The goal of Art of Illusion is to provide powerful 3D modeling tools with a user interface that improves on those found in other 3D software packages. Though its interface is simple, Art of Illusion contains many features found in high-end commercial graphics software. Some of its features, like the use of online repositories and a built-in downloading tool for installing extensions, are not found in similar proprietary software.

The primary creator and maintainer of the software is Peter Eastman.

Art of Illusion is written in the Java programming language. Distributed under the GNU General Public License, it is free software.

Software Features

• Interface
  • Object list, scene layout windows, and animation score
  • Tooltips and explanatory icons
  • Bundled documentation and help interface
  • Built-in “live help” chat client for connecting to the freenode Art of Illusion support channel
  • Extensions available as scripts or plugins with automated installation and update from online repository (requires internet connection)
  • Grid view and realtime display modes including Wireframe, Smooth, Textured.
• Modeling
  • Primitives: cube, sphere, cone, tube, curve, triangle mesh, spline mesh
  • Boolean modeling operations
  • Lathe, sweep, extrude (straight or along a curve)
  • Subdivision surfaces (smoothing) with edge creasing available for triangle meshes.
  • Mesh editor featuring adjustable mesh tension, bevel, taper, various selection methods (including select edge loop/strip), etc.
  • Object array tool (multidimensional arrays or arrays along a curve)
  • Isosurface modeling (via procedural nodes or direct numeric input)
• Animation
  • Distortion tracks for effects like bend, twist, and shatter
  • Skeletal animation with weighting, constraints and IK
  • Poses and Gestures
  • Keyframe editor with interpolating curves
  • Path animation
  • Animation through scripted objects, e.g. particles using Particle Jet script
• Textures
  • Types: Uniform, image mapped, procedural 2D and 3D
  • Mapping options: Projection, spherical, cylindrical, UV
  • Per-vertex, per-face and per-face-per-vertex texture assignment (depending on textured object)
  • Layered textures
  • Graphical language for procedural texture/material design
  • Procedural textures can be based on parameters like view angle (for fresnel-like effects), etc.
  • Animateable textures via texture parameters and use of Time module
  • Environment background can be mapped with any photo (HDR or RGB), as well as procedural textures
• Materials (Represent the internal properties of an object)
  • Procedural and uniform materials
  • Adjustable index of refraction, scattering, eccentricity
  • Animatable materials via Time module
• Rendering
  • Multithreading
  • Global illumination rendering, along with caustics and subsurface scattering
  • Global illumination methods: Monte carlo, photon mapping with final gathering, direct photon mapping, and ambient occlusion
  • Light types: Point lights, spotlights (both with editable radii), and directional lights
  • Soft shadows
  • Light scattering for materials: Both Single Scattering and Photon Scattering (BSSRDF). User can specify either or both at rendertime.
  • Raytraced depth of field
  • Gloss/translucency (blurred reflections and blurry transparency)
  • Motion blur
  • HDRI scene illumination
  • Save renders as HDRI images
• Post Processing
  • Camera filters (Exposure Correction, Glow, Outline, Tint, Blur, etc.)
  • Noise reduction for Global Illumination
• Scripting
  • Scripting language (Beanshell) allowing development of new tools/commands
  • Dynamic Scripts (“smart objects” – see flyswatter tutorial)
• File Handling
  • 3D Import: .obj natively; .dem, .dxf, .geo, .lwo, .pov, .inc, .3ds via plugins
  • 2D Import via scripts: .ai, .svg
  • 3D Export: .pov, .obj, VRML, all native; .stl via plugin
  • 2D Export/Save: .jpg, .bmp, .png, .tif, .hdr, all native; .svg via plugin
• Extended Functionality Through Scripts and Plugins
  • Direct-to-disk rendering using presets like “Letter,” “A4,” with DPI and Bleed settings (Advanced Rendering plugin)
  • Wireframe/polygon renders with antialiasing and SVG export (Vector Renderer plugin)
  • Preview renders in sidebar (Preview Plugin)
  • Subdivision (Ngon) modeler with tools for both open- and closed-mesh modeling and support for Catmull-Clark subdivision surfaces (Polymesh Editor plugin)
  • ABF+ UV unwrapping available through Polymesh Editor plugin
  • Procedural tree and plant creator (Tree and Plant Designer plugin)
  • Other major features provided through script or plugin extensions such as: 3D text, mesh thickening, platonic solids, sculpt, fractal/image-based heightfields, hair, grunge, and more
• Development
  • Art of Illusion is a free and open source application and contributions to the source code, scripts and plugins base, and other aspects of the software are welcome.
  • Art of Illusion’s development cycle usually includes two builds called “Early Access” (EA) releases followed by a Beta, or “bug fix” version. However, with a recent announcement, the bug-fixing portion of development has been shifted to make sure that more bugs are fixed in existing features.
  • Developers are welcome to submit scripts and plugins via email to maintainers of the Scripts and Plugins Repository for inclusion in the online repository. This ensures that users will be able to download scripts and plugins easily from within Art of Illusion itself.
  • Developers with code to contribute to AoI itself should submit it to Peter Eastman for approval and inclusion. More information
  • Non-code contributions can be made as well. Details (Note that the Smartgroups link on that page is obsoleted by the Scripts and Plugins Repository)

