Is 3dsmax 2020 out soon ?

[Vizioen]

The new champfer modifier seems to be pretty cool, though. One can use it like opensubdiv - destruction free, using the crease sliders.

Here is a roadmap:
https://area.autodesk.com/blogs/the-...526.1553521936

Some things would be quite handy.

Basically they say we won't annually release halfbaked features anymore. Instead they make them solit and release them in service packs.
Which, if true is a good thing.

Then they should stop with putting a 'version' (2019 , 2020, ..) on it, to avoid an angry mob storming their HQ. People still associate big versions with big changes.

[kosso_olli]

You mean the double klick render dialoque thing?
Nope its still there.

They must be kidding. This bug has been there since three releases. I will not touch any other version of Max with a stick as long as this bug is in there.

[Ihno]

Then they should stop with putting a 'version' (2019 , 2020, ..) on it, to avoid an angry mob storming their HQ. People still associate big versions with big changes.

Jep that's what I was thinking too now every release is a service pack.

[Franx]

Only difference is this SP breaks SDK, so the hassle waiting and hunting for plugin updates begins again...
Unless I'm mistaken, and this new version actually doesnt.

[gandhics]

Dev spent a lot of time to take care many corner cases for the chamfer modifier.
Everyone did not like "half baked". So, they put more effort into it.
Now users want to a new feature instead of polishing.

The performance update seems nothing.
But, they are changing 3dsMax's core one by one without breaking the current.
I think eveybody wanted a new core.

Also 3dsMax 2020 closed in Jan to give plugin dev heads up. So, there was very little time between PU3 and 2020. You will see a lot more in PU1.

Lastly, yes, they pushed some features to PU1 because it was not finished.

[Alex_M]

So basically we are (pre)paying Autodesk thousands of euros each year for polishing a couple of old tools when things should work in the first place and when we should have had newer modern tools and workflows instead? Thanks for confirming my suspicions. Same old excuse every time.

Changing the core? We've heard this story before - nearly 10 years ago when Autodesk made that project Excalibur roadmap presentation (aka XBR). Almost 10 years after that roadmap presentation the core is STILL not changed. Same old story for years - "The future is bright, please believe us and keep paying us!". The newly released roadmap is giving me really nasty flasbacks of the aforementioned project Excalibur's roadmap. So I'm not holding my breath.

Now, let's have a REALISTIC look at why people are upset with Autodesk:

• The Perpetual licenses were scrapped and the yearly maintenance upgrade price has ARTIFICIALLY been increasing by double digit percents each year in order to scam people like me, who hold the SUPERIOR perpetual licenses, into trading them in for the inferior rental ones under the pretext that they are “better”, even though they are not and are HORRIBLE value in the long run (for people who use the software for more than 2 years). With rental only, we are essentially being locked in and forced to pay whatever the shareholders decide if we don’t want to be locked out of your software and past projects.
• Buying up the competition and then killing it (Softimage XSI) to remove competition and keep a de facto monopolistic position.
• The modeling tools and workflows haven’t been modernized for 15 years since Max version 9 (2006). And no, Graphite modeling tools are not new. They were a script developed by Carl-Mikael Lagnecrantz in 2006 and originally named Polyboost.
• Slate material editor hasn’t been touched for almost a decade (2010).
• No double precision.
• No node based modifier stack and modeling like Houdini.
• No new viewport engine in line with the modern workflows and lookdev (like Blender’s EEVEE viewport).
• Slow and buggy UI.
• No support for more than 4 viewports and detaching them.

I'm sure I've missed something in there, so please feel free to add to these.

[gandhics]

You got PU1, 2, 3 across the year.
Now it is continuous delivery.

Viewport core completely revamped in 2017 as a prat of XBR.
This core change is even bigger one.

You have own list and I have own list.
The latest alembic saved our show.
You may not get what you want always. But, there are wide range of users.

Looking at your list. You may have a good news soon.
Also you can join beta to see whats going on.
I'm happy to get you in beta if you want.
Please PM me.

