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20 Chapter 1: Getting Star ted with 3ds Max
files used in the scene to an archiving program
compatible with PKZIP® software.
Cr as h Re cov ery S y st em
If 3ds Max encounters an unexpected crash, it
attempts to recover and sav e the file currently
in memory. This is fairly reliable, but it does
not always work: the recovered scene could be
damaged during the crash.
The recovered file is stored in the
configured Auto Backup path. It is saved
as "<filename>_recover.max"inthispath.Itisalso
placed in the INI file as the most recently used file
intheFilemenu.Thismakesiteasytoreturnto
thefile,ifyouchoosetodoso.
The cr ash recovery system identifies when
something in a n object’s modifier stack is cor rupt.
In these cases, the corrupt object is replaced with
a red dummy object to maintain the object’s
position and any linked object hierarchy.
Note: We recommend that you not rely on this
file-recovery mechanism as an a lternative to good
data backup pract ices:
• Save your work frequently.
• Take advantage of automatic incremental file
naming: Go to Customize menu > Preferences
> Files panel (page 3–819) >FileHandling
group, and turn on Increment On Save.
• Use File menu > Save As, and click the
Increment button (+) to save incremental
copies of work in progress.
• If you are forgetful about saving, use the Auto
Backup feature. Go to Customize menu >
Preferences > Files tab > Auto Backup grou p,
and turn on Enable.