Mastering Autodesk® 3ds Max® Design 2011: Autodesk Offical Training Guide

Chapter 5. Working with External Design Data

3ds Max Design is a complete and powerful product. 3ds Max Design 2011 is so robust that it can take advantage of the other design and drafting programs produced by Autodesk. Other products that are useful with 3ds Max Design are AutoCAD-based applications, including AutoCAD, AutoCAD LT, AutoCAD Mechanical, AutoCAD Architecture, AutoCAD Civil 3D, and the Revit family of products. In this chapter, you'll look at ways that you can use AutoCAD-based applications more directly with 3ds Max in your design and visualization workflow. You'll explore the common practices of importing 2D AutoCAD line drawings as a starting point in the creation of 3ds Max geometry and the direct linking of the AutoCAD drawings. ...