[Alex_M]

Thanks for the offer, but I think I'll pass. Autodesk's "continuous delivery" sucks if I have to be frank. The yearly release cycle DOESN'T work. I mean, at least not for us customers, shareholders is different story. I'm sure they are MORE than happy to milk us with releases each year. The result is lackluster releases for almost a decade. Looks like laying off of more than 30% of the developers in the past couple of years didn't help much either. Seeing where Autodesk are heading, I'll probably be jumping the sinking ship next year. I don't feel like supporting a company that's actively forcing me to give them back my perpetual licenses by ARTIFICIALLY jacking up my yearly maintenance upgrade prices every year. A company like this will not be getting my money. If the maintenance upgrade price continues to go up by double digit percent next year (this year alone it was 20% more and the previous two years 10% more), I will probably stop paying after 2020 and coast on my perpetual licenses for as long as I can.

[gandhics]

Well.. I certainly do not want to wait more than year to get fix.
The alembic fix which saved oue show reported after PU1 and fixed in PU3.
If it was not continuous delivery I had to wait next release.

Interestingly 3dsMax team is the biggest ever because of last layoff.
Most "key" product team gotten bigger because now they are focusing on key product.
So, I would not worry about the team size.

I personally believe ALL dcc other than Blender will turn to rental eventually.
So, jumping ship because of rental.. well...

[Bathyscaph]

Here is a helpful guide to Autodesk's planned price increases for those on maintenance: https://knowledge.autodesk.com/custo...iption/pricing

[danio]

The new champfer modifier seems to be pretty cool, though. One can use it like opensubdiv - destruction free, using the crease spinner.

Here is a roadmap:
https://area.autodesk.com/blogs/the-...526.1553521936

Some of those things would be quite handy.

A roadmap? Now that's a cool thing for a software company to have for their clients...*cough*

[glorybound]

Although it frustrates me to no end, with the loss of work daily because of the Non Responding crap, the annual cost pays for itself with one project. Until something better comes along, there isn’t much that can be done.

[Ihno]

Although it frustrates me to no end, with the loss of work daily because of the Non Responding crap, the annual cost pays for itself with one project. Until something better comes along, there isn’t much that can be done.

Jep, we're lucky to still have the maintenance plan it costs roughly 800€. But even if we're forced into rental for 1600 in Germany. This isn't too much to pay for the key component of my work. And learning another package will take ages. Let's say it takes 4h a day for two years of learning another package to get where I am now.
That's roughly 2080 hours. We charge 100€ per hour. So that's 208000€ or 130 years of subscription for max. I don't think my boss will want to do that... So, as long as max continues we'll probably stay. And the last releases where quite solid. Now days I crash once a week which was totally different a few years back.

[anthonyh]

Jep, we're lucky to still have the maintenance plan it costs roughly 800€. But even if we're forced into rental for 1600 in Germany. This isn't too much to pay for the key component of my work. And learning another package will take ages. Let's say it takes 4h a day for two years of learning another package to get where I am now.
That's roughly 2080 hours. We charge 100€ per hour. So that's 208000€ or 130 years of subscription for max. I don't think my boss will want to do that... So, as long as max continues we'll probably stay. And the last releases where quite solid. Now days I crash once a week which was totally different a few years back.

Agree with that, it`s a nice Idea to swap software but it costs real time and money to do it and there`s no guarantee it would fit with how you work currently. Although the Blender Eevee worklow looks great and would remove a lot of render time.
All the overreacting comments about how `Max is Dead` and `I`m off to Blender` but I wonder how many of them are a) professionals rather than hobbyists, b) did actually fully move to Blender and not just say they did, and c) had actually bought 3dsMax rather than `borrowed` it .
This *is* a pretty weak offering though, Autodesk seems always to concentrate it`s development on entirely the wrong thing, new tech instead of fixing simple things like the interface.
Fluids for example seems cool but realistically they will never follow through with enough development on it and leave it half finished and under-powered compared to any competiton.
Currently I can`t even consider using Arnold as it just constantly crashes Max, just creating a new material causes a crash. I`m not sure I`d move from Vray to Arnold but it would be nice to see what it`s capable of and I can`t even do that.
AVI ? Does anyone still use AVI, I thought it died years ago.
Just all the wrong choices.

[anthonyh]

I just checked on our Autodesk account and it looks like 2016 is no longer listed as an option so I guess the license will run out pretty soon, 2020 it is then I guess. Harumph.