3DS

File Format
Name	3DS
Ontology	Electronic File Formats 3D and CAD/CAM Models 3DS
Extension(s)	.3ds, .max
MIME Type(s)	application/x-3ds, image/x-3ds
PRONOM	fmt/978
Wikidata ID	Q4545331
Released	Presumably 1990

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 0x4D 0x4D. (Note that many TIFF files begin the same way, though 3DS is not related to TIFF.)

ASE files (ASCII Scene Export) are expteded by 3DS Max and the format is described ASE_(file_format)

Software

• assimp

Sample Files

• 3DS Max Bible with 3DS and MAX samples
• dexvert samples — poly/threeDStudio
• dexvert samples — poly/threeDStudioASE

Resources

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