We're back to share with you another update to 3ds Max this year, bringing you multiple Revit workflow improvements, Viewport Interactivity, OSL adjustments and a few other goodies.





NEW REVIT SOLUTIONS

We have made multiple workflow and quality improvements to deliver you easier and faster processes to visualize Revit models in 3ds Max.



Revit Version Compatibility

Now when you import a Revit 2018 file, you no longer need to upgrade if you have 3ds Max 2018 installed. This is providing that Revit Interoperability for 3ds Max was included during installation.



This saves you time by avoiding unnecessary upgrades, and also provides you an improved experience when you directly import Revit files into 3ds Max.







Revit Importer Performance

We've introduced parallel processing during the Revit import process to improve speed. We conducted internal automation testing which included over 150 datasets of varying sizes and complexity, and the results showed imports to be twice as fast.







Revit Lights Import

Various improvements and bug fixes were made for when importing lights from Revit into 3ds Max. Imports are now accurate in terms of scaling, intensity, and placement, reducing the need for manual adjustments.







Revit Import UI

We have made usability improvements to help increase your understanding of the options available during processing. There are more meaningful labels on options and tooltips, and the progress indicatory provides a more accurate timeline of each stage of processing.





Watch the recap of our Revit updates:









NEW ACTIVESHADE VIEWPORT

The new viewport mode allows you to take the current ActiveShade viewport and turn it into a new viewport mode with interactive capabilities. This allows you to interact and render while you work, extending your workflow more than before.









OSL MAP UPDATES

Improvements to the OSL Editor and Viewport display include improved Bracket and Syntax Highlighting, a better editor docking, and support for node properties and improved bump map. Having a more accurate OSL shader will allow you to make and see changes immediately, and more accurately.



















Watch the recap of our OSL and Viewport Updates









IMPROVED ALEMBIC COMPATABILITY WITH MAYA

We have made improvements to interop with Maya with Alembic files. Custom attributes are grouped to support attributes on transforms and shapes, and

Vertex colors sets are imported and exported so that they are compatible with Maya.





MODELING UX PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENTS

Updates to the Editable Poly modifier UI increase the speed at which tools are displayed when switching between sub-object modes.





Bringing User Ideas to Life in 3ds Max 2019.3

Autodesk is committed to responding quickly to 3ds Max user feedback. That’s why this release includes ideas and fixes which were submitted by the 3ds Max user community at 3dsmaxfeedback.autodesk.com

As always, we welcome your thoughts – all of them – and look forward to hearing from you!

Full 2019.3 Release notes are available here