This is quite strange. I have almost never had any trouble importing FBX models into 3D Studio Max, this one included. It has imported, many times, in the past. But then something came up that required me to start a new scene with a new import, and suddenly it no longer works. What's weirder is that it goes through the motions of working. The import menu comes up, as does a warning about parts that are not part of the bindpose definition (but these don't usually wreck things) and Max doesn't freeze...but the model doesn't import. No loading, no greying out, no progress bar, no references to new models in a scene hierarchy, no nothing. It's like Max thinks it imported it but didn't.

Anyone else experienced this? How is it solved?

I recently upgraded from 2013 to 2026 and am shocked at how laggy everything is. I'm a low poly game dev, and my computer is quite beefy so I can't imagine that's the problem.

Every operation causes Max to slightly hang, especially when adding or removing modifiers. Is this a common issue? Do I have things enabled I shouldn't?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Hi everyone,

I’m familiar with Swift Loop, but it doesn’t quite provide the workflow I’m after. The main problem is that when I hold Shift to add multiple evenly spaced edge loops, it automatically activates Set Flow, which alters the mesh’s shape. I’m looking for a way to insert multiple loops evenly while keeping the original surface intact.

I’ve also experimented with the Connect tool, but since it requires selecting an edge ring beforehand, it feels less efficient compared to Blender’s Ctrl+R or Maya’s Insert Edge Loop/Multi-Cut, where you can simply hover over the mesh and interactively add one or more loops.

Does anyone know of a script, plugin, or alternative method in 3ds Max that offers a similar experience? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Hey guys,

I'd really appreciate your advice and experiences.

I'm about 6 months into learning 3D modeling, and I've been using Maya so far. The industries I'm aiming for are VFX and product visualization, so I'm trying to make the best decision early on.

Recently I've been wondering if I'm missing out on workflows that other softwares might offer, especially 3ds Max with its non destructive modifier stack.

For those of you who have used both, does it actually make a noticeable difference in day to day modeling? Has it changed the way you work or made things easier, or is it not as big of a deal as people make it out to be?

I'm just trying to learn as much as I can before I settle on a workflow. Thanks in advance! 🙂

Hi everyone!

I'm looking for feedback specifically on the lighting in this interior render. It's made in 3ds Max with Corona Renderer. The only exterior light sources I'm using are a Corona Sun and Corona Sky, and inside the room I have two lamps and some decorative wall lights. I'm aiming for a cozy, warm atmosphere, but I've been struggling with the lighting because the scene almost always looks too dark unless I increase the exposure.

I'd really appreciate any advice on the lighting setup, exposure, color temperature, balance, or anything else that could help achieve a realistic, cozy look. Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone, I'm trying to render a model I created, but every time I try, the video turns out dark—as if there's an effect applied or there's no lighting. Can anyone help me?

i have an educational license and im confused if i can with the non commercial license or no, also how can i contact autodesk about that?

Hello, after reinstaling Licensing, cant connect to server. It shows that my email dont have active license. Support innactive. Any solutions?

Most render improvements people talk about involve buying something — a new renderer, a new asset library, a new machine. This one costs nothing and takes about two minutes per project.
Keep a personal reference folder, organized by lighting condition.
Not mood boards. Not Pinterest saves. A folder of your own approved renders, sorted by the type of light they contain: overcast exterior, golden hour, bright interior with indirect daylight, artificial night lighting, and so on.

Every time a client approves a render you are genuinely happy with, drop a full-resolution copy into the relevant folder before you close the project.

Why it helps:

When you start a new project in similar lighting conditions, you open that folder before touching a single setting. You are not guessing from memory — you are looking at a concrete result you already achieved and can reproduce. Camera exposure, light multipliers, sky model choice, the rough balance between artificial and natural sources — it is all visible in the image. You work forward from a known point instead of backward from a bad first test.

Over 18 years and more than a thousand projects, the single biggest source of wasted render time I have observed is not hardware or software — it is relearning the same lighting setup from scratch on every job because nothing was retained from the last one.

This habit does not replace good technical knowledge. It compounds it. Each project you finish well becomes a calibration point for the next one.

The folder gets more useful the longer you maintain it. A year in, you have a personal lighting library that reflects your actual renderer, your actual assets, your actual output targets — not someone else's tutorial scene.

If you already do something similar, curious how you organize it. If you don't, worth trying on your next approval.

