Can't open Max Design files with Max 9

[depth3d]

Steaming here.

 

I've just moved offices as our practice has merged with another & I have joined the other 3D guys at the 2nd office until we all physically merge by moving into our new building currently under construction.

 

I have Max 9 purchased early last year. They use Max Design which they got this year. I set up my computer and hooked up to the intranet to access their files and models only to discover that my version of Max won't open the later version of Max Designs files.

 

This can't be right, surely. I can't believe that Autodesk would deliberately engineer their software to include this problem. Does anyone have a work around that would enable me to open and edit files?

 

Cheers m'dears

depth3d

[RobNJ73]

What's so unusual about not being able to open the latest version's files in an older version? Backwards compatibility (opening older files in newer software) is one thing, but forwards compatibility? Granted, it'd be great if Autodesk would allow us to save Design files as Max 9 files, but they seem to be deaf to that plea.

[AJLynn]

Max can't open files created (or last saved) by a newer version - and 2009 is 2 versions newer than Max9. It's something that annoys the crap out of most of us at some time or other.

 

You can transfer the files using a format both can read (such as FBX using the latest plugin from the Autodesk site) but that doesn't deal well with materials and a lot of other stuff, so the only real solution is that everybody needs to be using the same version.

[Nic H]

max isnt backwards compatible

you are stuck unfortunately, you will have to upgrade.

[AJLynn]

What's so unusual about not being able to open the latest version's files in an older version? Backwards compatibility (opening older files in newer software) is one thing, but forwards compatibility? Granted, it'd be great if Autodesk would allow us to save Design files as Max 9 files, but they seem to be deaf to that plea.

 

I don't think it's "deaf" so much as "decided that doing it this way would result in more sales". Also there would of course be some real nightmares (for them, for us and for tech support) since each new version brings in new stuff that doesn't translate backwards - for example, trying to get a model using ProMaterials and mr Photographic features to work in Max9.