"As of October 6, 2005, Autodesk will no longer offer Gmax® software as a stand-alone product."
Gmax is a free 3D modeling and animation tool based on award-winning Autodesk® 3ds Max® software. Built for gamers to create their own in-game content for Gmax ready games, a gamer can produce everything from characters and vehicles to landscapes and props. Not only do you get to customize your games, you also learn 3D design within a professional-level tool.
Intended to be a fully capable 3D level editing, modeling, animation, and texture mapping tool, Autodesk Gmax ships with a full suite of professional 3D content and animation features. Autodesk Media and Entertainment approved game developers can publish Gmax game packs, which customize the downloadable version of Gmax into a fully featured level editor for supported game titles.
Features:
Architecture
- Multi-threaded for superior performance
- Support for Autodesk’s powerful 3ds Max scripting language MAXScript™
- Hardware accelerated viewport graphics support OpenGL, Direct3D, or Heidi®
- Individual modifiers, materials, maps, and controllers to help you model, texture and animate your own 3D content
Viewport interaction
- Amazingly real WYSIWYG viewports to display all the textures and animation you create
- Customize your viewports to help you model: Left, Right, Perspective, Top, etc.
- 2D and 3D snap system-to help you place objects where you want them
- Several object alignment tools to help you place, pivot, clone and array your 3D models
- Several selection and grouping tools to help you manage your 3D scene
Materials and Mapping
- Several texture mapping tools to help you align, rotate, and scale your textures on objects or faces
- Vertex colors painting tools
- Texture mapping options for spherical, planar, box projections
- Direct manipulation of texture vertices with extensive UVW Unwrap tool
Creation and Modeling
- Extensive 2D and 3D parametric primitives
- Convert 3D objects and primitives to other base geometry types
- Modeling tools for splines, polygons, polygonal mesh, and Bezier patches
- Polygon modeler with smoothing groups, mapping channels, vertex colors and custom face data
- Polygon "proof" tools
- MeshSmooth NURMS for organic modeling
- Advanced spline-based patch modeling with patch, extrusions, beveling, welding edges, vertices, and more
- Soft Selection tools for variably weighted surface control
- Patch surface modifiers like Relax, UVW Unwrap, UVW Map, Material, etc and sub-object selection modifier for greater control of the surface properties
- Explicit or procedural modeling modes
Animation
- Fully customizable timeline so you can create animations of any length and complexity
- Several controller types to help reduce time and complexity of creating animation
- Shaded Bones with a unique squash and stretch ability
- Trackview to help advanced animators manage complex animations
- The Trackbar can display audio files for matching up animations with audio
- Multiple keyframe animation tools to help you create realistic animation
- Basic character creation tools including a 2 limb animation solver, bones system and skinning
Lights
- Light types include omni, free and target spot, free and target directional
- All light types support plug-in shadows, shadow color and density, projected images, contrast, edge softness, attenuation and decay
Cameras
- Create cameras to visualize your animation
- Precise alignment and tracking tools to help you capture the action
Scripting
- Support for powerful 3ds Max MAXScript-write custom scripts to customize your user interface and tools
- Visual MAXScript, for quickly creating UI elements and layouts for MAXScript
- Drag and drop support for MAXScript-add your favorite scripts to your toolbar
- MAXScript Macro Recorder records your commands as you create-a great tool to help you learn MAXScript for you future job as an animator
Workflow
- Non-modal workflow: model, texture and animate in one consistent interface
- Xrefs-load external references to help manage your assets
- Add User Interface elements like sliders, dropdown lists, and buttons
- Parameter Wiring connects any parameter from one object to another for cause and effect style animation
- Undo and Redo definable in-depth with separate scene and viewport lists
- Customizable user interface-customize your environment to suit your taste.
- Customize interface elements, colors, custom toolbars, buttons, tool tips, macros, and scripts and quad menus.
- Support for Macromedia Flash for complete user interface customization.
- Context-sensitive menus for fast workflow