9

External Path Configuration 811
Inter face
Animations—Path for animation (ANM) files.
Archives—Path for archive files.
AutoB ack up—Sets the default path for automatic
backup files. If you use the Auto Backup feature
(page 3–819), use either the \autoback directory,
whichisspecifictoeachrunningversionofthe
software, or a directory that’s not shared by any
other machine.
BitmapProxies—Path for proxy bitmaps. See Global
Settings and Defaults for Bitmap Proxies Dialog
(page 3–496).
Downloads—Path for i-drop (page 3–523) files.
Export—Path for exported files.
Expressions—Path for text files used by expression
controllers.
Images—Path for image files.
Impor t—Path for imported files.
Mater ials—Path for material library (MAT ) files.
MaxStart—Path for maxstart.max,whichprovides
initial 3ds Max scene settings.
Photometr ic—Path for photometric files, which
define various characteristics of Photometric lights
(page 2–1301)
Prev iews—P ath for preview renders.
RenderAssets—Path for mental ray and other
rendering asset files, including shadow maps,
photon maps, final gather maps, M I files, and
render passes.
RenderOutput—Path for rendered output.
Render Pr esets—PathforRenderPresetfiles.
Scenes—Path for MAX scene files.
Sounds—Loads sound fi les.
V i deoPost—Loads and saves Video Post queues.
Ex ternal Path Configuration
Customize menu > Configure User Paths > Configure User
Paths dialog > External Files p anel
On the External Files panel of the Configure Paths
dialog, you can add or modify path directories for
bitmaps (page 3–917), DX9 effects (FX) files, (page
3–946), and downloads; that is, files transferred
from the Internet via i-drop (page 3–523).Bitmaps
are used for background images and mapped
materials (page 3–968) (textures, bump maps,
displacement maps, and so on). FX files are used
by the DirectX 9 Shader material (page 2–1613).
Note: By default the paths for \Maps\fx, \Maps,and
the root folder are all relative to the root directory
of 3ds Max w hereas the \downloads folder is
relative to the project folder by default.
3ds Max stores the path of any fi le you load. When
thefileisreloaded,thesearchorderisasfollows:
1. The path saved with the file.
2. Thedirectoryofthecurrentscene.
3. The paths listed in the External Files panel,
starting at the top of the list.
Note: To save loading time, if a m ap with the
same name is in two different locations (paths),
it is loaded only once. This poses a problem