3ds Max/Windows for Mac OS X El Capitan

[delman3d]

Hi,

I'm going to use Apple's Boot Camp app to install Windows and run it natively.  Then I can install Max.  My question is which version of Windows runs Max the best?  Is Win 7 or 8 ok?  I looked it up and those are free downloads.  I've already looked into my iMac's tech specs and the hardware is fine.  Just need to pick a Win version and install.

Thank you.

[jeffrey.sin]

Hi  @delman3d,

It will depend on which version of Autodesk 3ds Max you want to install and use. To determine which Windows operating system works best, check out the system requirements for the 3ds Max version you need here: System requirements for Autodesk 3ds Max products

I hope this helps, let us know how it goes.

Thanks.

[Alfred.DeFlaminis · Accepted solution]

Hello @delman3d,

Many of the Mac graphics cards do not meet the certification requirements for 3ds Max and none (or very few) have passed certification testing in a while now.  I don't recommend using 3ds Max on a Mac.  That being said, Win 7 is better than Win 8 in my opinion for this.  You may still be able to get Max to work, but you may run into problems that cannot be solved by members of technical support.  If you need a 3D software that is fully compatible with a Mac, I recommend Maya.  

Best Regards,

[delman3d]

Thank you. I will be sticking with Maya.

[irishman_team_kilber]

@Alfred.DeFlaminiswhy did autodesk decide to can 3ds max on mac? would not mac be easier because it is an open sources software i know decreet was going to release it on mac before autodesk bought decreet out

[Alfred.DeFlaminis]

Hello @irishman_team_kilber,

I don't know anything about that, but that doesn't sound right to me.  Do you have any links about it?

Best Regards,

[irishman_team_kilber]

@Alfred.DeFlaminis

Nope it was on a discreet blog before autodesk bought all rights to max and it was about 15/20  years ago.

[Alfred.DeFlaminis]

Hello @irishman_team_kilber.

Max was developed by the Yost group and licensed to/published by Autodesk originally.  Autodesk totally bought it in 1997 with 3d Studio Max r2.  Then they acquired discreet for their post production tools, and then moved Max development to discreet which was now a division of Autodesk.  Discreet was developing Max for Autodesk by 3d Studio Max 4, which is where I started using it more than casually.  (Year 2000)  At no point did discreet own 3ds Max.  

Apple OSX (the open OS you mention) wasn't released until a year later in 2001.  OSX is and always was closed source with open source components.  Discreet may have been working on a Mac version for a while, but I cannot find any information or confirmation of this internally.

Best Regards,  

[Anonymous]

---

@Alfred.DeFlaminis wrote:

Hello @delman3d,

Many of the Mac graphics cards do not meet the certification requirements for 3ds Max and none (or very few) have passed certification testing in a while now.  I don't recommend using 3ds Max on a Mac.  That being said, Win 7 is better than Win 8 in my opinion for this.  You may still be able to get Max to work, but you may run into problems that cannot be solved by members of technical support.  If you need a 3D software that is fully compatible with a Mac, I recommend Maya.  

Best Regards,

---

Hey, Alfred... so glad I found this info from you... answers my underlying question as to why Max (17) is running so unstable in Bootcamp!  I have to say I'm bummed... just getting started in the 3ds world and it's fantastic... been absorbing the tutorials like a hungry bear! I'll never watch another animated film the same way again 😉

I can sense that the S/W wants to run on the AMD D5oo cards... but it's just no going to is it?  Too many intermittent crashes... so... over to Maya we go!

[Alfred.DeFlaminis]

Hello @Anonymous and welcome to the community,

Thank you for sharing your experience, it's true that Bootcamp can run a bit unstable with newer versions of 3ds Max due to the incompatibility of the graphics hardware on newer Macs.  The newer versions of 3ds Max use the GPU a lot more than the older ones did, so using a compatible graphics card is important.  Some users can get by without them, and in some cases you might be ok by trying a different display driver in 3ds Max.  (DX9, OpenGL, etc.)  

Best Regards,