3DS Max

Glossi features a specialized 3ds Max import pipeline that preserves your V-Ray materials and settings while converting them for real-time visualization. This is particularly valuable if you have extensive 3ds Max asset libraries, as it maintains the look and feel of your materials while optimizing them for real-time performance.

The pipeline converts complex offline-render materials into PBR materials for real-time use. It works with many material setups and includes handling of non-PBR behavior, but the best results occur when materials are created within PBR standards.

1. Prepare Your Files

Before uploading, ensure your model is properly set up:

• Organize your scene — Keep the scene clean, focusing only on the objects you want to import.

• Verify material assignments — Ensure all objects have the correct materials assigned, following the material guidelines below.

• Position at the origin — Place your model at or near the world origin (0, 0, 0).

• Use real-world scale — Ensure your model uses accurate real-world dimensions.

• Prepare variants separately — For each variant (open/closed/propped states), prepare individual files.

2. Create a ZIP Package

3ds Max files are uploaded as ZIP archives:

1. Include your .max scene file.

2. Add all associated textures and assets referenced by the scene.

3. Ensure the ZIP contains all necessary dependencies.

3. Upload

1. Navigate to the Models section in your Glossi workspace.

2. Click "Upload" and choose your ZIP file.

3. Select "3ds Max" as the file type when prompted.

4. Confirm the upload.

The system will extract geometry and convert V-Ray materials to real-time equivalents. Once processed, your model will appear in your model library ready for use in any project.

Processing Times

3ds Max files require more processing than standard formats due to material conversion:

• Under 100 MB — Typically 5–10 minutes

• 100 MB – 1 GB — Up to 1 hour

• Complex material setups — Up to 2 hours for intensive V-Ray material conversion

Note: Maximum ZIP file size is 1 GB. For larger files, contact your Glossi representative.

Material Guidelines

For optimal V-Ray material conversion:

Supported:

• Standard V-Ray materials with diffuse, reflection, and glossiness properties

• V-Ray bitmap textures for color, reflection, and glossiness maps

• Basic V-Ray procedural textures (converted to bitmap equivalents)

Limitations:

• Avoid Falloff nodes — These often don't translate correctly to real-time materials

• Use V-Ray Displacement Mod node — Standard 3ds Max displacement is not supported

• Avoid geometry-dependent nodes — Such as V-RayCurvature, V-RayDirt, or VertexColor

• Maintain consistent tiling values — Ensure tiling is consistent across all inputs in a material

• Limit complex material networks — Extremely complex multi-layered materials may lose some details in conversion

Best Practices

• Test with smaller files first — Start with simpler files to understand the conversion process before uploading large assets

• Verify material compatibility — Check materials against the guidelines above before packaging

• Organize by variant — Create separate files for each model variant

• Review after import — Check materials and geometry in Studio to ensure proper conversion

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