Additional Notes About  
3ds max? 4.2
 
This file contains the latest information regarding product changes and feature behaviors. For information about new features, see the online User Reference (help). For continuously updated information on all of discreet?s products, visit our website at:
 
 
 
<http://www.discreet.com/>
 
 
 
Information regarding character studioâ 3.2  and reactorÔ 1.2 is included at the end of this file.
 
 
 
Information pertaining to MAXScripter and the SDK is contained in the file Readme_3dsmax4_2_Scripter_SDK.rtf.
 
Notes About Authorization, Installation, and Registration
·      The Update Install is supported for use over 3ds max 4.0, 4.01, and 4.02 only. Installation over an earlier 3ds max version (for example, 3.0 or 3.1) is not supported.
 
 
 
·      When running the 3ds max 4.2 installation (either the full CD install or the Update installer), if any C-Dilla based software is opened, or if the C-Dilla service is running, a message will display:
 
 
 
"Installation cannot continue because another application is running. Please close all other applications, wait for 30 seconds, and then continue the installation."  
 
 
 
This message means that another application (e.g. 3ds max) that uses C-Dilla drivers is currently loaded. To correct this:
 
 
 
Close 3ds max or the other C-Dilla based application and wait for the C-Dilla service to shut down (usually 15-20 secs after you close the application)
 
 
 
Terminate the CDilla64 and CDilla10 services using Task Manager.
 
 
 
After the conflicting application has closed, clicking OK will resume the installation. Or canceling the installation, rebooting your computer, and restarting the installation will also solve this.
 
 
 
·      Under certain circumstances, the software lock components might not get installed properly. If after you install 3ds max 4.2, you get errors [7.1.29] or [19.1.93] when you try to start the program, this is an indication that the software lock components are not running. First, try rebooting the machine. If that fails, make sure (under WindowsNT or Windows 2000) that you are logged on as Administrator of the computer, and then (1) Go to the folder labeled \3dsmax4\swl and run cdsetup.exe; (2) click Install; (3) when the installation is complete, click Exit and reboot before launching 3ds max again.
 
 
 
·      After uninstalling 3ds max 4.2 there may be files left in the 3ds max 4.2 folder. Before reinstalling 3ds max 4.2, please delete any files that may not have been uninstalled.
 
 
 
·      Running Net Render applications while installing the 4.2 Update will prevent them from being updated. It is strongly recommended that you close all applications when installing the max 4.2 update. You may need to check if the Net Render applications are running as services, and stop and remove them prior to performing the update.
 
 
 
·      The folder c:\c_dilla is related to the 3ds max install and is required for 3ds max to run. Do not delete or rename this folder.
 
 
 
·      Before a user with Restricted Privileges can run 3ds max 4.2 under Windowsâ, an Administrator must launch it at least once. The first launch generates registry information, which completes the install.
 
 
 
·      If you uninstall 3ds max 4 after installing 3ds max 4.2 update, the i-dropä installer will be executed the next time you (1) reboot your system, (2) run Explorer or (3) run Internet Explorer.  
 
 
 
·      Under some circumstances on Windows 98, the Setup will ask for a newer version of OLEAUT32.DLL. You can solve this by installing IE 5.5.  Navigate to the IE5 folder and executing IESetup.EXE.
 
Notes About Features
ACTIVESHADE
·      An ActiveShade floater or viewport updates every time a render element is added using the Render Scene dialog.
 
 
 
·                Changing the RectangleXYWH value in the [FloatingActiveShadeWindowRectangle] section of the 3dsmax.ini file has no effect on the ActiveShade window position or size.
 
 
 
·      Using Raytrace materials may cause the ActiveShade window to lose focus, activating the main UI keyboard shortcuts. Click in the ActiveShade window to reactivate ActiveShade keyboard shortcuts.
 
 
 
·      Using the Hide Frozen Objects option in the Display panel does not hide the objects from the ActiveShade renderer.
 
 
 
·                Changing map types on projector lights in ActiveShade after doing a scene render is not currently supported.
 
 
 
·      It is recommended that you close the ActiveShade window when going into Raytrace Materials Global Ray Antialiaser settings dialog.
 
 
 
ASSET BROWSER
·      Voloä View is currently not supported.
 
 
 
·      The ?Display obsolete file? message option does not apply to files that you drag and drop as opposed to those that you open with File > Open.
 
 
 
·      Scene XRef drag and drop of files with scripts that depend on explicit scene object references can cause unpredictable results or program failure.
 
 
 
BITMAP PAGER (BMM)
 
·      This option, when enabled, allows 3ds max to create a temporary ?page? file on the drive where 3ds max is installed for use in rendering bitmaps (texture and frame buffer). When turned off (the default), it minimizes memory usage. It can be turned on using 3dsmax.ini file switches under the [Performance] section.
 
 
 
o      BitmapPager=1                        // Enables the pager
 
 
 
o      BitmapPagerThreshold=                        // Optional. How big (in bytes) a bitmap has to  
 
                            be in order to get paged.  
 
                            Default = RAM/100. Actual default value to  
 
                            be determined.
 
 
 
o      BitmapPagerPageSize=                        // Optional. The size of each page. There are  
 
                            2*numProcessors pages in memory for  
 
                            each bitmap. Default = 128kb, meaning  
 
                            that each paged bitmap would take up  
 
                            512kb on a dual processor machine.
 
 
 
·      Certain features, like Image Motion Blur are not compatible with the pager and may cause rendering times to increase exponentially.
 
 
 
BONES
·          Bones creation behavior can be unpredictable when using Snap Override. When you use SHIFT+right-click to invoke Snap Override, the Bones system interprets this as a left-click and places a bone in the scene.
 
 
 
·      The Macro Recorder does not support Bones creation. However, you can manipulate the bones with the Macro Recorder after creating them.
 
