What's New in 3ds Max 2024

The 3ds Max 2024 release focuses on color and material management, enhanced modeling tools, and real-time workflows. For technical details, please see the release notes.

Color Management

OCIO-based color management is a technology preview that brings the benefits of a modern color pipeline, assuring accurate reproduction of colors and compatibility across a variety of applications.

Boolean Modifier

The Boolean modifier introduces an intuitive, art-directable workflow that facilitates procedural modeling and interactivity, while producing clean geometric output.

Boolean Modifier: OpenVDB

The OpenVDB meshing method produces topologically independent results from watertight geometry, highlighting the interactivity of the Boolean modifier.

Array Modifier Distribution Method: Phyllotaxis

The Phyllotaxis Distribution method creates clones in a spiral pattern, mimicking what is found in nature.

Array Modifier: Material ID assignment

The Array Modifier's Material ID rollout now includes new parameters that let you assign material IDs to clones on a per face or per element basis.

Array Modifier: Progressive Transforms

The Radial, Spline, and Phyllotaxis distribution methods now include a new Progressive method in the Transform rollout, letting you adjust the transform progressively from the first to the last distribution.

Transform List Controllers

The Transform List lets you add multiple Transform controllers to an object. Animators can refine and iterate on each controller individually before adjusting the blending of each animation transform.

Material Switcher

Material Switcher is a new node in the 3ds Max Material Editor that enables a simple control method to manage the display of multiple material variants.

Updated Motion Paths

Motion Paths visualization and editing is now available for more controller types.

Compound Nodes

Compounds are nodes that contain subgraphs consisting of other nodes, possibly including other compounds. They can be used to organize and simplify large graphs for better readability.

Slate Material Editor

The Slate Material Editor has been improved for 2024, enabling improved optimization and customization capabilities to improve your material editing workflows.

New Modifier List search filter

The Modifier List has been updated to be searchable.

What else is new?

This release of 3ds Max also includes the following changes and improvements.

Symmetry Modifier default axis	The Symmetry Modifier's default Mirror Axis is now X to better align with artist's workflows.
STL performance improvements	Faster STL import: Importing STL files is now up to 10,000x faster. The Import STL File dialog has also been updated, making the difference between the two Weld Options more clear: Quick Weld is now named Identical Only. Faster processing with the STL Check Modifier: Checking dense meshes is now up to 5000% faster. See STL Check Modifier.
Auto Smooth performance improvements	When working with an Edit Mesh modifier or an Editable Mesh base object, using Auto Smooth is now at least 10% faster. For more information on Auto Smooth, see Smooth Modifier.
Material Modifier updates	When a Material modifier is applied to a spline object, it now remains a spline object instead of being converted to a mesh class object, allowing it to be further affected and adjusted by other spline based modifiers. When a Material modifier is applied to a Mesh object, it now retains explicit normals.
Spline welding improvements	The following updates improve the accuracy and quality of results generated by spline welding operations: When performing a Spline vertex weld, the destination vertex is now accurately welded to the target. When performing a Spline Extrude (Shift + LMB drag) On a knot component: The extruded knot is now welded to the location of the open knot target. Previously, the extruded knot and its open knot target were welded to an average of the two positions. On an segment component: When Connect Copy is on, the resulting extrusion now has edges that connect the spline vertices to the extruded segment.
Improved retriangulation using Edit Poly and Editable poly	The enhanced retriangulation algorithm that was introduced for the Editable Poly object in 3ds Max 2023.2 is now also used by the Edit Poly modifier. The following improvements have also been made: Editable Poly objects and the Edit Poly modifier now automatically retriangulate faces when a vertex, edge, or face is adjusted in a way that causes edges or hidden faces to cross. New faces that are generated when performing Editable Poly > Cap or Edit Poly > Cap are no longer left unsmoothed. Instead, faces are assigned to a new smoothing group, creating a more visually appealing result. When using a Editable Poly object or an Edit Poly modifier, the following operations now use the retriangulation algorithm to produce better geometric results: face splitting by insertion of edges, Slice, Cut, Bridge, Vertex extrusion, Edge extrusion.
On-Demand Revit and Inventor Interoperability	As of 3ds Max 2024, Autodesk Revit Interoperability and Autodesk Inventor Interoperability are no longer installed with the 3ds Max installer. Now, the interoperability components are installed on-demand the first time you import a Revit or Inventor model into 3ds Max. See On-Demand Installation for Revit and Inventor imports for more information. Note: You can continue working in 3ds Max while the Autodesk Interoperability Engine installation is in progress. Once installation is completed, you can import your Revit or Inventor model without restarting 3ds Max.
ATF Importer	3ds Max's Autodesk Translation Framework (ATF) importer now supports NX 2206.
Arnold for 3ds Max 5.6.0.100	3ds Max ships with MAXtoA 5.6.0.100 for Arnold 7.1.4 which introduces various bug fixes, including improved workflow for textures.
Substance 2.4.10	3ds Max 2024 ships with Substance 2.4.10.