Content Preview: rss
imaginitfeeds@rand.com (Mark Gerhard)
Got laid-off recently? Autodesk wants to help. You can get now get free software licenses of 3ds Max and Maya as part of the Autodesk Assistance Program. Designed to help "displaced employees update thier skills and improve their employability in a down economy". Autodesk is offering 90 day student licenses, free online training, as well as reduced cost classroom training through resellers. To read all about it, click here. To see if you are eligible or to apply for the program click here.imaginitfeeds@rand.com (Mark Gerhard)
If you have a file in Revit with RPC entourage and you export to FBX, the file can become very very big. This file can then take a really long time to import to 3ds Max Design. You can speed up this process by making a change to an INI file used by the Custom UI and Defaults Switcher. Here's how: Locate where your 3dsmax.ini fileis stored. On my system this is C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Local Settings\Application Data\Autodesk\3dsMaxDesign\2010 - 32bit\enu. There should be a defaults folder there. In the DesignVIZ.mentalray subfolder locate the CurrentDefaults.ini file and open it using Notepad. Locate the [Performance] section. There are two lines where you will change the value from 0 to 1. Don'tRepeatRefMag=1 InvalidateTMOptimization=1 Save the file, then use the Custom UI and Defaults switcher to reselect the DesignVIZ.mental.ray profile. Restart Max, and try the import again. If you can't find this file, ...
imaginitfeeds@rand.com (Mark Gerhard)
I get a lot of questions from users regarding rendering in Revit and Autodesk 3ds Max Design. Both products have the same renderer (mental ray 3.7), so people want to know, when should I render in Revit and when should I render in 3ds Max? Since it's the same renderer, why not only render in Revit? Essentially, you should use mental ray Rendering in Revit while you are in the design process, to validate your work. To see if what you think you are designing is actually what you've created, the Revit rendering will do a good job of showing you the materials and lighting and give you a sense of the space. However, when you are rendering for client presentation or municipal approval process, it's a good idea to move the file to 3ds Max Design and continue your renderings there. While the quality is identical between the two products, the rendering speed and available controls will lead you to 3ds Max everytime. 3ds Max clocks in at up to 10 times faster speeds when rendering the ...imaginitfeeds@rand.com (Mark Gerhard)
There is a brand-new HotFix download available for 3ds Max and 3ds Max Design 2010. Here are the issues the Hot Fix addresses: Localized Versions - Particle Flow Window mouse pointer issues resolves when running English version on Japanese OS (or using Language for non-Unicode programs set to Japanese. Materials - fixed maxscript error issue. Parameter Wiring - Wire sub-controllers no longer removed during garbage collection. Undo - There are five undo fixes where the undo stack got cleared when it shouldn't have. See if you still have undo stack problems and let us know if there are more to resolve. To download the hotfix click here.
imaginitfeeds@rand.com (Mark Gerhard)
When you go to import an FBX file in 3ds Max Design , there's a button you might have missed at the bottom left that says Web Update. The Web Update button will check the version number of your FBX exporter, and alert you if there is a new one. Well, there's a new one. On April 9th, Autodesk released a majorly enhanced version of the FBX plugin for all the products. FBX allows for file translation between Revit and 3ds Max Design, as well as Maya, Motionbuilder and even SoftImage for those of you in the media and entertainment side. FBX (formerly known as filmbox) came to Autodesk via the Alias acquistion. Originally made by a company called Kaydara, FBX was a format designed to transfer motion capture animation data, and as such is very good at 3D and Animation. It supports NURBS, polygons and subdivision surfaces, morph targets and blend shapes, materials and textures, lights, cameras, hierarchies, inverse kinematics, deformations and envelopes. And Autodesk says it's ...