 
 
BOOLEANS
·      Edges created during a Boolean operation involving compound (nested) Booleans will be visible. These edges should be invisible. This affects only viewport display modes that display visible edges, such as Wireframe, Lit Wireframes, and Edged Faces.
 
 
 
CAMERAS
·      Panning a Camera view with the middle mouse button highlights the Truck Camera navigation button, but does not turn off this mode when you release the mouse.
 
 
 
CHAMFER
·      Using a negative value can result in fillet edges reversed in opposite directions.
 
 
 
COMBUSTION/PAINT MAPS
·      Loading IPP files from paint* is not supported. To use an IPP file, load it into combustionä and save it as a CWS file.
 
 
 
·                combustion needs to be installed on your system in order to view CWS files. It should also be installed on all network-rendering servers if you are going to net render a scene that contains CWS files. combustion does not have to be authorized on the net rendering servers.
 
 
 
·      CWS files that were created as ?rub-throughs? won?t display unless combustion is installed on your computer.
 
 
 
·      In the Combustion Parameters rollout, when Track Time or Custom Resolution > Enable is turned on, viewport selections are not highlighted.
 
 
 
·      When you use a combustion map with a Displace modifier or as a projector light map, the scene will not render correctly while a live link exists between 3ds max and combustion. To render correctly, save the loaded workspace file, and then turn off the Edit button to terminate the link between 3ds max and combustion.
 
 
 
·      Using the combustion map (within 3ds max 4.2) with combustion and attempting to change the UV Coordinates while Unwrap is selected and the Unwrap operation is visible in combustion, you might experience a disconnection error in 3ds max. To correct this, ensure all your UV settings are in place before you attempt to edit your map within combustion. The disconnection alert only appears when you have an object selected in your scene, so if you unselect your object and change the Unwrap UV channels, no disconnection error should appear.
 
 
 
·      The UV Offset values in the Coordinates rollout of the Paint map are not honored when  painting directly on the object in 3ds max 4.2. To offset the UVW Coordinates of the paint map, apply a UVW Map modifier and a UVW XForm modifier.
 
 
 
CONTROLLERS
·      On/Off controller keys might be deleted when animating a parameter on and off. Repeatedly toggling a Boolean parameter on and off while Animate is on might delete downstream On/Off keys.
 
 
 
·      Shift-cloning path-constrained objects might not position copies properly. Creating clones of a path-constrained object using the Shift-Move technique will not evenly space each clone apart from its previous sibling.
 
 
 
·                Mirroring an object constrained by the Look-At constraint flips the look-at axis. To correct this, use the new Mirror Bones option, which prevents the Mirror tool from inverting the object?s scale. You can also activate the Flip check box in the Look-At constraint?s upnode Source Axis group.
 
 
 
·      3ds max 4.2 scenes using Euler XYZ rotation controllers saved with the default Euler axis order (XYZ) are 100% backward compatible with 3ds max 4 and 4.02.  Please note that 3ds max 4.2 scenes using anything other than the default Euler axis order are NOT backward compatible.
 
 
 
·      In 3ds max 4.0 the TCB controller was enhanced with the capability of performing quaternion rotations of greater than 180 degrees. This enhancement allows objects to be ?wound up? interactively in the viewports. This enhancement produces a side effect when editing rotation keys in the timeline or in Track View. As a general rule, a quaternion rotation takes the shortest path between rotation poses. However, when editing TCB rotation keys via Delete, Cut and Paste, or Drag and Drop, or if keyframes are added in the middle of existing keyframes, the animation near the edited keys may rotate opposite to its original direction. That is to say it takes the long way around to arrive at the same pose at the next keyframe. If this is undesirable there are several remedies:
 
 
 
If it is not important to preserve rotations of greater than 180 deg:
 
· Assign the Linear or Smooth quaternion controllers, which operate exactly the same as they did in R3. These controllers will only rotate a maximum of 180 degrees between keyframes.  If TCB interpolation control is needed, it can then be assigned. Existing Smooth or Linear keyframe poses will be preserved. TCB interpolation control will then be available.
 
 
 
· Find offending keyframes (ones where the object has spun the ?wrong way around? to the current pose) and edit them interactively in a viewport by rotating the object back around so that it spins in the ?correct? direction.
 
 
 
If Continuous Rotation (where keyframes are greater then 180 deg) is important:
 
· Consider assigning the new EulerXYZ controller, which now fully supports continuous rotation. Existing TCB poses will successfully translate into the EulerXYZ controller.
 
 
 
· Find offending keyframes (ones where the object has spun the ?wrong way around? to the current pose) and edit them interactively in a viewport by rotating the object around the opposite way so that it spins in the ?correct? direction.
 
 
 
· Viewing the trajectory of objects linked (parented) to the rotating object may be helpful when interactively editing these keyframes
 
 
 
·      NURBS Point controllers should be individually re-assigned from the Surface object level rather than at the Master Controller level in Track View in order to see their effect.
 
 
 
·      Master Point controllers are compound controllers, and depend on sub-controllers and their structure; therefore you cannot cut and paste Master Point controllers.
 
 
 
CUSTOM ATTRIBUTES
·      Making a copy of a material that has custom attributes also copies the custom attributes.  Any custom attribute changes then affect both materials. Using Delete All to delete the Custom Attributes rollout on the copy should end this behavior.
 
 
 
·      The Default value in the Integer UI Options rollout is ignored when creating a new Integer custom attribute. The value in the Float UI Options rollout is used instead. When creating a new Integer custom attribute set the default value in the Float UI Options rollout first before defining the other values in the Integer UI Options.
 
 
 
DEPTH OF FIELD
·      Using Atmospheric Effects with the Depth of Field rendering effect is currently not supported.
 
 
 
DISPLAY
·                Direct3D display might work incorrectly on video cards with less than 32 MB of video memory.
 
