topic CONVERTING 2020 VERSION FILE TO 2017 VERSION in 3ds Max Forum

CONVERTING 2020 VERSION FILE TO 2017 VERSION

caroljankins5 — Thu, 02 Feb 2023 21:28:53 GMT

I CAN'T OPEN 2020 3DSMAX FILE IN 2017 VERSION 3DSMAX. CAN YOU CONVERT TO 2017? I CAN'T UPLOAD HERE BECAUSE THE FILE SIZE IS LARGER than 70 MB. I uploaded it to my drive account.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_Cu50vY9SlGwBET8h2z63sS5ynHOVn6a/view?usp=sharing

Re: CONVERTING 2020 VERSION FILE TO 2017 VERSION

pendean — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 14:21:52 GMT

Ask the file creator (or user of the 2020 version) to save it down for you https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/3ds-max/learn-explore/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/How-to-save-a-3ds-Max-file-so-it-can-be-opened-in-an-older-version.html

There has never been an ability for an older program to guess at the changes to future versions and do the conversion there. Sorry.

Re: CONVERTING 2020 VERSION FILE TO 2017 VERSION

nalam6530 — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 12:16:43 GMT

I CAN'T OPEN 2025 3DSMAX FILE IN 2015 VERSION 3DSMAX. CAN YOU CONVERT TO 2015?

Re: CONVERTING 2020 VERSION FILE TO 2017 VERSION

Casey_H_ — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 18:30:20 GMT

@nalam6530 wrote:
I CAN'T OPEN 2025 3DSMAX FILE IN 2015 VERSION 3DSMAX. CAN YOU CONVERT TO 2015?

I tried, but your file is Max 2026, by the way. Sorry, I don't have 26 installed.

Re: CONVERTING 2020 VERSION FILE TO 2017 VERSION

khalidbenahmadou — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 20:01:58 GMT

CONVERTING 2020 VERSION FILE TO 2017 VERSION ❌ Can you convert a 3ds Max 2020 (.max) file to 3ds Max 2017?

Short answer:
NO, not directly.

3ds Max files are not backward compatible.
A newer version cannot be opened or saved to an older version.

3ds Max 2017 will never open a .max file saved in 2020.

This is an Autodesk limitation, not a user mistake.

✅What ARE the real solutions?
✅Solution 1 (BEST & OFFICIAL): Export to interchange formats

Open the file in 3ds Max 2020, then export using formats that 2017 supports:

✔ Recommended formats:

FBX (best overall)

OBJ (geometry only)

Alembic (.abc) (animation-heavy scenes)

⚠️Limitations:

Materials may be simplified

Modifiers collapse

Render setups are lost

No scene history

This is the only safe workflow.

✅Solution 2: Use a middle version (if available)

If you have access to:

3ds Max 2019 or 2018

You can:

2020 → Export FBX → Open in 2019 → Save → Open in 2017

Still not perfect, but better than direct export.

❌Solution 3 (NOT POSSIBLE): “Save as 2017”

This does not exist in 3ds Max.

Any tool or person claiming:

“I can convert .max 2020 to 2017 directly”

❌is wrong.

⚠️What you will LOSE when going backward

No matter the method, expect to lose:

Procedural modifiers

New material types (Physical, Arnold shaders)

Scene states

Render settings

Plugins not installed in 2017

This is normal.

🧠 Professional recommendation

If your pipeline requires Max 2017:

Lock your production version

Ask collaborators to export FBX

Or upgrade all machines to the same version

Mixing Max versions = pain 😅

🧪 Quick checklist before exporting FBX

✔ Collapse modifiers
✔ Convert materials to Standard
✔ Reset XForm
✔ Clean UVs
✔ Name objects properly

Disclaimer: This post was written with assistance from ChatGPT (by OpenAI) for language clarity.

Re: CONVERTING 2020 VERSION FILE TO 2017 VERSION

khalidbenahmadou — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 22:48:26 GMT

Unfortunately, it’s not possible to open or directly convert a 3ds Max 2025 (.max) file to 3ds Max 2015.

3ds Max files are not backward compatible, so newer versions cannot be saved or opened in older versions.

To work with the file in 3ds Max 2015, the file must be opened in 3ds Max 2025 first and then exported to an interchange format such as FBX or OBJ, which can be imported into 3ds Max 2015.

Please note that using this method:

Materials and shaders may be simplified

Modifiers will be collapsed

Render settings and plugins will not transfer

This is the only reliable way to use data from a newer 3ds Max version in an older one.

Re: CONVERTING 2020 VERSION FILE TO 2017 VERSION

anmol.singhESA9C — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 16:33:13 GMT

Hi Everyone,

This post was brought to my attention but it seems everyone has already gotten to the bottom of it.

It is correct, due to SDK changes older versions of 3ds Max cannot load scene files created in newer versions. You would have export an interchange format and import it in 2015.

@caroljankins5 If you get success with the workarounds shared please hit "Accept Solution" button on one of the comments above.

Re: CONVERTING 2020 VERSION FILE TO 2017 VERSION

anmol.singhESA9C — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 14:26:59 GMT

Hi @caroljankins5, I wanted to follow up with you, did the replies above help resolve the issue for you? If so, can we go ahead and use the "Accept Solution" button on one of the posts to mark it as resolved so it can help others as well.