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3ds max file. How to open MAX? The old "grandfather's" way. Script BFF0

Export from 3ds max is possible in a variety of formats. The most popular are 3ds, obj, stl, etc. Today we will look at saving a scene file or 3d model in such a popular old format as 3ds.

A little history

This format is considered obsolete today and it originated in such an ancient program as “3d studio”, which worked on DOS. Nowadays, if this format is used, it is only for transferring from one 3D graphics editor to another, or for saving the model and placing it in libraries so that users can use them if they cannot open the file with their version of the editor. In general, as an alternative.

IMPORTANT! The main disadvantage of this format is that it has some limitations on the number of polygons, so relatively complex scenes and objects cannot be saved in it. For this, a format with the obj extension is better suited.

How to save a file in 3ds

If you need to export a 3d model from the 3ds max program to the 3ds format, then to do this you need to follow these simple steps.

To begin, open the menu at the top left and hover the mouse cursor over the word Export.

Now, if you see a window like in the screenshot below, then click on Export again.

After clicking, a window will appear in front of us with an open folder of the same name, which is located at C:\Users\name of your computer\Documents\3dsMax\export, or more simply: My Documents - 3dsMax - export.

Here we give a name to our file, preferably in English letters, because... 3ds max doesn't really like the Cyrillic alphabet. Now select the format (3DS extension), as shown in the figure above. Next, click Save and the file will be saved in the export folder. You can select any folder to save, for example Desktop. The 3ds file is usually opened via the Import command in almost all 3d graphics editors. You won't be able to open it using the Open command, because... Open opens only native files, for example, 3ds max opens with this command only its file types with the max extension.

The MAX file (from English 3ds Max Scene File) is created within the Autodesk 3ds Max software package, previously this program was called 3D Studio MAX. The presence of such file formats in 3ds Max is responsible for the full storage of data about models, structures and settings in the field of 3D rendering. The file extension .max is the base format for the developer utility.

The MAX format refers to three-dimensional scene files; it is used in volumetric modeling, as well as in the field of visualization and animation. The .max file can store a variety of wireframe models, textures, various lighting effects, shadows, and so on.

The .max extension is used in the process of creating graphic support for games and films. The Autodesk developer has introduced into this file type the ability to export to other formats used by the 3D Studio application; among the common ones are .IGS, .SAT, .STL, as well as .FBX, .AI, .DWG, .DXF.

You can open the .max file using the 3ds Max utility from the manufacturer Autodesk Inc. New versions of 3ds Max were previously called Studio MAX, the latest utility also contains scenes in which the MAX extension was used. Users of updated modifications can easily export various scenes to .3DS files. It is possible to correctly open a MAX file in the Windows operating system only using the professional Max software package Autodesk 3ds. The application is very popular among designers, web designers and artists. The utility is very useful when creating a variety of three-dimensional models.

The 3ds Max editor allows you to Import And Export files and objects. This makes it possible to interact with geometric shapes with other programs such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, AutoCAD etc.

When exporting files, the program converts scenes with the .max extension into universal .3ds or .dwf formats. Since these formats are less susceptible to conversion, some information about the scene may change or disappear during conversion. The 3ds Max 2013 editor warns about this when converting. He also suggests saving texture coordinates.

To export a file you need to select the command Application button | Export and in the dialog box that appears Select File to Export select the directory to save, specify the file type and name (Fig. 4.21).

Rice. 4.21. Exporting a file

Rice. 4.22. Importing a file

To import a file, click the application button and select the command Import. In the dialog box that opens Select File to Import you need to select the format of the imported file and the desired file, and then open it (see Fig. 4.22). Depending on the format of the imported file, 3ds Max may offer different options for adding components.

3ds Max 2013 has extensive import options. Thanks to technology Smart Data It became possible to transfer models from the editor Autodesk Inventor. When importing files with the extension .iam and .ipt, you can choose the import method (body or mesh object), transfer materials and light sources, which allows you to obtain high-quality models without additional manipulations (Fig. 4.23).

Rice. 4.23. Crane model from Autodesk Inventor

An important feature of the import functions is support for 3D models of the service Google SketchUp(Fig. 4.24). This service allows you to download models of real architectural buildings, interiors and individual objects for free. The import dialog box allows you to import not only the model itself into the scene, but also accompanying textures (with support for converting external/internal textures into two-sided 3ds Max materials), cameras and lighting systems (Fig. 4.25).