 
 
·      Vertex colors display correctly only with the Software Z-Buffer and OpenGL drivers. They are not fully supported by the Direct3D driver.
 
 
 
·      At this time, using the DirectX 8 / Direct3D display mode in 3ds max is supported only by the most recent NVIDIA® driver. Drivers that are not compatible with DirectX 8 do not work correctly with 3ds max 4.2 in Direct3D mode.
 
 
 
·                Occasionally, scenes containing transparent geometry do not display correctly. To fix this, switch to Stipple transparency using the Viewport Configuration dialog.
 
 
 
·                Windows NT 4.0 does not support Direct3D for 3ds max 4.2.
 
 
 
·      The option Display Wireframe Objects Using Triangle Strips does not work in OpenGL or Direct3D.
 
 
 
·                Switching options in the Configure Direct3D dialog might cause problems. To correct this, delete d3dgfx.ini from your \3dsmax4 directory.
 
 
 
·      Some video cards might display only half the lines on wireframe objects. To fix this, turn off the toggle Use Wireframe Faces (Custom Driver Extension) in the Configure OpenGL dialog, located under Customize > Preferences > Viewports panel.
 
 
 
·                Viewport antialiasing is not supported under Direct3D or OpenGL.
 
 
 
·      The optional Pentium III-optimized HEIDI display driver displays opacity maps incorrectly.
 
 
 
·      Running 3ds max 4.2 with the track bar UI hidden can increase viewport performance. The track bar UI can be turned off through Customize > Show UI and unchecking Show Track Bar.
 
 
 
·      Running 3ds max 4.2 with some Matrox cards can cause the 3dsmax.exe process to remain in the task manager after closing 3ds max.
 
 
 
·      Display wireframe objects with triangle faces doesn't work with the Use Wire Faces option turned on. Be sure to turn off the Use Wire Faces check box.
 
 
 
EDITABLE MESH
·      The Redraw Viewports shortcut key 1 doesn?t work with Edit Mesh or Editable Meshes. To fix this, go to the Customize > Customize User Interface dialog, Keyboard tab, under Group: Edit/Editable Mesh, and Remove the shortcut (1 by default) assigned to Vertex Level.
 
 
 
·      3ds max 3.1 files that have a stack where an Edit Mesh modifier is on top of a MeshSmooth modifier, and sub-object collapses have been made at the Edit Mesh level, may load into 3ds max 4 with missing faces and distorted geometry. The workaround, in 3ds max 3.1, is to collapse to the highest MeshSmooth level in the stack that's under an Edit Mesh modifier with sub-object collapses, and save that file.
 
 
 
EDITABLE POLY & POLYMESH OBJECT
·      If an Editable Mesh has selected face normals flipped, converting it to an Editable Poly can cause problems. The conversion process attempts to divide the object into elements to keep a legal condition. The division method might be unpredictable and will probably be based on how many vertices are shared between flipped and nonflipped faces. Unifying the normals before conversion is recommended. Or, you can detach the flipped faces as elements before conversion, and the elements will be respected by the Editable Poly conversion. This will ensure a more orderly and predictable conversion.
 
 
 
·      Interior patch edges that are not displayed will always appear as visible edges after a Polymesh conversion.
 
 
 
FILE MENU
·      3ds max 4.2 files are 100% backward compatible with 3ds max 4 and 4.02.  However, 3ds max 4.2 scenes using anything other than the default Euler axis order are not backward compatible.  
 
 
 
FLEX
·                Increasing the Flex Samples value speeds up the overall solution. The new Samples parameter can be used to control the overall speed of the Flex solution. The default of 5 differs from the internal samples value of 1 in 3ds max 3.x. Comparable Flex scenes created in both 3ds max 3.x and 3ds max 4.2 will appear much faster in 3ds max 4.2. Note that scenes imported from 3ds max 3.x will still solve at the same speed as they did in 3ds max 3.x.
 
 
 
·      Flex single-frame rendering can take a substantial amount of time. When a scene containing Flex is rendered at a point in time far away from the Flex reference frame, the modifier must calculate the solution for all flexed points from the reference frame to the current frame. During single-frame tests or net rendering, this could contribute to a significant delay in overall rendering time. To correct this, add a Point Cache modifier above Flex and record the flexed point data to disk. Then, disable all modifiers below Flex before you render.
 
 
 
HSDS  
·      Using HSDS on a mapped object breaks vertices and can distort the texture. This is a limitation, as there is no provision for more than one texture vertex per vertex. To work around the problem, texture the output of HSDS instead of the input.
 
 
 
·      HSDS loses smoothing when applied to an object. If you want to map the input of an HSDS object, collapse the stack, perform all HSDS finishing, apply an Edit Mesh Modifier, select all vertices, and then weld them.  
 
 
 
INI FILES
·      Before editing 3dsmax.ini or any other INI file, it is advised that you save a copy for backup.
 
 
 
INVERSE KINEMATICS
·                Sometimes the mouse loses track of the end effector during Interactive IK. The cursor might become separated from the end effector over time as you drag the mouse around in the viewport. This effect is limited to the Interactive IK feature in the Hierarchy > IK panel. This is not a problem with the History Independent (HI), History Dependent (HD), or IK Limb solvers.  
 
 
 
·      Invalid IK dependency loops might not trigger a warning. It is possible to create an IK dependency loop that generates an undesirable solution. No warning is given to indicate this occurrence; however, the results are generally evident immediately and completely undoable.
 
 
 
·      Setting joint limits on HI IK start joints might lead to non-intuitive behavior. The joint limits on a start joint might interfere with the HI requirements to create an IK solution. In this event, the resulting configuration of the chain might be unexpected. To correct this, free up as many degrees of rotational freedom as possible. It can also help to adjust the preferred angles of the start joint.
 
