3ds Max 2019 and 3ds Max 2019.1 Update

It’s already June, so it’s time for an overview of the new 3ds Max: 3ds Max 2019 released in March and 3ds Max 2019.1 Update released last week. Let’s see what Autodesk has prepared for us this year.

• 3ds Max 2019 supports Open Shading Language (OSL) maps, with over 100 included shaders, from simple math nodes all the way to full procedurally created textures. OSL shader text can be edited directly in the material editor and previewed in the viewport and ActiveShade. Shaders can be embedded into a scene or referenced externally.2019.1 Update offers also some OSL performance improvements:
  –> Improved rendering performance for complex OSL shaders, especially with Scanline Renderer.
  –> Improved viewport representation of OSL shaders, with native support for over 80 of the included OSL shaders.
  –>Possibility to view user-created procedural OSL shaders in the viewport.
  –> Improved OSL Editor, including font customization.
• 3ds Max 2019 introduces Booleans operations for splines: You can now create parametric Boolean operations on two or more open and closed shapes. This includes dynamic Chamfer/Fillets for smooth transitions at corners. Renderable spline-based geometry can also be capped with a new quad capping mode, which can be flat or spherical.

• VR scene editing mode within 3ds Max interactive: edit layouts of scenes from directly within a VR headset using the VR controllers, with updates being pushed back live to 3ds Max, use this editor to arrange scenes, cameras, and assess camera previews in VR.

• Updates from Arnold 5.1
   –> Adaptive sampling to tune images, reducing render times without jeopardizing final image quality.
   –> The OptiX Denoiser based on NVIDIA AI technology to be applied on the beauty pass without needing to create extra AOVs.
   –> The Noice Denoiser to be run as a standalone tool or from a dedicated UI, exposed as a new tab in the rendering options.

More information in the Autodesk blogs here and here and release notes.