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etoiles

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 12, 2002
835
45
Where the air is crisp
I know people mentioned issues with the licensing services, trying to run 3D StudioMax using bootcamp... I am having the same problem. Did anybody manage to get around this and run 3DS Max on their Mac Intel ?
 
license error

hey @all !
Nice forum ...
Unfortunately i also couldn't find an answer for this 3DS Max license Problem.
I am running XP on Bootcamp, using a Macbook Pro with 2.33 dc and 3gb RAM.
Tried to install 3ds max. The first time i had NO problems, was happy to run the App for a few days. Then it told me, that my license has become broken.
I read about a way to import the license from a second computer. It worked fine, but only for one day. The next day i startet 3ds max, my license was broken, again -.-
The last 2 days i searched the WWW for any solution, but wasn't able to find one.
Any ideas ? I heard from some people it would be possible to rum 3Ds Max on an apple !!
Thanks for any help,
cu
 
Called autodesk

I talked w/ autodesk and they said as of now there is no fix...they do know about it...but there are no plans to fix as of now. They guy did suggest purchasing a server license and that some people had been lucky getting that to work for some reason but i can barely afford my student license so for now I'm still trying to find a fix w/ no luck
 
Thats really weird, I was running on Windows Vista (GOD HELP ME) Ultimate, and It worked fine for the duration I was using it (About a Month or so). Eventually I got rid of the boot camp ( I needed the space).
 
I have the same problem with 3D studio max design 2009. also, autocad 2008.

none of these are working on my vista 32 bit / bootcamp. i have tried so many times. i reformatted my hard drive no less that 10 times over the past 12 months.
 
I talked w/ autodesk and they said as of now there is no fix...they do know about it...but there are no plans to fix as of now. They guy did suggest purchasing a server license and that some people had been lucky getting that to work for some reason but i can barely afford my student license so for now I'm still trying to find a fix w/ no luck

I've got a friend who is a lead programmer at Autodesk, and the information from him was very similar. 3D Studio MAX will never be supported by Autodesk via Bootcamp and as far as they are concerned, Autodesk considers that it's operating outside its' functionality. Any solution would be a hack at best...

Although I would love to have either a Mac version of 3D Studio MAX (I know there's Maya) or a Bootcamp fix I doubt Autodesk will ever go down this development path.

Sorry to say there's not solution to 3D Studio MAX on Bootcamp :(
 
From a business perspective it makes sense to make your programs work on its core architecture (non mac pc + windows) which most users of the program have already invested heavily in.

Now iirc Mac's use a few proprietry chips within their motherboards and this is probably whats causing the issues. Autodesk probably don't have the type of staff needed within the 3ds max department to fix this issue.

And to me its a bit silly from a user perspective to expect something to work properly on a system that is clearly stated as not being supported on the programs system requirements page - its stated for a reason. :rolleyes:
 
by the way, i am running a network licensee (studio max design 2009). it's working fine. i have to be on the network
 
The way I've got around it is by putting 3D Studio MAX on my HPwx4600 and then just use RDT on my Macbook. It works, but isn't the most "clean" way of using 3D Studio MAX on a Mac....

Autodesk seriously needs to release 3D Studio MAX for Mac OSX because there are PLENTY of people who would buy it the moment it is released (me being one of them)...
 
Autodesk seriously needs to release 3D Studio MAX for Mac OSX because there are PLENTY of people who would buy it the moment it is released (me being one of them)...

I would put money on there being less than 5% of 3ds max user market actually using a mac (even now) so from an economic standpoint it would probably cost more to convert than the money they would make.
 
I would put money on there being less than 5% of 3ds max user market actually using a mac (even now) so from an economic standpoint it would probably cost more to convert than the money they would make.

I totally agree, but I do think Autodesk need to release *minimum* of Bootcamp support.

I know plenty of post production companies that use 3D Studio MAX and do have Mac Pros and would love to migrate them onto the one machine rather than having 2 machines.

Autodesk have always been slow at embracing anything new or industry trends, just look at how long it's taken them to finally release a decent version of Cleaner for Windows...
 