 
 
·      Moving keys of an HI IK chain while Enabled is off might result in offsetting all key values for the chain. To correct this problem, only move keys at a point in time when Enabled is on. If you must move a key when Enabled is off, make sure that the IK goal's IK for FK pose feature is turned off (unchecked).
 
 
 
·      The HI IK chain might flip when the goal is moved. This usually happens when the start joint of the IK chain is parented to another object with a substantially different (perpendicular) orientation. To correct this, switch the IK chain's parent space to Start Joint. If you choose to work in the default parent space (IK Goal), then hierarchically link the IK goal object to the same parent of the start joint and adjust the chain's Swivel Angle until the IK solution becomes desirable. Resetting this parameter to zero usually works in most cases.
 
 
 
·      A conflict can occur when you have a HI IK chain and have used Assign Vertex Colors on the bones that make up that chain. This conflict can cause subsequent file load problems. It is recommended that you collapse the stack after using the Assign Vertex Color modifier to collapse the Vertex Colors modifier or add a VertexPaint modifier or a STL Check modifier to stack.
 
 
 
LENS EFFECTS
·      A glow of small size doesn't appear to work when rendering to fields. To correct this, increase the size of the glow before rendering.
 
 
 
·      Glow, on an Environment map, using Effects ID, will not work if Anti-Aliasing is on.
 
 
 
·                Resetting 3ds max while the Video Post Lens Effects Setup dialog is displayed is not recommended.
 
 
 
MACRO RECORDER
·      Not all features are macro-recordable at this time.
 
 
 
MANIPULATORS
·      The Transform Type-In controls on the status bar don't re-enable properly after you've been in a sub-object mode. To correct this, deselect and then reselect the object.
 
 
 
MATERIAL EDITOR
·      Blur and Blur Offset controls are enabled for all 3D maps, but can be used only with antialiased 3D maps such as Noise.
 
 
 
·      If textures are not being found on merge, use File > Open instead of Merge.
 
 
 
·      The Make Unique button in the Material Editor also works on the map level of a material when you have a map instanced to different channels of the same material.
 
 
 
·                Installing MS Access after installing 3ds max 4.2 results in the MAT file type being reassigned as an Access table file and not a materials library file. To correct this, use Windows Explorer > View > File Types to change the file type back to 3ds max 4.2.
 
 
 
·      Texture mapped objects that are invisible at frame 0 and are missing UVW mapping coordinates will not be textured in a rendered sequence when visibility is changed during the animation. To alleviate the problem make sure to have a UVW Map modifier on the object.
 
 
 
MAXSCRIPT
·      See the separate Scripter/SDK readme file, Readme_3dsmax4_2_Scripter_SDK.rtf, for the latest information regarding the MAXScript feature.
 
 
MESHSMOOTH  
·      When using Smoothness on a mesh that has had control-level editing, Smoothness will smooth down to the highest level that has had control-level editing applied to it, or to the currently active control level, whichever is higher.
 
 
 
·      At this time, control-level editing in MeshSmooth should be considered a modeling tool only. Having an animated deformer placed before a MeshSmoothed object that has had control-level editing can result in the MeshSmoothed object becoming distorted. It's recommended that deforming modifiers be placed after the MeshSmooth modifier in the stack if you're using the deformers for animation. For best results, using a deforming modifier before the MeshSmooth modifier in the stack, you'll need to limit your control-level edits to moving vertices in their local Z axis.
 
 
 
·      Using MeshSmooth with values of more than 10 iterations is not supported.
 
 
 
·      Even with MeshSmooth set to 0 iterations, a polygon conversion of the MeshSmoothed object still occurs. This can result in viewport playback slowdown. For optimal playback, set the MeshSmooth modifier to be Off in viewports.
 
 
MODIFIERS
·                Changes to the alpha value of a sub-object cannot be undone in an Editable Mesh if you type the number in the Alpha field. Use the spinner instead.
 
 
 
·      Using PathDeform and Stretch can leave remnants in the viewport. Press 1 to refresh the display.
 
 
 
·      A renderable helix with an FFD modifier vanishes when using Edit Mesh. To fix this, first make the helix an editable spline.
 
 
 
·      Mesh Select/Poly Select: Pinch and Bubble soft selection spinner settings cannot currently go below 0 using the Mesh Select/Poly Select spinners. You can use Track View to set those numbers lower. 3ds max 3.1 files loaded into 3ds max 4.2 where the Pinch or Bubble settings are below 0 display as 0 in the interface; the proper values are shown in Track View.
 
 
 
MORPHER
·                Scrolling the Morpher Channel List, repeated interaction with Morpher scene elements, or simultaneous use of other applications that require large amounts of resources can quickly reduce available system resources in Windows 98 or Windows Millennium. To resolve the problem, save your file, exit, and re-launch 3ds max. If possible, avoid excessive scrolling the Morpher command panel in the operating systems.
 
 
MOTION PANEL
·      When a trajectory of an object is derived from a spline, using the Convert From feature, the Previous Key and Next Key buttons on the Key Info (Basic) rollout do not work unless Time Display, in the Time Configuration dialog, is set to FRAMES:TICKS. This is because the keys are created between frames.
 
 
 
MULTIRES
·      Vertices don't highlight at the MultiRes modifier Vertex sub-object level if MeshSelect is above MRM until MeshSelect is deactivated.
 
 
 
·      The MultiRes Modifier currently does not support materials applied to any channels other than channel 1. UVW mapping coordinates, for channels other than channel 1, can be reassigned with a UVW Map modifier applied above the MultiRes modifier in the modifier stack.
 
 
 
NETWORK RENDERING
·                Internet Explorer 5 must be installed on NT4 systems to use network rendering.
 
 
 
·      Do not delete the network folder on the manager machine while the manager is running. This causes network rendering to fail.
 
