Draw the curtains, roll the drums... Yes, what we've all been waiting for! Discreet has announced the upcoming release of 3ds max 5. Features include an enhanced renderer with GI, Reactor soft and hard-body dynamics courtesy of Havok, new texture mapping capabilities, PSD file support (put many maps for an object layered in one single file), Bone Tools, Meshtools functions built-in, new Set Key system, Curve and Dope Sheet editor, Merge Animation tools for repurposing character animation segments and many enhancements for game developers such as an improved Direct 3D workflow (already DirectX 9 enabled) with the capability to add custom hardware shaders that reflect the world to be simulated in real time and other new tools such as Render-to-Texture, Normal Maps, Light Maps, and support for Vertex Color Baking of Radiosity solutions. 3ds max 5 is scheduled for release in the coming weeks (SIGGRAPH maybe?).
Go to Discreet.com and read all about it!

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