3ds max on mac

Hey, I just wanted to share some info on this topic. I am running 3ds max on a macbook pro 2.4 2gig and its running just fine. I've had many issues with this like the previously described license problems both via boot camp and parrallels. But I didn't encounter this license problem in VMware Fusion. And even with version 1.x.x it did support direct3D. It was kind of buggy (resizing veiwports would cause them to fail all together; unity would cause the viewports also to crash) but it worked.

But now with the 2.0 update of fusion its runs better. Resizing viewports isn't a problem anymore but in unity they still crash. Wireframe and shaded+wireframe viewing is greatly improved and the viewport response seems better.

I have a dual screen setup in fusion and everything works on BOTH views. I would not recommend using both cpu cores because osx will slow down significantly when you do.

I hope this helps some people out.
 
Hey, I just wanted to share some info on this topic. I am running 3ds max on a macbook pro 2.4 2gig and its running just fine. I've had many issues with this like the previously described license problems both via boot camp and parrallels. But I didn't encounter this license problem in VMware Fusion. And even with version 1.x.x it did support direct3D. It was kind of buggy (resizing veiwports would cause them to fail all together; unity would cause the viewports also to crash) but it worked.

But now with the 2.0 update of fusion its runs better. Resizing viewports isn't a problem anymore but in unity they still crash. Wireframe and shaded+wireframe viewing is greatly improved and the viewport response seems better.

I have a dual screen setup in fusion and everything works on BOTH views. I would not recommend using both cpu cores because osx will slow down significantly when you do.

I hope this helps some people out.


So let me get this straight-

Right now I have a Powerbook (which I use for most things) and a Dell laptop to run 3ds Max, but I am about to buy a Macbook Pro (or wait for the new macbook pro which will hopefully be released soon) so that I can consolidate to one laptop. If I buy VMware Fusion, I can run 3ds Max at the same time that my OSX is running? Or would it work better to just boot straight to XP?

(Sorry, since I don't have boot camp yet, I don't completely know how it works)

Thats one thing I am not getting straight either. Are everyone's problems coming from running both operating systems at once? Or can you just boot using only XP and run 3ds max just fine? I understand that peoples licenses are breaking, does anyone know exactly why? Is it a hardware problem causing the break? -AND last but not least, how hard is it to fix your license? Is it simply re-entering it? Because if that is all you have to do to fix it, it is well worth memorizing a long key to enter everyday and be able to use a Mac.

Thanks!

(and if anyone is so kind to try and answer my questions, please answer as many as you can)
 
Yes, with Fusion you run XP (or vista or ubuntu) at the same time as osx. You are able to switch back and forth between mac apps and windows apps. In unity you can use windows apps as if they where mac apps. However, if you run 3ds max in unity, you will lose your viewports. But it works absolutely fine in a window.

I have experienced the license problem in bootcamp as well as parrallels. I have a bootcamp partition with xp installed (and a bunch of games which run remarkably well). And I have a VMware Fusion XP install which I use to run 3Ds max. Only when I use this install I don't get the broken license problem. With this problem I got a constand broken license, I can't run max at all with this problem. But it doesn't occur in Fusion.

Note that this is my experience and it may very well be different for other users.
 
Yes, with Fusion you run XP (or vista or ubuntu) at the same time as osx. You are able to switch back and forth between mac apps and windows apps. In unity you can use windows apps as if they where mac apps. However, if you run 3ds max in unity, you will lose your viewports. But it works absolutely fine in a window.

I have experienced the license problem in bootcamp as well as parrallels. I have a bootcamp partition with xp installed (and a bunch of games which run remarkably well). And I have a VMware Fusion XP install which I use to run 3Ds max. Only when I use this install I don't get the broken license problem. With this problem I got a constand broken license, I can't run max at all with this problem. But it doesn't occur in Fusion.

Note that this is my experience and it may very well be different for other users.

awesome, thanks for your help.

all i need to run windows for is to run 3ds max, maybe photoshop, word, and excel, but really 3ds max is the most important. so according to your experience, VMware Fusion will run it correctly, right?

another question - do you have a individual license or a network license? i have read that the network license won't run into the license breaking problem, but i need to be able to use this program on the road away from the network.

again- THANKS! you're helping me get a brand new macbook pro, haha. so you can see how much i appreciate your help :)
 
Hey, I run an individual license. I just discovered something awkward in 3ds max under fusion though. It is that if you have set your viewport rendering driver to direct3d; particles won't show up in viewports. In renders they look fine ofcourse and in opengl and software rendering they also show up correctly. I don't normally use particles so I found this out just now but if you must use them in conjunction with really complex models it is kind of annoying.

