3ds Max memory error - some Max files using all available memory

[DANKITCHENS]

Hi All,

 

Been some time since I last posted a problem (s'pose thats a good thing).

 

This time its about a .max file using up all my memory when it shouldn't. All was working perfectly until I merged objects and materials from another .max file. Suddenly the screen wasnt refreshing as quickly, materials were taking forever to load. Decided to check memory, and it was max'd out. Tried to fix it by saving selected items only into new .max file, didnt work.

 

I dont know how to solve it, is there anyone out there who might have a solution. I'm all ears.

 

Grae

[sanmb]

Reinstall Max.

[gazbo]

I'd try to find out exactly what geometry is causing the problem maybe by going back to before you merged the max files and merge objects either individually or in small groups and check memory settings between each merge. Might help identify the culprit, could be some tiny piece of geometry that's got a huge amount of smoothing or something like that? I once brought in a shower model someone else had done and found it had 8 iterations of nurms subdivision on the shower head!

[DANKITCHENS]

Reinstall Max.

 

Reinstalling wont fix it sanmb - it's a file problem, not a software problem.

[DANKITCHENS]

I'd try to find out exactly what geometry is causing the problem maybe by going back to before you merged the max files and merge objects either individually or in small groups and check memory settings between each merge. Might help identify the culprit, could be some tiny piece of geometry that's got a huge amount of smoothing or something like that? I once brought in a shower model someone else had done and found it had 8 iterations of nurms subdivision on the shower head!

 

 

Hi gazbo, I don't think its any of the geometry, but your explanation would normally be the cause.

 

I did a test. I started with my normal kitchen-template.max file (I do kitchen renders) which is 9MB in size and uses 667MB of memory when loaded. I merged 1 object at random from the problem file. The file size jumped up to 225MB and the memory hit the roof at 3221MB. The object I brought in was only a box, so its not the cause. There's something corrupted with the file, and it can spread to other files when merged.

 

What data in the background could be carried across when a file is merged, and does anyone know how to purge it?

BTW I'm running 3ds Max Design 2011 on XP64 bit.

[sanmb]

Hi Dan,

Whenever we merge any object,we should check if it is merging any hidden object/materials which creates memory problem.

It may be hidden geometry or its a material causing problem.Some times if you we importing cad fie with materials we need to delete unwanted geometry and material.It is always best to create a geometry in max itself to avoid these kind of problems in the future.

Good Luck.

[RobNJ73]

This may or may not be the case here, but I have seen a bug pop up from time to time that would make files balloon in size and become unworkable. It had to do with Max's Motion Mixer filling itself with thousands of tracks. No idea how it happened, but this little script killed it:

 

 
for i = 1 to theMixer.numMaxMixers() do
(
theMixer.removeMaxMixer 1 false 1
)

 

Hope that helps.

[theqball]

please read this post here:

http://forums.cgarchitect.com/35748-max-file-grew-too-big-pls-help-2.html#post317594

[DANKITCHENS]

This may or may not be the case here, but I have seen a bug pop up from time to time that would make files balloon in size and become unworkable. It had to do with Max's Motion Mixer filling itself with thousands of tracks. No idea how it happened, but this little script killed it:

 

 
for i = 1 to theMixer.numMaxMixers() do
(
theMixer.removeMaxMixer 1 false 1
)

 

Hope that helps.

 

 

Hi RobNJ73 and theqball, thanks for your posts. I've come across THAT problem in the past, and I think it was theqball that helped me fix it. I've tried the script for this situation. It manages to reduce the memory usage from 3221MB to 1287MB. So it does some good, but the memory usage is still double what I would expect it should be.

[DANKITCHENS]

Hi Dan,

Whenever we merge any object,we should check if it is merging any hidden object/materials which creates memory problem.

It may be hidden geometry or its a material causing problem.Some times if you we importing cad fie with materials we need to delete unwanted geometry and material.It is always best to create a geometry in max itself to avoid these kind of problems in the future.

Good Luck.

 

Well, you picked it sanmb, I am using AutoCAD 2011 and importing geometry, but with no materials (they come in as standard materials I believe). Can't model in Max as its too slow for the modelling I do, and I sure aint using AutoCAD for my rendering.

 

My hunch is the problem is either related to the track view notes problem, or its materials coming across. How do I test this?

[theqball]

Dan, I'm not sure what you are trying to achieve? 3ds Max itself will use a fare amount of memory even before loading anything. The data model the application uses is far different than the data model of AutoCAD so inherently will never match that of AutoCAD.

 

If you are having an issue with memory usage growing quickly in unexplained ways, odds are it's the tracks problem.

 

If you are concerned 3ds Max is using more memory then it should be, then odds are you are on a very subjective exploration.

[DANKITCHENS]

The data model the application uses is far different than the data model of AutoCAD so inherently will never match that of AutoCAD.

 

Alright! Finally someone from Autodesk admits AutoCAD is a better renderer than 3DS Max!

 

Sorry theqball, I'm poking fun at your expense. Of course Max is a different system with much more advanced rendering, modelling etc.

I used to use AutoCAD for 3D rendering, even managed to fake GI in it long before MR became integrated into AutoCAD. Took a couple hundred omni lights, not to mention hours of rendering time.

 

 

Back to the issue at hand. I've already run the script to remove the notes in the track view. At first it halved the memory used on the corrupted file, but was still using way more memory than normal (about 600MB of memory more).

 

I think I will take a look at the materials...

[DANKITCHENS]

Did another test with the corrupted file.

 

I wanted to see if I could get the materials out of the corrupted file, without the memory problem coming across to the new file. Tried "saving selected" , choosing objects with materials. No such luck. Memory problem came across.

