Autodesk 3ds Max 2011 software offers compelling new techniques for creating and texturing models, animating characters, and producing higher-quality images in less time. Significant enhancements to the modeling and texturing toolset, accessed through a new in-context user interface, help accelerate everyday workflows, while non-destructive layered editing of Containers helps facilitate collaboration in parallel. Meanwhile, fully-integrated, high-performance toolsets for creating, managing, and animating characters help quickly bring scenes to life. And, with a new nodebased material editor, a high-quality hardware renderer, in-viewport display of texture maps and materials, and a fully-featured HDR-capable compositor, creating stunning, photo-realistic images is easier than ever.

©2009, Planet 51. Image courtesy of Ilion Animation Studios.

Accelerate Everyday Workfows
Model and texture characters, props and environments more efficiently in 3ds Max 2011, with expanded Graphite and Viewport Canvas toolsets that deliver intuitive new brush-based interfaces for 3D painting, texture editing, and object placement. Meanwhile, a new in-context direct manipulation UI helps make polygon modeling faster and helps you maintain focus on the creative task at hand, while customized user interface (UI) layouts keep your choice of frequently used actions and macro scripts readily accessible. And, for projects where collaboration is critical, a signifcantly enhanced workfow with Containers enables multiple users to work in parallel, helping to meet tight deadlines.

Create Believable Movement Faster
Achieve higher-quality results in less time when creating animations and simulations in 3ds Max 2011. With the flexible, approachable Character Animation Toolkit (CAT) now fully integrated, you can use default settings to more quickly create working rigged characters or customize rigs for more demanding set-ups.

Slate Material Editor
More easily visualize and edit material component relationships with Slate, a new node-based editor that helps signifcantly improve workfow and productivity for creating and editing complex material networks.

Quicksilver Hardware Renderer
Create higher-fdelity pre-visualizations, animatics, and games-related marketing materials in less time with Quicksilver, an innovative new hardware renderer that uses both the CPU and the GPU to help produce higher-quality images at incredible speeds.

Local Edits to Containers
Collaborate more efciently with signifcantly enhanced workfows for Containers that enable you to meet tight deadlines by working in parallel: multiple users can layer local edits nondestructively on top of referenced content, working simultaneously on diferent aspects of the same container.

Viewport Display of Autodesk 3ds Max Materials
Develop and refne scenes in a higher-fdelity interactive display environment that enables you to help make better decisions in context with the new ability to view most 3ds Max texture maps and materials in the viewport.

3ds Max Composite
Enhance rendered passes and incorporate them into live action footage with 3ds Max Composite: a fully featured, high-performance, HDR-capable compositor, based on technology from Autodesk Toxik software.

In-Context Direct Manipulation UI
Save time when modeling and maintain focus on the creative task at hand with a new in-context UI for polygon modeling tools that enables you to more interactively manipulate properties and enter values directly at the point of interest in the viewport.

CAT Integration
More easily create and manage characters, and layer, load, save, remap, and mirror animations with CAT. Now fully integrated into 3ds Max, CAT provides an out-of-the-box advanced rigging and animation system.

UI Customization
Focus on the features that matter most for specialized workfows with customizable UI layouts that enable you to store personalized confgurations that include frequently used action items and macro scripts.

Save to Previous Release
Manage the transition to the Autodesk 3ds Max 2011 release with the option to save scene fles in a format compatible with the 2010 version. This enables you to take advantage of the new features in 2011 before your entire studio, pipeline, or client base is ready to upgrade.