Anyway, don't let your choice on phurchasing a MBP only depend on my advise. I am biased by the fact that I already own one and use it with great pleasure. I sure do recommend buying one but if you can't afford or do not really need one it is probably not a good idea because in the end windows machines still run 3ds max better then macs. But then again, that might be the only drawback.
 
Hey, I run an individual license. I just discovered something awkward in 3ds max under fusion though. It is that if you have set your viewport rendering driver to direct3d; particles won't show up in viewports. In renders they look fine ofcourse and in opengl and software rendering they also show up correctly. I don't normally use particles so I found this out just now but if you must use them in conjunction with really complex models it is kind of annoying.

Anyway, don't let your choice on phurchasing a MBP only depend on my advise. I am biased by the fact that I already own one and use it with great pleasure. I sure do recommend buying one but if you can't afford or do not really need one it is probably not a good idea because in the end windows machines still run 3ds max better then macs. But then again, that might be the only drawback.


well, i don't think particles will be a big deal. i actually just started using 3ds max about a month ago. i design skateparks and i doesn't use 3ds max to its full ability or anywhere close, so i don't think particles will come into play. they gave me a pc laptop that runs it fine, but i travel a lot and already use a powerbook, so i'm going to get a macbook pro so i don't have to carry around two computers. and i can't stand pc's, i like innovation. hah. plus its really heaving in a backpack with another laptop.

thank you for all your help though. if you think of anything else i might need to know, well, just let me know. cheers!
 
well, i don't think particles will be a big deal. i actually just started using 3ds max about a month ago. i design skateparks and i doesn't use 3ds max to its full ability or anywhere close, so i don't think particles will come into play. they gave me a pc laptop that runs it fine, but i travel a lot and already use a powerbook, so i'm going to get a macbook pro so i don't have to carry around two computers. and i can't stand pc's, i like innovation. hah. plus its really heaving in a backpack with another laptop.

thank you for all your help though. if you think of anything else i might need to know, well, just let me know. cheers!


just kidding. i remembered ANOTHER question - since i haven't used bootcamp or fusion before.

when you run 3ds max, does it run simultaneously with osx? or do you boot from xp? keep in mind that i need it to run with its best performance and to be able to use all viewports.

THANKS! again
 
Yes it runs simultanious with osx. Fusion basically starts a virtual machine within osx. You see XP boot up and all within a window you can drag/minimize/maximize just like any app you run in osx. When you adjust the window size of fusion, XP automatically adjusts its resolution to fit within that window. Don't do this while 3ds max is running though, you will lose the viewports. If you just maximize fusion while its booting up you have enough workspace to fit four viewports once max has loaded.

Running a virtual machine does really strain your memory because you basically run two computers at the same time. I have 2 gigs which isn't really enough to use max to its max (although I didn't have any problems so far). I'd recommend 4 gigs which you can easily install after you bought a macbook (letting the ram upgrade at the apple store is waaaay too expensive).

Bootcamp is a whole different story. Bootcamp lets you create a new partition dedicated to another operating system and lets you install any os you want. After this you can boot your mac to that os. This is not a virtual machine so it doesn't run simultaniously with osx.
 
vista 64 + 3dsmax = SUCKS on Mac pro 2008

try WIN XP 64 ..better performance
I cant see why anyone would want this workflow with Max? Since 3DSR4 to Max present most serious Max'rs can run it fine on sub-par systems. Unless of course your doing huge archi billion poly data-sets :p Im still not impressed with Maya 2008 on MacPro 3GHz systems :( Have to keep all my 3D on XP for now. Just to avoid the war, I started learning 3D on the Mac back in the day with Swivel, Infini, Strata, formZ, and EI ;)
 
Maya is messed up

Maya is messed up i can't use it. I used to use gmax and then moved over to autodesk 3ds max 8 on my home computer but i cant get much done cause i am on my laptop all the time. They should make an OS X version i agree. I'm keeping my eyes on this post if there are any answers, but as i read before a hack, anyone good at hacking?? lol
 
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