Architecture
- All modeling and animation tools are used in one unified user environment
and are presented within a familiar Windows compliant interface. The
same environment is used for all geometry type creation and modeling .
- Everything is object oriented. Nearly every process in the scene, from
geometry to deformations, are objects and obey the same rules of operation,
making MAX intuitive and easy to learn. When a selection is made, the tools
viable for that selection automatically appear (and there's no hunting
for appropriate tools).
- Everything is editable - a history of all modeling modifications is
stored in an editable 'stack' that stays with the object for as long as
you wish. You can modify creation or editing operations at any time whether
it's five minutes or five years ago. You can always change your mind.
- Everything is animateable - just click on the ANIMATE button, and adjust
almost any parameter in MAX to automatically create a keyframe. The time
slider is always available for animating any parameter in the system. Everything
from model topology, to mapping values, to volumetric effects can be animated
by this method. Every animateable operation has interactive function curve
control.
- Everything is extensible - an extensive Plug-In architecture seamlessly
supports the addition of any new functionality that third-party developers
can think of. Vital areas of MAX are infinitely expandable to accommodate
future plug-ins over time. Plug-Ins know how to work with one another by
design, and users know how to use them since they behave exactly like core
features.
- True referencing architecture goes beyond simple object instancing.
(References derived from master instances can have local geometric modifications.)
- User Interface
- Toolbar above the viewports provides the most common tools at all time.
Tools such as selections, coordinate systems, transforms, and even inverse
kinematics are always available and only needed to be learned once to work
with anything else in the scene.
- All tools/icons have tooltips.
- Roll-up Plug-In interface system provides infinite expandability while
keeping a clean screen space.
Viewing
- Fast interactive shaded viewports so geometry accurately reflects
assigned materials and lighting. MAX is designed to be run under shaded
viewports with standard graphics displays. Unique optimizations make it
possible to edit objects quickly, even within the context of large, complex
scenes while in shaded mode. Hardware acceleration is supported, but not
required, for even faster interaction.
- Adaptive Degradation allows rendering modes to dynamically step
through up to eight levels of quality to maintain optimum interaction,
regardless of database complexity or hardware configuration. (Provides
user control of speed vs. quality tradeoff)
- Modeling view options for all scene operations include Perspective,
Axonometric, Current Spline, Current Construction Grid, Spotlight, Cameras,
Front, Back, Left, Right, Top, Bottom. Multiple viewport configurations
can be user-defined. Rendering options can be set on a viewport by viewport
basis (any or all viewports can be shaded at once).
- All viewports update simultaneously when changes are made. Dynamic
pan, zoom, zoom all, and a new trackball-style view are supported in all
viewports. Transparent pan and zoom are also available.
- Play using any rendering method with shading, textures and lighting
displayed. Viewport animation playback can be set to real-time for locked
NTSC/PAL/Film previews.
- Film-quality rotoscoping features include 24-bit viewport background
display with comprehensive animation synchronization options. Video-Safe
frames include Live Area, Action and Title safe.
- Hierarchical links can be shown as visible lines to provide a map of
the hierarchy within the context of the scene.
- Animation trajectories can be displayed in the scene and edited at
the same time as their function curves, providing a bi-directional link
between the curves and the trajectories they control.
- Time can be displayed as SMPTE, frames or absolute time.
Selections
- Unlimited user-named selection sets at the object or sub-object level.
- Powerful Grouping facility for nesting groups of objects within groups,
working on open/closed groups, detaching group elements, etc.
- Object selection filtering options provide complete control over which
classes of objects are displayed and which classes of objects are selectable.
- Select-by-Name function supports wild card searches, class filtering,
group names, and selection set names.
- Fence, rectangular, and circle selection tools are provided. Selections
can be done by "window" or "crossing" options and obey
familiar Windows selection methods.
Accuracy
- Smart snap system lets you snap to geometry (vertices or edges) or
grid lines/edges. Snapping can work in 2D, 2.5D, or 3D space, and can be
either absolute or relative.
- Enhanced keyboard input so that any time an absolute or relative value
is required by anything, it can be precisely typed in.
- Flexible unit setup allows for use a wide variety of coordinate systems
including Metric, US Standard and Custom.
- Master Scale system includes Absolute Units, allowing for seamless
data exchange between differently-scaled scenes.
