3ds Max Quicktip: iray and material editors

When using the GPU accelerated render engine, iRay & either material editor, I would recommend swopping the material renderer to use mental ray.

The purpose of this is to Increase mat editor performance. With SLATE (the node-based material editor added in version 2011) you have an unlimited amount of swatches. Its important to remember each swatch is a fully rendered sphere, to allow for accurate representation when creating materials. As such a rendering overhead is incurred in any of the material editors. This is more so, when using SLATE, becuase of this aforementioned benefit it brings, in its ability to have an unlimited amount of materials. This is incontrast to the original material editor, or ‘Compact’ as its now called, which had a previous limit of 32. This does mean however your graphics card, can take a hit in performance, due to it being used to render the swatches. (Looking in the bottom left corner of the SLATE GUI will inform you what stage SLATE has got to in the rendering process. Shown below.)

There is an easy way to ensure you increase your interactivity by following the below steps.

1. Open the Render settings dialogue box by pressing F10, and navigate to the bottom ‘Assign Renderer’ group.

2. Toggle the ‘Lock to current renderer option’ off

3. The ‘Material Editor’ field will now become available, and no longer greyed-out.

From here choose the below icon.

4. and choose mental ray as the renderer.

This now means you mental ray will be used in your material editors for rendering the swatches/previews. Inturn freeing up soem resources. This simple workflow, shows the flexibility that 3ds Max brings to your  workflow.

Whilst talking about SLATE and material previews, its worth knowing you can also quickly toggle (disable/enable) the rendering of the swatches by clicking on the teapot icon, shown below. This is a ‘global’ option and will build a queue of swatches it will render, once enabled. Again helping performance, if your scene contains hundreds of material previews and, for example, you are simply amending bitmaps.

 

Courtesy: Jamie Gwilliam, Autodesk UK

Configuring 3ds Max 2012 to use local help

Now Autodesk products are pre-configured to use online version of help. But for some of you it is sometimes impossible to use online versions because of unavailability of internet. You'd like to download the 3ds Max 2012 help and configure 3ds Max to use this instead of the help from the Autodesk website.

Open the 3ds Max 2012 and go to Customize >Preferences >Help

Click on Download button which will open internet browser and takes you to

At the bottom of that page it lists the available help files, currently the help is available in the following languages only

• English

• Deutsch

• French

• Japanese

• Chinese 

• Korean

Click on English. The download is of 250Mb and takes up to 360Mb on disk once installed. Download and run that file. By default the files get installed in 

• C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Help\3dsmax 2012\en_us\ (on windows 32bi)
• C:\Program Files (x86)\Autodesk\Help\3dsmax 2012\en_us\ (on windows 64bit)

In 3ds Max preferences settings change the help location from "Autodesk Web Site" to "Local Computer/Network".

The 'Browse...' button is now active, browse to where the help is installed (don't forget to add the \3dsmax2012\en_us bit!).

Test that it works, click OK in Preferences Settings to commit the changes and Press F1 for help. if you selected the wrong path you get the option to revert back to the online version.

 Thats it. Enjoy.

3DS Max 2012 released!

3DS Max 2012 has been released and is now available for download from the Autodesk Subscription Center !

Are you looking to show off your talent? The 2011 Autodesk Animation Show Reel is now open for entries

 

Autodesk is calling for short animations, game cinematics, films, feature films, commercials, broadcasts, music videos and episode projects created using its software line for its 2011 Animation Show Reel.

The reel will be premièred at SIGGRAPH from 9-11 August 2011 in Vancouver, Canada. It will feature at the Autodesk booth, at www.the-area.com, www.autodesk.com, theAutodesk YouTube channel and other events held throughout the year.

The deadline for submitting video content and images is Friday 10 June, 2011.

For more information and details on how to enter, go to the Autodesk website.