Other Information:

• Developed by  Peter Eastman
• Latest release  2.6.1 / August 3, 2008
• OS  Cross-platform
• Platform  Java
• Type  3D computer graphics software
• License  GPL
• Website  www.artofillusion.org

Art of Illusion – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Early history & Releases

The original 3D Studio product was created for the DOS platform by the Yost Group and published by Autodesk. After 3D Studio Release 4, the product was rewritten for the Windows NT platform, and originally named “3D Studio MAX.” This version was also originally created by the Yost Group. It was released by Kinetix, which was at that time Autodesk’s division of media and entertainment. Autodesk purchased the product at the second release mark of the 3D Studio MAX version and internalized development entirely over the next two releases. Later, the product name was changed to “3ds max” (all lower case) to better comply with the naming conventions of Discreet, a Montreal-based software company which Autodesk had purchased. At release 8, the product was again branded with the Autodesk logo, and the name was again changed to “3ds Max” (upper and lower case). At release 2009, product name changed to “Autodesk 3ds Max”.

Overview

3ds Max is the second most widely-used off the shelf 3D animation program by content creation professionals according to the Roncarelli report. It has strong modeling capabilities, a flexible plugin architecture and a long heritage on the Microsoft Windows platform. It is mostly used by video game developers, TV commercial studios and architectural visualization studios. It is also used for movie effects and movie pre-visualization.

In addition to its modeling and animation tools, the latest version of 3ds Max also features advanced shaders (such as ambient occlusion and subsurface scattering), dynamic simulation, particle systems, radiosity, normal map creation and rendering, global illumination, an intuitive and fully-customizable user interface, and its own scripting language. There is also a plethora of specialized renderer plugins that can be bought separately, such as V-Ray, Brazil r/s , Maxwell Render, and finalRender.

Rendering

• Scanline rendering – The default rendering method in 3DS Max is scanline rendering. Several advanced features have been added to the scanliner over the years, such as global illumination, radiosity, and ray tracing.mental ray
• mental ray is a production quality renderer integrated into the later versions of MAX, and is a powerful rendering tool, with bucket rendering, a technique that distributes the rendering burden between several computers efficiently. The 3ds Max version of mental ray also comes with a set of tools that allow a myriad of effects to be created with relative ease.
• RenderMan – A third party connection tool to RenderMan pipelines is also available for those that need to integrate Max into Renderman render farms.
• V-Ray – A third-party render engine plug-in for 3D Studio MAX. It is widely used, frequently substituting the standard and mental ray renderers which are included bundled with 3ds Max. V-Ray continues to be compatible with older versions of 3ds Max.
• Brazil R/S – A third-party high-quality photorealistic rendering system created by SplutterFish, LLC capable of fast ray tracing and global illumination.
• FinalRender – Another third-party raytracing render engine created by Cebas. Capable of simulating a wide range of real-world physical phenomena.
• Maxwell Render – A third-party photorealistic rendering system created by Next Limit Technologies providing robust materials and highly accurate unbiased rendering.

