A Key Fork by Autodesk
Developer Autodesk states with the next revolution of 3ds Max, it will be splitting the release into two products, 3ds Max 2009 Entertainment, for game and movie producers, and 3ds Max Design 2009, for architects, designers and visualization specialists.
The gaming/entertainment version will feature aa new Reveal rendering toolset to streamline iterative workflows, a ProMaterials material library for simulating real-world surfaces, and new UV editing tools. It will also include Recognize, a new scene-loading technology which it says will significantly improve the inter-application workflow with Revit Architecture 2009.
The “design branded version” will include all features of the entertainment branded version, with the exception of an included SDK (software development toolkit), used primarily in game and video markets to to integrate software into a production pipeline and develop in-house tools to be used in conjunction with the 3ds Max. The design version will also include “Exposure technology,” to simulate and analyze sun, sky, and artificial lighting.
Bottom line- Autodesk recognizes that entertainment and game makers have very different, and obviously strategic needs as to those who are say- making a building. When you start putting out dual flavors that usually means a market is set to bloom and become lucrative. One has to wonder what impact Second Life is or will have on the high end industry?
Where is Maya? I’ll have to dig around.
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“Where is Maya?”
A question also being asked by a healthy number of CG people.
Csven
Ill ping David Grey of http://geekbooks.com/ he wrote a really nice book about Maya so knew lots in that circuit. I assume it was nice, looked smashing, but I am not a CG guy..the fact that I am not a CG guy and I noticed Maya missing looks rather ominous.
best
-w
Ah, I’ve been out of the Maya loop, but here’s what (little I know) …
Autodesk completed the acquisition of Alias two years ago (for $197 million). Maya 2008, the latest version, shipped last autumn.
Cheers,
Dan