Autodesk has announced the release of 3ds Max 2025.2. New features include support for the SVG file support, allowing users to import and export vector data. Users can import SVG vector data as 3ds Max splines, retaining color and stroke information, and export spline vector data to SVG files with preserved color and layering information.
The Data Channel Modifier has gained new presets, including features such as inverting soft selections, selecting border edges, hard edges by smoothing groups, open edges, UV seam edges, and more.
The USD plug-in for 3ds Max has been updated to version 0.8, now supporting the use of USD cameras in the viewport. This update also allows for bulk selection and editing of prims in the USD explorer and introduces several 3ds Max controllers to work with USD data. Additionally, users can export 3ds Max progressive morphers as in-between USD blend shapes and use the zoom extents feature on selected prims.
Flow Retopology for 3ds Max 1.0 has been introduced, designed to simplify complex mesh geometry.By using remote cloud computing, Flow Retopology processes mesh operations while allowing users to continue working. It is particularly useful for high-resolution geometry, CAD assets, and photogrammetry data, converting them into cleaner quad-based topology for further use.
The Arnold for 3ds Max 5.7.2.1 plug-in includes several improvements such as improved volume denoising, global light sampling support for light linking, better OSL interoperability, and an update to OpenVDB 11. The toon shader has new tone-mapping parameters for improved rendering of colored lighting.
Additional updates in this release include improvements to the Substance 3.0.2 integration, new options for Volume Select, Poly Select, and Mesh Select modifiers, and more.
For more information, visit Autodesk’s official website.
wow, that’s a sad update…
Hello to the company, after 16 years of people’s request to update the animation part of the sand fabric of dynamic crowding, which still has been 16 years since the last partial changes, it has not done anything, it’s a shame, it’s the responsibility of the people. It is architecture and you remove its animation part, why are you playing with other people’s lives? Every year is more disappointing than last year, you can’t upgrade, cancel the program like soft.
Summer time guys, the entire Max team is on vacation. Please use your words gently and wisely. Complement is very welcomed.
Another joke from Autodesk!
The upgrades to Autodesk Maya and 3ds Max are all aimed at inducing users to use their immature online services.
Their design guidance is: This thing will make a lot of money, so we design something for users to use it.
The product is designed based on Autodesk’s needs, not the actual needs of users!
2024 updates were great, lots of useful stuff. I don’t know what the reason is, but Max 2025 and its PUs have been disappointingly lame so far in comparison… No reason to update from 2024 whatsoever. I hope they’re cooking something big behind the scenes, because this is getting embarassing at this point.
Watch the sneek peek of the latest Houdini update and go cry in a corner.
Where are the long requested animation updates? Qt updates and rework of ancient UI elements? Bifrost graph? Edit Poly modifier rework? ANYTHING?
I don’t understand the desire to introduce an upgrade every year. It’s really pointless. Nobody is excited over these updates. I won’t upgrade to 2025.
Why not just stop where you are. Plan something worthwhile and announce it when it is ready. This is a better marketing plan than creating bad blood year after year as you offer trash nobody cares about just to meet you yearly deadline.
They have to do this to be able to rip you off with subscriptions.
The shareholders man think of the shareholders!!
Can’t wait for them to introduce the revolutionary new benefit of locking features behind an AI cloud computing gateway so you have to buy Flex tokens that have an expiration date.
This is the way, young grasshopper.
Remember when Autodesk still had perpetual licenses and they released some features as exclusive to a subscription advantage pack? That was a success (it was not a success). The difference was that users could tell ADSK they were going to cancel and upgrade in two or three years for basically the same cost as those years of subscription… and now… well, what are you going to do about it? Line must go up.
These big companies look like stars, the biggest ones. When their hunger for resources ($$$) increases, they swallow more and more… then their size increases, asking for more, and the future has just been written. From this point on, there is no turning back. Their size will increase disproportionately, without compensating in results. Their collapse has arrived. Just be smart enough not to get close to the big hole that will become this beautiful ball of shit.
They should defo go with different levels of subscription, that way they could make more money…
Oh. Great idea! These levels make more sense than the old one. I totally agree with these subscription model values. Furthermore, it will put more money on first class Marvel investors, and Deadpool will be happier to make more movies.
hahaha
almost 30 years of Max, what a crazy run and still going strong, Industrial Light and Magic uses it as one of its main generalist tools in all their high end productions. Max Artist get paid well and continue cashing in an industry that is still dominated by 3ds Max, thank you Autodesk for keeping the product going and to all the amazing 3rd party developers that made max what it is today!
I like the optimism and would like to share it but Autodesk is just killing max with a thousand papercuts. I really want to see their actual department and in house choices they make on Max development. I want to know what really goes on within those walls and how is it possible not to be able to bring about fixes and additions which can be done with a fraction of budget.
My guess is there are 6 MBA’s watching people work while trying to figure out the next great way to extort existing users and spin it as a benefit. Three programmers working on the actual program supported by 1 QA tester. I’d be surprised if Autodesk invested 3% of Max revenue back into development. Someone had to pay for Fusion 360 development.
Yeah, well 3ds max is already dead, but it has its momentum, so things will take a while. Looking forward to seeing it on Humble Bundle next to Corel Painter, Poser and other good DCCs in like 3-5 years, but most probably it will be just discontinued when no longer profitable.
I pay a lot of money for the software. The least Autodesk should do is be transparent. What’s going on?
well the spline support, if it really works, would be a great addon. Does c4d or blend already does that? Houdini doesn’t
I just found out that Blender 4.2 has the ability to load 3dsmax .max files. I tested it on several old files that I couldn’t open because I don’t have a license anymore for my copy of max2014. The materials don’t always transfer over, but at least I have the models again.
What?
Mine can’t do that.
via add-on
Import Autodesk MAX (.max) — Blender Extensions
It ships with Blender 4.2 Go to preferences/ get extensions and search for 3dsmax.
Thanks Stephen, it actually works better than I expected!
I’ve made some upgrades to the add-on for myself. Now it reads nested children correctly. I just need to figure out how to deal with Groups
Ooooh.. thanks for this! I was so put-off when my Max 2014 license stopped working on my laptop because I had the audacity to connect it from the UK in prep for a meeting (license is EU based). And of course I couldn’t re-authorize it..
what ON earth are they doing over there
useless company, lazy incompetent devs and zero interest in improving fundamental features, again.
How many retopo upgrades can they possibly think is worthy of a new release
scammers
My god, look at all this negativity. If you don’t like it, don’t use it and stop whining here like a little baby.
Typical apologist. If you’re familiar with the history of the product and industry, you’d have a different perspective. Don’t knock those who have the context of using the software for 20+ years.
Well said. Way back when I switched from Lightwave to 3dsMax 2.5 and it was such a step up with tons of enthusiasm from the supporting community. Nowadays Max feels like Lightwave towards the end of its run.
Take a look at features list of the last 7 Years. Its a joke. Smart extrude and retopo are only innovative features. And please dont say, we got the array modifier and boolean modifier. Its usefull, but it had to be in max 10 years ago.
I think you’re replying to the wrong person. I agree with you that there hasn’t been much innovation with 3dsmax beyond under the hood advancements.