- Numerous options available for specifying the active construction plane
and coordinate system. Construction planes can be aligned to any normal
of any object, and splines can even be built directly on surfaces of 3D
objects.
- Floating-point accuracy maintained in all modeling operations, with
user-defined levels of precision.
- Comprehensive alignment controls let you modify the position of an
object according to many aspects of the target object, including the ability
to align any specific part of any object to any arbitrary part of any other
object.
- Helper assistance objects include tape measures, points, null objects
(dummies) and grids.
Transforms
- Objects can be transformed in any coordinate system and around any
center point. Coordinate systems include screen, world, parent, local,
construction plane and any arbitrary object. Modeless keyboard entry of
any transformation supported via a Transform Type-in floater.
- Multi-axis mirror capability allows cloning of objects into copies,
instances or references relative to different axis systems and with user-specified
offsets.
- Snapshot function enables the creation of geometry at any frame from
the interpolated state of animated objects on that frame.
- Objects can be precisely arrayed in linear, radial and scaled patterns
as copies, instances or references.
- Transform keys can be instantly located without having to look for
them, and they can be very quickly copied from place to place in the viewports
to create locking keys (without having to go into timeline editing).
- Hierarchies can selectively inherit position, rotation, scale, squash
and stretch in any combination.
Configuration
- Infinite UNDO/REDO is supported
- Keyboard alternatives are user definable and can include Plug-In alternates.
- Extensive on-line Help system included with full index and search capabilities.
(Help file is printable.)
- User preferences are set entirely from within MAX (no configuration
file to edit). Almost 200 different keyboard equivalents are customizable
and can be saved to as separate files to maintain specific combinations
for use by multiple people on one system.
Hardware
- The user interface is designed to work well even on laptop computers
that support 800x600 displays.
Files
- Imports .3DS files with UV coordinates, sub-object material assignments,
and animation. Exports .3DS models.
- Ability to archive entire projects (scenes and maps).
- Option to save objects in ASCII format.
- Merge by name enables control over merging of pieces from incoming
.MAX files.
- Directly loads 3D AutoCAD DXF files by Layer, Color or Entity and exports
.DXF files.
- Reads Truetype and Postscript Type 1 fonts.
- Summary information (e.g. scenes size and memory usage) also includes
fields for writing textual scene descriptions.
- Project size is limited only by amount of available hard-disk space
and/or memory.
- Time control for sequential bitmaps include the ability to set an arbitrary
playback rate for any sequence, with loop/ping-pong/hold end conditions.
- Rotoscoping system is extremely complete and designed for the rigors
of feature-film production. Any sequence of images (via files or directly
from a video device) can be displayed in 24-bit in the viewports. Sequences
can be synchronized with precise control over pre-start and post-end looping
conditions, aspect ratio, and animation display updating.
- Accurately imports DXF motion paths from AutoCAD software.
Minimum System Requirements
- Pentium 90 PC (Ideal: Pentium Pro based PC - multiple processors supported)
- Microsoft Windows NT Workstation - 3.51
- 32MB RAM (Ideal: 64-128 MB - depends upon scene complexity)
- 100 MB Hard Disk Swap Space (Ideal: 200-300MB - depends upon scene
complexity)
- PCI or VLB based graphics card supporting 800x600x256 colors under
Windows NT (Recommended: 1024x768x256 colors - 3D hardware acceleration
supported.
- Ideal: 1280x1024x24-bit double buffered 3D accelerator.)
- Windows NT compliant pointing device
- CD-ROM drive
- Optional: Sound card and speakers
Developer Support
- There are over 75,000 functions capable of being used by developers
who wish to access the MAX API.
- A 3D Studio MAX Software Developer Kit with extensive on-line documentation
and source code examples are included in the product.
- Microsoft Visual C++ 4.x based
- New Core Component form of Plug-ins supported:
- object creators
- object modifiers (deformers, editors, UV mappers, etc.),
- animation controllers
- space warps (world-space-based modifiers).
- fog effects
- volumetric light effects
- materials
- maps
- utilities
- image processing effects
- image compositors
- image import/export DLLs
- geometry import/export DLLs
- All Core Components operate seamlessly within the UI...completely modelessly.
- Plug-ins can be authorized/registered to 3D Studio MAX by serial number.
- Access to plug-in Help system provided to developers