3Dconnexion Announces Much Anticipated 3D Mouse Support for Autodesk Revit 2012 Software Applications

3Dconnexion today announced Autodesk® has added native 3D mouse support in Autodesk Revit® Architecture 2012, Autodesk Revit Structure 2012, and Autodesk MEP® 2012 software applications, bringing the full range of 3D mouse design benefits to Revit users. 3Dconnexion 3D mice complement the intuitive interface and modeling and documentation tools in Revit software, helping to enhance every design workflow stage with increased productivity and comfort.
“We are delighted to introduce 3Dconnexion 3D mouse support in the latest Revit software release, as it has been one of the top requests from customers,” said Nicolas Mangon, building business line director, Autodesk. “We’ve been working closely with 3Dconnexion to ensure the quality of support is what both Revit and 3D mouse users expect, enabling architects to work more freely and efficiently.”
3Dconnexion today also announced 3D mouse support in Autodesk Navisworks 2012 software applications, bringing 3D mouse navigation benefits to model integration, review and analysis. Offering a level of design interaction unattainable with a traditional mouse and keyboard, 3D mice allow Revit and Navisworks users to pan, zoom and rotate simultaneously to deliver superior navigation and more intuitive control, helping to boost productivity and efficiency while aiding user comfort.
“The decision to integrate 3D mouse support in Autodesk Revit 2012 software applications, some of the leading BIM applications, is an important landmark in our quest to bring superior 3D navigation to this community,” said Dieter Neujahr, president of 3Dconnexion. “3Dconnexion 3D mice have become the standard for navigation in 3D design software and we look forward to supporting the performance needs of today’s design professionals whatever industry they work in.”
Revit offers a comprehensive level of support for 3Dconnexion’s 3D mice, with an enhanced workflow at every step of the design process, including:

• 3D Modeling: Leveraging a two-handed workflow with a 3D mouse and traditional mouse results in intuitive and precise 3D navigation and a more fluid, productive design process
• Conceptual Design & Review: Leveraging the superior navigation features of 3D mice, architects are able to easily visualize a building or model at the beginning of a project for a more tangible connection to a design, as well as aid in the earlier detection of design flaws
• Client Presentation: 3D mice help clients visualize a project with cinematic-like motions and smooth transitions from one perspective to another, giving the viewer a sense of being in the actual space
• User Interface: An intuitive navigation bar features options for controlling the view, including navigation modes, keeping the scene upright, center tool, and 3Dconnexion driver control panel
• 2D and 3D Navigation: When working in 3D, users can quickly switch between object and walk/fly camera modes within the conceptual design, 3D model or client presentation; in 2D, designers can continue editing while working in detail sheets and section views with easy pan and zoom functionality
• Button Mapping: 3Dconnexion’s Professional Series products feature programmable function keys for instant access to commonly used application commands, and QuickView Navigation keys for one-touch access to specific views

Availability
The entire 3Dconnexion product line is compatible with Revit and Navisworks 2012, including the Professional Series with the SpacePilot PRO (MSRP $399) and SpaceExplorer™ (MSRP $299), and the Standard Series with the SpaceNavigator (MSRP $99) and SpaceNavigator for Notebooks (MSRP $129). For additional information, visit www.3Dconnexion.com.

Courtesy: 3Dconnexion

About 3Dconnexion, A Logitech Company
3Dconnexion, a wholly owned subsidiary of Logitech (SIX: LOGN) (Nasdaq: LOGI), is the leading provider of 3D mice for 3D design and visualization. 3Dconnexion devices support today’s most popular and powerful 3D applications by offering users a more intuitive and natural way to interact with computer-generated 3D content. 3Dconnexion’s award-winning 3D mice serve a wide variety of industries and are used by 3D designers, animators and artists worldwide. 3Dconnexion is headquartered in Fremont, Calif. with European headquarters in Munich, Germany and offices worldwide. For more information, visit www.3Dconnexion.com. You may also connect with 3Dconnexion on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/3Dconnexion) and Twitter (http://twitter.com/3Dconnexion).

3ds Max Design New Feature series video 2

Substance Procedural Textures

Achieve a vast range of look variations with a new library of 80 Substance procedural textures. These dynamic, resolution-independent textures have a tiny disk space footprint, and can be exported to certain games engines via the Substance Air middleware offering (available separately from Allegorithmic SAS). Alternatively, textures can be quickly converted to bitmaps for rendering. Some examples of dynamically editable and animatable parameters are: brick distribution, surface aging, and mortar thickness in a brick wall; and the age, roughness, curb borders, and lane markings of a street texture.

