Jamie's Jewels

3ds Max's Project Folders System

Hi All
 
Some of you have recently enquired about changing the “Project Folder” path without starting 3ds Max/Design.

 
You can do this by navigating to the below file location in windows explorer:
 
C:\Users\ {your user name here}
\AppData\Local\Autodesk\3dsMax\2011 - 64bit\enu\3dsmax.ini
 
And change the below path to suit the new project folder setting:
 
[Directories]
ProjectFolder=C:\ {add location here}
 
 
It is also worth knowing about the below macroscript.
This powerful script allows you to store folder locations and easily switch. I would always recommend performing a quick file reset whenever you change paths, to ensure all previously used paths and settings are flushed.This is great for when you need to quickly change between projects to complete those unexpected rush tweaks to “completed” projects.
 

Download script here. 

 
Happy Max’ing

HAVE A LARGER COMMUNITY SAY

Morning All
 
Ken Pimentel and Shane Griffith, responsible for 3ds Max/Design at Autodesk, have created a short 10 minute survey you should be aware of. This is designed for you to have a larger voice in the areas of 3ds Max/Design you most care about. This information is invaluable when development need to make decisions, So please ensure everyone is aware of this survey, by adding it to blogs, newsletters,
tweets and spray painting on buses.
Take some time during your much-needed-Monday-morning-coffee-break to ensure you participate in this important survey.
 
“….We're mostly want to understand where the gaps are in the product and what you think we should focus on. This survey will be one more method
we use to guide the product. It won't be a substitute for everything else we still do (validation, surveys to beta users, watching the forums, etc.) but it will help us focus the feedback and give us more of a data-based method of understanding the issues.
Once we've collected enough data, we'll share some of the results with all of you. We are also investigating some other techniques to unify wishlists and to allow voting of those wishlists, but we're not ready to go public with them yet. We're using them on
some efforts so that we understand them before we go public.
So please, let us know what you think…..“
 
Click here to participate in the Community Voice Survey.

Happy Max’ing

AUTODESK SEEK

Hi All
 
I wanted to make sure your aware of the Autodesk Seek website (click here to view link), to obtain
some great (and most importantly) free 3ds Max content.
 

 
By searching for ‘Xfrog’ you will find 100 items of foliage for commercial projects. If you are not familiar with this content, then these have originated from a leading model library. More information on
Xfrog Inc can be found here. http://www.xfrog.com/
 
A ‘3ds Max’ search will reveal a large selection of kitchen appliances. An example can be found below. This is a great resource and shows Autodesk commitment to more than just features.
 

Note: When downloading content, I would recommend selecting the ‘zip’ files which will contain all the necessary textures as well as the
‘max’ scenes..
 
Happy Max’ing
 

IRAY + NVIDIA GPU INFO

Morning All
 
Nvidia have released an interesting webpage that describes the new Iray renderer (3ds Max/Design 2011 Advantage Pack Offering) in more detail.

It also covers considerations for you when purchasing new graphics cards. On the web page you will find some video tutorials of Iray in action. I recommend you view these if you have not seen this powerful technology within 3ds Max/Design 2011.
 

Click Here to View full article 

 
But why GPU (Graphics Card) rendering?

The below chart, (taken from the weblink), shows a comparison of an Intel Quad core system with GPU’s, and the subsequent performance boosts this leading technology brings.
 

 
 
The latest Nvidia drivers can be found below. They claim an impressive 35% performance boost over consumer cards.
Archived 3ds Max Performance Drivers can be found via the link. 

 
32-bit -
XP/Vista/Win7, Release Date: 9/21/2010
 

64-bit - XP/Vista/Win7, Release Date: 9/21/2010
 

 
Please take the time to familiarise yourself with this “Rendering Revolution” information, as this continues to generate a large amount of interest within the community due to the way it is changing how we all think about rendering.



Top image- 3ds Max iray using only a CPU after 2 minutes.

Bottom image - 3ds Max iray using a Fermi-based GPU after 2 minutes.

 
Happy Max’ing

ADVANTAGE PACKS (SUBS TOOLS)

Hi All
 
A friendly, and brief, reminder that the latest ‘Advantage packs’ are available for the 2011 releases of 3ds Max and 3ds Max Design. (Login required)




Autodesk® 3ds Max® 2011
Download
Learn More

 

Autodesk® 3ds Max® Design 2011
Download

Learn More 
 

Features

Substance procedural textures—Achieve a wider range of look variations. More easily iterate on a visualization’s look with a new library of up to 75 Substance procedural textures.

PhysX rigid-body dynamics—Create more compelling and lifelike dynamic simulations directly in the 3ds Max viewport.

iray photorealistic renderer—More easily create photorealistic images using newly integrated iray®* rendering technology from mental images. Get predictable, physically accurate renderings without configuring settings.

 
Happy Max’ing