BONUS CHAPTER

Installing and Configuring 3ds Max 2011

efore you can enjoy all the great features in 3ds Max, you have to install the software and get your system configured properly. This bonus chapter helps you do just that. After youre finished here, youre ready to go.

IN THIS CHAPTER
Choosing an operating system Understanding hardware requirements Installing 3ds Max 2011 Authorizing the software Setting the display driver

Choosing an Operating System

If youre purchasing a new computer to run 3ds Max and have the luxury of customizing your system, you can do several things to make life easier. One of your first decisions is what operating system to use to run Max. 3ds Max 2011 can run on Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. You can also run Max on a Mac using Boot Camp or Parallels Desktop.

Caution
Max 2011 does not run on Windows XP Home. n

Regardless of the operating system you choose, make sure you have installed the latest Service Pack (which you can download for free from Microsofts Web site at www.microsoft.com). Each of these operating systems enables you to run multiple copies of 3ds Max at the same time on a single machine. If youre running the 64-bit version of Max, you need to be running a 64-bit operating system.

Note
If you plan to install Max onto a Windows Vista computer, you need to turn off User Access Control (UAC) in the Command Panel before starting the installation. n

Also note that Windows 2000, NT, Windows 98, and Windows ME are not supported.

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Hardware Requirements
To get good performance from 3ds Max, you need a fairly meaty machine. A good default system to use is a Pentium i5 or i7 or an AMD Athlon-based computer with 4GB or more of RAM (and 4GB of swap space) and a decent-sized hard drive and monitor. If need be, you can get by with as little as 2GB of RAM (with 2GB swap space), but you may spend lots of time watching your computer churn furiously to keep up. A dual Intel Xeon, a dual AMD Athlon, or a 64-bit Opteron system is recommended.

Note
Max under Vista or XP can take advantage of multiprocessor machines. n

3ds Max has been compiled to run on both 32-bit and 64-bit computers. If you elect to use a 64-bit system, Max will be able to deal with dramatically larger data sets. For the 64-bit version of Max, you need a minimum of 4GB of memory with 8GB recommended. One element of your system that will probably have the greatest impact on the performance of 3ds Max is the graphics card. Any good graphics card has specialized hardware that will take much of the workload off your computers CPU, freeing it up to do other tasks. 3ds Max is very graphics intensive, and a little extra money in the graphics card department will go a long way toward boosting your performance. The good news is that hardware accelerated graphics cards are becoming cheaper: You can get great cards for $200$300. When searching for a graphics card, make sure that it can support a resolution of at least 2048 1024 at 16-bit color with 3D graphics acceleration, including support for OpenGL and/or DirectX 9.0c and 10. Youll also want a minimum of 512MB on the graphics card, but look for cards with at least 1GB or more for 3D graphics acceleration. You can use some of the graphics boards built to run computer games; however, be aware that some boards claim to support OpenGL but actually support only a subset of it. Before going out to make your purchase, you can access a list of certified hardware on the Autodesk Web site using the Help 3ds Max on the Web Certified Hardware menu.

Tip
A video card is only as good as the available drivers. Max relies heavily on these drivers. If the driver has trouble, then your display flickers, has speed problems, or just plain doesnt work. Both nVidia and ATI video cards have excellent drivers with broad support. n

For the complete installation, you need 3GB of hard drive space. You can get by with less if you choose the Compact installation option. Another handy piece of hardware to have is a scrollable mouse. A scrollable mouse makes moving through menus and the Command Panel easier, and it gives you a third button, which you can use to navigate the viewports. Max also ships on DVD-ROM, so you need a DVD-ROM drive to install the software. Max also supports graphics tablets.

Tip
If you can install Max on a separate physical drive from the drive that Windows runs on, then youll see an increase in speed because Max doesnt need to compete with Windows for access to the hard drive. n

Bonus Chapter 1: Installing and Configuring 3ds Max 2011

Installing 3ds Max 2011

Installing Max is straightforward. Heres what you need to do:
1. Insert the Max Installation DVD into the DVD drive. The setup program starts up automatically. If you dont have Windows Autorun enabled, or if the setup program doesnt start, run the Setup. exe program on the DVD. 2. When the setup program starts, the 3ds Max 2011 Installation window, shown in Figure 1, displays a menu of four options: Install Products, Create Deployments, Install Tools and Utilities, and Read the Documentation. The Create Deployments link begins a wizard for installing a network version of Max, and the Install Tools and Utilities link gives you access to install the supporting tools, including the Max SDK. Click the Install Products link to continue.

