ProMaterials
A new library of easy-to-use, physically-based materials for mental ray® software, based on manufacturing-related data and professional images, has been added to 3ds Max Design. These give you fast access to such commonly used building and design materials as professional wall paint–with glossy or matte finishes–solid glass, and concrete.

Review Enhancements
Use Review to display multiple maps simultaneously in the Viewport, for more accurate previewing. Review now also offers full photometric light support (including IES files) for instant feedback on how real luminaries will affect the environment. Plus support is provided for real-time shadowing of objects that use architecture and design materials.

ViewCube and SteeringWheels
The ViewCube™ and SteeringWheels™ technology are on-screen, interactive UI features that give you a fast and intuitive means of navigating 3D scenes. Both tools are available in several Autodesk 3D products–ensuring a consistent navigation experience between software packages.

Streamlined UV Texture Editing
3ds Max and 3ds Max Design provide intelligent, easy-to-use mapping tools. Spline mapping features can be used to map tubular and spline-like objects. Additionally, Relax and Pelt workflows streamline UVW unwrapping, enabling you to achieve your desired results in fewer steps.

Photometric Lighting Enhancements
3ds Max Design delivers support for new types of area lights (circular, cylindrical), photometric web previews in the Browse dialog and Light user interface, and near-field photometry quality and spot distribution. Plus, distribution types support any emitting shape and light shapes can be made to appear as objects in the rendered image.

• Microsoft® Windows Vista®
• Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional (SP2 or higher) (32-bit version)
• Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 (64-bit version)
• Microsoft® Internet Explorer® 6 or higher
• DirectX® 9.0c* (required)
• OpenGL® (optional)
• Intel® Pentium® IV or AMD Athlon® XP or higher processor (32-bit version)
• Intel EM64T, AMD Athlon 64 or higher, AMD Opteron® processor (64-bit version)
• 512 MB RAM; 1 GB recommended (32-bit version)
• 1 GB RAM (4 GB recommended) (64-bit version)
• 500 MB swap space (2 GB recommended)
• Hardware-accelerated OpenGL and Direct3D supported
• Microsoft Windows–compliant pointing device (optimized for Microsoft® IntelliMouse®)
• DVD-ROM drive

* Some features of 3ds Max Design 2009 are only enabled when used with graphics hardware that supports Shader Model 3.0 (Pixel Shader and Vertex Shader 3.0). Check with your manufacturer to determine if your hardware supports Shader Model 3.0.