Having problems with the model

[20063142d]

I am using 3ds max 2023.3.3 and here you can see the vertices are flying everywhere with missing polygons.

I hid this object and did some modelling on another object, and this happen when I unhide everything.

It cannot be solved by not save and reopen this max file or merging max file. Even the autoback files have this problem.

Apparently it can only be solved by deleting the two edit poly modifiers on top of the modifier tree and I will have to redo the modelling. 

I also cannot open some of my old max files now, they either crash or have the problem shown in the picture.

I wonder why this happens (it is not the first time) and if there are ways to save the files so that I don't have to remodel everything.

Thanks.

[RobH2]

This is a very odd one. Are you able to upload that file? I'd like to look at it and see what happens when I open it. 

Have you tried and ENU reset. If it's not being caused by errors in the stack, Max might have some corruption. 

FYI, while the stack is handy, it can cause problems as it gets taller and taller. A small error lower down can cause some worse problems as it gets propogated up the stack. If you need to have the stack you can save a clone of the object when the stack is tall and still healthy as a backup. Then, collapse the other one down to the base Edit Poly and continue. Then if that one goes sideways, you still have that backup with the stack layers. 

[Byteman]

You've probably made edits to one of the previously added Edit modifiers, where "there is a modifier in the stack <above that modifier> that depends on topology" of the previous state. The bold text is a part of the exact  warning message that 3DS Max displays in such cases. 

You might also have edited your model while some of the modifiers in the stack were disabled. In such cases, you make edits without knowing the real positions of some vertices due to the disabled modifier. When you enable it back.... There you are.

Another possibility is that, you might have made edits in a certain selection level, then changed the selection level of any single one of the stack modifiers unintentionally and some of your edits are applied on the current selection level. This is the worst case scenerio as it is often very hard to determine which is which. You might even have unselected the vertices and no way you can remember.

[20063142d]

Thanks for the reply, and here is one of the autoback files.

I tried ENU reset and it did not work for me. 

For the stack height, I have used much taller stack previously in max 2020.3 and 2023.3.3, both works fine, but yeah maybe this time it got me XD.

I wonder if this could be an unit problem? If I keep the file units (mm), it shows up like in the picture, but if I use the system unit (inch) it simply crash.

Thanks for your help.

[20063142d]

Thanks for your reply.

My case is that I finished modelling the car body shown in the picture, and then I exited edit mode, hid the car body, and start modelling the headlight which is another model and has no modifiers. At that time the car body still looks fine, and I am sure I did not touch the car body when modelling the headlight. After all these, when I click to show all models, the car body exploded.

I am still new in 3ds max so I am not sure which is my current situation. But still thank you for telling me the possible reasons.

[RobH2 · Accepted solution]

I opened you played with your file in both Max 2023 and 2025. The result was the same. Something became corrupt on that next to the last Edit Poly. If you turn off those last two Edit Polys and turn on the Symmetry and OpenSubdiv, the model behaves normally. But, it's missing whatever modeling you did on those last two Edit Polys. 

I tried repairing with Mesh Cleaner, I tried removing stray isolated verts, I Welded vertices with various thresholds up to about 0.7 when I started to see the mesh change shape. It only welded 4 or so verts. Then I put that problematic Edit Poly back on and things still went wonky. 

I think this is one of those unfortunate times when some corruption occurred during the writing of that Edit Poly. Maybe your computer did some other task in the background and during that, the writing of the Max data file glitched and the coordinates of those verts got corrupted or had and extra digit added or something. I believe your best case here is to just redo the edits that were in those last two Edit Polys for now. Then if you put the Symmetry and OpenSubdiv back on, it will work nicely. 

If this keeps happening to future models, then there is cause to investigate further and see what's causing it. But on this one I just think it's just a random unfortunate thing. I once had and entire file that had nearly a million polys become corrupt out of nowhere when I opened it one day. It was all spiky too, like yours. I spent hours trying to figure it out and finally decided it would be quicker to completely rebuild it. In your case I expect you can redo the edits in an hour or so or you can spend all day trying to figure it out. I'd suggest just scratching your head and then go redo it for now. 

I wish I could have found something more helpful. Maybe in the future, just save an iteration of the file when the stack gets high and things look good as a backup. Keep cycling 3 or 4 backup versions of the file so you can always go back a step if corruption occurs again. If you figure out what caused it do write back. I wish I could have been more helpful. 

[20063142d]

I am redoing the edits now and fortunately there was not much to do. I believe it's my computer somehow goes wrong. 

Thanks a lot for helping me. 

[RobH2]

Ok, good enough. I think my suggestion to redo the last few Edit Polys is really your best bet. I think your computer did cause the corruption. Hopefully it won't keep happening.