Autodesk

3ds Max

2010
Autodesk

3ds Max

Design 2010
General FAQ

Page1UpdatedApril1,2009
Autodesk

3dsMax

2010
Autodesk

3dsMax

Design2010
GeneralFAQ

Q:Whatis3dsMaxDesign2010?
A:3dsMaxDesign2010softwareisessentiallyacustomizedinstallationofAutodesk3dsMax2010software,the
resultofwhichisanoptimizeduserexperienceforarchitects,designers,engineersandvisualizationspecialists.

3dsMaxDesignhasthesamefunctionalityas3dsMax,withtheadditionoftheExposurelightinganalysistechnology.
TheSoftwareDevelopmentKit(SDK)isnotprovided.Otherdifferencesbetweenthetwoproductsincludeuserinterface
andapplicationdefaults,tutorials,samplefiles,andproductwebsites.Eachofthesecomponentsistailoredforits
respectiveaudience.

Moregenerally,Autodesk3dsMaxDesign2010softwareisacomprehensive3Dmodeling,animation,andrendering
solutiondesignedtosupportthewaydesignersandvisualizationspecialistswork:creatively,iteratively,andacross
multiplesoftwareapplications.Ascomparedwith3dsMaxDesign2009,3dsMaxDesign2010introducesanumberof
keynewandenhancedfeatures,includingover100newmodelingtoolstoletdesignersexploreformmaking,while
refiningtheirdesignswithanewrenderqualityviewportdisplay;newinteractivelightinganalysistohelpiteratemore
quickly,validatesustainablesolutionsandavoidcostlymistakesearlyinthedesignprocess;andcommunicatea
compellingvisionissimplifiedwithanextensivelibraryofparticleeffectsandflickerlessrenderingimprovements.

3dsMaxDesign2010alsodeliversupdateduserinterfaceandworkflowfeatures,which,togetherwithdata
compatibility,enhancedigitalcontinuitybetween3dsMaxDesignandproductsfromtheRevitandAutoCADsoftware
families.ThisincludesRecognizesceneloadingtechnologythatsignificantlyimprovesinterapplicationworkflowswith
RevitArchitecture2010,throughtheaccurateimportoflights,materialsandcameras.

Q:Whatis3dsMax2010?
A:Autodesk3dsMax2010softwareisafullfeatured3Dmodeling,animation,rendering,andvisualeffectssolution
usedinthecreationoftopsellinggamesandblockbusterfilmandtelevisioncontent.3dsMax2010introducesseveral
keynewfeatures,includingthenewGraphitemodelingtools,whichprovidesover100newmodelingtoolsunifiedinan
innovativeuserinterface;powerfulnewreferencingworkflowstoorganizecomplexscenes;newMaterialExplorerfor
navigatingormodifyingallrenderingrelatedassetsinascene;newxViewmeshanalysistechnologyforprovidingin
viewportreportingonseveraltypesofmesherrors;aswellasProOptimizer,PFlowAdvanced,andProSound,whichwere
formerlyonlyavailableasapartoftheCreativityExtension.Finally,3dsMax2010offerscompatibilitywithAutodesk
Mudbox,AutodeskMayaandAutodeskMotionBuildersoftwarethroughAutodeskFBXandOBJfiletranslation.
Eachofthesefeaturesarealsoavailablein3dsMaxDesign2010.

Autodesk

3ds Max

2010
Autodesk

3ds Max

Design 2010
General FAQ

Page2UpdatedApril1,2009
Q:Whyaretheretwoversionsof3dsMax?
A:Inordertooptimizetheuserexperienceforbothentertainmentanddesignvisualizationcustomers,therearetwo
versionsof3dsMax;3dsMaxDesign,and3dsMax.

Entertainmentuserscommonlyspecializeinareassuchascharacterrigging,lighting,texturing,andanimation.Forthese
customers,3dsMax2010continuestobuildonitslegacyasanindustryleadingcontentcreationtoolinthegames,film,
televisionindustries.3dsMaxDesignisdirectedtowardsmaximizingahighqualityoutoftheboxexperiencefor
designvisualizationspecialistsinthearchitecture,civilengineering,industrialandmanufacturingindustries.

