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3ds Max Design vs 3ds Max?


tzframpton

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My company has 3ds Max Design and come to find out I am able to obtain a home use license. I've already remoted into my computer at home and it's installing now. I just noticed that it's 3ds Max Design, and not 3ds Max. I went to the Autodesk website and saw the small comparison matrix they have that compares products, and even though I see plainly that Max Design is more for the architectural industry (which ultimately is what I need), I didn't know if there was anyone here who could shine some more light on the real differences from the real-world experience side of things.

 

Also, I'd like to say that I'm mostly interested in inserting my Revit models and take advantage of the full Mental Ray rendering engine experience (at least for now, anyways). I'd assume that Max Design has the same functional tools for this, and is just as capable as 3ds Max? Probably a "dumb question" but just wanted to be sure is all. Granted, eventually (or right away if I can/need) I'd like to go ahead and start monkeying around with NURBS modeling tools directly from Max Design. I'm sure I'll be quite active in the 3ds Max forum in soon time.

 

Thanks in advance! :)

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Studio Max is geared towards game developers and people working in the film/animation industry and Studio Max Design is geared towards Architects and Designers.

 

I have only Studio Max Design, so I can't give you a detailed explanation of the differences except to say that the differences are minimal. At least from what I've read anyway. Both programs look and act the same. They provide the same tools and functionality, use the same plug-ins, etc., etc., but Studio Max Design has some added functionality such as lighting analysis which Studio Max does not have. And Studio Max includes the SDK (Software Developer Kit) which allows software engineers to write their own custom plug-ins, which Studio Max Design does not have.

 

The comparison matrix you saw is small because those are pretty much the only differences between the two versions.

 

I don't know if that helps any, but that's all I've got. :unsure:

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I'm sure I'll be quite active in the 3ds Max forum in soon time.

 

Great! Maybe you can take over as the Studio Max answer man, since I'm no longer using the program. :thumbsup:

 

And yes, you will be able to file link your Revit models into Studio Max or Studio Max Design through the .fbx file format: http://sustainabilityworkshop.autodesk.com/tutorial/export-revit-3d-studio-max-design

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Man that is awesome. I really want to start using 3ds Max for renders. I just don't think the quality can be achieved from AutoCAD or Revit alone. The full set of options simply don't exist that can really allow a person to get in there and make the necessary tweaks, and I've always been quite jealous with some of the outputs I've seen lately.

 

Got some good book recommendations, Cad64? :)

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Book is now on order. Should be here early next week. Thanks again for the link.... when I did some more research on Mental Ray & 3ds Max books I was surprised to find that they are pretty darn proud of them. So also a thanks for keeping the price in mind (if you in fact did, haha).

 

Even when the book comes in, I've been so terribly busy lately that I don't think I'll have the time to really sit down and check it all out until middle of January. Can't wait to dive in though.

 

:)

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Me too. I've already been scouring Google for tutorials on basics and what not. It's crazy how much more there is to mental ray than I've messed with in AutoCAD. I almost feel like everything I've been rendering in AutoCAD doesn't even apply anymore. I guess my eyes are open now as to how massive mental ray actually is, and how AutoCAD's version is so washed down.

 

I've been signed up at CGTalk.org for a long time and posted up recently to sort of "reintroduce" myself. I noticed on your portfolio a while back you're also on that site so expect to see me over there a lot, haha.

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Yeah, Mental Ray in Autocad is definitely watered down in comparison to Studio Max, and there is a lot to learn. But once you just get the basics down, you can produce really great looking renders.

 

CGSociety is a great site. There are so many extremely talented artists over there. I love browsing around and seeing what everyone is up to. Some stuff just blows my mind. I don't post much over there but I'll keep an eye out for you.

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