 
 
·                Installing NETBEUI protocol on the manager machine can decrease the chance of ManagerApp or ManagerSVC going down.
 
 
 
PARAMETER WIRING
 
·      Wiring a parameter to a value outside the constrained range of that parameter can cause unpredictable results.
 
 
 
·      Cloning an object, which is wired to another object, results in a clone with an unattached parameter wire. Selecting the unattached parameter in the Parameter Wiring dialog displays a warning dialog asking if the unattached parameter wire should be disconnected. Choosing ?Yes? to disconnect will result in program failure. To resolve this, do not use the Parameter Wiring dialog to disconnect. Assign a new controller to the orphaned wire tracks in Track View.
 
 
 
PARTICLE SYSTEMS
·      When the source particle system of a Mesher compound object is set to Mesh Viewport Display, it will not update properly in viewports. Use the Dots or Ticks Viewport Display options with a Mesher compound object.
 
 
 
·          DynaFlectors do not solve properly in Dynamics simulations.
 
 
 
PHOTOSHOP v5  
·      3ds max doesn?t support layers in PhotoshopÒ PSD files. As a workaround, choose Flatten Image from the Layers menu in Photoshop 5, save the PSD file under a different name, and then load the ?flat? PSD file into 3ds max 4.2.
 
 
 
PLUG-IN MANAGER
·      Under Win98 and Millennium, plug-ins that are currently loaded are marked as "Unloaded" instead.
 
 
 
·      The Defer option for selected or tagged plug-ins has no effect.
 
 
 
·      The Load option for selected or tagged plug-ins loads a plug-in for the current 3ds max 4.2 session, but doesn't load for subsequent sessions.
 
 
 
·      Plug-ins loaded using the script function "loadDllsFromDir" do not appear in the Plug-in Manager.
 
 
 
QUAD PATCH
·                Performance is slow when creating Quad Patches with 100x100 segments.
 
 
 
RAYTRACE
·      Using the Raytrace material on double-sided materials is currently not supported.
 
 
 
·                Antialiasing vs. Supersampling: Rather than use Raytrace antialiasing, it is almost always better to use the supersampler at the material level. The only time you might want to use Raytrace antialiasing is to blur or defocus the reflection or refraction. If you use Raytrace antialiasing, the default blur value, 0.0, is usually too small. Try using 0.5 or 0.6 and set all of your materials using the Raytrace map to Adaptive Halton supersampling. This will improve the image quality.
 
 
 
RENDER ELEMENTS
·      Adding Render Elements to a newly opened file does not mark the scene as modified. Save the scene before opening a new scene or closing 3ds max 4.2.
 
 
 
·      The User Reference mentions a Colored Shadow render element. This render element is not currently part of 3ds max 4.2.
 
 
 
·      Scenes from 3ds max 4.0 with Z Depth render elements load incorrectly, when filtering is enabled. Filtering should be disabled for these elements and the files resaved in 3ds max 4.0 prior to loading in 3ds max 4.2.
 
 
 
RENDER EFFECTS
·      The File Output render effect does not support network rendering.
 
 
 
RENDERING
·      If rendering scenes that contain more than 5 million polygons, try increasing your virtual memory to 1.4 GB or higher.
 
 
 
·      When using image motion blur on high-resolution renders, post compositing may be necessary to add background images, otherwise there may not be enough memory to allocate the image motion blur buffers.
 
 
 
·      Texture mapped objects that are invisible at frame 0 and are missing UVW mapping coordinates are not textured in a rendered sequence when visibility is changed during the animation. To alleviate the problem, make sure to have a UVW Mapping modifier on the object.
 
 
 
RESOURCE COLLECTOR
·      The Resource Collector does not collect Environment, Displacement, or Projector maps.
 
 
 
·      The Resource Collector does not collect the image files used by IFL files, only the IFL file itself.
 
 
 
SCHEMATIC VIEW
·                Compound objects cannot be renamed.
 
 
 
SDK
·      See the separate Scripter/SDK readme file, Readme_3dsmax4_2_Scripter_SDK.rtf, for the latest information regarding the SDK.
 
 
SKIN
·      Using splines as bones for Skin within complex animated hierarchies is not recommended.  
 
 
 
·      The Skin Paint Str. spinner range is 0 to 1. Negative Weight can be applied by holding down the ALT key while painting weights.
 
 
 
·                Modifiers that cause a topology change, and are placed above Skin in the stack, can create instability when accessing Envelope mode. To avoid the problem, make sure Show End Result or the Converting Modifier is OFF before accessing Skin Envelope mode. This situation would arise, for instance, when Skin is applied to a Patch object and a Disp Approx (Displacement Approximation) modifier is added to the top of the stack.
 
 
 
TUTORIALS
·      If you encounter a missing XRef files error message when loading the level design tutorials, browse to the \tutorials\level_design directory to locate the missing files.
 
 
 
·      If you encounter a missing bitmap error message when loading the Camera Match and Camera Map tutorials, browse to the \tutorials\camera_match directory to locate the missing files.
 
 
 
USER INTERFACE
·      The proper highlighting of UI elements (mainly check boxes and radio button fields) might not appear in the Command panel during keyboard tabbing when running 3ds max 4.2 under Windows 2000. To force the highlighting to display properly, undock the Command panel. Then the highlighting will display, properly showing where UI focus is. Once you have tabbed while the Command panel was floating, you can re-dock the Command panel, and highlighting will operate properly.
 
 
 
·      CUI files created in 3ds max 3.x are not forward compatible. These files need to be recreated for use in 3ds max 4.2.
 
 
 
·      CUI files should not be removed from the UI folder. If 3ds max 4.2 looks for a CUI file that is not in the UI folder upon startup, the application can fail. This can be a problem if multiple users are using the same configuration settings, but don?t have the correct CUI files associated with that configuration.
 
