Ernest Burden III Posted October 12, 2006 Share Posted October 12, 2006 Last evening I installed Max 8 on my main workstation. I haven't bought it yet, am using the 30 day trial, though it appears to be the same. This workstation is more stable than any PC I've ever owned. But right after installing Max, and changing nothing else, I lost my video driver (an old one since it works and causes no trouble). Once I had re-installed my Quadro's driver, I used Max for a while (lots of strange buttons, ooh, what's that one do?) and minimized it and was reading some news. So with just Max and Firefox running, I just had a BSOD. I don't think I've had one of those in several years, if ever. When you start having stability problems the first question is always 'what have you changed recently' and the answer is start running Max. Am I in for a bumpy ride? Have other people had similar problems? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sawyer Posted October 12, 2006 Share Posted October 12, 2006 When I first used max (max 3 years ago) it crashed almost everytime I opened something and I couldn't have any other applications open at the same time. Ah good times. Sice then I have upgraded my computer many times over and max seems much more stable and I haven't had times like that for a while. Now I did just have some Nvidia driver issues, called Boxx and they pointed out I had the most recent Quadro driver but it wasn't max certified. Loaded the older driver on Nvidias site and I have been fine. I did not have a BSOD but max was running so much slower taking 30 seconds to load the modifier menu. Really max is pretty stable for me. The main issue I had was watching it eat through my ram I really suggest the 3gig switch to anyone who is having ram issues. I doubt that is your problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernest Burden III Posted October 12, 2006 Author Share Posted October 12, 2006 When I first used max (max 3 years ago) I first tried it with v1, but not since then. Now I did just have some Nvidia driver issues, called Boxx and they pointed out I had the most recent Quadro driver but it wasn't max certified. I had put in the 3G switch a long time ago, but why? This machine has 1.5G. Why did I do that? The machine is a Boxx, and the driver I use is several years old but like I said is rock stable. I suppose I could try a newer one, a Max-certified one. But I hate to change from a stable video driver, they're so hard to find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manta Posted October 12, 2006 Share Posted October 12, 2006 Haven't had a problem since version 5, which was a nightmare version... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernest Burden III Posted October 12, 2006 Author Share Posted October 12, 2006 Haven't had a problem since version 5, which was a nightmare version... Good to hear. I found the most recent Max-certified Quadro driver and so far its been OK...but I haven't re-started Max yet. Other than driver issues, Max isn't crash-prone, is it? I'm used to really stable software. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sawyer Posted October 12, 2006 Share Posted October 12, 2006 The only crashes I have had from this build of max have been ram related. edit - however its nice to have 9 autobackups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Posted October 12, 2006 Share Posted October 12, 2006 Good to hear. I found the most recent Max-certified Quadro driver and so far its been OK...but I haven't re-started Max yet. Other than driver issues, Max isn't crash-prone, is it? I'm used to really stable software. The vast majority of crashes in native Max are display driver-related. The scary crashes are when Max closes and corrupts your file. I recommend frequent incremental saves. And become familiar with Autobak.max and Max.bak. They are your friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sawyer Posted October 12, 2006 Share Posted October 12, 2006 After all these years you are now going over to the dark side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernest Burden III Posted October 12, 2006 Author Share Posted October 12, 2006 After all these years you are now going over to the dark side. You got a problem with that? Uh, yeah. I have to. For better or worse, it's become the default for arch-vis, and since I'm in the process of finding a new life as a member of an arch-vis team (to be determined) I will need some familiarity with Max. Also, C4D isn't meeting my needs on the rendering end (all the rest, though) and I've got to get up to speed with vRay, too. Anyway, I have a son named Luke, so the mask fits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJLynn Posted October 12, 2006 Share Posted October 12, 2006 I used to have problems but Max8 has actually been very stable for me. Only problem I had was at an office where we had Dells with FireGL v3100 cards and Dell had provided an outdated driver that crashed in anything that actually tried to use the OpenGL features. On my current work computer (Dell with a Quadro with the newest drivers and Maxtreme) and my old studio PC (Dell with a v5100 with recent drivers) I've never had an issue with Max8. I think I had the most problems with 7.5. Also, I'm not sure I've ever tried Max8 without at least SP1. I guess you could a Windows or hardware issue that causes a Max problem but not a C4D problem? Have you tried memory testing recently? There's a procedure Greg told me about, you get a program called Prime95 and run one instance per CPU core, in stress test mode, give each one CPU affinity for one core and set one to the high memory use mode and the rest to the high CPU use mode. Run it for a few hours and if you have a memory problem (the most common hardware problem that causes software glitches) it will throw errors without crashing the system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernest Burden III Posted October 12, 2006 Author Share Posted October 12, 2006 hardware issue that causes a Max problem but not a C4D problem? Never any problems, just started as soon as I first opened Max8. The memory is probably OK, last summer I was doing animation that was pushing right up to the memory ceiling, running the machine at 100% for a week straight, not a problem. I hope the newer video