It has modeling capabilities and a flexible plugin architecture and can be used on the Microsoft Windows platform. It is frequently used by video game developers, many TV commercial studios and architectural visualization studios. It is also used for movie effects and movie pre-visualization. For its modeling and animation tools, the latest version of 3ds Max also features shaders (such as ambient occlusion and subsurface scattering), dynamic simulation, particle systems, radiosity, normal map creation and rendering, global illumination, a customizable user interface, new icons, and its own scripting language. Features:

• MAXScript: built-in scripting language that can be used to automate repetitive tasks, combine existing functionality in new ways, develop new tools and user interfaces, and much more
• Character Studio helps users to animate virtual characters
• Scene Explorer, a tool that provides a hierarchical view of scene data and analysis, facilitates working with more complex scenes. Scene Explorer has the ability to sort, filter, and search a scene by any object type or property (including metadata)
• DWG import
• Texture assignment/editing: creative texture and planar mapping, including tiling, mirroring, decals, angle, rotate, blur, UV stretching, and relaxation; Remove Distortion; Preserve UV; and UV template image export
• General keyframing: set key and auto key — offer support for different keyframing workflows
• Constrained animation: objects can be animated along curves with controls for alignment, banking, velocity, smoothness, and looping, and along surfaces with controls for alignment. Weight path-controlled animation between multiple curves, and animate the weight. Objects can be constrained to animate with other objects in many ways — including look at, orientation in different coordinate spaces, and linking at different points in time
• Skinning
• Skeletons and inverse kinematics (IK)
• Integrated Cloth solver
• Integration with Autodesk Vault
• Max Creation Graph

What does Revit do? Revit is software for BIM. Its powerful tools let you use the intelligent model-based process to plan, design, construct, and manage buildings and infrastructure. Revit supports a multidiscipline design process for collaborative design.

• Design. Model building components, analyze and simulate systems and structures, and iterate designs. Generate documentation from Revit models.
• Collaborate. Multiple project contributors can access centrally shared models. This results in better coordination, which helps reduce clashes and rework.
• Visualize. Communicate design intent more effectively to project owners and team members by using models to create high-impact 3D visuals.

One multidiscipline BIM platform Revit has features for all disciplines involved in a building project. When architects, engineers, and construction professionals work on one unified platform, the risk of data translation errors can be reduced and the design process can be more predictable. Interoperability Revit helps you work with members of an extended project team. It imports, exports, and links your data with commonly used formats, including IFC, DWG™ and DGN.  Tools created expressly for your discipline Whether you’re an architect; a mechanical, electrical, or plumbing (MEP) engineer; a structural engineer; or a construction professional, Revit offers BIM features specifically designed for you. For architects Use Revit to take an idea from conceptual design to construction documentation within a single software environment. Optimize building performance and create stunning visualizations. For structural engineers Use tools specific to structural design to create intelligent structure models in coordination with other building components. Evaluate how well they conform to building and safety regulations. For MEP engineers Design MEP building systems with greater accuracy and in better coordination with architectural and structural components, using the coordinated and consistent information inherent in the intelligent model. For construction professionals Evaluate constructability and design intent before construction begins. Gain a better understanding of the means, methods, and materials, and how they all come together. Connect teams with Collaboration for Revit Extend Revit worksharing to project teams in almost any location with this service, which lets multiple users co-author Revit models in the cloud. Increase communication, centralize efforts of distributed teams, and let entire teams take part in the BIM process. Better team communication Use real-time chat within project models. Know who’s working in the model and what they’re doing. Extended team integration Subscribe to Collaboration for Revit and receive a subscription to BIM 360 Team, an integrated, cloud-based web service that provides centralized team access to project data. Access more projects Extend your reach and participate in projects or joint venture partnerships, wherever they’re located. Better allocate team talents and resources Assign the best team members with the strongest skill sets. Let designers work on multiple projects based in different locations at the same time. Minimize in-person meetings or co-location of teams Help lower travel expenses and support greater work-life balance for team members. Visualization and rendering. Show how your product will look with visualization and rendering tools.