Substance Procedural Textures

Autodesk Announces Appointment of Lorrie M. Norrington to Board of Directors

SAN FRANCISCO - Autodesk, Inc announced that Lorrie M. Norrington has been appointed to Autodesk's board of directors.
“I’m pleased to welcome Lorrie Norrington to our board of directors and look forward to her contributions to the company," said Carl Bass, president and chief executive officer of Autodesk. "Lorrie’s broad business experience as well as her impressive e-commerce pedigree will be a benefit to the company. Her experience guiding and growing global businesses also makes her a great choice for Autodesk’s board.”
Norrington has more than 30 years of operating experience in technology, software and Internet businesses. She served as an executive at eBay Inc., the world's largest Internet marketplace, for five years and most recently held the role of president of eBay Marketplace, where she led all eBay businesses globally. Prior to joining eBay, Norrington served as president and CEO of Shopping.com, Inc., and as executive vice president in the office of the CEO of Intuit Inc. She previously served in a variety of executive positions at General Electric Corporation over a 20-year period, working in a broad range of industries and businesses. Norrington currently serves on the board of DIRECTV and served on the board of security software specialist McAfee, Inc., until its acquisition by Intel in February 2011.

Tips & Tricks - Canvas Viewport Autodesk 3ds Max 2011

In The Area, Louis Marcoux disclosed in a series of videos different tricks and tips of the new Viewport Canvas Autodesk 3ds Max 2011:

Introduction and Custom Brushes.
Using Workflow and PSD Render to Texture with Viewport Canvas.
Canvas Viewport and Render Surface Map.
Matte Painting Canvas and Viewport.

Wiley Announces New Autodesk Official Training Guides for 2012 Products

Sybex, an imprint of Wiley, will publish sixteen new books on Autodesk’s 2012 software, including five books in the exciting new full-color Essentials series. Autodesk today announced their 2012 software products, and Sybex produces Autodesk Official Training Guides on their top software products to help readers quickly learn and use their powerful 3D design, engineering, and entertainment software packages.

Sybex’s newly launched Essentials series provides aspiring CAD/CAM and 3D animation professionals with the fundamental skills needed to become quickly productive in Autodesk software. After explaining the core tools and capabilities of the software, each Essentials book uses a task-based approach and step-by-step exercises to help learners acquire skills right away. These tutorials offer realistic, professional-level instruction, and each full-color book can be used to prepare for Autodesk’s certification exams and features downloadable files showing the starting and ending state of the project. Complete instructor resources are also provided for all of the Essentials and Autodesk Official Training Guides.

Sybex is one of two companies designated by Autodesk as a provider of Autodesk Official Training Guides for Autodesk’s 2012 products. The Autodesk Official Training Guide brand ensures that books have been reviewed and recommended by Autodesk for both classroom training and self-paced learning.

The 2012 Autodesk Official Training Guides and their availability dates are as follows:

Autodesk Revit Architecture 2012 Essentials (April 2011)
Mastering Autodesk Revit Architecture 2012 (May 2011)
Mastering AutoCAD Civil 3D 2012 (June 2011)
Autodesk Revit Architecture 2012: No Experience Required (June 2011)
Introducing Autodesk Revit Architecture 2012 (June 2011)
Mastering Autodesk Navisworks 2012 (July 2011)
AutoCAD Civil 3D 2012 Essentials (May 2011)
Mastering AutoCAD 2012 and AutoCAD LT 2012 (May 2011)
Autodesk Inventor 2012 and Inventor LT 2012 Essentials (April 2011)
Mastering Autodesk Inventor 2012 and Inventor LT 2012 (May 2011)
AutoCAD 2012 and AutoCAD LT 2012: No Experience Required (July 2011)
AutoCAD 2012 and AutoCAD LT 2012 Essentials (May 2011)
Mastering Autodesk Revit MEP 2012 (August 2011)
Mastering Autodesk Maya 2012 (July 2011)
Introducing Autodesk Maya 2012 (May 2011)
Autodesk 3ds Max 2012 Essentials (June 2011)

EON Reality Releases the Updated 3ds Max Plug-in, EON Raptor

 

EON Reality, the world's leading interactive 3D software provider, today announced the release of updated EON Raptor™ -- the free 3ds Max plug-in that enables users to display and interact with 3ds Max content in real-time with intuitive controls.

Why look at a static picture? Even a pre-rendered animation -- when you can explore and share your models in full virtual reality for free? Today's generation has grown up with games and expects information to be interactive, 3D compelling in real-time, as in a game. They do not want to be fed passive information. They want to try, inquire, explore and configure instantly.

With the use of EON Raptor, the 3ds Max user can create interactive walkthroughs and product configurations within minutes, saving time and costs and offering a more flexible development tool, due to its interactive nature. Simple interactive behaviors can also be authored rapidly without leaving 3ds Max.

