Autodesk 3ds Max: Create massive worlds and high-quality designs
Model and render in stunning 3D.
Image courtesy of Alex Nice
What is 3ds Max?
3ds Max® professional 3D modeling, rendering, and animation software enables you to create expansive worlds and premium designs.
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Breathe life into environments and landscapes with robust modeling tools.
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Create finely detailed designs and props with intuitive texturing and shading tools.
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Iterate and produce professional-grade renders with full artistic control.
3ds Max overview (video: 4:48 min.)
Hiking in 2077 (video: 45 sec.) Video courtesy of Jody Sargent
Underwater environment scene created with 3ds Max
Environmental concept art of a black hole
Design visualization of a home in a cliff
Environment art created by Masayuki Koyama
Why use 3ds Max?
Power creativity with easy-to-use tools
Fuel the imagination with worldbuilding and asset creation tools.
Boost productivity with automation
Automate repetitive, time-consuming tasks so you meet deadlines.
Enjoy a rich, flexible toolset
Stay in the creative flow with tools in an artist-friendly UI.
What you can do with 3ds Max
Create realistic 3D designs with powerful tools
Whether you’re building expansive gaming worlds or visualizing intricate architectural designs, 3ds Max has the modeling toolset you need to bring your 3D assets to life.
Produce high-quality renders
From light mixing to color correction, the built-in Arnold renderer provides a rich experience and handles your most complex characters, scenes, and effects.
“Having robust 3D software to handle polygons, huge scenes, and […] different needs is essential.”
—Jon Formento, Founder, Creative Director, and 3D Designer, jformento.
“Almost all of the content you see in [Forza Horizon 5] has been create[d] inside 3ds Max.”
—Dan Wulczynski, Lead Technical Artist, Playground Games
“Full CGI has many advantages. […] We can choose any light, atmosphere, and […] location we want.”
— Jakub Vlček, CEO, Punctum Images
“[With] 3ds Max and AutoCAD, I bridged the gap [between] abstract creativity and […] tangible projects.”
— Sara Moheimani, 3D Artist
See 3ds Max in action
Relive the past using VFX
3D generalist Thomas Berg breaks down VFX scenes from his work on Olav and two war documentaries.
Embrace open standards
Discover how support for glTF allows users to open, create, and edit large amounts of 3D data with ease.
Create simulations
Edstudios details how to import geometry and particle simulations from 3ds Max and TyFlow to Omniverse Create.
3ds Max resources
TuTORIALS
3ds Max Learning Channel
Tutorials of all levels to help you learn 3ds Max.
COURSES
Free 3ds Max courses
Improve your skillset with courses presented by industry professionals for 3ds Max.
CUSTOMER STORIES
AREA by Autodesk
Get inspired with articles featuring artist interviews, career advice, industry news, and more.
Media & Entertainment Collection offers more
Create breathtaking scenes and characters for film, TV, and games.
Enjoy all the creative tools you need to build a powerful, scalable 3D animation pipeline for complex simulations, effects, and rendering.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
3ds Max is used to model, animate, and render detailed 3D characters, photorealistic designs, and complex scenes for film and TV, games, and design visualization projects.
3ds Max is used by 3D modelers, animators, and lighting artists for game development, film and TV productions, and design visualization projects.
Autodesk 3ds Max and Autodesk Maya are used by creative studios around the world for animation, modeling, visual effects, and rendering. Learn when to choose 3ds Max (US Site) and when to choose Maya (US Site).
Autodesk 3ds Max runs on Microsoft® Windows® 11 and Windows 10. See 3ds Max system requirements (US Site) for details.
Autodesk provides download and install instructions for individuals and administrators. Your available downloads appear in Autodesk Account. Find your product, select a version, platform, language, and download method. For more information, visit the Autodesk Support.
With a subscription to Autodesk 3ds Max software, you can install it on up to three computers or other devices. However, only the named user can sign in and use that software on a single computer at any given time. Please refer to the Software License Agreement for more information.
Launch your trial software and click Subscribe Now on the trial screen or buy Autodesk 3ds Max here. When buying your subscription, enter the same email address and password combination you used to sign in to your trial. Learn more about converting a trial to a paid subscription.
The price of an annual Autodesk 3ds Max subscription is
Students (US Site) and teachers (US Site) at qualified academic institutions worldwide are eligible for free access to Autodesk software for one-year through the Autodesk Education Community (US Site).
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