Arnold Grove

Yes only person - I dont log on with users. OK trying it now (sweating - red or blue wire )

all I am finding is this; 3dsmax.ini.backup

Yes Win XP --- I must have something going on - a virus maybe - 2 gig of ram and it locks up after a short while. Could be a driver issue maybe. Im trying to avoid a system restore with the disc because of the headace to re activate Max. Ill try this thanks

sorry to be a pain - could you tell me how to do this?

oppps spoke too soon - right back where I was. Ive done 3 restore points. Itll work for a while and then no launch. Then i have to restore point again. ARRGGGGG!! locking up...reral slow. I think its a nasty virus and ill have to wipe the whole mess clean.

Tomas, I like girls but I could just kiss you - it worked. I got something funny going on anyway. All of the sudden as of last week Im runnign real slow - locking up, mail is slow and internet is real slow and painful. (dsl too) I fear its from freeware - dumbass I am. Ill be browsing and then it locks up, long single tone beep - or Ill get that windows 'boop' sound..and it stutters and then locks up. Maybe drivers or bad ram who knows. All I know is I wanna smack Bill Gates upside the head sometimes. Maybe its time for a Mac and Bootcamp for max. Crazy Guy; Im not so savvy id feel comfy doing the ini thing. you guys rock - thanks!!!!

ok I searched restor point - ill give it a shot

I click the icon, I see the splash screen and it loads all plug ins etc. But then it disappears and Max doesnt launch. I did a search for "3D Max wont launch" and fond a few things but they dont work. Ive uninstalled my anti virus, I have the PC tools turned off, updates and firewall. I uninstalled Real Flow but not Vray. Max and Vray are both Ed versions and Im right in the middle of a school project! Couldnt be a worse time since my assignment is due next week. Its Max 2009, Vray 1.5 on XP - 2002 version service pack 3 - 2 gig ram w/ Intel Core 2 CPU 6400 @ 2.13 ghz oh man im screwed

can you guys be any more freakin cool??!! I say no. thanks that's got it! Ive been struggling with this for over a year -- same issue: no cad, usually just a crappy jpg and I have to draw splines. I can use AI in my sleep, and with the viewport lacking Ive had to rely on that. thanks!!!!!

Thank you Alain, but that's the first thing i did. I reset scale : Hierarchy / effect pivot only / re set scale (move roate scale) I hit reste scale button then right click convert to editable spline. Is there something Im missing or skipping? thanks

Here's a weird thing -- I had somewhat of a complex floorplan , only in the form of a JPG. I dont have a cad drawing. (I know my problem is because of the scale of the imported paths from Photoshop.) I mapped the image to a plane, and also had it in the viewport as a background but the image looks so bad (I guess graphics card/monitor limitaions) in the view port all the detail is gone so drawing the floorplan properly is impossible. My solution was to draw it in Photoshop and export the Illustrator paths. I had to scale it up about 15000% to create the room to proper scale. I build the walls, windows, floor and ceiling using typical procedures. So now its time to make the floor molding and ceiling crown molding. When I duplicated the spline for the moldings and used Sweep to make the shape is 10x's the size of my project. Its just an exploded jumbled mess of polys. Ive tired everything i can. Lofts, sweeps, re setting the scale of the imported line. Its a complex design and Ive already done all the builidn with it, bay windows, floos, celings, window trim. A lot of work. I dont want to go back and recreate everything if I can find a fix for the imported scaling issue. thanks for any help, regards, AG

wow thats great -- thanks thats a lot of work! Ill figure how to post iamge. Room was from drawing on napkin (real professional...dont try that at home kids) and its an interior -- opposite of what you have but still the same prinicpal -- I know I did it wrong -- I copied the wall spline and deleted all but the window shapes -- and then made the vertex's corners (at spline level) so the windows would be flat -- but your way is better ill post images

Whats the best way to do bay windows? The windows Im doing are of course in the rounded parts of the wall. Using this tutorial as a reference (did this a few years ago) http://www.cgarchitect.com/resources/tutorials/smoke3d/tutorial13.asp Its pretty stratight forward but its tricky for me because of the curvature of the walls. I extruded my walls spline a few times to make the window openings in the curved areas. When I give the window openings the needed ID's and then extrude -- the polys are also curved. I need them to be flat to make the windows and window frames. If the walls were flat I could just use the snaps and draw a reqtangle to make the interior winodw trim molding BUT the modling trim also curves with the wall on the top width (across) the window. Thanks for any advice. ag

Thank you guys very much. tc I am opening your links and I will study intently. Sounds like you are moonlighting for VFX jobs Yes, thanks for asking. Ive been in the family restaurant biz all my life and Ive always wanted to do animation for Disney. But alas Papa Grove had other plans so that didnt happen. Im now making my own way at night. Old and gray and starting over. I have a friend who owns a small station so Ive done some broadcast stuff but nothing high end but I understand the termanology. I got Max and Vray a year ago and it took a few days to pull all the rest of my hair out. I barely knew how to turn on the computer. I do like the built-in cup holder though. But I buried myself in it and now Im whizing around like the devil. This is my first real gig so Im kinda' winging it. I travel between the gulf states and the north east quite a bit and I was at a party at the right place and time. My son however has been doing 3D for a while and he's posted here a few times. He's off to Iraq so Im a little nervous and trying to stay busy. Thanks for the help and ill post my results asap. arnie

Hi, I need to animate a soda can crushing and then chocolate syrup coming out the pour - then the chocolate syrup had to run down and cover over candy on the plane - oh boy Can anyone suggest a few tuorials that might cover thick particles like that and I guess one that would have geometry breaking. Anything in the ballpark to give me an idea what do to is good enough. No money for plug-ins - Glue etc. Max9 PC - MR thanks arnie