You can start 3ds Max from the command line in a Command Prompt window, or include the command line in a batch file. There are a number of switches that you can use on the command line.
To start 3ds Max from the command line:
You can use the following switches after 3dsmax on the command line.
Switch | Effect |
---|---|
-c othercui | Starts program using othercui.cui instead of maxstart.cui. |
-d | Causes Track View to use a double-buffered display, which is smoother than the single-buffered display but uses more system resources. |
-g | Makes background white (instead of gray) in the following dialogs: Track View, RAM Player, Video Post, Loft, and Falloff Curve. Useful for screen captures when using a display mode less than 24 bits deep, for avoiding background patterns. |
-h | Allows choice of graphics drivers: Nitrous, Direct3D, Open GL, and Software. |
-i otherfile | Starts program using otherfile.ini instead of 3dsmax.ini. |
-l | Loads the last .max file automatically. |
-ma | Open maximized. |
-mi | Open minimized. |
-n | Disables network mode. |
-p otherfile | Starts program using otherfile.ini instead of plugin.ini.
Note: The
otherfile.ini string should include the full path name.
|
-q | Starts program "quietly," without the splash screen. |
-s | Starts program in server mode. |
-u | Opens the specified utility, such as MAXScript. For details, see Running Scripts from the Command Line. |
-v | Loads a display driver. For details, see Using the −v Option. |
-z | Writes version number to file. For details, see Using the −z Option. |
anyscene | Starts 3ds Max and opens a file called anyscene.max. |
Use a space to separate the 3ds Max executable name from the command-line switch.
Examples:
3dsmax −l
3dsmax −i otherfile
3dsmax anyscene
3dsmax −c MaxCustom
You use the -v option to load a different display driver at startup. This option overrides the setting in 3dsmax.ini.
Follow the -v with one of these choices for the driver you want to use:
o: Loads the OpenGL driver.
d: Loads the Direct3D driver.
n: Loads a null driver.
For example, if you ordinarily run Nitrous using Direct3D 11 (the default display mode) and want to switch to Direct3D 9 for a session, you would type: 3dsmax −vx9
If you call product support, the representative might ask you to run this option to determine the exact version of your software. This option only writes to a file; it does not start 3ds Max.
Follow the -z with a file name:
3dsmax −z id.txt
The file (in this example, id.txt) is written to the 3ds Max root directory.
3ds Max allows you to enter MAXScript commands directly on the command line. When you launch 3ds Max from a DOS command line, you can have it run a specified launch script. This can be useful for tasks such as unattended batch rendering.
This capability uses the existing -U command line switch that names a utility to be run when 3ds Max is started. The -U switch allows an optional extra argument which, for MAXScript, is taken to be the name of the launch script to run. The case (capitalization) of MAXScript must be as shown in the following example (entered after you CD to 3ds Max directory):
3dsmax -U MAXScript rendercams.ms
This example command line would launch the 3ds Max executable , start MAXScript, and then have it run the launch scriptrendercams.ms.
The following example launch script loads two scenes, renders frames from each of the cameras in them, and then quits3ds Max:
loadMaxFile "foo.max" for c in cameras do render camera:c outputfile:("foo_"+c.name+".bmp") loadMaxFile "baz.max" for c in cameras do render camera:c outputfile:("baz_"+c.name+".bmp") quitMax #noPrompt
This example makes use of the quitMax() method to exit 3ds Max when the script is finished. Launch scripts need not be batch scripts as in this example, but may be used to condition 3ds Max for interactive use, for example by loading a scene file and setting some user-interface options.
The normal startup scripts, startup.ms and those in the \scripts\startup directory, are run before the launch script. It is also possible to install scripts into individual scene files that run automatically when that scene is open or closed or at certain other events.
The following switches work specifically with MAXScript files and functions.
Switch | Effect |
---|---|
-mip | Starts 3ds Max in a minimized mode – but never allows you to open the window for interactive usage. |
-mxs | This switch is essentially the same as -U MAXScript file.ms, but avoids the need for the .ms file. You can follow the switch with MAXScript commands. |
-silent | Comparable to the MAXScript command, setSilentMode, this switch suppresses all MAXScript and 3ds Max UI dialogs so that batch scripts specified by the –U command do not get interrupted. |
-u MAXScript <filename> | Opens a specified MAXScript file. |
Examples of desired syntax usage:
3dsmax.exe -silent -mxs "for c in cameras do render c outputFile:(c.name + ".bmp") vfb:off " file.max
This example starts 3ds Max in silent mode, opens file.max and renders each camera view to a BMP file without showing the Rendered Frame Window.
3dsmax.exe -q -mi -U MAXScript \\server1\folder\myScript.ms \\server2\folder\file.max
This example suppresses the splash screen while starting 3ds Max in a minimized state, opens file.max from a network server and runs myScript.ms found on another server. If myScript.ms contains the same commands as the first example, both of these examples would give the same results.
3dsmax.exe -q -silent -mip -mxs "for c in cameras do render c outputFile:(c.name + ".bmp") vfb:on; quitMAX() #nopromptfile.max" file.max
The final example suppresses the splash screen while starting 3ds Max in silent mode and in a permanently minimized state, opens file.max, renders each camera view to a BMP file showing the Rendered Frame Window, then exits 3ds Max.