Welcome to 3ds max

Welcome to 3ds max

Software Capabilities

3ds max  gives users the ability to construct digital three-dimensional models and, by applying lighting, materials and other features enabled by the program, to create photorealistic renderings and animations of the 3D objects.
Additionally, 3ds max supports the use of other file types that can be in the form of image maps, plug-ins, pre-built models from other programs such as AutoCAD, and rendering images and animations.
The software has a range of applications in industries such as building and industrial design, where accurate digital simulations have widely replaced physical mock-ups for testing and visualization purposes, as well as in the entertainment industry for creating and animating fantasy environments and characters.

Operations

There are six primary operations that you might exercise through 3ds max, and through a combination of these achieve realistic simulations.
Modeling
Materials Editing
Lighting
Camera Manipulation
Animation
Rendering Modeling tools allow you to create 3D geometric primitives from scratch or to loft or extrude pre-drawn 2D shapes.You can convert an object to an editable surface which can then be edited for precision. Through the modifier tools, you can further refine the geometry of objects you create. Modeling is covered in more detail in the Introduction to Modeling.
Materials Editing provides a sophisticated range of controls through which you can manipulate the surfaces of objects, by adding texture maps and changing such behavioral qualities of materials as reflectivity, opacity, specular color and highlight, self-illumination and so on. Materials Editing is covered in more detail in the Introduction to Materials Editing.
Lighting tools allow you to create either standard or photometric lights which can be assigned qualities that enable them to cast shadows, project images or to manipulate atmospheric lighting effects. Lighting is covered in more detail in the Introduction to Lighting.
Cameras can be introduced into the scene which have real-world controls so that you can manipulate static controls like lens length and field of view, and use motion controls such as truck, dolly or pan. Camera views can be saved so that you can always return to them after panning or zooming in the viewport. Cameras are covered in more detail in the Introduction to Cameras.
Animation adds the fourth dimension of time to your project, so that any transformation in position, geometry, surface material or lighting can be recorded relative to a timeline to create movies. Existing movies can also be incorporated into your project as a background for animated objects that you create with 3ds max. Animation is covered in more detail in the Introduction to Animation.
Rendering adds color and shading to your scene, creating either physically accurate simulations of the effects of light on material space or approximations of these effects, depending on the lighting solution used. Rendering is covered in more detail in the Introduction to Rendering.
Source