Autodesk 3ds Max, formerly 3D Studio Max, is a professional 3D computer
graphics program for making 3D animations, models, games and images. It
was developed and produced by Autodesk Media and Entertainment.[1] It
has modeling capabilities, a flexible plugin architecture and can be
used on the Microsoft Windows platform. It is frequently used by video
game developers, many TV commercial studios and architectural
visualization studios. It is also used for movie effects and movie
pre-visualization.
In addition to its modeling and animation tools, the latest version of 3ds Max also features shaders (such as ambient occlusion and subsurface scattering), dynamic simulation, particle systems, radiosity, normal map creation and rendering, global illumination, a customizable user interface, and its own scripting language.[2]
In addition to its modeling and animation tools, the latest version of 3ds Max also features shaders (such as ambient occlusion and subsurface scattering), dynamic simulation, particle systems, radiosity, normal map creation and rendering, global illumination, a customizable user interface, and its own scripting language.[2]
Early history and releases
The original 3D Studio product was created for the DOS platform, by Gary Yost and the Yost Group, and published by Autodesk. After 3D Studio DOS Release 4, the product was rewritten for the Windows NT platform, and renamed "3D Studio MAX." This version was also originally created by the Yost Group. It was released by Kinetix, which was at that time Autodesk's division of media and entertainment.
Autodesk purchased the product at the second release update of the 3D Studio MAX version and internalized development entirely over the next two releases. Later, the product name was changed to "3ds max" (all lower case) to better comply with the naming conventions of Discreet, a Montreal-based software company which Autodesk had purchased.
When it was re-released (release 7), the product was again branded with the Autodesk logo, and the short name was again changed to "3ds Max" (upper and lower case), while the formal product name became the current "Autodesk 3ds Max".[3]