Autodesk 3ds Max the original ground-breaking software
October 24, 2025

Autodesk 3ds Max the original ground-breaking software

Ron Ruvalcava | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with Autodesk 3ds Max

I create 3D illustrations and animations for a living. I use Autodesk 3ds Max almost daily. I use it from modeling for concept and final design, to final render quality finished images and animations.

Pros

  • Quick polygonal modeling mock-ups and easy edits with non-destructive stacks
  • Endless plug-ins and scripting to automate some and complete other tasks faster
  • Capable render engine, and plenty of third-party options
  • Incredible interface that I think most programs adopted from

Cons

  • Rotations have some math errors, and sometimes skew an object because of transform errors.
  • The programming error that never allowed it to be ported to Mac computers.
  • The subscription based model for the little guy, sole-proprietor is really a hardship.
  • Having to take comments on and re-render a set of single multi-camera shots wastes a lot of time, as there is also an error "batch render." Slows down my completion of a job, even for the most minor image updates.
  • Not being able to offer my freelance/contractor services period in-house on studios that are exclusively Mac. They don't even offer Autodesk 3ds Max as an option because they have never been able to see it in action. Huge loss of potential hires, with my 33year 3DStudio/Autodesk 3ds Max experience
  • When most current version is needed I jump onto the subscription temporarily and this eats severely into my profits. As clients want lower and lower prices with international and AI competition. Especially when I know many International houses for a fact use pirated 3D software.
Though the little guy sole proprietor cannot afford to be on subscription and has to use their last desktop version, it's almost perfect, that somehow, conveniently, this non-subscription version was stopped the version before the PBM era of materials.
Sketch-up week to be vertically integrated to produce concept all the way to high-end render, an animation (effects, particles, soft-body, etc..) All 3 other softwares are fully capable, it just comes down to what software an operator is most familiar with and if it works in the production pipeline for the client.

Do you think Autodesk 3ds Max delivers good value for the price?

Not sure

Are you happy with Autodesk 3ds Max's feature set?

Yes

Did Autodesk 3ds Max live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Autodesk 3ds Max go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Autodesk 3ds Max again?

Yes

Autodesk 3ds Max is well-suited to handle modeling, animation, and materials for numerous real-time programming environments, thanks to its FBX import/export capabilities.

Character animation becomes tedious with rotation and bone errors. And less singular control over exact bone-affected vertices.

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