What is Autodesk 3ds Max?

Autodesk 3ds Max is a professional 3D modeling, visualization, and animation software. It allows you to create comprehensive designs and immersive virtual worlds.

  • Create Realistic Environments: Shape environments and landscapes in detail using powerful modeling tools.
  • Artistic Control in Your Hands: Produce high-quality visuals while making quick iterations with full artistic control and achieving professional-level renders.
  • Animation and Simulation: Bring characters and objects to life with advanced animation and simulation tools, perfect for games, films, and architectural visualizations.

Why Use 3ds Max?

Enhance the Artist's Creativity

Create complex designs with advanced modeling and rendering capabilities.

Accelerate Tasks

Reduce repetitive, time-consuming tasks with time-saving tools.

Improve Collaboration

Easily exchange data with 3ds Max’s OpenUSD integration.

What Can You Do with 3ds Max?

Create Realistic 3D Designs with Powerful Tools

Whether building expansive game worlds or visualizing complex architectural designs, 3ds Max provides the modeling toolset you need to bring your 3D assets to life.

Bring Your Imagination to Life

From expansive virtual environments to detailed character creations, 3ds Max equips you with the essential tools to realize your creative vision in 3D.

Core Features of 3ds Max

Enhance your creativity easily with 3ds Max features designed for crafting stunning worlds, characters, and designs.

Retopology Tools

Automatically rebuild polygon mesh data into clean, quad-based topology with remarkable precision.

Modifier Stack Workflow

Explore design ideas non-destructively using a variety of modifiers to refine your creations.

Interactive Viewports

Reduce design iterations with render-quality previews of PBR materials and camera effects.

High-Quality Materials

Create realistic objects using physically based rendering and the Open Shading Language, baked according to texture.

Material Editor

Manage multiple material variations with just a few clicks.

Color Management

Ensure accurate color reproduction and consistency across different applications.

Integrated Arnold Renderer

Create complex scenes and designs using Arnold for 3ds Max.

Multi-Format File Support

Easily share assets with support for glTF, USD, FBX, CAD, and more.

Modern Workspace

Focus on creativity with a dynamic and customizable interface.

Other Features of 3ds Max

3D Modeling

Retopology Tools

Enhance designs with uncompromising accuracy by automatically rebuilding polygon mesh data into clean quad-based topology.

Spline Workflows

Create curved or angular 3D shapes using a few intuitive spline tools.

Modifier Stack Workflow

Conceptualize, iterate, and explore design ideas non-destructively using a set of robust, easy-to-use modifiers.

Mesh and Surface Modeling

Create parametric and organic objects with polygon, subdivision surface, and spline-based modeling features.

Smart Extrude

Interactively extrude faces on 3D objects using flexible cutting and stacking operations. Automatically rebuild and merge adjacent faces.

Texturing and Shading

Open Shading Language (OSL) Support

Create high-quality textures accurately displayed in the viewport using new or existing OSL maps with any supported renderer.

Texture Baking

Automatically convert lighting, shadow, and material details from your model into 2D textures. Fast and easy texture baking compatible with PBR materials prepares scenes for game engines or real-time visualization.

Material Editor

Add material coatings, swap textures, and use vivid colors to create photorealistic designs.

Material Switcher

Access a simple control method to manage the display of multiple material variants.

Lighting

Illuminate and enhance your scenes using photometric and standard lights.

3D Rendering

Integrated Arnold Renderer

Use the Arnold GPU renderer to visualize scene changes in real time, including lighting, materials, and cameras.

Color Management

Ensure accurate color reproduction across devices, brightness levels, and viewing conditions using Color Management and OCIO support.

Interactive Viewports

View PBR materials and camera effects directly in the viewport with render-quality previews, reducing design iterations.

Physical Camera

Simulate real-world camera settings like shutter speed, aperture, depth of field, and exposure.

Scene Converter

Seamlessly swap materials, lights, cameras, and viewers from one scene to another.

Animation and Effects

Character Animation Tools

Use CAT (Character Animation Toolkit) and biped/ragdoll tools to create procedural character animations and rigs.

Motion Paths

Preview and adjust animation paths directly in the viewport.

Realistic Fluids

Simulate realistic behaviors for fluids like water, oil, and lava, including gravity and collision effects.

Animation Controllers

Meet all your animation needs with easy-to-use, modern animation controllers.

Particle Flow Effects

Create complex particle effects such as water, fire, spray, and snow.

OpenUSD Workflows

Seamless USD Data Exchange

Easily import USD (Universal Scene Description) data into 3ds Max as native data, and export your projects to USD for effortless cross-platform workflows.

Open Source & Customizable

The 3ds Max USD plugin is fully open source, allowing you to customize it and develop tools tailored to your workflow.

Layer Editor for More Control

The USD Layer Editor lets you edit scene hierarchies, select target layers, lock or mute layers, and more, offering a flexible and intuitive layer management experience.

USD Light Connections

Create light connections within USD scenes for precise control over scene illumination and visual balance.

Viewport USD Lights

USD lights are now visually represented in the 3ds Max viewport, allowing direct selection and editing like other objects.

Workflow and Production Pipeline

Modern Interface and Flexible Workspaces

Create custom workspaces with a high-DPI, modern, and responsive UI. Organize your workflow for greater efficiency and productivity.

Software Security

Safe Scene Script Execution protects your scene files from hidden malicious commands. The integrated Malware Cleaner automatically detects and removes known harmful scripts.

Python 3 Support

Leverage Python 3 for advanced scripting and tighter pipeline integration. Automation and custom tool development are more powerful and flexible than ever.

Extensive Plugin Library

Access hundreds of third-party plugins developed by the 3ds Max community. Enhance your workflow and gain new capabilities easily.

glTF Support

Export your 3ds Max scenes in glTF format for web apps, online stores, browser-based games, and digital platforms with seamless integration.