"3dsMax is owned by Discreet, a subdivision of Autodesk" 3dsMax is Discreets product, Autodesk owns Discreet. If Autodesk likes a software they either buy the company or crush them. Autodesk makes Microsoft look user friendly. Autodesk probably sets the price on 3dsMax; all their mainline software is over $2000. I guess they feel that keeps out the riffraff. "AutoCAD is a design/drafting program. AutoCADs primary output is blueprints (for lack of a better term) not models." AutoCAD is quite capable of modeling. It can create wire frame, surfaced, or solid models. AutoCAD can render with ray tracing, it has lights, cameras, UV mapping, materials, textures, and refection maps.