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This Discreet ads max review was performed on a BOXX Technologies 3D Box dual Processor AMD Athlon MP 2 Model 2100+ fitted with an NVIDIA Quadro4 750 XGL Graphics card equipped with 128MB of on board ram.
The Discreet brand originally built its standing at the high-end of the 2D graphics space with award-winning flame and inferno workstation products. A major goal of Autodesk's Discreet brand was full integration of ads max into the Discreet culture and its other products including its desktop compositor, Discreet combustion. That strategy has gained ground with artists and entertainment producers at all ends of the production spectrum.
The latest version 5 of 3ds max is a major revamp of an already strong product with over 38 major feature enhancements as well as dozens of other improvements. Virtually every part of the package from animation, modeling, scene management, lighting and texturing, and rendering have all been significantly boosted.
The Interface
Anyone who goes into 3D production finds that a user interface (UI) is the first thing they encounter and a critical part of their user experience. In fact, a UI is usually the bane or blessing of novice and even experienced animators. Ideally, a UI should be "transparent" as possible; a clear-cut way for artists to grow and learn with the tool. However, once mastered, the ultimate 3D UI should offer control of a deep and broad enough nature to allow veteran animators little to no compromise of their vision. This ease-of-use versus power tradeoff amounts to a tough UI balancing act and one that few packages achieve. So, how does 3ds max deliver on the UI score?
Even as a first impression, 3ds max 5's UI design appeared straightforward and refreshing. A good sign. max 5 actually appears simple and, in a deceptive kind of way, I grew to appreciate. Delving into the program, I found the underlying clout of ads max was not blatant. Yet its real depths were only a minor keyboard stroke or mouse click away, waiting to be called up. And, as with most of the better packages of its type, ads max's Ut is almost completely customizable down to toolbar color and configuration._More...