Autodesk 3ds Max 2014 Service Pack 3 is a free release designed for Autodesk 3ds Max 2014 that includes fixes for issues with stability
| Date | 2025-06-02 06:39:26 |
| Filesize | 1.50 MB |
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Autodesk 3Ds Max 2014 is a very specialized program used for 3D modeling. It is mostly used by professionals. This application comes with a very comprehensive set of tools and options.
This application has two different versions. One is Autodesk 3Ds Max, which is used by game developers and visual effects artists, and the other is Autodesk 3Ds Max Design, which is specially designed for architects and engineers. This software is a high-tech application that can be used for producing movies, animations, and other game development. It comes packaged with some innovative and impressive proprietary tools. Since this software is quite heavy, it takes some time to install. Its interface is quite professional and complex, which shouldn't surprise you. There are many hotkeys and shortcuts to make it work faster. Some of the most important features of this software are advanced polygon, texture modeling, character animation toolset, pipelines, etc.
Autodesk recently released the latest version of 3ds Max. This latest release, called 3ds Max 2014, is available in both Standard and Design editions. The new version includes a host of new features and several clever improvements to existing tools. One of my favorite new features is the Populate tool, which can instantly add crowds of people to an existing scene. I'm also quite impressed with the new mParticles added to the Particle Flow interface. Other new features and improvements include a host of improved menus, an interactive search command feature, vector maps, a great new Perspective Matching tool, DirectX 11 support, and an automatic network inspector to ensure that saved data files are error-free.
Improved menus:
While I usually ignore changes to the program's user interface, especially the menus, the new improved menus in 3ds Max 2014 are implemented as a new workspace that you can switch to. If you want to keep the old menus, they still exist as a different workspace, and it's easy to switch between the two. The new improved menus are better organized and include fewer icons and submenus. As an example of the better organization, there's a new Objects menu that contains, in one convenient place, all the different objects you can add to your scene. You can also drag any submenu away from the menu bar to make it standalone and instantly accessible.
Instant crowds with residents:
Imagine you've spent months designing a new building, and upon final approval, the review team suggests you add people throughout the building and grounds to give it a lived-in quality. This seems like a simple addition, but as an architectural professional familiar with open spaces, wiring ducts, and heating and cooling pipes, creating a realistically walking person is a big leap out of your comfort zone. At this point, you have several options. You can delay the project for six weeks while you find a character animator who can help add people to the scene, or you can simply upgrade to the latest version of 3ds Max, which includes the new Populate feature. This new feature will allow you to finish the job in minutes. The coolest new feature in 3ds Max 2014 is Populate. This new tool allows you to add animated crowds of people to any scene. Although the results are quite complex, creating a crowd is very easy to use. Populate allows you to drag to create flow paths where people walk and idle areas where crowds of people stand to perform tasks like talking or speaking on cell phones. Flow paths are created like a simple spline path by clicking at the beginning and end of each section of the path. There are settings for displaying flow paths, and you can edit existing paths. There's also an option to raise or lower sections of the flow path to create slopes. Idle areas are created using a brush with modes to add and remove areas from the selected area. After defining the flow and idle areas, simply press the Simulate button, and a random assortment of pre-built characters will automatically appear within those areas. These characters are already animated and begin moving as you brush the timeline slider. Characters walk along the flow paths and are animated with different actions while standing in the idle areas. For both areas, you can adjust the density and mix of males and females. If you see duplicate characters, you can select one and use the Regenerate Selected button to replace the selected character with a random one. There's also an option to have characters appear as static shapes (not rendered), a regular mesh, or a high-resolution mesh. One downside to the Populate feature is that you can't edit or load custom characters into the system, but you can change the materials applied to the characters. This feature has a cool factor, but the amazing thing about it is how easy it is to use. Simply drag to select areas, click Simulate, and characters will appear and begin moving around the scene. This is great for architectural presentations that require a human element. Figure 1: The Populate feature allows you to easily add moving and passive crowds to an existing scene.
Leadership field research
Sometimes, the smallest new feature has the biggest impact. 3ds Max 2014 includes a simple new feature called Search Command. You can access this simple text field from the Help menu or directly by pressing the X key. The text field box appears directly below the cursor and allows you to start typing text immediately. Below the text field, the program presents a list of commands that match the text you typed. You can continue typing or select a command from the list, and the selected command will be executed. This simple feature provides another innovative way to work with the interface. It also puts all the commands at your fingertips, without having to search through help files to find a specific command, making it ideal for users who are familiar with another 3D program but are new to 3ds Max.
Fix file errors using Network Inspector
One of the most frustrating aspects of working with 3ds Max occurs when a file you're saving encounters an error and crashes your system. These files can be problematic. Sometimes your system crashes, and sometimes they can't be recovered, requiring you to redo all the work. To address this potential problem, 3ds Max 2014 includes a new Mesh Inspector that automatically scans for and fixes texture channel issues and geometric inconsistencies in the file. The Mesh Inspector can be turned off if necessary. When enabled, the Mesh Inspector runs in the background while the file is automatically saved to detect and fix errors. The Mesh Inspector only works with editable Poly objects and editable Mesh objects.
Match perspective with background images
Another major new feature in 3ds Max 2014 is the new Perspective Match feature. This feature allows you to interactively match the current scene with a loaded background image. The feature adds two guides for each axis to the scene. By manipulating these guides, the scene is reshaped to fit the background. This makes it easier to orient the scene to the background image. It's best to use a background image with clearly identifiable axis lines, such as a cityscape. This new matching feature is easier to use than the old Camera Match utility. The difference is the interactive lines, which make manipulation easier. Figure 2: Perspective Match allows you to easily orient the scene to match a loaded background image.
Enhance particle flow with mParticles
Particle Flow is a great interface for particle manipulation, and now it can use mParticles, particles that can be used with the MassFx physics engine. This allows you to add physics simulations to your particle flow, resulting in realistic effects. New to the Particle Flow repository are nodes for creating mParticle flows. Dropping this node into the Particle Flow interface creates a new mParticle flow. New mParticles can be shaped in 2D or 3D, with many options including circles, stars, letters, numbers, spheres, musical notes, and hearts. mParticles can be set to interact with existing scene geometry by applying the PFlow Collision Shape (WSM) modifier. This allows the scene geometry to detect and react to collisions and other forces between mParticles and the scene geometry. Other operators include Force, Drag, Buoyancy, Switch, InterCollision, Glue, and Solvent. Scene geometry can also be configured with the Particle Skinner modifier, which allows the geometry to be distorted by impacting mParticles. The Particle Flow interface also includes new operators for caching simulations to disk or saving cache data for a specific selection. These operators allow you to save simulation data separately from the 3ds Max file.
It's the most complete 3D modeling software.
It can perfectly animate crowds.
The generated graphics are highly realistic.
Professional tools have also been enhanced, and
there's been an improvement in shading and design.
