Before you can enjoy all the great features in 3ds Max, you have to install the software and get your system configured properly. This appendix helps you do just that. After you're finished here, you're ready to go.
If you're purchasing a new computer to run 3ds Max and have the luxury of customizing your system, you can do several things to make life easier. One of your first decisions is what operating system to use to run Max.
If you have the option, run 3ds Max on Windows XP Professional. Make sure that you have installed the latest Service Pack (which you can download for free from Microsoft's Web page at http://www.microsoft.com). This operating system is more stable than other versions of Windows, and it does a better job of managing your computer's resources (such as memory). It also enables you to run multiple copies of 3ds Max at the same time on a single machine. If you're running the 64-bit version of Max, then you'll need to be running a 64-bit operating system.
Note | You also can run Max on Windows XP Home without any trouble. |
If this system is not an option, you can run Max on Windows 2000 (with Service Pack 4), but that system is not as robust as Windows XP, so you may encounter more program crashes. Also note that Windows NT, Windows 98, and Windows ME are not supported.
Note | Max has also not been verified on Windows Vista, but we can expect that it will be verified for Vista soon. Check the Autodesk Web site for updates. |