, .TGA, .TIF, .RLA, .BMP, .GIF, .PNG, .FLC,
.AVI and .EPS.
3D Studio & AutoCAD Support
File - import includes 3D Studio .SHP, .LFT, .3DS, .PRJ, AutoCAD
.DWG, .DXF and Adobe Illustrator .AI.
Full Conversion - of 3DS materials, mapping, smoothing, lights
cameras, animation, and environment settings. Imports 2D & 3D .DWG
& .DXF with options for ACIS translation, blocks, welding,
smoothing, and normal unification by layer, color, or entity
organization with ACI color support. Export includes .3DS
(modeling, mapping and animation), .DWG and .DXF.
System Requirements for 3D Studio MAX
* Pentium or Pentium Pro at 90 MHZ minimum
(full support of multiple processor systems with Windows NT)
* Microsoft Windows NT( Workstation 3.51 or Windows 95)
* 32MB RAM (amount depends upon scene complexity)
* 100 MB HD Swap Space (amount depends upon scene complexity)
* Graphics card supporting 800x600x256 colors under Windows NT
* (1024x768x256 colors with PCI bus recommended.
1280x1024x24-bit double buffered 3D accelerator ideal)
* Windows NT or Windows 95 compliant pointing device
* CD-ROM drive
* Optional: sound card and speakers, software and cabling for TCP/IP
compliant network, 3D hardware graphics acceleration, video input and
output devices.
Your Authorized Dealer
Autodesk software is sold through more than 4,800 Authorized
Autodesk Dealers, Distributors, and Autodesk Systems Centers (ASCs)
worldwide.
To locate the nearest Kinetix dealer, distributor, or ASC, call us
at 800-879-4233. From outside the United States and Canada, fax
your request for information to:
415-507-6110 (Latin America)
415-507-6117 (Asia/Pacific)
+41-38-239-394(Europe)
To obtain more information about Kinetix software or to interact with
other Kinetix software users, type GO KINETIX on CompuServe(r).
For more-detailed information about Kinetix and its products and
services, browse our World Wide Web site at http://www.ktx.com.
Kinetix - A Division of Autodesk, Inc.
111 McInnis Parkway
San Rafael, CA 94903
USA
Kinetix is a division of Autodesk, Inc. AutoCAD, Autodesk and the
Autodesk logo are registered trademarks, and DXF, Kinetix and 3D
Studio Max are trademarks of Autodesk, Inc. in the U.S. and some
foreign countries. All other brand names, product names, or
trademarks belong to their respective holders. Copyright 1996,
Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.