3ds max 4.(Product Announcement)

Rendering, special effects highlight Discreet's upgrade

The first full update under the Discreet banner of the software that used to be known as Kinetix's 3D Studio Max is 3ds max 4 (now lower-cased like the rest of Discreet's product line.) Many of the new features in max 4 show a strong influence from Discreet's core business: rendering and special effects. Plus, a slew of new character animation tools makes max 4 a robust and full-featured solution for the creation and animation of characters.

Installation is facilitated by the elimination of the hardware lock found in previous versions: No more dongles! Instead, max uses the "C-dilla" authorization system, which is software-based. Those familiar with previous versions will also notice some nice interface improvements. Right-clicking in a viewport brings up a new feature called a Quad Menu, a customizable, four-pane menu for manipulating and editing objects. The Stack View is also improved, in that it shows an expandable hierarchy of an object and all its modifiers, eliminating the need to press a Sub-Object button to change sub-object levels.

Max 4 also boasts numerous modeling enhancements. For instance, meshes in previous versions were triangular; max 4 provides a true polygonal modeler based on quad-sided objects. Quad-sided objects work better for subdivision surfaces because they remain flat and smooth, allowing for seamless subdivision.

Speaking of subdivision surfaces, that capability in max 4 has been improved with a finishing tool called the Hierarchical Subdivision Surface Modifier (HSDS), which enables you to precisely subdivide parts of a model. For example, a dolphin's body can be left low-res, while just the nose can be subdivided for more detail.

Animators, meanwhile, will appreciate the huge number of character animation improvements. The new inverse kinematics system, for instance, includes multiple IK solvers and, because it's based on an open architecture, allows for third-party solvers. Character animators will also like the new Limb Solver, which is designed for invoking IK on limbs, and is much more stable and responsive than Max R3's generic IK solver. Best of all, the new IK system allows for FK/IK snapping, so you can freely mix between forward and inverse kinematics.

Max 4 now treats bones as objects, so they can be shaded and rendered just like any geometry. Bones can be modified with standard mesh tools, enabling animators to sculpt skeletal structures that precisely conform to a character's skin. This is good because you can now hide the skin and animate just the bones, which is faster, while still having a ...