Note
The Install Tools and Utilities link includes links to install 3ds Max 2011 SDK and SDK Help for Visual Studio, Autodesk Asset Locator, Network License Manager, SAMreport-Lite (which requires a license), RPC Plug-in with sample content, EASYnat 2.5 trial, Craft Director Studio, PixelActive CityScape promo, Okino PolyTrans and NuGraf plug-in demos, and TurboSquid Tentacles. You also find info links for learning more about each of these tools and utilities along with links to download a trial of other Autodesk products. n

FIGURE 1 The first page of the installation wizard divides the products into four choices.

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3. The next screen lists the various products, as shown in Figure 2. After reviewing the product list, click the check box for either the 32-bit or 64-bit versions of Max along with any additional products that you want to install at the same time. Be sure to select the version that matches your operating system.
FIGURE 2 The Products to Install screen splits the products into several different installations.

Tip
Many of the features of 3ds Max are listed as separate installations on the Products screen, including the Composite 2011, Autodesk Backburner (used for network rendering), and the Autodesk Material Library. If you dont select some of these options, you can save some disk space, but the feature is not installed. You can install them later if you need them. n

4. In the next screen, the 3ds Max 2011 Setup Wizard shows the Software License Agreement. Choose your country, and read the corresponding License Agreement. After youve read the agreement, click the I Accept option. Click Next to move on. 5. The next screen asks you to input your name, organization, and serial number. Then click Next. 6. The next screen shows a summary page of which products youve selected to install. 7. If you click the Configure button, you can cycle through several pages of configuration options, including the choice to install Max as a stand-alone version or as a network version. If the Network License option is selected, you need to enter the name of the server that is running the Network License Server. The next configuration option is to install the components as a Typical or a Custom installation. If you choose a Custom installation, you can choose which subcomponents to install. These components include Additional Maps and Materials, the Essential Skill Movies, and plug-ins for Vault 2009 and 2010. You also can select the location where Max will be

Bonus Chapter 1: Installing and Configuring 3ds Max 2011

installed. Click the Configuration Complete button to continue with the installation. When all products are configured, click the Install link. Each of the various selected options is then installed and the wizard shows the progress. 8. When the installation is complete, a screen appears informing you that the installation is complete, as shown in Figure 3. The final screen also includes an option to view the Readme file that you can enable.

Tip
Unlike many Readme files, Maxs Readme file includes detailed information about a list of features, including clearer descriptions about the features idiosyncrasies and a troubleshooting section. If youre having trouble with a specific feature, see the Readme file. n

Note
When Max installation is complete, it does not require Windows to be rebooted. n

FIGURE 3 Once installed, a summary page shows the components that were installed.

In the lower-left corner of the installation window are links for Documentation and Support.

Registering and Activating the Software

After Max is installed, you can start Max using the desktop shortcut or the Start menu, but Max requires that you register and activate the software through Autodesk for permanent use. The software continues to run for 30 days without activation, but after 30 days it quits working.

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An Activation screen appears when you start Max after installation. Using this screen, you can launch the Activation Wizard or run the software unactivated for 30 days. The Registration Wizard automatically appears when you select the Activate the product option and click the Next button. The first screen of the Registration Wizard lets you get an activation code or enter an activation code if you have one. To obtain an activation code, you need to enter information such as your name, address, and company name. You can also specify whether this copy is an upgrade. If youre upgrading your Max version, you need to include the serial number for your previous version. The Serial Number and Request Code are automatically filled in using the numbers you entered during the installation. You can authorize the software using a direct connection to the Web, fax, e-mail, or regular mail. If you receive an activation code via fax, e-mail, or mail, you can select the Already have an activation code option on the first screen that appears when you run Max and click Next. A screen opens where you can enter the activation code. The wizard registers this number with Max and completes the registration process.

