3ds max, the world's most widely-used 3D modeling, animation, and rendering software, contains the essential high-productivity tools required for creating eye-catching animation, cutting-edge games, and distinct design visualizations. Version 5 raises the bar with some great new features and highly optimized workflows that will enable you to be highly competitive and get the work done on time, within budget.

Realism
Realism has never been higher or easier to obtain whether you're outputting hyper-realistic images to film, cutting-edge interactive environments, or perfecting the lighting of a previsualized set or architectural design. Two methods for global illumination combine with exposure control, photometric lights, and new shaders to afford you total control over visual realism – and new Interactive Physics brings realism to your animations. 3ds max 5 also has the best Direct 3D workflow available (it's already DirectX 9 enabled), allowing you to easily add custom hardware Shaders that reflect the world you need to simulate in real time. And you can easily export the visual realism you create to real time 3D environments with Render-to-Texture, Normal Maps, Light Maps, and support for Vertex Color Baking of Radiosity solutions.

Expression
Think beyond the Keyframe, focus on Expression - thanks to some new highly tuned animation tools. Track View has evolved into an intuitive Curve and Dope Sheet Editor with easily controlled rotations, Draw Curves, and Soft Key Selections for careful animation management. Enhanced function curves combine with a new Set Key system (in addition to our classic Auto Key mode) to streamline pose-to-pose animation techniques. These general animation advances combine with character specific items like Spline IK for one-step manipulation over complex items like spines and tails, Skin Weight Tables for optimum control, and Merge Animation re-purpose animation between scenes and characters.

Productivity
3ds max's legacy as a production workhorse is made even stronger with careful attention to the most commonly used functions to make you faster, more efficient, and able to further stretch the limits of high-volume, high-quality production. The power behind UVW Unwrap has been unleashed to give artists ultimate control over their mapping coordinates, and Polygon Modeling has evolved to make 3ds max 5 the most comprehensive modeler on the market. Discreet's reliable, extensible, and best of all FREE network rendering and management utility backburner™ gives you control over both 3ds max and combustion render farms without the need for costly custom solutions. And if you're a 3ds max 4.x user, you'll be thrilled to know that careful attention was given while extending the industry's most prominent SDK to ensure nearly all 4.x plug-ins and scripts can work in 3ds max 5.

New Options
New option for managing your 3ds max 5 licenses are now available. Short-term rentals let you expand quickly to accommodate production bursts, and new leasing options (in North America) give you the flexibility to afford the world's most productive animation solution with low monthly payments that can be billed right into each job. Floating network licenses and subscription allow easy distribution of 3ds max across your studio and the assurance you have the latest animation advances from Discreet.