 
 
·      Large fonts are not supported in 3ds max 4.2, and can produce unpredictable display results.
 
 
 
UVW REMOVE
·                Applying UVW Remove to a Patch Surface or NURBS surface is not supported.
 
 
 
VIDEO POST
·      Close the Video Post Lens Effects setup dialog before you choose File > Reset.
 
 
 
·      Lens Effects Focus does not affect overlapping portions of objects.
 
 
 
·      Video Post does not support multipass Depth of Field and Multipass Motion Blur.
 
 
 
VIEWING FILES
·      The Autodesk Flic image file setup depends on the .AVI settings for Windows MediaÔ Player. Since Media Player can by replaced when installing other applications, viewing Flic files can fail at times. To work around this, install QuickTimeÒ 4, which is provided with 3ds max 4.2, and use it to view these types of files. QuickTime 4 can convert .FLI, and .FLC files, but not .CEL files.
 
 
 
XREF
 
·      XRef Automatic Update has more restrictive functionality under Windows 98. XRef objects and scenes can be set to update automatically whenever a file change is detected. Under Windows 2000, this occurs each time the source file is saved. Due to different system notifications in Windows 98, the automatic update only occurs when the source file is closed by exiting 3ds max 4.2 or by loading another file. Manual Update works as expected.
 
 
·      When clicking to unbind the highlighted XRef(s) from whichever parent they'd been bound to, the XRef scene does not return to its origin, typically the 0,0,0 world origin of the .MAX file scene it came from.
 
 
 
·      Drag and drop when running under Windows 98 requires the Local Intranet security level to be set to Low in IE. This setting can be found in the IE Options dialog, under the Tools menu.
 
 
 
-------- character studioÒ 3.2 --------
 
Notes about Installation and Authorization
·         character studio 3.2 installs from the main install screen within the 3ds max 4.2 setup program.
 
 
 
·         You do not need to reauthorize character studio 3.2 if you have already installed and authorized character studio 3.1.
 
 
 
·         You can use character studio 3.2 without a valid authorization if you only intend to preview or render (or net-render) existing character studio characters. If you use 3ds max network rendering, you must update all network-rendering systems with character studio 3.2 to ensure identical rendering results. This does not require authorization.
 
 
 
What's New in character studio 3.2
 
·         character studio 3.2 has been provided to fix reported issues and provide better support for existing character studio 3.1 features.
 
 
 
·         PhysiqueÒ now properly and automatically updates character studio 2.2 files that use the Physique modifier. Re-initializing upon import into character studio 3 is no longer required.
 
 
 
·         BipedÒ problems from frame rate change after Mo-Flow and reset have been fixed.
 
 
 
·         Some Biped parameters in the Motion panel were not correct until biped was selected.
 
 
 
·         Several Biped MAXScript bugs were fixed.
 
 
 
·         Extracting footsteps with tolerance from Z level is now working.
 
 
 
·         3ds max no longer exits when resetting with a Crowd MAXScript instance open.
 
 
 
·         Windows 2000 assignment selections no longer highlight all.
 
 
 
COMPATIBILITY
·         character studio 3.2 requires 3ds max 4.2. It is not supported with earlier versions of 3ds max. All character studio 2.x data files remain forward compatible to character studio 3.x.  
 
 
 
NOTE: Backward compatibility between version 3 and all previous versions of character studio is not supported. Thus, files saved with any 3.x version of the software cannot be used by earlier versions of character studio.
 
 
 
NOTE: character studio 3.01 is not supported in Windows 2000 or Windows ME. The software will run, but you may encounter incorrect functioning.
 
 
 
·         Opening files containing a Biped object from 3ds max 2.5 in 3ds max 4.2 can potentially corrupt data. Be certain to install the character studio 3.2 plug-ins that are part of the 3ds max 4.2 installation before attempting to load any files created with 3ds max 2.x and Biped 2.1. Failure to install the plug-ins will result in an error condition that can make the .MAX file unloadable. This condition will present two warning dialogs, one regarding missing DLLs, and another regarding obsolete data.  Do not resave the file in this case. You must install character studio 3.2 before attempting to load and save this file.
 
 
 
Notes About Features
 
BIPED
·         Old .MAX and .BIP footstep motions are automatically converted to Biped 3.0's new pivot-based system when loaded. In Biped 3.0, more control over the IK pivoting is possible.  
 
 
 
·         This conversion may introduce "sliding" footsteps that allow the IK key to move anywhere in the coordinate space of the footstep, rather than being forced onto the footstep. A sliding footstep is created whenever an IK key is allowed to be free by not being joined to the previous IK key. This does not necessarily mean that sliding is introduced; it only means that sliding is allowed.
 
 
 
·         When feet are linked to dummy objects (IK Blend =1), entering and exiting Figure mode may cause the feet to rotate. To return the feet to their correct position, enter and exit Figure mode twice more. It is recommend that you try to do as much of your Figure mode work before using IK Blend with dummy objects. It is not recommended using IK blending in Layers Planted or Sliding Keys. The limbs will snap to a different position than expected. Free keys work fine.
 
 
 
·         Before importing motion capture files (.BVH or .CSM), please consult the reference, or the bvh.rtf and csm.rtf documents in the cstudio\docs directory. The .CSM files in the HouseOfMoves directory all start with a calibration pose because Biped 3.0 uses the first frame to determine figure size and calibration of hip and feet angles in the absence of a Talent Definition .FIG file. However, this is only for convenience of quick viewing.  
 
 
 
·         For best results, we strongly recommend that you always follow the guidelines in the csm.rtf document:
 
 
 
1) Create "Talent Definition" files (.CAL and .FIG) for a given performer from a specifically recorded "calibration pose motion."
 
2) Create .BIP motions from the talent's CSM motions using the same ?Talent Definition? files from step 1.
 