Features

• MAXScript – MAXScript is a built-in scripting language, and can be used to automate repetitive tasks, combine existing functionality in new ways, develop new tools and user interfaces and much more. Plugin modules can be created entirely in MAXscript.
• Character Studio – Character Studio was a plugin which since version 4 of Max is now integrated in 3D Studio Max helping user to animate virtual characters. The system works using a character rig or “Biped” which is pre-made and allows the user to adjust the rig to fit the character they will be animating. Dedicated curve editors and motion capture data import tools make Character Studio ideal for character animation. “Biped” objects have other useful features that automated the production of walk cycles and movement paths, as well as secondary motion.
• Scene Explorer – Scene Explorer, a tool that provides a hierarchical view of scene data and analysis, facilitates working with more complex scenes. Scene Explorer has the ability to sort, filter, and search a scene by any object type or property (including metadata). Added in 3ds Max 2008, it was the first component to facilitate DotNet managed code in 3ds Max outside of MAXScript.
• DWG Import – 3ds Max supports both import and linking of DWG files. Improved memory management in 3ds Max 2008 enables larger scenes to be imported with multiple objects.
• Texture Assignment/Editing – 3ds Max offers operations for creative texture and planar mapping, including tiling, mirroring, decals, angle, rotate, blur, UV stretching, and relaxation; Remove Distortion; Preserve UV; and UV template image export. The texture workflow includes the ability to combine an unlimited number of textures, a material/map browser with support for drag-and-drop assignment, and hierarchies with thumbnails. UV workflow features include Pelt mapping, which defines custom seams and enables users to unfold UVs according to those seams; copy/paste materials, maps and colors; and access to quick mapping types (box, cylindrical, spherical).General Keyframing
• Two keying modes—set key and auto key—offer support for different keyframing workflows. Fast and intuitive controls for keyframing—including cut, copy, and paste—let the user create animations with ease. Animation trajectories may be viewed and edited directly in the viewport.
• Constrained Animation – Objects can be animated along curves with controls for alignment, banking, velocity, smoothness, and looping, and along surfaces with controls for alignment. Weight path-controlled animation between multiple curves, and animate the weight. Objects can be constrained to animate with other objects in many ways—including look at, orientation in different coordinate spaces, and linking at different points in time. These constraints also support animated weighting between more than one target.
  • All resulting constrained animation can be collapsed into standard keyframes for further editing.
• Skinning – Either the Skin or Physique modifier may be used to achieve precise control of skeletal deformation, so the character deforms smoothly as joints are moved, even in the most challenging areas, such as shoulders. Skin deformation can be controlled using direct vertex weights, volumes of vertices defined by envelopes, or both.
  • Capabilities such as weight tables, paintable weights, and saving and loading of weights offer easy editing and proximity-based transfer between models, providing the accuracy and flexibility needed for complicated characters.
  • The rigid bind skinning option is useful for animating low-polygon models or as a diagnostic tool for regular skeleton animation.
  • Additional modifiers, such as Skin Wrap and Skin Morph, can be used to drive meshes with other meshes and make targeted weighting adjustments in tricky areas.
• Skeletons and Inverse Kinematics (IK) – Characters can be rigged with custom skeletons using 3ds Max bones, IK solvers, and rigging tools.
  • All animation tools—including expressions, scripts, list controllers, and wiring—can be used along with a set of utilities specific to bones to build rigs of any structure and with custom controls, so animators see only the UI necessary to get their characters animated.
  • Four plug-in IK solvers ship with 3ds Max: history-independent solver, history-dependent solver, limb solver, and spline IK solver. These powerful solvers reduce the time it takes to create high-quality character animation. The history-independent solver delivers smooth blending between IK and FK animation and uses preferred angles to give animators more control over the positioning of affected bones.
  • The history-dependent solver can solve within joint limits and is used for machine-like animation. IK limb is a lightweight two-bone solver, optimized for real-time interactivity, ideal for working with a character arm or leg. Spline IK solver provides a flexible animation system with nodes that can be moved anywhere in 3D space. It allows for efficient animation of skeletal chains, such as a character’s spine or tail, and includes easy-to-use twist and roll controls.
• Integrated Cloth Solver – In addition to reactor’s cloth modifier, 3ds Max software has an integrated cloth-simulation engine that enables the user to turn almost any 3D object into clothing, or build garments from scratch. Collision solving is fast and accurate even in complex simulations.
  • Local simulation lets artists drape cloth in real time to set up an initial clothing state before setting animation keys.
  • Cloth simulations can be used in conjunction with other 3ds Max dynamic forces, such as Space Warps. Multiple independent cloth systems can be animated with their own objects and forces. Cloth deformation data can be cached to the hard drive to allow for nondestructive iterations and to improve playback performance.
• Integration with Autodesk Vault – Autodesk Vault plug-in, which ships with 3ds Max, consolidates users’ 3ds Max assets in a single location, enabling them to automatically track files and manage work in progress. Users can easily and safely share, find, and reuse 3ds Max (and design) assets in a large-scale production or visualization environment.

More Information

• Developed by Autodesk Inc.
• Latest release 2009 (11.0) / April 2008
• OS Windows (2000, XP or Vista)
• Type 3D computer graphics
• License Proprietary
• Website www.autodesk.com/3dsmax
• Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3ds_Max