Originally introduced in a 2021 update, 3ds Max 2022 integrated Smart Extrude into the Edit Poly modifier. This allowed for "Cut Through" operations, enabling users to extrude geometry through a mesh to automatically create holes or stitch geometry together seamlessly.
The "Bake to Texture" feature, which debuted in 2021, became more stable in 2022 with 12 new pre-configured map types for game development and real-time visualization.
3ds Max 2022 focused on speed. The Extrude Modifier saw performance gains up to 100x, while AutoSmooth and other modifiers like Symmetry and Slice were optimized for multi-threading.
Version 2021 began the transition, and 2022 fully set Python 3.7 as the default interpreter, aligning the software with modern industry standards. System Requirements for 2021 & 2022