Autodesk 3ds Max | Software Detailed Features
Tackle any project and achieve the results you want in less time. Autodesk® 3ds Max® software lets you manage complex data and scale your team to meet the needs of next-generation production pipelines.

The Autodesk® FBX® platform-independent 3D authoring and interchange format provides access to 3D content from most 3D vendors and platforms. The FBX file format supports all major 3D data elements, as well as 2D, audio, and video media elements. Use free, downloadable FBX plug-in to integrate 3ds Max into any production pipeline—with data integrity safeguarded. Ongoing plug-in updates make it easier than ever to transfer files between 3ds Max and applications such as Autodesk® Maya® and Autodesk® MotionBuilder™ software.

Integration with Autodesk Vault
Autodesk Vault plug-in, which ships with 3ds Max, consolidates your 3ds Max assets in a single location—enabling you to automatically track files and manage work in progress. Easily and safely share, find, and reuse 3ds Max (and design) assets in a large-scale production or visualization environment.

AutoCAD Integration
Quickly import data from AutoCAD® applications into 3ds Max via the DWG™ file format. Export 3ds Max scene files to AutoCAD—though some data types (animation, layering, and so forth) are not supported. 3ds Max can maintain a live data link to AutoCAD via the File Link Manager. Layers are supported. Enhance design and visualization projects in 3ds Max—new data does not compromise underlying AutoCAD design.

Integration with Other Design and Visualization Applications
Import data from Autodesk® Architectural Desktop, Autodesk® Revit® Building, Autodesk® Inventor™, Autodesk® VIZ, and other popular visualization software products into 3ds Max via native or DWG file format. Autodesk VIZ, which derives much of its feature set from 3d Max, is directly compatible. Data related to certain functionality (for example, particles, physics, subobject, and character animation) is not supported, but 3ds Max files containing these types of data can be opened in VIZ (and vice versa) with no data loss.

Autodesk Combustion Integration
Live integration with the Autodesk® Combustion® compositing software via the Material Editor lets artists and visualization professionals use in-progress composites as texture maps. The RPF bitmap format contains channels for 3D data—such as Z-depth, material IDs, UV coordinates, and velocity—that Combustion can use to better delineate data for compositing.

Autodesk Toxik Integration
Integration with the Autodesk® Toxik™ compositing software lets artists quickly composite their scene elements, including HDR-rendered elements, in a collaborative setting. Supports a streamlined content creation/compositing workflow in which there’s no need to rerender scenes if lighting intensity is incorrect or a layer needs a perspective change.

Adobe® Photoshop® Integration
Import PSD files as texture maps using the entire composited image or individual layers.

Adobe® Illustrator® Object Nodes
Import vector elements as either curves or groups.

Web Integration
Embedded web browser, Asset Browser, lets you view web pages and quickly drag supported geometry and bitmap texture files into a scene.

Supported Scene Import Formats:
3DS, AI, DDF, DEM, DWG, DXF™, HTR, IAM, IGES, IPT, LP, LS, MTL, OBJ, PRJ, SHP, STL, TRC, VW, WRL, WRZ

Supported Scene Export Formats:
3DS, AI, ASE, ATR, BLK, DF, DWF, DWG, DXF, HTR, IGES, LAY, LP, M3G, MTL, OBJ, STL, VW, WRL

Supported Texture Import Formats:
AVI, BMP, CIN, CWS, DDS, EXR, GIF, HDR, ICB, IFL, JPEG, MPEG, MOV, PIC, PNG, PSD, RGB, RLA, RPF, SGI, TGA, TIF, VDA, VST, YUV

Supported Bitmap Output Formats:
AVI, BMP, CIN, DDS, EPS, EXR, HDR, ICB, JPEG, MOV, PIC, PNG, PS, RGB, RLA, RPF, SGI, TGS, TIF, VDA, VST, VUE

Some formats applicable to certain renderers only.