driver will make all good again. And Fran--frequent incremental saves became an ingrained habit years ago, I do that with all software. But thanks for the warning. Wish me luck, everybody. Maxland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJLynn Posted October 12, 2006 Share Posted October 12, 2006 Good luck. (Hope you won't need it.) Okay, I denigrate Max all the time, but it's not so bad. Also, FBX file transfers work reasonably well these days so if there are parts you'd rather model in Cinema you can transfer them - I did couple whole projects that way in school when I had things I wanted to render in Vray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernest Burden III Posted October 14, 2006 Author Share Posted October 14, 2006 Good luck. (Hope you won't need it.) I looks like I have to choose between a stable workstation or having Max running. Another BSOD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Posted October 14, 2006 Share Posted October 14, 2006 I've never had a BSOD with Max. I've had "Disappearing Max", "Polite Max (informing me ever so politely that it will have to exit and would I like to save my work)", "I Don't Feel Like Doing Anything You Want Right Now, Okay? Max", and "I Just Ate Your Scene File, So There Max". But never "BSOD Max". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJLynn Posted October 14, 2006 Share Posted October 14, 2006 Same here. Usually if Max or Viz crashes on me it just kind of dies, maybe a screen about saving my file, then a bug report screen. I'd suspect you've got a hardware problem or a bad driver in there somewhere. I don't really have anything to back this up, but it seems to me like there are system stability problems like that that will crash Max but not cause any problems for Cinema. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Homeless Guy Posted October 14, 2006 Share Posted October 14, 2006 I had put in the 3G switch a long time ago, but why? This machine has 1.5G. Why did I do that? i use a Boxx in the office. i have it setup so that when i restart it, i have to pick normal windows, or windows with the 3 gig switch thrown. when i am running with it thrown, Max is less stable than if i am running without it. not sure that is your problem, but it might be worth a try. other than that, max is reasonably stable for me, except when i pass how much ram i have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernest Burden III Posted October 14, 2006 Author Share Posted October 14, 2006 "Disappearing Max" "Polite Max" "I Don't Feel Like Doing Anything You Want Right Now, Okay? Max" "I Just Ate Your Scene File, So There Max" Quoted so I can see it again. Thanks, Fran, you always brighten my day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Posted October 14, 2006 Share Posted October 14, 2006 Happy to oblige, Ernest. I forgot to mention "Bread And Butter Max." He's the one I see most of the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Nelson Posted October 15, 2006 Share Posted October 15, 2006 The only time I got a bsod in Max was due to bad memory, which happened to be in a Boxx. When you restart after the bsod, does windows give you any diagnostic message, or any indication as to what the problem is? Running out of memory should just crash max plain & simple, not cause a bsod. So my guess would either be a bad video card, or bad memory. Or Max is just trying to break your spirit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sawyer Posted October 15, 2006 Share Posted October 15, 2006 Or Max is just trying to break your spirit. Yeah max knows you have been using other programs. It needs to break you strip you to nothing and then it will rebuild you - stronger than before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernest Burden III Posted October 15, 2006 Author Share Posted October 15, 2006 max knows you have been using other programs. It needs to break you strip you to nothing and then it will rebuild you - stronger than before. OK, I'm there. Let the re-building begin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Warner Posted October 15, 2006 Share Posted October 15, 2006 I've never had a BSOD with Max. I've had "Disappearing Max", "Polite Max (informing me ever so politely that it will have to exit and would I like to save my work)", "I Don't Feel Like Doing Anything You Want Right Now, Okay? Max", and "I Just Ate Your Scene File, So There Max". But never "BSOD Max". You forgot the "I'm just pulling your leg Max" which is a form of "Polite Max" except that it doesn't actually save your work when it asks if you'd like to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abicalho Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 OK, I'm there. Let the re-building begin. Hi Ernest, Before rebuilding, try running without the 3GB switch (if you still have it on). The 3GB switch may conflict with your video card driver, and that maybe why you're BSODing. Hope it helps, -Alexander Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sketchbook Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 ah, ernest. switching to max eh? i am doing it the easy way. using a freelancer to get me through a test project and depending on how it goes i will start learning it. gotta say it's going great so far, at least with him doing the work. how are you liking max and what are you using to learn it? are you still modeling in c4d? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Johnson Posted October 17, 2006 Share Posted October 17, 2006 The only crashes I have had from this build of max have been ram related. edit - however its nice to have 9 autobackups. Not anymore! That is, not since I tweaked the autobackup feature for Max 9. Now you can have 99 autobackups, and... well let me remember. The autobackup resets itself after you do any type of scene save. Well at least through the UI, not for maxscript. If you are doing it through maxscript you can call the reset timer yourself. Another improvement is that the auto save will happen once and then stop. So if you leave your workstation for that two hour lunch, and come back, your autobackup's won't be completely overwritten with the last state of your scene. Chris Johnson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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