[Fernando Tella]

Just out of curiosity I went down in the material editor in max to the DirectX Manager section and found "MaxwellSkyShader" in the rolldown menu. It shows a "Maxwell parameters" additional rolldown menu with no data inside. Is it meant to do something?

[Bogdan Coroi]

No, it's the shader used to draw the sky. It has no parameters but there isn't a way to convince 3dsmax that we don't need anything to display. We are stuck to show nothing on that dialog just to keep 3dsmax happy (not crash that is). :)

Anyway, it's better to not use that shader at all on any of your geometry objects, since it might cause trouble. When you need sky preview, just toggle the renderer checkbox "Sky Preview" and you'll be fine.

[Fernando Tella]

Thanks for the info.

It took me a while to find "sky preview" checkbox. Maybe I would put it inside Physical Sky section.

[Mihnea Balta]

The checkbox also handles previewing the sky dome and the image-based environment textures, so it doesn't really belong in the physical sky group.

[Fernando Tella]

I see, it's great that also handles those.

Nevertheless, I don't think it fits in general neither; General tab talks about output and render and "sky preview" is about 3dsmax viewport. Maybe inside Perspective/Lights Viewport?
I have to say though that I first looked at right-click menu at viewport name and after went to view menu where usually I can enable 3dsmax viewport background; my third try was Environment settings; forth was Image Based Environment; fifth Perspective/Lights Viewport; sixth General --> Victory!.

It was a too long journey I think; by instinct that was my route, but you know, once you know where it is you don't forget where it was.

Maybe it would also be hard to find in view menu where usually there are no Maxwell things. Well, I guess you've thought about this much more than I do.

Just my 2 cents.

[Bogdan Coroi]

I think the viewport right click menu is the best place to put it. We'll find a way to do it in the next build. Putting the preview in Perspective/Lights Viewport rollup is just like putting it on a camera, and that's wrong. This rollup exists only to simulate a maxwell camera, since in 3dsmax you can render directly from the perspective viewport. (sick, I know)
Environment settings and IBL also can't be used since the sky preview controls them both.

[Fernando Tella]

I think the viewport right click menu is the best place to put it.

I agree.

(sick, I know)

Yes, sometimes "where it should be" is not the same place as "where you would look in first place when you don't know where it is"