 

Next I tried accessing the materials through the Materials Library, and saving the materials in a new .max file. It worked! The new .max file did not have the memory problem. So at the very least, I can get access to the materials.

 

Still, I don't have any solution to curing the memory problem, and I'm sure its gonna occur again...

[Monokolor]

Hello Dan.

I have the same problem with max 2010, after merging few object cameras and light file size is huge but the main problem is memory - max use 8Gb of ram. When I create a box in my "broken" scene, and use save selected the new file with that box only use 8gb of ram. Could You explain Your method again - You are my only chance, becouse in many forums i found only advise like"hidden geometry..." "turbosmooth..." etc ...

Chris.

"sorry for my english"

[DANKITCHENS]

Hello Dan.

I have the same problem with max 2010, after merging few object cameras and light file size is huge but the main problem is memory - max use 8Gb of ram. When I create a box in my "broken" scene, and use save selected the new file with that box only use 8gb of ram. Could You explain Your method again - You are my only chance, becouse in many forums i found only advise like"hidden geometry..." "turbosmooth..." etc ...

Chris.

"sorry for my english"

 

Hi Monokolor,

 

I haven't been able to solve my problem (which does however sound the same). Try Theqball's answer, he has sent a link in an earlier reply. It is a Maxscript that is easy to use, and in the past has worked for me.

[Monokolor]

Hi, best solution for me is file/new/keep object but without! hierarchy. Did You try this?

[DANKITCHENS]

Hi, best solution for me is file/new/keep object but without! hierarchy. Did You try this?

 

It worked. You beauty!

 

So if anyone else encounters this problem, the best solution(as described by Monokolor), is to go to: -

 

File>New>Keep Object (note, DO NOT select "with hierarchy").

[Monokolor]

I find this solution in Theqball link:

http://forums.cgarchitect.com/35748-max-file-grew-too-big-pls-help.html

and fadi3d is our hero.

Cheers.

[sanmb]

When you start rendering,

It shows v-ray message window,

It shows whether it is material or any other issue causing difficulties.

[HatAiKiu]

Sorry for reusing this topic. This describe the problem I have now.

Some Max files use all the system memory. And when I try to copy some object from these file, it will be affected on the new file (like a virus )

Even when I try to delete all the object and material, these files still use all the available system RAM.

Plz open the sample attached file to get my problem:(. Thanks so much.

- I have already tried those script but it doesn't help.

+ RemoveMixerReftargs_.zip

+ Motion Mixer Cleanse.zip

- File -> New -> Keep objects (without hiararchy): not work for me.

 

* My system: Windows 7 64bit, 3Ds Max 2010 64bit, 4GB RAM

[DANKITCHENS]

Sorry for reusing this topic. This describe the problem I have now.

Some Max files use all the system memory. And when I try to copy some object from these file, it will be affected on the new file (like a virus )

Even when I try to delete all the object and material, these files still use all the available system RAM.

Plz open the sample attached file to get my problem:(. Thanks so much.

- I have already tried those script but it doesn't help.

+ RemoveMixerReftargs_.zip

+ Motion Mixer Cleanse.zip

- File -> New -> Keep objects (without hiararchy): not work for me.

 

* My system: Windows 7 64bit, 3Ds Max 2010 64bit, 4GB RAM

 

Yeah the script only works so far. I've been dealing with it for 2 years! The only thing I can do to get around it is to open the max file > create new file > choose "Keep Objects" option. You loose any groups you may have created, but the file opens fast, and the file is reduced to its correct size.

 

Hope this works for you.

 

Grae

[HatAiKiu]

Yeah the script only works so far. I've been dealing with it for 2 years! The only thing I can do to get around it is to open the max file > create new file > choose "Keep Objects" option. You loose any groups you may have created, but the file opens fast, and the file is reduced to its correct size.

 

Hope this works for you.

 

Grae

Thank you so much for your replying.

- I have already tried these methods but it doesn't help, 3DS Max still uses all my 4GB RAM.

+ RemoveMixerReftargs_.zip

+ Motion Mixer Cleanse.zip

+ File -> New -> Keep objects (without hiararchy): not work for me.

It takes about 5-10 minutes to open theses files, and when I close these file, 3DS Max return "Not responding" status, and I must close it through Windows's Task Manager (End Process)

I delete all models and materials from a sample file (attachment file), but the problem still there.

I appreciate all your help. Thanks so much.

[DANKITCHENS]

I loaded your file but I couldn't do anything to fix it. Corrupted? Probably. I've just loaded 3DS Max 2012 onto my machine, and it seems to have overcome a similar problem. Other than that, I can't help you anymore than I have

[HatAiKiu]

I loaded your file but I couldn't do anything to fix it. Corrupted? Probably. I've just loaded 3DS Max 2012 onto my machine, and it seems to have overcome a similar problem. Other than that, I can't help you anymore than I have

I have loaded it from many PCs. The only need is 64bit 3ds max and 4GB RAM or above. It takes two minutes or more (10-40 minutes, I guess) to open this file if your PC is not strong enough. (I've already tested on Q6600 2.4Ghz, 4GB RAM)

Once again, thx a lot.

[Guest ronalle]

Yeah the script only works so far. I've been dealing with it for 2 years! The only thing I can do to get around it is to open the max file > create new file > choose "Keep Objects" option. You loose any groups you may have created, but the file opens fast, and the file is reduced to its correct size.

 

Hope this works for you.

 

Grae

 

run this script on listener to disable max motion manager

t=trackviewnodes;n=t[#Max_MotionClip_Manager];deleteTrackViewController t n.controller

and run this to clear memory

gc()