Rice. 4.24. Service page Google SketchUp

Rice. 4.25. Model of the Church of Santa Maria del Pulg in 3ds Max 2013

Another important feature of 3ds Max is support for saving functions in the format of previous versions of 3ds Max without losing scene data. Thanks to this, admission became available

careful transition from one version to another when working on complex projects, which is especially important for design studios.

Source: Kharkovsky, Alexander Viktorovich, 3ds Max 2013. Best tutorial / A.V. Kharkovsky. - ed. 4th, add. and processed - Moscow: Astrel, 2013. - 480 p. - (Training course).


Files with the .max extension are opened in 3ds max in the standard way. Those. If you click on the logo icon in the upper left corner, a menu will open:

You can use a faster method - click on the folder icon at the top of the screen:

If the file does not open, then there may be 2 main problems:

  • The file is damaged;
  • The file was saved in a newer version of 3ds max.

Damaged file

If the file is damaged, then how can you restore it from the backup folder. This will happen in 2 cases:

  • if the project was done on your computer;
  • if you created the file recently and it has not yet been overwritten by new backup files.

Let's check: you need to go to the folder My Documents → 3dsmax → Autoback.

The last 3 files are saved in this folder by default, which are overwritten with each other every 5 minutes. If you manage to open the last one (see save time), then consider yourself very lucky. You can copy this file to the project folder, restore its normal name and continue working.

Saving for older versions

If you have an old version of 3d max, and the file you need to open is saved in a new or younger version, then there are 2 ways:

  • ask someone to resave the file for your version;
  • install a new version of 3ds max.

In the first option, everything is much simpler if you have friends or colleagues with the new version of the 3ds max program. If you don’t know anyone, you can ask people on the forum or on social networks. Surely there will be those who will help do this for free. If you can’t do it for free, but you need the file urgently, you can ask for a nominal fee.

For some, installing a new version is quite difficult. After all, you need to find it, then download and install it. And even if everything goes smoothly, it is a huge waste of time. And if errors and problems arise, then the time multiplies greatly, plus you start to get nervous. The choice is yours.

It is important to know! In the latest versions of the program, a function has been added to save files for older versions. When saving, just select the version below and click “Save”.

The old "grandfather's" way. BFF0 script.

This script was used before, when Max did not have built-in saving for older versions. Its task is to save the file in the new version of 3d max, as a script with the ms extension, so that later it can be opened in the old version.

First, download it here: BFF0_4_3.rar

Unpack the archive and transfer the BFF0_4_3.ms file to the Program Files → Autodesk → 3dsmax (20...) → scripts folder.

Now let's go to 3ds max. In the top menu bar, run: MAXScript → Run Script → BFF0_4_3.ms. Ready. The script is running. Now it needs to be activated, i.e. create a command for it to quickly launch. We do everything step by step, as shown in the screenshot below.

It is not necessary to save here; you can immediately close the window, which is what we did (step 7).

Now, through the Tools menu, launch BFF_Exporter.

In the window that appears, just click EXPORT SCENE and the scene will be saved as a script. You can open a scene in the old version of Max via MAXScript → Run Script.

Conclusion

If you often have to deal with files for new versions, and you still don’t dare to switch to the new one and continue to work in the old one, then we recommend that you overcome yourself and try to switch to the new version of 3ds max. Even if not the last one, at least the penultimate one. This step will save you from many problems of incompatibility of 3d scenes and 3d models.

The most common problem that prevents users from opening this file is an incorrectly assigned program.

To fix this in Windows OS, you need to right-click on the file, in the context menu, hover the mouse over the “Open with” item, and select “Select a program...” from the drop-down menu. As a result, you will see a list of installed programs on your computer, and you can select the appropriate one. We also recommend checking the box next to “Use this application for all MAX files.”

  • Another problem that our users also encounter quite often is that the MAX file is corrupted.
  • This situation can arise in many cases. For example: the file was downloaded incompletely as a result of a server error, the file was damaged initially, etc. To resolve this problem, use one of the recommendations: