3ds Max Design 2009 Readme

This document contains late-breaking information about Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2009 software. For new and updated information about all Autodesk products, visit our website at: http://www.autodesk.com/

Installing Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2009

Before an end-user with restricted Windows operating system privileges can run Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2009, an administrator with full privileges must install and start the software one time in order to generate the Windows operating system registry information needed to complete the install. Before installing any third-party plug-ins for Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2009, an administrator with full privileges must start 3ds Max Design 2009 at least one time to generate the necessary folders for third-party plug-ins. On the Windows Vista operating system users must first turn off User Access Control (UAC) before attempting to install 3ds Max Design 2009. To work properly on the Windows Vista operating system, the InfoCenter feature requires that 3ds Max Design 2009 must be started once with UAC turned off. When you install on the Windows Vista operating system, a red x appears when the installer reaches .Net 2.0 SP1. This reason is that this update applies only to the Windows XP operating system. The ".Net 2.0" service pack is already included in the Vista operating system, so the XP version is not installed.

If you install 3ds Max Design to a drive other than your systems main C: drive, you need to copy the InfoCenter XML support files from the \help directory on the installation CD to your C: drive. The directory depends on which version of 3ds Max Design you are using, as follows: Windows XP operating system, 32-bit version: C:\Documents and Settings\<username> \Local Settings\Application Data\Autodesk\3dsmax\2009 - 32bit\enu\plugcfg\Infocenter\XmlFiles Windows XP operating system, 64-bit version: C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Local Settings\Application Data\Autodesk\3dsmax\2009 - 64bit\enu\plugcfg\Infocenter\XmlFiles

Vista operating system, 32-bit version: C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Autodesk\3dsmax\2009 - 32bit\enu\plugcfg\Infocenter\XmlFiles Vista operating system, 64-bit version: C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Application Data\Autodesk\3dsmax\2009 64bit\enu\plugcfg\Infocenter\XmlFiles

Uninstalling Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2009

The process for removing Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2009 is described in the Autodesk 3ds Max 2009 and 3ds Max Design 2009 Installation Guide. For information on removing files that are left on your machine after an uninstall please see the support website: http://www.autodesk.com/3dsmaxdesign-support. Search for removing files after uninstall.

Release Version with Beta

If you previously installed any beta version (including release-candidate versions) of Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2009, you must uninstall and delete all system folders pertaining to these pre-release versions before you can install the commercial version. Instructions on how to uninstall the software are posted on the beta portal in the Beta/RC Readme files.

Known Problems and Limitations in Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2009

64-Bit DWF
The 64-bit version does not launch Autodesk Design Review when you publish to the DWF file format, in the way it did with the DWF viewer.

Steering Wheel VRML Constraints Constraints

When you create a constraint, dashed lines are not drawn correctly in viewports. To solve this problem turn off the ViewCube feature. There is no VRML Import in the 64-bit version. The SteeringWheels feature is not stable when it runs in OpenGL display mode.

Daylight Simulation Animation

When a daylight system is controlled by a weather file, the start frame of the weather file will be the same as the Auto Key Default Frame Time as specified in the Customize Menu > Animation Tab. Therefore for 3ds Max Design Exposure, an animated daylight system controlled by a weather file defaults to start at frame 1. Related to this, when you use Match The Timeline from the Weather File Configuration dialog, the animation range automatically adjusts to start at the proper start frame.

Display Exposure Control

Exposure control is not fully supported in viewports. When control is enabled, under certain conditions the viewport and the rendered image might vary a lot in terms of brightness and contrast.

General Running 3ds Max Design 2009

3ds Max Design 2009 cannot start up from a mapped network drive, even if that drive is actually on the local machine. Attempting to run 3ds Max Design from a mapped drive causes a security exception.

Undo File I/O FBX Import\Export

To ensure backward compatibility, use version 2009 of the FBX file format plug-in for all application versions (for example, 3ds Max 9, 3ds Max 2008, Autodesk Maya 8.5 software, Autodesk Maya 2008 software). With the FBX plug-in, you should only read or write to network locations that are mapped as a drive letter (as opposed to a UNC path). Undo or Redo of File Link operations on saved files with radiosity causes a crash.

