Autodesk, Inc. today announced
Autodesk 3ds Max 2008 software, the latest version of its out-of-the-box
solution for 3D modeling, animation and rendering. 3ds Max 2008 enables
artists and designers to overcome challenges associated with large and
complex 3D datasets. The software has been used to create numerous notable
projects, including visualizations for the EMI Records building in London,
the Mass Effect game and the Grindhouse movie. 3ds Max 2008 will be
showcased at the Autodesk booth (#703) during SIGGRAPH 2007, being held at
the San Diego Convention Center August 7-9.
"Autodesk 3ds Max 2008 provides an ideal environment for creating the
complex 3D content demanded by today's game, design visualization, film,
and television industries," said Marc Petit, Autodesk Media & Entertainment
senior vice president. "3ds Max 2008 dramatically improves artists'
productivity, enabling them to quickly achieve higher levels of visual
sophistication through innovative modeling and interactive rendering
capabilities."
Neversoft Entertainment used 3ds Max to create Tony Hawk's Project 8, the
premier next-generation version of a Tony Hawk title. "Autodesk 3ds Max let
us quickly visualize our work as it would appear in the game engine,"
explained Nolan Nelson, character art director at the facility. This kept
our creative momentum flowing and allowed us to produce the most advanced
characters possible for the title."
Robert Stava, creative director at 3D Media Group and 3ds Max 2008 beta
tester said, "Autodesk 3ds Max 2008 quickly became a standard part of our
production pipeline. With many of our architectural design projects tipping
the scales at millions of polygons, 3ds Max 2008 software's improved
handling of complex data is a very welcome addition." 3D Media Group
recently used 3ds Max to create visualizations for the Fulton Street
Transit Center in New York City, the Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi and the New
Songdo City in Korea.
Highlights of 3ds Max 2008 Improved viewing and handling of large complex scenes:
- New viewport technology and optimizations provide improved performance
with large and complex scenes consisting of tens of thousands of objects.
Artists can select thousands of objects and perform material assignments up
to 10 times faster. They can also transform objects up to 60 times
faster.
- 3ds Max 2008 offers a new Scene Explorer, which provides artists with a
hierarchical view of scene data, as well as fast scene analysis and editing
tools. This facilitates working with complex, object-heavy scenes. It also
includes a new Adaptive Degradation System, which improves the software's
interactivity by automatically simplifying the scene display to meet a
user-defined target frame rate.
New options for fast, artist-friendly modeling:
- New modeling user interface options give artists a less menu-dependent
modeling experience.
- 3ds Max 2008 offers conceptual design artists and modelers a more
streamlined modeling workflow, which enables them to focus more on the
creative process.
New Review toolset and mental ray workflow improvements:
- The new Review toolset provides iterative rendering workflows with
interactive previewing of shadows, the 3ds Max sun/sky environment, and
Architectural and Design material settings.
- 3ds Max 2008 also provides several mental ray workflow improvements,
including a new mental ray Sky Portal, which simplifies lighting indoor
scenes using outdoor lighting and supports HDRI-based lighting effects.
New tools and enhancements for complex workflows and pipelines:
- The new integrated MAXScript ProEditor makes it easier to author scripts
that automate and customize 3ds Max.
- Major improvements in file-linking and interoperability with other
Autodesk design solutions provide faster, more accurate importing of data
into 3ds Max. Furthermore, new features, such as Select Similar, facilitate
work with imported data inside of 3ds Max.
For a complete list of new features and enhancements in Autodesk 3ds Max
2008, visit www.autodesk.com/3dsmax.
Pricing and Availability
Autodesk anticipates that 3ds Max 2008 will be available in English in
October 2007. The Autodesk suggested retail price for 3ds Max 2008
software is US$3,495. The Autodesk suggested retail price to upgrade from
3ds Max 9 to 3ds Max 2008 is US$795.
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