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18 Chapter 1: Getting Star ted with 3ds Max
Youcanloadthepresetdefaultsthatcomewith
3ds Max, or you can create your own.
In general, you don’t need to work directly with the
auxiliary files, but it’s good to know about them.
Among the auxiliar y files the program uses are:
• 3dsm a x.ini (p age 1–18) :Thisfilegetsupdated
when you start and exit 3ds Max, as well as
when you change most Preferences settings. I t
contains values relating to program defaults,
including the g r aphics driver, directories used
to access external files such as sounds and
images, preset render sizes, dialog positions,
snap settings, and other preferences and default
settings. If you edit this file, be sure to make a
copy first, s o you can return to the original if
anything goes wrong.
Note: Many program defaults are set in
currentdefaults.ini, found w ithin the \defaults
directory. For more information on this file, see
Market-Specific D efaults (page 3–790).
• maxstart.max:Atstartupandwhenyoureset
theprogram,3dsMaxlooksforthisfileinthe
MaxStart folder specified in Configure User
Paths > File I/O panel (page 3–810),andif
found, loads it. This allows you to specify the
default state of the workspace whenever you
start or reset the program. For example, if you
always use a ground plane, you c an make it the
default setup by creating one, and then saving it
as maxstart.max.
Ifyousaveadifferentfileovermaxstart.max,
you can return to program defaults by deleting
the maxstart.max file, and then resetting the
program.
• maxstart.cui:Thisisthedefaultcustomuser
int erface file. You can load and save CUI files,
and set the program to use a different default
CUI file. See Customize Menu (page 3–683).
• plugin.ini: This file contains directory paths
for plug-ins. Most other paths are kept in the
program INI file, but plugin.ini is maintained
as a separate file because third-party plug-ins
often add entries to the list at installation.
Note: It is possible to use multiple plug-in
configuration files by nesting additional paths
in your plugin.ini file. This can be very useful
for al lowing an entire network of users to share
one plugin.ini file, making the system easier
to maintain for the network administrator.
For more information, see Network Plug-In
Configuration (page 3–814).
• startup .ms:AMAXScriptfilethatautomatically
executes at startup time. For more information,
see Startup Script (page 3–1015).
• splash.bmp: To substitute a custom splash
screen (star tup screen) for the default image,
copy any Windows Bitmap (.bmp)fileinto
the program root directory and rename it
splash.bmp.Theprogramwillthereafteruse
this image at startup.
3dsmax.ini File
The file 3ds Max u ses to store settings between
sessions is named 3dsmax.ini.Bydefault,youcan
find it in the location indicated by the MaxData
setting on the Configure System Pa ths dialog (page
3–810).
You can make changes to 3ds Max startup
conditions by editing the 3dsmax.ini file in a text
editor such as Notepad. If you do edit the file, be
sure to maintain the struc ture and syntax of the
original file.
Tip: If you encounter unusual a nd unexplained
user-interface problems using 3ds Max, try
deleting the 3dsmax.ini file and restarting.
3ds Max writes a new 3dsmax.ini file to replace the
deleted one. Often this will fix problems related to
the state of the user interface.