9

Performance Issues While Runnin g 3ds Max 889
The final shape after subtracting the t wo outer rectangles
Tips for Successful Boolean Operations
Here, you ’ll find some general tips that will ensure
that you’re Boolean operations work the first time.
Add a modifier and collapse the stack.
If a set of operands never seems to produce
desired results, try adding a modifier and
collapsing the stack to create an Editable Mesh
or Editable Poly. You can also collapse objects
to editable meshes and p olys without first
applying modifiers. If you do this, use E dit >
Hold or File > Save As on the scene; you will not
be able to adjust the parameters of the existing
modifiers in t he stack.
Create objects with more faces.
In general, create objects that have more faces
than you might nor m ally use. For instance,
increase the Height, Width, and Length
segments of a Box, especially if the other object
is mor e complex. Try to make the face count
of both operands similar in number. With a
larger number of faces, the edges created by the
Boolean operation tend to be smoother and
more refined. Once the Boolean operation gives
you the results you want, apply the Optimize
modifier to reduce the number of faces on the
object.
•ApplytheSTL-Checkmodifier.
One way to check the validit y of objects that
you intend to use as operands is by applying the
STL-Check modifier. This modifier is primarily
used to verify that an object is a complete and
closed surface in preparation for exporting to
STL files. Because Boolean operations work
best with objects that meet the same cr iteria, use
STL-Check on your operands. After applying
the STL-Check to an object, turn on Check.
TheStatusgrouptellsyouiferrorsarepresent.
Per for ma nce I ssues Whi le R unning
3ds Max
Slow or sluggish performance while running
3ds Max can usually b e attributed to either a v ideo
configuration conflict or a memory allo cation
problem. The hard thing about performance
problems is narrowing down the culprit. Here
are some common situations that can hamper
operation of 3ds Max and steps to take to rectify
them.
Probl ems a nd R esoluti ons
3ds M ax Doesn’t Start Quickly
Autodesk Product Support often encounters an
increase of this situation around the tim e a new
version or upgrade of the software is released. The
question usually posed by the customer is, “Why
does the new version take longer to start than the
last version?” There are several reasons.
The size of the executable that starts 3ds Max
and the additional overhead needed to load
the new features of a new release ca n cause a
slowdown.Codeinanewexecutablemayuse
the system processors in a different way than
the last version so a slowdown may be noticed.
Theimportantthingishow3dsMaxperforms
once it is ru nning.
Each version of 3ds Max is programmed and
optimized to use newer video technolog y than