When Product Design Suite was first released, one of the packages that was included was 3DS Max Design. This package was the natural upgrade from Autodesk Viz which was discontinued a few years ago.
The software was different to what was tailored for the architectural and Manufacturing side. The software was more tailored to the Media and Entertainment industry.
When the 2016 release of Autodesk products was made available 3DS Max design was dropped from all Design Suite packages and replaced by 3DS Max.
I have never really gotten into the software as I was a bit scared of this package. I have heard from numerous people who have dabbled or played around with the software that it was a big scary monster that hid under your bed at night and came out when the lights went out.
I finally decided to take the plunge after 13 years in the Autodesk channel to try my hand at it. (okay I lie, my salespeople scheduled a course and I was forced to learn it) and it is not so scary.
What I learned from my experience with the software:
- Probably the biggest challenge is learning the interface and where to go after you select something.
- Creating objects in Max is very similar to AutoCAD’s primitives and manipulating them was very similar too. In Max it is called the modifier and in AutoCAD it is properties. Manipulating position, scale and rotation I would say is even EASIER than AutoCAD.
- The sketching hasn’t been too bad but as technical drawings go I would rather quickly draw it up in AutoCAD and then quickly import it into Max.
- So in conclusion, if you are wanting to learn 3DS Max but are scared by all the rumors of it being really difficult, I say it’s not.
If you are looking for 3DS Max training and you are in the Cape Town area then visit our website for more information. www.mgfx.co.za
