Autodesk has released the 2013 editions of their Entertainment Creation Suites. This offers artists and production facilities access to a powerful range of creative toolsets. There are three kits that have been released - the Standard suite, the Premium, and the Ultimate suite. With the Standard you get either Autodesk Maya or Autodesk 3ds Max
Autodesk 3ds Max is a 3D animation, modeling and rendering software application that is used for simulation, visual effects, rendering, and compositing. There are two versions of 3ds Max - one is for game developers, visual effects artists, and graphic designers working on games, films, and television. The other is for architects, designers, and visual specialists. At the core, the versions are the same - it is the toolsets that are different. My review is based for the former.
3ds Max has been used on films like Fantastic Four and The Dark Knight, and Kung Fu Panda, Animated TV series like Olivia the Pig, and in the gaming industry for games like Assassin's Creed II and Dance Central. Complete system requirements are located at the Autodesk site.
So what is new with 3ds Max 2013?
• Adobe After Effects Interoperability – will give media design and graphic artists who use After Effects more capability and better interoperability. 3ds Max now sets a higher standard for 2D/3D data exchange. The new Media Sync functionality provides two-way transfer of cameras, lights, null objects, plane objects/solids, footage (including footage layering), blend modes, opacity, and effects; with it, artists can iterate more effectively and reduce rework to complete projects in less time.
• Render Pass System and Photoshop Interoperability – provides greater flexibility when finishing renderings in Adobe Photoshop software. There is a new ability to output renderings in a layered PSD format that retains layer order, opacity, and blend modes. Your Scenes can now be more easily segmented for downstream compositing. A state recorder enables artists to capture, edit, and save the current state, while a visual interface shows how compositing and render elements are wired together to create the final result. Artists can more quickly set up and execute multiple render passes from a single file and individual passes can be modified without the need to re-render the whole scene, enhancing productivity.
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