Saturday, December 7th, 2024Posted by Jim ThackerAutodesk open-sources USD for 3ds Maxhtml PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"Autodesk has open-sourced USD for 3ds Max, the USD plugin for 3ds Max, its 3D modeling and animation software.The source code for the plugin is available on GitHub under an Apache 2.0 license.Increasing adoption of USD outside VFX and feature animationFirst released in 2022, USD for 3ds Max makes it possible to use workflows based around Universal Scene Description in 3ds Max.The open-source framework for exchanging scene data between CG applications was originally developed by Pixar, and has been widely adopted in VFX and feature animation pipelines.However, it is now being adopted in industrial design and visualization, in part thanks to NVIDIAs adoption of USD in its Omniverse design collaboration platform.Pixar, NVIDIA and Autodesk itself were all founder members of the Alliance for OpenUSD (AOUSD), the body founded last year to guide future development of the technology.Support for USD-based workflows inside 3ds MaxUSD for 3ds Max lets studios use 3ds Max in USD-based pipelines, making it possible to import and export data in USD format, and to load USD stages directly in the viewport for editing.On its GitHub repository, Autodesk describes the add-on as supplementing 3ds Maxs XRef referencing workflows, to enhance, and in many use cases, replace existing referencing setups.The latest of Autodesks USD tools to be open-sourcedUSD for 3ds Max is the latest USD-related tool that Autodesk has open-sourced, following on from Bifrost USD, for Mayas multiphysics plugin, in 2022.(USD for Maya, the primary Maya USD add-on, has always been open-source, having been originally developed outside Autodesk.)The change should enable studios to build the add-on with the specific version of USD required in their production pipeline, and to customize the default import and export process.Autodesk has continued to develop its open-source USD add-ons for Maya actively, releasing new versions with every update to the software.Pricing and availabilitySource code for USD for 3ds Max is available under an Apache 2.0 licence. The add-on is compatible with 3ds Max 2022+. You can find a list of dependencies in the build instructions on the GitHub repo.The plugin is still officially in beta: the latest release is version 0.9.You can find pricing and system requirements for 3ds Max itself in this story on 3ds Max 2025.3.View the source code for USD for 3ds Max on GitHubHave your say on this story by following CG Channel on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). As well as being able to comment on stories, followers of our social media accounts can see videos we dont post on the site itself, including making-ofs for the latest VFX movies, animations, games cinematics and motion graphics projects.Latest NewsTutorial - Modeling for Film & TV: Hard-Surface VehiclesDiscover to create a truck model suitable for use in a VFX production pipeline with The Gnomon Workshop's best-practice guide.Sunday, December 8th, 2024Autodesk open-sources USD for 3ds MaxSource code for the USD add-on for the 3D modeling and animation software is now available under an Apache 2.0 license.Saturday, December 7th, 2024Get Epic Games' free Project Titan Unreal Engine sampleDownload an 8km x 8km UE5 environment created in a massive 10-week art jam, with custom plugins and world-building tools.Friday, December 6th, 2024Maxon releases Redshift 2025.2GPU renderer gets new non-photorealistic rendering options and a USD Command Line Rendering tool for use on render farms.Thursday, December 5th, 2024Maxon releases Cinema 4D 2025.13D animation and motion graphics software gets revamped Boolean modeling system, plus updates to simulation and USD workflows.Thursday, December 5th, 2024Maxon releases ZBrush 2025.1Digital sculpting software gets new Quick Polygroup Brush, updated Anchors Brush, tighter integration with the Redshift renderer.Thursday, December 5th, 2024More NewsMaxon releases ZBrush for iPad 2025.2Adobe releases After Effects 25.1Check out Substance 3D Modeler's new Primitives systemOtoy releases OctaneRender 2026.1 in alphaOtoy releases OctaneRender 2025.1 in betaiClone 8.52 adds new AI-assisted character posing systemDownload ActionVFX's 20 free stock VFX clips of asteroidsBlack Friday, Cyber Monday and Holiday 2024 deals for CG artistsNekki releases Cascadeur 2024.3Tutorial - Maya for Animators: Body Mechanics3DGS Render 2.0 now lets you edit 3D Gaussian Splats in BlenderNevercenter releases Silo 2025 and Milo 2025Older Posts