This latest release of 3ds Max brings compelling new features and value to the problems you face on a day-by-day basis. This short guide is to help you understand what those features are and how they can help you.
Note: This topic doesn't comprehensively list all the changes that have been made to 3ds Max. As you proceed through the documentation,
keep an eye out for the 
icon, which designates a new feature. You can also use the index in this reference to identify topics that contain information
about new features in the program. For topics that describe new program features, check the index entry "new feature in v9".
For changes in existing features, check the index entry "changed feature in v9".
Following is a list of major new features with brief descriptions and links to the relevant reference topic:
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Core performance enhancements have been made to 3ds Max 9 to maximize your productivity and accelerate your creative workflow. For example, enjoy greater viewport interactivity when working with dense meshes and switch between high-res and low-res bitmap proxies to allow for better interaction.
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Also useful for interactivity is the new viewport statistics feature, which displays in the viewport information about the current frame rate and number of polys, faces, edges, and vertices, both for the entire scene and for the current selection. The display updates in real time.
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The new Hidden Line rendering method improves visual feedback by simplifying wireframe viewport display.
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3ds Max is now available in a 64-bit version that can address considerably more memory than previously, and thus can handle massively greater amounts of data.
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3ds Max now supports all DirectX shaders and offers display performance enhancements. You can now load cgfx files into the DX material and have them displayed in the viewport
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Craft and refine your character animation more easily with numerous enhancements to Biped. For example, you can now move keys past each other and work in negative frames. This saves numerous steps when tweaking biped animation and is particularly useful when trying to reverse an animation, because you can now negatively scale an animation range.
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The new Animation layers feature lets you place animation into separate layers in order to easily tweak dense and complex animations. You can turn layers on and off to evaluate an animation, blend new keys with existing motion, and access a full range of adjustments without having to modify the keyframes of the animated object.
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Users of reactor can take advantage of increased speed and accuracy of rigid-body dynamics simulation in the new Havok 3 engine.
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Functionality of both versions of the Point Cache modifier is greatly expanded in 3ds Max 9. New features include:
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Adjustable playback ranges and a playback graph, to animate which cache frame is played back. This lets you load a cache and then animate it, slowing down, stopping, reversing, etc.
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Nth-frame sampling, so you can sample every few frames to save disk space if sampling every frame is unnecessary.
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The "strength" is adjustable in Absolute mode, so you can easily blend the cache with what is below in the stack.
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The new Quick Planar Map feature in Unwrap UVW gives you one-click access to the most commonly used high-level mapping tool.
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Also new in Unwrap UVW are streamlined options for viewing pelt seams and map seams.
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mental ray 3.5 software adds powerful rendering functionality to 3ds Max 9. Features include
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Create photorealistic sunlight, skylight, and skies with visible sun with the Sun & Sky solution.
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The new mental ray Arch & Design material improves the image quality of architectural renderings and improves workflow and performance in general and make it easier for designers and architects to create effects such as rounded corners, blurred reflections, frosted glass, and glossy surfaces such as floors.
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The new mental ray Car Paint material is ideal for re-creating the unique new-car look and feel, with four layers for pigment, metal flakes, clear coat, and, if the car's been on the road a bit, dirt. The same features are also available in the Car Paint shader.
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Global illumination in mental ray is now far more accessible with final gather presets and easier-to-use controls.
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When rendering very large images from the command line you can now specify how images are to be split and stitched. See Command-Line Rendering Switches.
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The new ProBoolean and ProCutter compound objects provide a level of magnitude improvement over the legacy Boolean object, including streamlined workflow, better quality resultant mesh, integrated decimation, and quad meshing for rounded edges when smoothing.
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Create, manipulate, and style Hair and Fur directly in the viewports using standard navigation and selection tools.
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New features in Cloth let you cinch waistlines, shorten hems, and tailor clothing in the stack without the need to edit the original pattern to make clothes fit.
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Users of Asset Tracking can reduce memory requirements with the new ability to use automatically generated bitmap proxies in the viewports, and even when rendering if you like. When it comes final render time, it's easy to revert to the original, full-resolution texture maps.
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The Configure User Paths dialog lets you set individual paths to be absolute or relative to the current project folder.
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Many enhancements have been made to XRefs in 3ds Max 9. You can now reference all aspects of bipeds and systems, including geometry and materials. You can also reference controllers and can maintain dependencies between XRef items. The XRef system’s new dependency handling lets you preview object relationships in both merge and XRef operations, providing more control over how external objects are used.