Eachflavorof3dsMaxisspecificallytailoredforitsintendedaudience;fromlearningresourcesandsamplefiles,to
applicationdefaultsandevencarefullyselectedfeaturessuchastheExposurelightinganalysistechnologyfordesigners
andvisualizationspecialists.

Q:Is3dsMaxor3dsMaxDesignrightforme?
A:IfyouworkprimarilyinentertainmentandrequiretheSDK,choose3dsMax2010.3dsMaxhasallthefeaturesof3ds
MaxDesignexceptfortheExposurelightinganalysistoolforassistinginattainingLEEDEQCredit8.1certification.

Ifyouworkprimarilyinthearchitecture,civilengineering,ormanufacturingsectors,andyoudonotneedtocreateyour
ownpluginsusingtheSDK,choose3dsMaxDesign2010.Ithasallthefeaturesof3dsMax2010exceptfortheSDK,and
itincludesthenewExposurelightinganalysistoolforassistingwithLEEDEQCredit8.1certification.

Q:ApartfromtheSDKandExposurelightinganalysis,whatisthedifferencebetween3dsMaxand3dsMaxDesign?
A:Thekeydifferencebetween3dsMaxand3dsMaxDesignisthateachproductistailoredspecificallyforcustomersin
differentindustries.3dsMaxDesignisidealforarchitects,engineers,designersandvisualizationspecialists,while3ds
Maxisatoolofchoiceforprofessionalsinthegames,film,andtelevisionindustries.

Whilethesesiblingapplicationsarenearlyidenticaltechnologically,theydifferinthefollowingways:

Userinterfaceandapplicationdefaultsareoptimizedforeithervisualizationorentertainment
workflows/pipelinesinordertomaximizeproductivity
3dsMaxDesignfeaturesExposuretechnologyforsimulatingandanalyzingsun,sky,andartificiallighting
o 3dsMaxdoesnotcontainthistechnology
3dsMaxincludesapowerfulSDKfordevelopers
o 3dsMaxDesigndoesnotcontainthisSDK
Tutorialsandsamplesfileswillbecustomizedtooptimizethelearningexperiencesofeachcustomergroupfor
eachproduct
Documentationalsocontainscustomcontentforeachproduct
Iconsandpackagingfor3dsMaxDesignwillbemorecloselyalignedwithAutodeskAECsolutionsforquickvisual
recognition.3dsMax2010iconswillremainsimilarto3dsMax2009icons.
Onlineuserexperiencewillbegreatlyimprovedthroughcontenttailoredforvisualizationorentertainment
customers

Autodesk

3ds Max

2010
Autodesk

3ds Max

Design 2010
General FAQ

Page3UpdatedApril1,2009

Q.Whatfeaturesarethesamebetween3dsMaxand3dsMaxDesign?
A.WiththeexceptionoftheSDK,3dsMaxDesignhas100%ofthefeaturesfoundin3dsMax.3dsMaxand3dsMax
Designshareasinglebinary.Thismeansthatbothapplicationswillbeabletosimultaneouslyadvancefroma
technologicalperspective.When3dsMaxisupdatedforthelatestversionofMicrosoftWindowsoperatingsystem
(OS)orDirectXapplicationprogramminginterface(API),3dsMaxDesignisupdated.Asinglebinaryalsomeansthat
thereis100%filecompatibilityaswellasplugincompatibilitybetweentheapplications.

Q:Icurrentlyhaveanearlierversionof3dsMax,howdoIget3dsMaxDesign2010?
A:IfyouarecurrentlyonAutodeskSubscriptionfor3dsMax2009or3dsMaxDesign2009,youwillreceivenotification
viaemailwhenyour3dsMax2010or3dsMaxDesign2010productisreadyfordownload.Ifyouarenoton
Subscription,chooseoneoftheproductsandsimplyupgradetoit.Seewhichproductisrightforyouwithafree30day
trialdownload.