 
 
·         Furthermore, using the ?Talent Definition? files allows you to skip over the first frame so that it does not influence key-reduced motions.
 
 
 
·         Smoothing parameters in the biped.ini file are now set to zero, which produces better results. The biped.ini file can specify multiple path names for locating animation files for the Motion Flow Graphs.
 
 
 
·         When using the Motion Flow Graph, there must be a key set for the horizontal COM; otherwise your results may be unpredictable.
 
 
 
·         If a Motion Flow Graph to do a looping motion results in accumulated turning, then you may need to adjust the Angle in the Edit Transition dialog. This is because the program matches the orientation of the COM at the start of the transition. If this orientation is different from the direction of the motion, some compensation is necessary.
 
 
 
·         Merging a partial biped can cause a program failure. Saving a partial biped is possible, but not supported.
 
 
 
·         Loading a shared Motion Flow Graph, and then adding a biped followed by an undo, may cause a program failure.
 
 
 
·         In Track View, sliding footsteps are no longer orange; they are the same color as other footsteps.  
 
 
 
CROWD
·         In Motion Clip, when saving Global Clip .ANT files, it's best to clear the scene of all Delegates and Master Clip objects. Otherwise, a defect results that causes some of that data to be present upon reloading of the .ANT file.
 
 
 
·         Biped crowds solve faster, with less backtracking, if the biped Motion Flow Graphs contain motion clips with many alternative choices in direction of motion.  
 
 
 
·         You can create additional clips for this purpose by bending an existing motion, using footstep-extraction or footstep-bend features. Including slightly turning clips is useful for enabling the Biped Crowd members to make fine adjustments in heading toward goals. Note that adding stopping motions connected to loitering motions is necessary for natural human crowd dynamics, since "waiting your turn" is an important option when seeking a goal in a crowded space.
 
 
 
·         In the Edit Multiple Delegates dialog, the program may fail if you add the Delegate, select All Sets, click Apply Edit, and then restart 3ds max. The workaround is not to have All Sets selected.
 
 
 
·         When using the Surface Arrive behavior, if you change the .BIP files after a solve, the Z data is lost.
 
 
 
·         Biped Crowd scenes must be solved starting from frame 0.  
 
 
 
·         The program may fail when turning off Priority "Pick/Assign"; the workaround is either to deselect the crowd object after setting priorities this way, or to set priority using Assign by Computation instead.
 
 
 
MAXSCRIPT
·         It is not recommended to use the 'copy' command on Biped structure.  
 
For example, the following may result in an out-of-memory error and program failure:
 
bp = biped.CreateNew 100 -90 [0,0,0]  
 
bp_obj = $Bip01*
 
bp_obj1 = copy bp_obj
 
 
 
·         Many of the features of character studio 3 do not support the Macro Recorder.
 
 
 
PHYSIQUE
·         Physique can be assigned to any object type; however if you assign it to non-Biped or non-Bones hierarchies, such as lights, cameras, or helper objects, and then initialize, the program may fail.
 
 
 
·         If you merge a Physiqued mesh from a .MAX file to a biped, the program may fail. The workaround is to merge the mesh and the biped, remove the Physique modifier from the mesh, and then deleted the biped.
 
 
 
·         Physique is assigned to links, not nodes. To assign either floating bones or hierarchy bones, you need to have a link; this means a node is required at both ends of link. In most cases, you will need a dummy node at the end of the last link.
 
 
 
·         Before applying Physique to 3ds max Bones, check to make sure that there are no circular references in your Bones structure. If there are circular references, unpredictable results may occur.
 
 
 
·         Any objects that have scaled Bipeds or bone structures that were scaled with any versions of Physique prior to v3.11 will need to be manually re-initialized in v3.2.
 
 
 
NETWORK RENDERING
·         To render character studio animations using network rendering, each computer on your rendering network must have the same version of character studio. A result of not having the same version on all machines is floating feet or incomplete renders.  
 
 
 
·         When using Motion Flow Graphs, use UNC path names. For example, if your .BIP file in your Motion Flow Graph is named:
 
 
 
c:\3dsmax3_1\cstudio\motions\bip\runner.bip.  
 
 
 
change the name of the file in the Motion Flow Graph by right-clicking the clip and changing the name in the Clip Name text box to:
 
 
 
\\mypc5\3dsmax3_1\cstudio\motions\bip\runner.bip
 
 
 
where mypc5 is the network identification of the computer that has the BIP file.
 
 
 
NOTES ABOUT DOCUMENTATION
These features have changed since the printing of the documentation:
 
 
 
·         The Motion Capture Conversion Parameters default parameters were changed after the manual went to print.
 
 
 
·         In Track View, sliding footsteps are no longer orange, they are the same color as the rest of the feet.
 
 
 
·         Steps in the online help topic, Physique Conversion R1 to R3 work for Physiqued files from character studio version 1 through 2.x.  
 
 
 
PHYSIQUE SDK MODIFICATIONS
·         Physique exports the data based on the link to which the vertex is assigned. The node returned is the first (parent) node of the link. If there is branching in the hierarchy, Physique reports the vertex assigned to the same node twice. This is correct since the vertex is assigned to two links, each with the same root node.
 
 
 
BIPED AND CROWD INTERACTION
·         For information about Biped, Physique, and Crowd extensions in MAXScript, see the printed manual and the online MAXScript Reference that ships with character studio.
 
 
 
·         It is possible to influence clip selection for bipeds during a Crowd solution by using preferred clips. The following biped MAXScript functions allow users to set the biped preferred clip during a crowd solution.  
 
·         biped.numPrefClips <biped_ctrl>  
 
Returns the number of preferred clips.  
 
·        biped.getPrefClip <biped_ctrl> <index_integer>  
 
Returns the name of the nth preferred clip.  
 