Caution
The activation code is specific to a specific computer and works only for that computer. If you want to install the software on a separate computer, you need to obtain another activation code. n

Note
After you activate Max, a dialog box for the Customer Involvement Program appears. This program lets you send comments on the software to Autodesk. You also can access this dialog box in the Help Customer Involvement Program menu. The program lets you submit comments anonymously, with contact information, or to select not to participate. n

Setting the Display Driver

When Max is first run, a dialog of Learning Movies appears. This screen shows several short movies that explain the basic features of Max and are worth previewing. These movies are different for 3ds Max and 3ds Max Design. As part of the Max default installation, DirectX drivers are installed. Because Max knows these drivers are available, it uses them to run the software in Direct 3D mode by default. Even though Direct 3D is used by default, you can change the display driver to OpenGL if you want. If Max is running, you can change the display driver in Max by choosing Customize Preferences and clicking the Choose Driver button in the Viewports panel. This opens the Direct3D Driver Setup dialog box. If you click the Revert from Direct3D button, then the Graphics Driver Setup dialog box, shown in Figure 4, opens. If you change the graphics driver, you need to restart Max before the new driver is used.

Note
Most recent graphics cards include support for both OpenGL and DirectX built in, so you may want to try OpenGL or Direct3D to see if they work. n

You can choose one of three different drivers to use in Max: Software, OpenGL, or Direct3D. You also have the option of selecting a custom driver.

Tip
If you want to change a display driver when starting Max, select the Start All Programs Autodesk Autodesk 3ds Max 2011 Change Graphics Mode program. n

Bonus Chapter 1: Installing and Configuring 3ds Max 2011

FIGURE 4 This dialog box lets you choose the display driver to use.

Software
The software display driver option is Maxs own built-in software graphics driver. Because the software driver does not take advantage of any special graphics hardware that your graphics card supports, your computers CPU does all the work. The nice thing about this option is that it works on any computer, even if you dont have a good graphics card. If youre having display problems, try starting up Max using software drivers to make sure that everything has installed correctly. Next, try the different graphics drivers to see whether you can move up to something faster.

OpenGL
If your graphics card supports OpenGL in hardware, this is a great driver to use. OpenGL works under all Windows operating systems and is typically present on high-end graphics cards. In order for Max to use OpenGL, the drivers must support OpenGL 1.1 or later. One of the features enabled with the OpenGL drivers is Virtual Viewports.

Direct3D
Direct3D uses the graphics cards hardware capabilities and simulates anything else it needs in software. You must have DirectX 9.0 or higher installed for these drivers to work, but it is installed by default automatically, so you should be good to go. Simulating different features makes Direct3D run on a wide range of computers, but it can be much slower. If your graphics cards drivers support all of Direct3D in hardware, then using this driver might give you good performance. If it switches to software mode, however, it will be much slower.

Custom
Max also can use custom drivers created by a graphics card manufacturer. You need to add the driver file to the \Drivers directory where Max is installed.

Updating Max
Max includes a feature for checking for and automatically installing updates. From within Max, you can select Help 3ds Max on the Web Updates. This menu command opens a Web page where the updates are posted. You also can schedule Max to look for updates automatically using the Communication Center button in the InfoCenter toolbar. This button provides access to a dialog box where you can be automatically informed when updates are available.

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Moving Max to Another Computer

A stand-alone license of Max can exist on only one computer at a time. If you reinstall Max on a different computer, you need to export the license to the new computer. Exporting a license is accomplished using the License Transfer Utility, shown in Figure 5. This utility can be found in the Start All Programs Autodesk Autodesk 3ds Max 2011 folder.

Note
If you are running Max from a network, an alternative to exporting a license is borrowing one using the Help License Borrowing Borrow License. The Help License Borrowing Return License menu command returns the borrowed license when youre finished. n

FIGURE 5 Use the Portable License Utility to move a Max license to another computer.

The Portable License Utility displays all licenses on the current computer and the identification code for the computer (which has been blanked out for this figure). Select the license to export, and click the Export button. This saves the license to a file that you can import using the same utility on the new computer. After you export your license, it continues to work on the original computer for a 24-hour grace period.