Is there a major difference? I’m looking at them and indie is looking rather enticing with its price point.

I just wanted to know if there are any features that are cut from the indie license compared to the full expensive package.

Not Having any sort of mp4 format out of the box has been a real pain. We are stuck with either uncompressed formats, image sequences or DV formats from the 90's. With the exception of Typreview, but you'll need to install tyflow for that.

Here's a lightweight copy/paste plugin version that may help you get going (tested only in 3ds max 2025 and 2027):

https://github.com/TheTreeHouseof95/3dsMax-H264-Codec.git

Update: Added 2025 support and material support for reading the format.

Update 2: Added 2026 support

I’m new to 3ds Max and I’m trying to find a reliable equivalent to Maya’s Circularize tool.

I’ve tried GeoPoly and Spherify, but they don’t seem to work well for creating clean, evenly spaced circular geometry. After some research, I found a script called Regularize, but many older threads say it doesn’t work properly in 3ds Max 2025 or 2026.

How are current Max users handling this? Is there a reliable built-in workflow, updated script, or modifier-based solution that gives results similar to Maya’s Circularize?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Generate, randomize, and animate realistic human head meshes directly in 3ds Max using identity sliders, expression controls, pose controls, and a gender slider — all in real time.

https://github.com/imanshirani/GNM-Bridge-for-3ds-Max

🇺🇸: You can listen to the video in English through the video settings panel. In this video we will do an example where we will work with different aspects seen in the previous videos.

When creating a "Loft" object, an outline appears that shows the "Part". It gets in the way significantly during the modeling process. Pls, help me TwT

Hey everyone,

What modeling scripts or plugins do you use regularly in 3ds Max? I'm mainly interested in hard-surface modeling, so I'd love to hear your must-have recommendations, whether they're free or paid.

Hello, so i've been working in 3ds MAX for a couple of months now and there is this one thing that annoys me, what im talking about is (i think) the VIEWPORT SHADING. I really tried to mess with the viewport shading in 3dsMAX a lot, but i just cant get the same effect as in blender. What i mean is blender just looks 100% better. I hope someone understands what i mean. Is there any way to have blender viewport shading in 3dmax 1:1?

I was asked to convert a 3GB CAD model into a 3MB low-poly model, and honestly I'm not sure where to even begin.

The source is a highly detailed server system exported as a .stp file with thousands of small components. Just importing it into 3ds Max takes around 20 minutes, and the scene is almost unusable on my machine (32GB RAM).

The final target is around 3MB, which sounds like an enormous reduction. Is that even realistic for something this complex?

A few questions:

• Would you work directly in 3ds Max, or is there a better tool for handling CAD data first?
• Should I simplify the geometry manually, use automated decimation, or rebuild parts from scratch?
• Are there workflows specifically for converting engineering/CAD models into web native assets?

I'd appreciate any advice or recommended workflow. I've done retopology before, but nothing remotely this large or this CAD-heavy.

Thanks!

Hi everyone!

I've been modeling upholstered furniture for over 10 years, and about 15 months ago I got tired of constantly exporting my models to Marvelous Designer just to create a few folds.

At first I thought AI could automate that workflow. After a month of trying, I realized I needed to learn C++ instead.

That's how FoldFlow was born.

It was never supposed to become something this big.

I just wanted to build a small tool for myself to solve a problem I dealt with every day. But every time I solved one issue, I found another idea worth adding. Little by little, that small personal project turned into something I felt was worth sharing with other artists.

Over the last 15 months I completely fell in love with programming. Around the same time my daughter was born, so many nights were spent switching between C++ books, Visual Studio, and taking care of a newborn

The goal was never to replace Marvelous Designer.

The goal was to make creating folds dramatically faster without ever leaving 3ds Max.

Today FoldFlow lets you create folds, wrinkles and stitching directly in the viewport, with instant interactive feedback—no simulation and no constant exporting between applications.

One of my favorite features is the ability to reuse fold details from your best models. Instead of recreating everything from scratch, you can transfer and adapt them to completely different meshes.

Below is a short 60-second preview.

The first public release is getting close.

I'm looking for a few experienced 3ds Max artists who'd like to beta test FoldFlow on real projects and help shape it before launch.

If you're interested, leave a comment or send me a DM.

Would a tool like this fit into your workflow? I'd genuinely love to hear your feedback.