My max 2012 report.

[Anonymous]

Yet a new version, and yet a whole new set of bugs, errors, and what we call in-house: "voodoo".

Im shocked, that features that has been available for years and years have suddenly been broken.
For example the curve editor. Its still the same, but they have screwed up the X-Y constraints.
You cant constrain your key movements.

The faster viewport is very handy. But it is only slightly faster when you animate. Once the animations get more complex, 2012 is back at 2011 speed, and maybe even slower. There is also graphical issues. Like hiding an object. Its still there, but you cant select it, and it has no wireframe. But its still there. Other times an object can freak out and implode into itself. and the next second you check it, its all fine again!

Then I will fastforward to rendering. The backburner has always been a, last priority for autodesk it seems like. With 2012, they forgot to make the monitor able to do changes. I cannot change settings. I can't delete jobs. I can only sit there. Like a sad animator. Cry a little, and then run away to find a computer that haven't got 2012 installed yet. So i can delete that job thats only rendering hundreds of top view images. *doh*

Other machines can with BB2012 not find the Manager. I got my second machine working putting in the IP adress of the manager. But others where not quite as lucky.

We've only just installed Max2012 because we usually wait until there is a hotfix or two, and a service pack maybe. Because every time there is a new release, they screw something up. And this time proved to be no different!

Max 2009 was in my opinion the most company-friendly 3D studio version yet. stuff worked. Not everything (of course). But that was the peak of 3D max after autodesk put their name on it.

Another little annoying factor, is that when selecting faces. Sometimes they dont turn red. And clicking F2 to mark selection have no effect. I cannot reproduce this one. It just happens in my bigger working scenes.

[spacefrog_]

For the Curve constraint problem i posted a how-to-fix-it-yourself here
http://area.autodesk.com/forum/237195

by the way it's only a UI button problem, constraining via CTRL while moving a key still works...

regarding Max 2009 i agree with you, sure the new viewport things, modelling tools (polyboost renamed and improved) and nitrous are nice, but the new interface trends are a big let down.

If i only could get a solid workaround for the skin modifier crashing you get sooner or later...
Max 2009 tends to crash when you enter skin mirror mode - only solution is rebuilding your skin modifier than, sometimes a simply copy and paste modifier works too...

[Anonymous]

hey thanks. I fiddled with shift which locks constraints in photoshop. Ctrl. thats awesome. I've been doing this for 8 years and I didn't know. . /cry 😄

I've also reverted back to backburner 2008. Which solves most if not all of BB problems.

We dont do much biped or organic animation at my workplace. so i wouldn't know about these problems in v2009. 🙂

I still have a long way to go before I can tell my boss everything is honky dory and we can start producing in 2012. It seems i have only scratched the surface of 2012's potential for problems.

Thinking about it... 2011 was a pretty OK release too. Maybe they make even numbered versions crap. And odd numbered versions good. On purpose! 😛

*Sigh*

[spacefrog_]

yeah - the skin crash is there in with or without latest hotfixes and even subscription goodie package...
guess 2009 will never be touched again so i have to live with it ...

on the other hand the skin modifier source code is in the SDK , i even tried to refactor the code using the Max 2011 SDK sample code, but did'nt come far - yes i was able to compile but loading of the skin recompile fails in Max 2009 becuaee of some missing DLL entries... i gave up than.. but if anyone clever ( Dave Baker @ maxplugins.de maybe 😉 ) - maybe he could find a fix for the Max 2009 skincrasher ...