Q:Howwill3dsMaxand3dsMaxDesigndifferinthefuture?
A:Autodeskwillcarefullyconsidercustomerfeedback,industrydriversandbusinessneedsinevaluatinghowto
enhanceboth3dsMaxDesignand3dsMaxinthefuture.ItisAutodesksintentiontomaintainthesamebinarycode
betweenproducts,aswellascompletedatacompatibilityandinteroperability.

Q:Ipickedthewrongflavorof3dsMax,nowwhatdoIdo?
A:Ifyouareusing3dsMaxDesign,andfeelyouneedtheSDKtowriteyourownplugins,simplyenrollintheAutodesk
DeveloperNetwork(ADN)andcontinueusing3dsMaxDesign.IfyouarepartofAutodeskSubscription,itwillbe
possibletocrossgradefrom3dsMaxDesign2009to3dsMax2009orviceversathroughthe3dsMaxSelfSelect
Program.AllSubscriptioncustomerswillbenotifiedofthisprogramviaemail.

Q:CanIrun3dsMaxDesignand3dsMaxsidebyside?
A:Yes,itisnowpossibletohaveboth3dsMaxand3dsMaxDesignonthesamecomputer.Asbothoftheseapplications
arenearlyidenticalinfeaturesandfunctionality,mostcustomerswillnothaveaneedforsidebysideinstalls.

Q:CanIusebothproductsinaproductionenvironment?
A:Yes.Since3dsMaxand3dsMaxDesignarebasedonthesamebinary,datamovesseamlesslybetweenthemand
bothcanbeusedtogetherinaBackburnerrenderingnetwork.

Q:WillmyMAXScriptsworkinbothproducts?
A:UnlessyouhavewrittenascriptthatrequirestheExposurelightinganalysisfeaturetobepresent,thereareno
knowndifferencesbetweenrunningascriptcreatedin3dsMaxon3dsMaxDesign.

Autodesk

3ds Max

2010
Autodesk

3ds Max

Design 2010
General FAQ

Page4UpdatedApril1,2009
Q:Ihavefloatinglicensesof3dsMax,howwillthingswork?
A:Youwillneedtohaveseparatelicensesfor3dsMaxand3dsMaxDesigntousebothproducts.Forexample,ifyou
haveapooloffivefloating3dsMaxlicenses,youcanonlyuse3dsMaxandnot3dsMaxDesign.Youarerequiredto
crossgradeyourlicensetouse3dsMaxDesignifyouhavepurchasedalicensefor3dsMax.

Q:WillAutodeskSubscriptionbenefitsremainthesameforeachproduct?
A:Yes.BothproductswillofferthesameAutodeskSubscriptionprogramsandbenefits.Thisissubjecttochange.

Q.Whenwill3dsMaxDesign2010beavailable?
A.3dsMaxDesign2010(English)isscheduledtoshipinApril2009.

Q:Whatisthepriceof3dsMaxDesign2010?
A:3dsMaxDesign2010softwarepricingisidenticaltothatof3dMax2010.Pleaseconsultyourlocalresellerforpricing.

Q:Willamanualbeincludedintheproductpackages?
A:Inacorporatewideefforttosupportsustainableinitiatives,noprinteddocumentationwillbeshippedwitheither
product.3dsMax2010and3dsMaxDesign2010documentationwillbeavailableinelectronicformontheinstallation
DVDandfordownload.TolearnmoreaboutAutodesksgreeninitiatives,visit:http://www.autodesk.com/green

Q.CanItrytheeitherproduct?
A.Yes.Userswishingtoworkwitheither3dsMax2010or3dsMaxDesign2010maydownloadafree*30daytrialfrom
theAutodeskwebsite.Visit:http://www.autodesk.com/3dsmaxorhttp://www.autodesk.com/3dsmaxdesign.

