CompuServe Thread

It looks like MAX is going to set new standards in PC based animation! I have developed quite an interest in this product, I'm only sad we'll have to wait a few months to see it. Here are a few questions about the features of MAX I never got to ask at SIGGRAPH, but are very important. There are more I have thought of, but these are on the top of my head. Please answer whatever you don't deem as classified details. (in no particular order) 1. Will MAX be able to import AutoCAD .dwg files directly, thus being able to use 2D shapes in the shaper w/o having to DXF them, and also make 3D faces more accurately translated? 2. If MAX can, indeed, read AutoCAD 13+ files, will it be able to read Acad solids directly into parametric meshes? This would be VERY important to those who must reply on AutoCAD to create complex solid objects. 3. There was talk about being able to boolean parametric objects without destroying their parametric nature. Is this for certain? Again, this would be very important, and not that hard to accomplish, either. 4. Will you be able to convert earlier non-parametric or otherwise converted meshes to parametric objects? Naturally, not all data of the structure would be made parametric, but they could be wrapped in a parametric envelope, and likewise adjusted for mesh detail, and altered in all the typical ways. 5. Will there be a means of making "blocks", like in autocad? That way, you can make one mesh (or array of meshes) as a prototype, then alter the prototype and have the changes applied to all blocks. 6. Gary said there would be a user-definable mapping system. Just how does that work? What will it take to automatically apply mapping coordinates? I assume no more having to detatch faces into new objects to apply new mapping coordinates to those faces. 7. What about the rumor of allowing TWO sets of mapping coordinates to a given object (i.e. applying a single decal on top of an otherwise already mapped object)? 8. Will each object be able to contain sound properties? In other words, as an object emitting a certain sound gets closer to the camera, the sound level increases as distance decreases? Stereo effects? This would be VERY handy. 9. Will there be any ray-tracing options built into the renderer? 10. Since the shaper and 3D editor will be integrated, will we be able to use 2D shapes as guildlines we can "snap" objects to, etc? 11. Will the shaper allow primitive parametric shapes like AutoCAD does for arcs, circles, rectangles, etc? Right now, for example, once an arc is created, there's no way to adjust its radius except to alter each vertex. 12. We know that IK will now have bspline links, BUT, will there be a way to adjust the DISTORTION of a mesh using bspline "skeletons", much as a spline version of bones? If so, will this work on all meshes, just not parametric primitives? 13. What about "magnet" like stretching, like wavefront and I believe lightwave have, so that you could non-linearly distort a mesh by pulling on one or a few verticies (like strecthing silly putty)? 14. What about input/export filters for other CAD/drawing packages on the market like microstation, lightwave, wavefront, cadkey, and many others? 15. Will automatic reflection maps work better? 16. I understand everything to develop plug-ins, aside from the C complier, will be part of the package? Will any complier work or do you need Watcom or the like? OK, that should be a good start. There are others, but I don't want to get TOO overboard. Many others were aswered at the show, and many will be asked and answered by others. I appreciate whatever you can answer. What can I say but keep up the good work. This program can blaze new trails towards bridging the gap between wealthy production companies and serious individuals with talent. -jk