Meet Smart Bevel 3ds Max 2027 introduces the Smart Bevel feature for post-Boolean intersections, making it easier to create cleaner and more complex bevels. Extrude modifier: Custom direction In 3ds Max 2027, instead of using only the local Z-axis, you can use extrusion curves along with orientation and direction.
The Extrude modifier now supports the Gizmo option, allowing you to select the extrusion direction for Splines instead of being limited to the object's local Z-axis. You can add depth along any axis or in a custom direction, making it easier to create forms that do not align with the default orientation. Use the Gizmo within the modifier to adjust the extrusion direction and achieve predictable results without rotating the object first.
Spline Chamfer modifier updates
Updates to the Spline Chamfer Modifier allow you to use a fixed radius for consistent circular corners.
Meet Noise Plus
The new Noise Plus modifier comes with powerful new fractal types, animation capabilities, and tiling controls to push your results even further.
New Field Assistant
The new Field Assistant provides more precise component selections for manipulating items such as driving selections.
Viewport grid and display improvements
We have refreshed the viewport grid and background image so you can work in a cleaner and more focused environment. This also addresses usability issues with grids that users found limiting in the past.
A clearer, more modern viewport
The default viewport background is now a solid color instead of a gradient; this reduces visual distractions and helps your scene stand out more prominently. If you prefer a different look, you can change it in the Viewport Configuration.
Viewport axes are now color-coded so you can instantly recognize orientation during modeling and navigation, reducing alignment errors.
In non-adaptive grid mode, the grid layout now remains fixed, providing a stable visual reference as you zoom and move around your scene. We have also improved the adaptive grid transition and related options, making grid behavior more predictable and easier to control.
Combined, these updates make the viewport easier to read and more reliable as a spatial reference.
More flexible and intuitive grid controls
We have redesigned how grid settings and colors work, making it easier and clearer to customize your workspace.
You can now adjust color settings for the following items:
Positive and negative grid axes
Major grid lines
Minor grid lines (subdivisions)
We have removed the old grid intensity mode and replaced it with standard color controls, so adjusting the grid now works the same way as other user interface elements. This simplifies customization and reduces confusion.
Grid terminology has also been clarified:
Grid Spacing is now called Major Grid Spacing.
Every Nth grid line on major lines is now minor subdivisions.
The new "Show Subdivisions" option allows you to quickly show or hide minor grid lines.
You can now save your preferred grid and background settings as the default for new sessions, so 3ds Max opens exactly how you want it. If needed, you can revert to factory defaults at any time.
These changes make the grid easier to understand, faster to configure, and more consistent across projects; allowing you to focus on creating your scene rather than adjusting your workspace. Arnold for 3ds Max 5.9.0 plugin
The Arnold for 3ds Max (MAXtoA) 5.9.0 plugin utilizes Arnold version 7.5.0.0 and includes a new Inference viewer, Global Light Sampling, performance improvements in GPU volumes, along with other enhancements and bug fixes. Highlights
Performance improvements including lightweight USD instancing, enhanced Global Light Sampling, mip-mapped CPU volumes, faster GPU volume rendering, and quicker TX file processing.
New hair scattering mode; new streak and closest points shaders; improved OpenPBR Surface thin film.
More flexible light sampling; negative intensity light blockers.
Bloom aperture mode and color dispersion.
GPU enhancements include NVIDIA Blackwell support, more efficient sampling, and motion vector shader support.
Arnold for 3ds Max now includes live Render Reports in the Arnold Render View.
Performance Enhancements Lightweight USD instancing
Arnold now processes USD instances through a lightweight instancing system that creates fewer Arnold nodes. Instancing is now more memory-efficient and time-to-first-pixel is shorter because the scene initializes faster. For example, in the Intel Jungle Ruins scene, time-to-first-pixel is 85% faster and memory usage is 42% lower. usd#2459
Support for mip-mapped OpenVDB files on CPU
The volume node now accepts OpenVDB files with mip-mapped grids. Different mip-map levels are distinguished by _level_N suffixes, where N is the mip-map level. Arnold then automatically selects the appropriate mip-map level during rendering; this provides significant speedups in volumes with high scattering (e.g., clouds) at the cost of mostly minor differences in appearance. Volumes with more mip-map levels may exhibit larger differences in appearance. Users can also specify a mipmap_bias on a volume node or instance (by declaring user data with the same name), which adjusts the automatic mip-map selection by that amount. (ARNOLD-14453, ARNOLD-15056)
You can render mip-mapped volumes using the Arnold API or the kick command. The Arnold API includes a new AiVolumeFileMakeLODs function, while the kick command features a new -makevolumelods command-line flag. Both the API and the kick flag take three arguments: the input file, the output file, and the maximum number of levels to generate. The actual number of levels generated may be lower than requested. (ARNOLD-16921)
wdascloud byc-cloud composition 1 composition 2 sunset clouds
original volume
mip-mapped volume (3 levels)
Speedup 1.5x 1.9x 2.6x 2.1x 1.8x
mip-mapped volume (6 levels)
Speedup 2.0x 2.8x 5.2x 3.2x 2.7x
Improvement in GPU volume rendering performance
GPU rendering of volumes is up to 3.5x faster. (ARNOLD-8936)
wdascloud byc-cloud composition 1 composition 2 sunset clouds
Speedup 2x 1.12x 3.7x 3.5x 1.31x
Increasing Global Light Sampling (GLS) robustness and providing additional support for light spread.
GLS is now more robust and takes into account the spread parameter of quad and disk lights. This reduces noise in situations where lights have a narrow spread or when the spread is close to the light edges. We observed up to 6x faster render times in some test scenes with particularly challenging lighting. In the alley scene below, with a more common lighting setup where some lights exhibit spread, this provides 1.4x faster render times.
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