With the updated EON Raptor 7.5, EON can now support vertex skinning and skeletal animations (animate the skinned meshes with bones). This allows you to create believable characters and other jointed objects where a hierarchy of bones (a skeleton) controls the deformation of the object mesh. A new, totally re-designed Interactions editor has been added, to allow you to create animation interactions. Prototype files (.eop) can now be exported with interactions and thumbnail image.

The completed application can be published without any cost to a web page for viewing with a browser, exported to a standalone file for viewing with the free EON Viewer™ application or exported to EON Professional™ for further editing to create even more interactive and realistic 3D applications. The data can also be shared in EON Coliseum, an online multiuser technology platform where people can present their ideas, communicate complex concepts and collaborate in 3D using rich media such as 3D worlds, slideshows, videos, avatars, voice, chat and interactive 3D objects virtually from anywhere in the world.

About EON Reality
EON Reality, Inc. is the world's leading interactive 3D visual content management and virtual reality software provider. EON's technology solutions enable all organizations to more effectively visually communicate, collaborate and accelerate knowledge transfer. For further information, visit www.eonreality.com.

Carbon Scatter for 3ds Max Released

 

 E-on software, maker of Digital Nature solutions, have announced the immediate availability of Carbon Scatter, the company's instancing plug-in for mental ray and V-Ray renderers for 3ds Max.

Carbon Scatter is designed for creating complex and detailed populations using the native instancing technologies of 3ds Max. Versions of Carbon Scatter for Maya and Cinema4D will be available shortly (an Open Beta will be released in the coming weeks).

Carbon Scatter integrates e-on's patented EcoSystem algorithms directly inside the end user's favorite 3D application, allowing the population of native scenes with millions of instances and rendering them with the user's renderer of choice.

Some of the key features of Carbon Scatter include:

Automated Smart Scattering:

Carbon Scatter does not merely scatter the objects randomly across the underlying surface, but actually computes where to place them according to the relief of the underlying geometry. For example, as in nature, more trees will grow on flat terrains than on steep slopes, and no objects will be placed where they are likely to "fall down."

Paint Objects and Plants with the EcoPainter:

The EcoSystem painter tool (EcoPainter) lets the user interactively paint instances over any surface (or group of surfaces). Painted instances can be attached to the underlying surface so they move together with the surface, or they can be independent. Painting can be performed with a mouse or with a tablet, which gives you the ability to control additional parameters through pressure.

Advanced EcoSystem Control:

Multiple plants can be dragged from the plant browser into the EcoSystem population list, making the preparation of complex EcoSystems much quicker. When painting EcoSystems, users can paint with the underlying EcoSystem material rules applied, so that, for instance, the influence of slope and altitude or the sizing rules are taken into account.

Layered EcoSystem Materials and Function Graph:

EcoSystems behave just like regular materials. A single EcoSystem material can have any number of layers, each layer with its own population list and full set of controls.

Users can easily influence EcoSystem populations according to altitude, slope or orientation, or even take advantage of Carbon Scatter's powerful function graph to control almost every aspect of the population. For example, artists can use a fractal noise generator to control the distribution instances, or use a bitmap to limit distribution to specific areas. On top of this, the population density can also depend on time.

Carbon Scatter is available in English for Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 for both 32 and 64 bit.

Carbon Scatter comes in 3 flavors: Carbon Scatter Single, Carbon Scatter Multi and Carbon Scatter Multi-CE (Content Edition).

Carbon Scatter Single (SRP: $195) can be used with one of the compatible applications installed on your system (choice of the host application is done upon order). It will work with all compatible renderers for the selected host application (e.g. mental ray and V-Ray for 3ds Max).

Carbon Scatter Multi (SRP: $295) can be used with all compatible applications and renderers installed on your system.

Carbon Scatter Multi-CE (SRP: $395) includes over 100 SolidGrowthCS plants and can be used with all compatible applications and renderers installed on your system.

Carbon Scatter Single and Carbon Scatter Multi ship with a small collection of 8 SolidGrowthCS plant species. Carbon Scatter Multi-CE ships with over 100+ SolidGrowthCS Plant Species (Carbon Scatter Multi-CE plant species cannot be read by Carbon Scatter Single or Multi).

Until April 11, 2011, e-on software is offering its Vue Infinite and xStream users a time limited $200 discount on Carbon Scatter Multi-CE (available for users of Vue from Version 6 to Version 9).

