Installing and Configuring 3ds max 6

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.

Choosing an Operating System

If you’re starting from scratch and have the luxury of customizing your system so that it works best with 3ds max, you can do several things to make life easier. One of your big 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 also installed the latest Service Pack (which you can download for free from Microsoft’s Web page at www.microsoft.com). These operating systems are more stable than other versions of Windows, and they do a better job of managing your computer’s resources (such as memory). They also enable you to run multiple copies of 3ds max at the same time on a single machine.

Note You can also run Max on XP Home without any trouble.

If this system is not an option, you can run Max on Windows 2000, but this system is not as robust as Windows XP, so you might encounter more program crashes. Also note that Windows 98 and Windows ME are not supported.

Hardware Requirements

To get good performance from 3ds max, you need a fairly meaty machine. A good default system to use would be a Pentium-IV or an AMD Athlon-based computer with 1GB or more of RAM (and 2GB of swap space) and a decent-sized hard drive and monitor. If need be, you can get by with a 300 MHz Pentium III (or AMD) packing as little as 512MB of RAM (with 500MB swap space), but you may spend lots

A BP P E N D I X

In This Appendix

Choosing an operating system

Understanding hardware requirements

Installing 3ds max 6

Using the software lock

Authorizing the software

Setting the display driver

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of time watching your computer churn furiously to keep up. A dual Intel Xeon or a dual AMD Athlon system is recommended.

Note Max under Windows 2000 or XP can take advantage of multiprocessor machines.

One element of your system that will probably have the greatest impact on the performance of 3ds max is the graphics card. Any good graphics card has specialized hardware that will take much of the workload off your computer’s CPU, freeing it up to do other tasks. All of Max is fairly graphics-intensive, and a little extra money in the graphics card department will go a long way toward boosting your performance.

The good news is that hardware accelerated graphics cards are becoming cheaper: You can get great cards for $200–$300. When searching for a graphics card, make sure that it can support a resolution of at least 1024×768 at 16-bit color and that it comes with drivers for OpenGL 1.1 or later and/or DirectX 8.1 or later. You’ll also want a minimum of 64MB on the graphics card or 128MB for 3D graphics acceleration. You can use some of the graphics boards built to run computer games; however, be aware that some boards claim to support OpenGL but actually support only a subset of it. Before going out to make your purchase, visit the Discreet Web site (www.discreet.com) to see performance metrics for various popular graphics cards.

For the complete installation, you need 650MB of hard drive space. You can get by with less if you choose the Compact installation option. Another handy piece of hardware to have is a scrollable mouse. A scrollable mouse makes moving through menus and the Command Panel easier, and it gives you a third button, which can be used to navigate the viewports.

Installing 3ds max 6

Installing Max is straightforward. Here’s what you need to do:

1.Insert the Max CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive. The setup program starts up automatically. If you don’t have Windows Autorun enabled, or if the setup program doesn’t start, run the Setup.exe program on the CD-ROM.

2.When the setup program starts, the Choose Setup Program dialog box displays, as shown in Figure B-1. In addition to 3ds max, you can select to install additional components such as DirectX 9.0, the Autodesk License Manager tools, Internet Explorer 6 (so that you can use the online help system), and Apple’s QuickTime software (which lets you view QuickTime animations). Click the 3ds max 6 Install link to start the Max installation.

3.The 3ds max 6 Setup wizard first shows the Software License Agreement. Choose your country, and read the corresponding License Agreement. After you’ve read the agreement, click the now-enabled “I accept” button. Click Next to move on.

4.The next screen is User Information, which asks you to input your name and organization. You can also select the location where Max will be installed, and you need to enter the serial number and the CD-ROM key, both of which you can find on the software box. In the License Information section, you can choose to install as a stand-alone version or as a network version. If the Network option is selected, you need to enter the URL to the Network License Server. Then click Next.

Appendix B Installing and Configuring 3ds max 6 1195

The Install Wizard presents a screen where you can confirm all the information before beginning the installation. A dialog box, shown in Figure B-2, shows the progress of the installation.

Figure B-1: The installation program lets you install more than just Max.

Figure B-2: This screen shows the installation’s progress.

5.When the installation is complete, a screen appears informing you that the product was successfully installed. Click Finish to exit the install wizard.

1196 Appendixes

Max takes a few minutes to install completely. As part of the Max installation, backburner is also installed. backburner is the software that enables networking rendering.

Authorizing the Software

After Max is installed, you need to authorize the software through Discreet. The software continues to run for 15 days without authorization, but after 15 days it quits working.

Figure B-3 shows the screen that first appears after you start Max after installation. Using this screen, you can launch the Authorization Wizard, buy the software, or run the software unauthorized for 15 days. The Authorization Wizard automatically appears the first time you run Max and takes you through the authorization process.

Figure B-3: The first screen to appear after installation lets you authorize your software or run it without authorization.

The first screen of the Authorization Wizard lets you get an authorization code or enter an authorization code if you have one. To obtain an authorization code, you need to enter information such as your name, address, and company name. You can also specify whether this copy is an upgrade or not. If you’re upgrading your Max version, you need to include this number. The Serial Number and Request Code are automatically filled in using the numbers entered during the installation. You can authorize the software using a direct connection to the Web, fax, e-mail, or regular mail.

If you receive an authorization code via fax, e-mail, or mail, you can select the “Already have an authorization code” option on the first screen that appears when you run Max and click Next. A screen opens where you can enter the authorization code. The wizard registers this number with Max and completes the registration process.

Caution	The authorization code is specific to a specific computer and works only for that computer. If
	you try to install and use the authorization code on a separate computer, you need to obtain
	another authorization code.