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Can anyone figure out this puzzle that drives many 3ds Max users nuts!


Brian Smith
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This issue has been brought up so many times in recent classes that I've taught so I thought it would make for a great puzzle here. Attached is a Max scene with no objects in it, yet it takes on most computers several minutes to open up and save. Some may be able to open it in a few seconds, but for most it will take several minutes. Can anyone figure out the exact cause?

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I thought it was going to be "Why do people constantly post 3ds max questions in the General Discussions forum?"

 

That is a great question! Especially why do verteran members who contribute significantly to CGA post max questions in the general discussions forum?;)

 

I'm still waiting for Jeff to create a button for "move to max forum" or "move to vray forum" for me so I can quickly teleport these threads.

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I can't help with the puzzle, mine opened right away....so since this thread is quickly straying did brian get his answer yet....?

 

and now to perpetuate the situation....How about a couple of user buttons for us non moderators?.....something along the lines of a RTFM button or possibly a TTSFWATOATQ button (Try The Search Function We Are Tired Of Answering That Question!) :D

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Ok, I'll bite...

 

How would you define the search parameters for the question posed?

 

- quick loading max files?

- strange settings that slow down loading of files?

- how to remove entities that make my file drag before I even open said file?

- preview possible errors prior to opening MAX?

 

I haven't RTFM* recently, but I am pretty sure that there isn't a section devoted to this.

 

*-can't remember the last version that came with a full printed manual

 

/snarkyness due to depleted caffeine levels

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Ok, I'll bite...

 

How would you define the search parameters for the question posed?

 

- quick loading max files?

- strange settings that slow down loading of files?

- how to remove entities that make my file drag before I even open said file?

- preview possible errors prior to opening MAX?

 

I haven't RTFM* recently, but I am pretty sure that there isn't a section devoted to this.

 

*-can't remember the last version that came with a full printed manual

 

/snarkyness due to depleted caffeine levels

 

you lost me....i'm just posing a simple question. why exactly does the file take several minutes to load for most people?

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you lost me....i'm just posing a simple question. why exactly does the file take several minutes to load for most people?

 

Sorry Brian, I was responding to BKittsARC's comments.

 

In relation to your original question, I posted my answer earlier.

 

However, I was wondering if there is a simply answer to remedy this common issue, and if there really is help in the manual or it has been discussed in other threads.

 

If so, how would one search for an answer?

 

/have coffee now...

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Check out Material Slot 24

 

bingo...well i thought that it was buried well enough but i guess you must have found through the expanded Mat/Map Browser. This is one of the most annoying problems a new user could ever be faced with in Max and thought it was worth mentioning. I'd actually categorize it as a bug because Max should not attempt to spend several minutes looking for a network that doesnt exist.

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the only workaround that i know of is to disconnect from your internet connection and network and repath the problematic materials. if you do max shouldnt even attempt to find the address...which is why some could open it in a few seconds. but i'm sure some that opened it were connected and i can only imagine that has to be some network characteristic that could also be a workaround and prevent max from trying to search. would like to know if there is.

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ahhh so mine opened quickly since I didn't have my material browser opened. Once I opened the mat browser and navigated to the bad material, my system hung.

 

that being said, brian was right to originally post in the general discussions forum, this isn't something specific to max, because I have had this same problem with director.....It's actually more of a windows problem. For instance if you open up a run prompt and type in "\\bogus computer name" it will hang for a bit while it searches out a non-existing network address. And then 15-30 secs later it will finally pop up an error saying it couldn't find it..... coincidentally bigger the network you are on.... the longer the hang.

 

My fix for the max file would be to open it (with the material editor closed) and then to open up the asset tracker, right click on the bad file and select "strip path"..... but this isn't exactly something a newbie would know to do, so in my opinion.... it's a bug, but I think I would blame microsoft before autodesk. :mad:

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Run the garbage collector if the file is unused in your scene, cheers

 

"You can also invoke the collector to cause any unreferenced open files to be closed. In some situations, a file can be left open if a runtime error occurs while it is still open. If the file object was being held in a local variable at this point, it may not be possible to get at it from the Listener to force a close. Any subsequent attempts to open it may result in an "already open" error from the operating system. Running the collector will cause the file object to be reclaimed and this forces any open file associated with it to be closed." - Maxscript reference

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