E-on software also will be introducing Product Suites. Product Suites are cost-effective bundles of e-on software products designed to work together. The first two Product Suites to be released will include:

Ozone 5 + Carbon Scatter Multi-CE Product Suite: $595 (instead of $690)

Vue 9 xStream + Carbon Scatter Multi-CE Product Suite: $1695 (a saving of $195)

Autodesk to Unveil New Software Suites

Autodesk Inc. on Tuesday announced a slew of software suites, part of a new sales strategy meant to boost revenue and make it easier for customers to use its applications in tandem.

The world leader in 3d design company unveiled six new suites of design and presentation software for product manufacturing, architecture, construction and other fields. Autodesk unveiled an additional new software suite for animation and visual effects in gaming, film and television earlier this month.

Each suite will be sold at three pricing tiers based on the number of features included, the company said. The packages will range in price from $4,300 to $13,000. Autodesk will begin taking orders for the suites on Tuesday and start shipping the software in April.

The announcement represents a major shift in strategy for Autodesk, said Amar Hanspal, the company's senior vice president of platform solutions and emerging business. Traditionally, the majority of its software has been sold as individual products, with software bundles comprising around 24% of its revenue in the quarter ended Jan. 31.

Mr. Hanspal said the suites are meant to drive customer adoption by making the company's conceptualization, modeling and visualization software work better together. Autodesk also is testing Web-based applications for collaboration and analysis that it expects eventually to offer exclusively to customers of its software suites, Mr. Hanspal added.

The suite strategy "is our number one priority for the year," he said, adding that it also should boost Autodesk's profit margins over time by streamlining sales and marketing costs.

Goldman Sachs analyst Derek Bingham said the strategy shift could prove a big boon to Autodesk. "It's historically a winning strategy in software," the analyst said, noting the previous success of software packages such as Microsoft Office and Adobe Creative Suite. "There are people who will buy stuff that they might not otherwise have bought," he said.

Mr. Bingham said Autodesk has told analysts it expects the strategy to help increase its revenue per individual user by 20% over the next two to three years, though Mr. Hanspal declined to confirm that figure.

The announcement comes at a key time for Autodesk, which has seen its share price rise 40% over the past year to $40.97 in 4 p.m. trading on Monday, as manufacturing, construction and other customer segments begin to recover from the recent recession. The company's revenue grew 16% in the quarter ended Jan. 31 to $528 million.

3ds Max Design New Feature series video 1

Nitrous Accelerated Graphics Core

A top priority of the Excalibur (XBR) initiative to restructure 3ds Max and 3ds Max Design was to introduce a new viewport system engineered to help provide dramatic improvements in performance and visual quality. The new Nitrous core leverages GPUs and multi-core workstations to enable you to iterate faster and handle larger data sets with more interactivity. Advanced scene management techniques, together with multithreaded viewport scene traversal and material evaluation, result in a smoother, more responsive workflow. Furthermore, Nitrous provides a render-quality display environment that supports unlimited lights, soft shadows, screen-space ambient occlusion, tone-mapping, and higher-quality transparency.

Nitrous Accelerated Graphics Core

What's New in Autodesk 3ds Max 2012

Autodesk® 3ds Max® and Autodesk® 3ds Max® Design software provide powerful, integrated 3D modeling, animation, rendering, and compositing tools that enable artists and designers to more quickly ramp up for production.

SAN RAFAEL, USA.   Autodesk® 3ds Max® and Autodesk® 3ds Max® Design software provide powerful, integrated 3D modeling, animation, rendering, and compositing tools that enable artists and designers to more quickly ramp up for production. The two versions share core technology and features, but offer differentiated experiences and specialized toolsets for game developers, visual effects artists, and graphic designers on the one hand, and architects, designers, engineers, and visualization specialists on the other.

Although both versions share technology and basic functionality, one offers specific tools and experience to game developers, filmmakers and graphic designers, visual effects, while the other has specialized features for architects, designers, engineers and visualization specialists. 

Autodesk 3ds Max 2012 includes the following developments: 

Ultra-fast graphics core 
Dramatic increases in performance and visual quality in the graphics window. 

Basic procedural textures 
80 new basic procedural textures to achieve a variety of finishes. 

Rigid body dynamics Mriga 
NVIDIA PhysX engine allows you to create rigid body dynamics simulations directly in the viewport. 

Iray renderer 
Almost photorealistic more predictable results without worrying about rendering parameters. 

UVW unwrapping improvements 
A new mapping method for mapping UVW better in less time. 

Improvement of painting and sculpture 
The new brushes forming, processing and increasing restrictions on spline control over the stroke and its effects.