Reinstalling but keeping scripts & plugins

[sean]

Hi all

I think I need to reinstall Max 2019 for a number of reasons

Is there a way to reinstall it and not have to redo all my scripts - scripts bar, settings etc

With Maya you can just copy/paste your prefs folder and everything is there.  Things are all over the place with Max

Are there, for example specific folders I can copy so when I reinstall, I can just put back and everything will be as it was.

Thanks

[jon.bell]

Hi Sean,

Thanks for your question! Unless you do a completely clean uninstall/reinstall of 3ds Max, your user preferences should remain.

If you're experiencing issues with 3ds Max 2019, I would first try resetting your user preferences first. (You can copy back your 3dsmax.ini file from your previous ENU folder to get back many of your default preferences.) However, if you want to reinstall 3ds Max 2019, I'd suggest the following:

1. Make a backup of your \Scripts and \Plugins folders located in C:\Program Files\Autodesk\3ds Max 2019.
2. Make a backup of your user settings folder (ENU) located in C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Autodesk\3dsMax\2019 - 64bit.
3. Uninstall 3ds Max 2019, then reinstall it.
4. Download and install the latest update for Max 2019 (from your Autodesk Account).
5. Copy back your \Scripts and \Plugin folders (do not overwrite the newly-installed/updated contents in those folders; just allow Windows to copy any additional files that aren't in those new folders).

Please let us know if this helps!

[lynn_zhang]

Hello @sean ,

Just checking to see if your problem has been solved. Have you tried the above suggestions from @jon.bell and did you have any success? If you find the suggestions helpful, please click on the "Accept as Solution" button in his reply so this helps other users in the community find the solution too. Thanks!

[adenne]

what about custom icons?

Really is there no way that, like the hotkeys, autodesk cannot make an option to export and import, ALL custom prefs, scripts, toolbars, icons, custom modifer sets etc in one go? Its just crazy that you have to sift through folders and ini files, in appdata and other places, just to reinstall or upgrade?

[darawork]

Hi,

May as well vote here: https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/3ds-max-ideas/product-customisation-tied-to-log-in-credentials/idi-p/...

The facility to transfer or migrate user settings and customisations does not exist, even though it's been talked about for years.

Regards,

[RobH2]

Besides what Jon says above (he knows a lot more that I do...lol...) I have a list of things I do. I'll post it in case it helps someone but beware, it has my personal configuration for a lot of items that you may not want. So, pick and choose the more "global" things here.

I find that merging the '3dsmax.ini' gets me the farthest. Some developers might cringe at me doing that but so far it has not caused me any problems.

Again, just use my list as a guide and reference but not as a bible. However, I use my list myself each year and in about 20-minutes I'm back to about 95% of where I was. I hope that Autodesk provides us with a "Migrate" button one day that does it all. 

RobH2 Reset ENU:
ENU Directions:

Max Upgrade Customization:

1. Install VRay
2. Install Space Pilot (looks like it's naitively supported now though)
3. Uncheck 'Use Larg Toolbar Buttons in 'Preference Settings/General/UI Display'
4. In 'Preference Settings/General/Spinners' set 'Precision to '4'
5. In 'Preference Settings/General/UI Display' uncheck 'Enable Viewport Tooltips', 'Display Topology-Dependence Warning', 'Display Sack Collapse Warning'
6. In 'Preference Settings/General/Scene Undo' set to '40'
7. 'Preference Settings/Files/File Handling' uncheck 'Display Obsolete File Message'
8. 'Preference Settings/Viewports' uncheck 'Selection/Preview Highlights'
9. Save original 3dsmax.INI file and add previous version 'ModifierSets', 'Utility Sets' and 'BitmapDirs' to the file at the very bottom of new copy of 3dsmax.ini.
10. Import '.kbdx' keyboard shortcuts from previous version.
11. 'Configure Project Paths' with '.mxp' from previous version. Found in 'Workspaces' of ENU
12. 'Assign Renderer' in 'Render Setup' to VRay
13. In 'Viewport Configuration/ViewCube' uncheck 'Show the ViewCube'

Plugins used in 2020 and installed in 2021:
VCleaner
CamLock
CloneLayers
Reconnect Bitmaps

RH Tools in Menu Bar from 2020:
bitmapCollectorUI (soulburn?)
nameManagerUI (soulburn?)
----------------------
UMC
V-RayMtl Converter 3
uVFlattenMapperUI
-------------------------
Forest Pro
RailClone Pro
-------------------------
Quadrify
------------------------
ClonLayrs
---------------------------
removeMissingPlugins
ReduTNds
Cleanup

[RenderQ]

I would recommend you to read through this article fron Changsoo Eun
https://cganimator.com/how-to-manage-tools-part-1-scripts-featuring-new-pipeline-integration/ 
If you can do a bit of maxscripting it will pay off