Q:WhatisAutodeskAuthorizedTraining,andhowdoIgetit?
A:AutodeskAuthorizedTrainingisdesignedtoaccelerateyourcareerwithAutodesksoftware.Gettrainedatan
AutodeskAuthorizedTrainingCenter(ATC),withhandson,instructorledclassestohelpyouenhanceyourproductivity
andheightenreturnoninvestment.YoucanmakeAutodeskOfficialTrainingCourseware(AOTC)akeypartofyour
producttraining,andlearnfromthebestwithcontentdevelopedbyAutodesksubjectmatterexperts.EarnAutodesk
certificationtoproveyourexperience,reliablyvalidateyourskillsandknowledge,enhancecredibilityinyourfieldand
maximizeyourvalue.Formoreinformationabouttheselearningsolutions,visitwww.autodesk.com/authorizedtraining,
www.autodesk.com/aotc,andwww.autodesk.com/certification

Q:Do3dsMax2010and3dsMaxDesign2010integratewithotherAutodeskproducts?
A:Yes.TheFBXbasedRecognizesceneloadingtechnologyenables3dsMaxDesignuserstoquicklyandaccurately
importgeometry,lights,materials,andcamerasfromRevit2010scenes.SupportforDWGfilesresultsinfaster,more
accurateimportingofdatafromotherpopularAutodeskapplicationssuchastheAutoCADfamilyofproducts.Also,the
AutodeskFBXfileinterchangeformatandOBJsupportallowsuserstoeasilytransferassetstoandfrom3dsMax,
AutodeskMudbox,AutodeskMaya,andAutodeskMotionBuildersoftwareproducts,aswellasanyothercontent
creationpackagethatsupportFBXorOBJ.

Autodesk

3ds Max

2010
Autodesk

3ds Max

Design 2010
General FAQ

Page5UpdatedApril1,2009

Q:Whatoperatingsystemsaresupportedfor3dsMaxDesign2010;32bit?
A:MicrosoftWindowsVistaandMicrosoftWindowsXPProfessionaloperatingsystem(SP2orhigher).Fullsystem
requirementsareavailableatwww.autodesk.com/3dsMaxDesign

Q:Whatoperatingsystemsaresupportedfor3dsMaxDesign2010;64bit?
A:MicrosoftWindowsVistaandMicrosoftWindowsXPProfessionalx64.Fullsystemrequirementsareavailableat
www.autodesk.com/3dsMaxDesign

Q:Isthepricefor3dsMaxDesign201064bitthesameasforthe32bitversion?
A:Yes.Customerspurchasing3dsMaxDesign2010willreceivesoftwareforboth32bitand64bitoperatingsystems
(Windowsonly).Bothsystemswillusethesamelicensingsocustomersareabletouseeither32bitor64bit3dsMax
Design2010ontheirworkstation(hardwareandOSmustbepresentthatsupportsthiscapability).

Q.Can3dsMaxand3dsMaxDesignbepurchasedasNetworklicenses?
A.Yes,3dsMaxand3dsMaxDesignareavailableinStandaloneandNetworkversionsforFullSystemCommercial,Not
forResale(NFR),andEducationlicensetypes.

Q.Willmypluginsfromthepreviousversionof3dsMaxworkwith3dsMax2010or3dsMaxDesign2010?
A.No.Autodesk3dsMax2009andearlierversionsofpluginswillneedtoberecompiledwithMicrosoftVisualC++,
ServicePack1inordertobecompatiblewith3dsMax2010or3dsMaxDesign2010.Inorderforpluginstoworkwith
the64bitversions,theywillrequireportingtothatoperatingsystem.

Q.Will3dsMaxDesign2010beabletoaccessfiledatafrom3dsMax2010andpreviousversionsof3dsMax?
A.Yes.Tofacilitatethetransitionto3dsMaxDesign,files/scenessavedin3dsMax2009areforwardcompatiblewith
3dsMaxDesign2010.However,ifascenehasbeensavedwithpluginsusingapriorversionof3dsMax,itmaynotload
properlyifthepluginshavenotbeenupdatedfor3dsMaxDesign2010.

Q:CanIloaddatacreatedwiththe64bitversionsinthe32bitversionsof3dsMax2010and3dsMaxDesign2010?
A.Yes,datacreatedwiththe64bitversionof3dsMax2010and3dsMaxDesign2010willloadinthe32bitversionof
eitherproduct.

*Thisproductissubjecttothetermsandconditionsoftheenduserlicenseagreementthataccompaniesdownloadof
thissoftware.
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