New features in 3ds Max 2012 include:

• Nitrous Accelerated Graphics Core: Enjoy dramatic improvements in performance and visual quality in the viewport.
• Substance Procedural Textures: Achieve a vast range of look variations with 80 new Substance procedural textures.
• iray Renderer: Get more predictable, photo-realistic results without worrying about rendering settings.
• Enhanced UVW Unwrapping: Create better UVW maps in less time, with a new mapping method.
• Sculpting and Painting Enhancements: Enjoy greater control over brushstrokes and their effects, with new Conform, Transform, and Constrain-to-Spline brushes.