Autodesk releases 3ds Max 2027
3ds Max 2027’s Smart Bevel system produces cleaner bevels on tricky geometry.
Autodesk has released 3ds Max 2027, the latest version of its 3D modeling and animation software for architectural visualization, motion graphics and VFX.
As with other recent updates to 3ds Max, the changelog isn’t huge, but there are new features, including the Smart Bevel system, Noise Plus modifier and Field Helper.
There are also updates to other modifiers, usability changes to the viewport background and grid, and an early tech preview of new AI tech support tool Autodesk Assistant.
3D modeling: Smart Bevel produces clean bevels on messy geometry
New features in 3ds Max 2027 include bevel-generation system Smart Bevel.
Unlike the existing Chamfer modifier, it is not limited to neighboring polygons, generating cleaner results on meshes created by Boolean modeling operations.
3D modeling: Updates to Extrude and Spline Chamfer
Other changes to 3D modeling include the option to choose the direction in which splines are extruded using the Extrude modifier, rather than just using the local Z axis.
A new gizmo control determines the direction of extrusion, as shown above.
The Spline Chamfer modifier gets a new Use Fixed Width setting.
3D modeling and animation: New Noise Plus modifier creates animatable surface noise
3ds Max 2027 also introduces Noise Plus, a new noise modifier capable of generating effects not possible with the legacy Noise modifier.
By default, it uses Simplex noise, but you can add more detail by modifying the base output with with five different types of fractal noise.
The effect can also be modified by clamping or inverting the results, applying the noise along the normal direction, and switching between World and Object space.
Some fractal types also include a Phase control, which can be used to animate the noise.
3D modeling and animation: New Field Helper for volume selections
The release also introduces the Field Helper, which creates a volumetric field from either a procedural primitive or a watertight object in a scene.
It can be used with the Volume Select modifier to make more accurate selections on complex geometry than would be possible with manual painting.
It is supported by new animation controllers that allow the helper to influence animatable channels on objects, and on modifiers or materials applied to the objects.
Together, they can be used to create motion-graphics-style effects, as shown above.
UI: Usability improvements to the viewport background and grid
There are also usability improvements to 3ds Max’s viewport, which now uses a solid background color rather than a gradient, reducing visual clutter.
Viewport axes are now colored, to make it easier to recognize orientation at a glance.
There are also new options to set colors for the grid lines and axes for the viewport grid; and in non-adaptive mode the grid layout stays fixed when navigating a scene.
Autodesk Assistant: Experimental internal chatbot answers your technical questions
3ds Max 2027 includes an early technical preview of Autodesk Assistant: the new “agentic AI partner” that Autodesk is rolling out throughout its software.
While the ultimate aim is to let users control 3ds Max using natural-language commands, in the initial release, it’s a technical help system – essentially, an integrated chatbot – searching Autodesk documentation to give answers to questions like ‘How do I export to USD?’.
Arnold for 3ds Max: better volume and hair rendering, and new shaders for stylized effects
Outside the core application, 3ds Max’s integration plugin for Autodesk’s Arnold renderer has also been updated, with MAXtoA 5.9.0 introducing support for the Arnold 7.5.0.0 core.
In itself, it’s a small update, but quite a few other features have been added to Arnold since the release of 3ds Max 2026.2, including the new Nearest Points Shader and Line Shader for stylized and motion graphics looks, and updates to volume rendering, hair shading and thin film effects.
You can read about them in more detail in our stories on Arnold 7.4.4 and Arnold 7.4.5.
Price and system requirements
3ds Max 2027 is compatible with Windows 11. It is rental-only. Subscriptions cost $255/month or $2,010/year.
In many countries, artists earning under $100,000/year and working on projects valued at under $100,000/year qualify for Indie subscriptions, which now cost $330/year.
Read a full list of new features in 3ds Max 2027 in the online documentation
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