·        biped.clearPrefClips <biped_ctrl>  
 
Clears the preferred clip list.  
 
·        biped.addPrefClip <biped_ctrl> <name_string>  
 
Adds the clip to the preferred clip list. Returns true if added, false if not added because it was already in the list.  
 
·        biped.deletePrefClip <biped_ctrl> <name_string>  
 
Deletes the named clip from the preferred clip list. Returns true is successful, false if the clip was not in the list.  
 
·        biped.isPrefClip <biped_ctrl> <name_string>  
 
Returns true if the clip is in the list, false if not.  
 
·        biped.getCurrentClip <biped_ctrl>  
 
Returns the name of the currently active clip for this biped; this is only relevant during a Crowd solve.  
 
The following are examples showing how the  crowd system ?PerFrameFn?  <crowd_helper_.htm> can be used to change the biped preferred clip dynamically.  
 
Example: -- changes the preferred clip as a function of frame number.  
 
fn PerFrameFn crwd t = (  
 
if (t == 200f) then  
 
   (  
 
      a = $bip100  
 
  a = a.transform.controller  
 
  biped.addPrefClip a "jog_L45"  
 
   ))  
 
Example: -- changes the preferred clip as a function of the current clip.  
 
fn PerFrameFn crwd t = (  
 
  a = $bip100  
 
  a = a.transform.controller  
 
  if (biped.getcurrentclip a == "jog_L135" ) then
 
biped.addPrefClip a "jog_L45"  
 
)  
 
 
 
The massive optimizations in Physique, at least twice as fast and up to 20 times faster than in previous versions! We know that you will enjoy everything that has been rolled into this new version of character studio!
 
 
 
-----reactorä 1.2-----
 
System Requirements
·                General:
 
3ds max 4
 
Windows 98/ME/2000
 
 
 
·                Recommended:
 
Pentium III 300Mhz, 256Mb RAM
 
OpenGL compliant 3D Accelerator Card (for real-time preview window)
 
 
 
Notes about Installing and Uninstalling
·      This is an upgrade from reactor 1.0 to reactor 1.2. If you're upgrading via the web installer make sure reactor 1.0 has been installed (and MAX Havok Pro is not installed) and run the update with the reactor option checked. If you're upgrading via the full install, make sure that reactor 1.0 and MAX Havok Pro are uninstalled as reactor 1.2 will now be a component of the full 3ds max 4.2 installation. To uninstall a previous version of MAX Havok Pro or reactor:
 
 
 
1.            Open the Control Panel.
 
2.            Double click on "Add/Remove Programs".
 
3.            Select "MAX Havok Pro" from the list.
 
4.            Click on "Add/Remove...".
 
5.            Click on Yes when asked to remove all the components.
 
 
 
Unlicensed Version Restrictions
·      Feature set restrictions for an unlicensed version of reactor:
 
 
 
8 or less Rigid Bodies
 
1 Cloth
 
1 Soft Body
 
1 Rope
 
1 Keyframed Geometry
 
Springs, Dashpots, Constraints & Water
 
100 Frame limit
 
 
 
3D Video Card Support
·                Although we have tested the OpenGL 1.1 and Direct3D 7.0 rendering engine on a wide range of video cards, we have by no means tested all of them. The cards we use in house are the 3DLabs Oxygen cards, and all of the nVidia range of chipsets. We have also tested on cards such as the Matrox G400, ATI Rage cards and 3Dfx Voodoo cards.
 
 
 
·      Cards that only do full screen acceleration such as the 3Dfx Voodoo3, generally work in slow software windowed mode. To utilize 3D hardware acceleration, ensure you check the full screen option before previewing the scene.  
 
 
 
·      If you experience problems which include the above mentioned render problems that  prevent the preview window from running (blank, black screen, or the window hanging), please contact product support with information about your card: chipset, manufacturer, driver revision and operating system information (including service pack version).
 
 
 
·      Please refer to the enclosed Product Support card if you need help with reactor.
 
 
 
Starting reactor
1.            Launch 3ds max 4.
 
2.            Go to the Utilities panel.
 
3.            If reactor is not present in the list displayed, click the More button.
 
4.            Choose reactor from the list of plugins.
 
     
 
·          NOTE: If reactor is not present in this list of plugins, the installation procedure may have not successfully completed. Please verify the location of your copy of 3ds max 4, Uninstall reactor using Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs, then re-install reactor to that directory. If problems persist contact Product Support.
 
 
 
Simulation Tips
·          NOTE: In the case of a scene not completing a solve there are various ways of simulating the same scene.  
 
 
 
1.      Take your original scene and increase the substeps/keyframe value (Animation & Export Rollout).
 
 
 
2.      Increase the collision tolerance for your scene so that it?s approximately 1/10th of World Scale (Advanced Rollout). If this increase causes too large a gap between objects, scale the objects up and scale gravity up by an equal percentage.
 
 
 
3.   For keyframed and deformable objects increase the updates/keyframe value.
 
 
 
General Notes
·          For French, German Italian and Spanish versions of 3ds max 4 the plane button on the main toolbar will create a reactor plane.
 
 
 
·          The addition of body or collection types to a scene can change the scene?s simulation. Adding types of objects will not usually have a noticeable affect on the scene?s simulation but it is advisable to create scenes as close to entirety as possible, before tweaking the parameters for a desired result.
 
 
 
·          When you first try to register reactor you may get a gray html screen as opposed to the registration screen. If this occurs you should close 3ds max, restart and try to register again.
 
 
 
Autodesk, the Autodesk logo, 3D Studio MAX, Biped, Character Studio, and Physique are registered trademarks, and 3ds max, combustion, Discreet, I-drop, reactor, and Volo are trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., in the U.S.A. and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Havok.com and the buzzsaw logo are trademarks of Havok.com Inc.
 
Readme_3dsmax4_2.rtf
 
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