Everything related to Maxwell Render and General Stuff that doesn't fit in other categories
By fmadaleno
#399475
Hello all,

I´m not an expert in Maxwell, i´m more of a freelancer ... love 3D modelling and rendering.
I have purchased a year subscription in 2 websites that provide models and textures to use in rendering.
I have a problem though: how can i use 3Ds max models (already with textures on it) in Maxwell Render? How can i open/import them?

Thanks all in advance - i´m kind of stuck right now and desperate to finish a work where i need to use those 3D models.
#399476
Maxwell render only uses maxwell scene format. You need to create that scene before hand. You can use 3dmax | maxwell plugin or maxwell studio.

If you have questions inside one of those programs please reply again so we can know what your configuration is.
#399477
Let´s see if i can explain the way i work.
I do all the modelling using Solidworks (for example a living room space). Then i export the file as .mxs.
I open Maxwell Studio and then i use the textures i need - for example i buy a lot of textures from Poliigon. After i have the basic scene ready i import 3D models from the web, for example tables and chairs. Usually the files i use are .fbx.
The problem i have is that when i buy 3D models with 3Ds max format i can´t open them in Maxwell or at least don´t know how to.

Was that clear enough?
(sorry my english)
#399482
If you don't own 3dsmax, I would use the .fbx format either importing the information into Studio or using the Asset Reference (this one can also convert the materials included in the .fbx automatically) or a combination of both.

Here is a link to a blog post in which I explain the pros and cons of the asset reference extension object: https://blog.maxwellrender.com/tips/how ... ll-studio/

Cheers!
Fernando
#399491
Thanks all for trying to help, really appreciate it.
After reading the blog post and watching the videos i remain ... more or less the same :(
Since i don´t work with Rhino, 3Ds, etc , etc ... all i can do is download 3D models of the objects i´m interested in, like the ones you have available in sites like: Poliigon, 3DSky, etc.

When those 3D files come in FBX or OBJ i can work them in Maxwell. If they come in 3Ds max format i´m stuck. I have no software i can use to open those files and then send them to Maxwell. Solidworks is a technical/engineering software that doesn´t handle those kind of files ... it doesn´t need it.
I´m using Solidworks for more than 20 years, and i work in a lighting company. So i develop luminaires and then i need to show those luminaires to customers applied to a certain environment, let´s say a living room, a restaurant, a lobby, etc. So all the modelling is done in Solidworks, space and luminaires. But the props (chairs, tables, couchs, etc) i buy online.

Most of the models online with good quality appear to be 3Ds max files ... and i have to way to work with them ... apparently.
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By Forester
#399492
OK, if you are stuck with an important deadline coming very soon - an emergency - I could help as I have MAX and could make conversions to *.fbx for you. You would have to upload the models to someplace like Dropbox and provide me with a way to download them. All of us modellers need to help each other when we can - yes? But, I am not set up to make file conversions for you on a regular basis.

Plus, you should know that you will often encounter some limitations on the usability of MAX models, especially models of furniture, that you might obtain for the purposes you describe.

For example, for furniture, MAX model-builders who are making objects for use in MAX often do not bother to bevel the edges of their objects. In MAX, smoothing of furniture edges is automatically taken care of in the various rendering engines typically used by MAX modellers. It is true that the Maxwell Renderer has a facility to compensate a little bit for these sharp edges. Under the "Appearance" tab (In Maxwell Studio), there is a "Smoothing" parameter whose default setting is set to a value of 60.00 percent. You can select an object, and change ("recalculate") this value to either make objects seem smoother (increase the value to 90 or 100-percent) or to bring out more edge detail by reducing the value. But, this "Smoothing" parameter only can apply to whole objects. So, if you increase the value greatly to make the wooden legs of a chair appear to beveled, you may get an unintended result for all the other parts of the chair.

Worse, many MAX modellers will publish furniture or other pieces that rely upon MAX's turbo-smoothing" facility.

That is, a MAX furniture builder might create a sofa whose cushions are made with just 8 or 12 polygons across the body of the cushion. They are saving polygons, but expecting you to apply Max's "turbosmooth" to the cushions to create the smooth appearance that 1000 polygons might give. If you take one of these models into Maxwell, you are going to have an ugly result that Maxwell Render's "smoothing" parameter, even when set to a value of 100-percent, cannot fix. The only recourse is to rebuild this model entirely.

So, it is reasonable to make good use of furniture in *.max file formats when you can, but you should not rely upon them for these reasons. To get *.max file conversions, you can often contact the author of the model and make a special request for one in *.fbx file format. Or, you can sometimes download a trial version of MAX and make a whole ton of fiel conversions yourself before the Trial Period expires. But, these are your only two methods of getting files from *.max format into another more common file format.
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By Forester
#399493
Oh, I'm being stupid. Another good way for someone doing the work you are doing is to just "rent" a copy of MAX from Autodesk for a month, or for a year at the "Indie" price. Both the month-long subscription and the Indie annual rate are quite reasonable, and you can convert quite a lot of models to some common file format during a month's time.
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