URGENT - 3ds max files grow insanely large, unable to work!

[A.Mitov]

We have a problem on one of our computers. All of them run 3ds max 2009 SP1 with the latest hotfix. However, on one of them 3ds Max starts making the files bigger with every subsequent save.

For example, a project (simple 20 m2 interior scene) was started on the first computer and upon finishing almost all the work it was 22 mb. After that it was opened with the other computer for minor changes and saved numerous times incrementally. With every incremental save the file has been growing larger and larger. Now it has reached 400 mb and there were almost no changes in the scene!!! What is going on?! This happens to every scene that this computer saves. This makes one of the computers practically unusable. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Edited February 26, 2011 by A.Mitov

[Matt McDonald]

Do you have "compress on save" enabled on all the computers?

[A.Mitov]

None of the PCs have the "compress on save" option turned on and yet one of them creates files of ~200-400 mb in size.

[Brian Smith]

you're not giving us much information to work with. you may think you're doing nothing that would increase file size, but there's a lot that you can do to cause an increase. for example, try starting a brand new scene, create a teapot with 64 segments, collapse it to an editable mesh, save the file and check its size. It will be about 11 MB. Then collapse to an editable poly, save and check again. It will be about 18MB, depending on your Max version.

 

Perhaps you have some proxies or xrefs that are getting transfered to the main scene file. Perhaps you are collapsing parametric objects that take only a few KBs in parametric form but dozens of MBs in mesh or poly form.

 

Regardless, use deductive reasoning and get rid of all the variables. Start small. See if the problem happens with a small, brand new scene with a few objects. Try merging from the problematic file until you find the objects causing the problem, if it is the objects. Hope that helps.

[caffa]

Sounds like Reactor/Collisions corruption to me

Check this thread, maybe it helps: http://forums.cgarchitect.com/37632-max-generates-huge-scenes-700-mb-no-complex-geometry-heeeelp-please-2.html

Perhaps that should be a sticky thread, since many people have that problem

[A.Mitov]

Thanks for all the help so far,

We've already tried deductive reasoning but can't seem to find the problem. There are no proxies or linked files in some of the scenes and some of them are quite simple ones. When we delete all objects in the damaged scenes they file size don't change.

Also, if we try to merge whatever object from the damaged scene, even with few polies, in a new clean scene and try to save it, it gets damaged too. I don't see any logical reason for this?!

[Brian Smith]

then you should simply do a fresh reinstall rather than fight it. if it still happens then it's gotta be something with your computer.

[A.Mitov]

Caffa, you saved my life! There were reactor collisions in the reactor panel as people say in the link you gave. I really don't know where have they come from but after clearing the file became 4 times smaller. There should definitely be a sticky with all common bugs in Max.

Thanks again, all!