Loading 3ds Max files

3ds Max 9 UVW animation is lost when you open a scene file in 3ds Max Design 2009

Revit Interoperability
Only the current 3D Autodesk Revit software view is imported into 3ds Max Design 2009 Revit always exports units in feet to FBX, even when the Revit scene is metric units All lights imported from Revit have the same name The photometric file (.ies) of a light imported from Revit into 3ds Max Design 2009 has a different name than the one displayed in Revit. The file used by the light in 3ds Max Design 2009 is otherwise identical to the one used by the light in Revit When naming lights in 3ds Max Design, do not use special characters such as the foot () or inches () symbols. Such characters cause errors with the Light Lister tool (Tools>Light Lister). Similarly, imported lights from other applications such as Revit may contain such characters in the lights names. Make sure you remove these characters if you are planning to use Light Lister.

Since the Light Lister tool is not compatible with special characters you will need to manually fix the name of a pendant light in one of the tutorial scene files shipped with 3ds Max Design 2009. In the Autodesk 3ds Max Design Tutorials > Using Autodesk Revit > Scene Management tutorial you open a file called beachhouse_scene_management.max. Select the Pendant Light and remove the inches sign () from its name so that it correctly reads: Pendant Light - Linear - 2 Lamp 48 - 120V [151885]

Help Procedural and Essential Skills Movies

The Procedural and Essential Skills Movies shipped with 3ds Max Design 2009 are optimized for Windows 32-bit machines. If you have any issues viewing the Essential Skills Movies we recommend that you try viewing the Flash movies available on autodesk.com. You can visit: http://www.autodesk.com/3dsmaxdesign-essentials to view these movies.

InfoCenter
The first time you use InfoCenter, the search results will be incomplete. They do not include items from the help or tutorials. After you use InfoCenter at least once, and then restart 3ds Max Design, the search results will be complete.

Lighting Photometric Lights

The preview of photometric web distributions is flipped by 180 degrees. The photometric web does display correctly in viewports and does render correctly.

Materials Color Correction

There is a crash in the Lightness rollout of the new Composite Map. If you switch from Standard to Advanced and then repeat the same switch, 3ds Max Design 2009 will crash. Using MonoChrome, Invert, or Custom radio buttons causes a program error. Also, if you apply a Color Correct map to the diffuse component, close the Material Editor, and reset 3ds Max Design 2009, you will get a program error.

Composite Map
When used in a bump channel, only the Normal Blend Mode is supported.

Modifiers Fit
This feature works well if the spline is inside the mesh. If the spline is outside the mesh or on the surface, Fit will be unpredictable or will not react at all.

Performance
When working with complex scenes that cause your machine to run out of resources, the AutoCam feature can cause noticeable performance degradation. If you encounter this issue it is suggested that you fully disable the AutoCam plug-in. To disable the AutoCam plug-in: 1. Close Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2009. 2. In the Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2009 root folder (Default path C:\Program Files\Autodesk\3ds Max 2009) open the \stdplugs folder in Windows Explorer. 3. Locate the file called AutoCamMax.gup. 4. Right-click the file and select Rename. 5. Rename the file to AutoCamMax.gup.bak. 6. Restart Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2009. Note: To re-enable this feature rename the file to AutoCamMax.gup.

Rendering Final Gather Rollout

On the Render dialog > Indirect Illumination tab, when the read\write file checkbox in the Final Gather rollout is enabled, an automatic path and file name will be assigned. This default FGmap file is only available for the current session, and will not be usable in future sessions. To fix this problem rename the file so that you can reuse it in future sessions.

Hair

If you change the initial settings for tool options and UI layout to 3ds Max Design mental ray software and then restart 3ds Max Design 2009, you might run into render problems with the Hair shader if you set the active renderer back to scanline.

mental ray Proxies

You can apply modifiers to mental ray proxies. The modifiers do not affect the render, and usually do nothing to proxy geometry. As of now, the only known modifier that alters the proxy is Skew.

Rendered Frame Window

When you use the 32-bit floating-point frame, the following render effects are incompatible: All lens effects Blur Brightness and Contrast Film Grain Motion Blur Depth of Field

XRef Scene XRef

If you render a master scene file that contains scene XRefs, disable the Automatic Update option on all XRefs before you render.

Autodesk, DWF, FBX, Maya, Revit, SteeringWheels, ViewCube, and 3ds Max are trademarks or registered trademarks of Autodesk, Inc . in the USA and other countries. mental ray is a registered trademark of mental images GmbH licensed for use by Autodesk, Inc. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product offerings and specifications at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that might appear in this document. 2008 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.