3DS

3DS is the original (legacy) file format for Kinetix' 3D Studio and 3D Studio MAX product line (now part of AutoDesk). It contains the 3D model data for the complete scene.

See also the successor format, MAX.

Identification
3DS files begin with bytes. (Note that many TIFF files begin the same way, though 3DS is not related to TIFF.)

Sample Files

 * 3DS Max Bible with 3DS and MAX samples
 * https://telparia.com/fileFormatSamples/poly/studioMesh3D/

Resources

 * Wikipedia page on 3DS
 * 3D Studio File Format (1994 Autodesk release)
 * , from the Encyclopedia of Graphics File Formats.
 * Reverse-engineered specs
 * More reverse-engineered specs
 * LGPL library for reading/writing 3DS files