Hey 3ds Maxers!

I'm Martin Coven, and I'm a Senior UX Designer on the 3ds Max team.



3ds Max Update 3 is all about you, the community: it includes one of our most highly user-requested features - fluid simulation. This new fluids system lets users create realistic liquid behaviors in 3ds Max. We've also included a full update to the MAXtoA plugin, which gives users additional rendering support for 3ds Max Fluids.

Let's take a closer look.





3ds Max Fluids

Creating fluids directly in 3ds Max has been the most requested feature for Max on the 3ds Max Ideas site. 3ds Max Fluids was designed to get you up and running fast by providing a familiar user experience. Simulate the physical properties of liquids like water, oil, honey, and lava as well as replicate the effect of gravity, collisions with objects, and disruptions by motion fields in order to achieve your desired result.









Fluids are multi-threaded to take advantage of multi-core processors, as background processing keeps you working in your scene without having to wait on the simulation to complete. This has the added benefit of allowing you to create variations to process at the same time.



Read more about 3ds Max Fluids



Motion Field

We've introduced a new Force object called the Motion Field Force, which can be used to affect fluids, particles, and deform meshes at the same time. Compared to legacy 3ds Max Forces which are all independent, Motion Field consolidates elements of turbulence, gravity, and drag to provide a simpler, more streamlined way to add a Force object. This is particularly helpful when used with Fluids, so you can easily create stunning water features using 3ds Max Fluids while using Motion Field to affect objects such as trees to sway in the wind in order to bring additional life to your photo-real environments.



Updates MaxtoA plugin

Finally, the Arnold renderer plugin, MAXtoA, has been updated in this release to provide improved support for 3ds Max Fluids. Users can output .BIF files which can also be used within Autodesk® Maya® software.

Got other features you'd like to request? Be a part of the conversation by visiting the 3ds Max Ideas page. Submit feature requests, vote on existing requests, and discuss with other users at 3dsmaxfeedback.autodesk.com.