Working With Containers

This topic provides useful information, tips, best practices, and methods for working with the Container feature.

Container Definitions

A container definition is a MAXC file that stores the content of the container. You can use a definition file in either of two ways:

When you save a container in your scene, you save a Local Definition. If others reference your content, then their Source Definition is the same as your Local Definition. If they make changes to your content, they save those changes to a unique Local Definition of their own. The exception is Edit in Place, which saves changes back to the Source Definition, overwriting it.

You can open a definition file to troubleshoot its contents the same way you would a regular MAX scene file: Simply rename the container file's MAXC extension to MAX.

Locked Definitions

When the same local definition is shared by multiple containers, you can access only one of the containers at a time. When the status is Locked, this means that this container's definition is being accessed elsewhere. This can occur when:

As long as a local definition exists, when the container is open or edited, a temporary file is created to identify the status to others who try to access it. This file is deleted when you exit Edit In Place mode or close the container. However, if you exit or reset 3ds Max while editing in place, this lock file might remain, causing the container to be inaccessible subsequently. To restore accessibility, open the folder in which the container file resides and delete the file with the same name as the container file, appended with .lock . For example, if the container file is named dining_room.maxc, the lock file would be named dining_room.maxc.lock.

To avoid conflicts, make it a practice to close a container when you are ready for it to be accessible locally by another user.

Tips and Best Practices

Procedures

To create a container:

  1. On the Create panel, click (Helpers).
  2. On the Object Type rollout, click Container.
  3. Click and drag in a viewport to create the container helper object.
  4. Right-click to end the object creation.

    When first created, the container is open, and thus is editable.

To create a container from selected objects:

A container is added to the scene with the selected objects placed inside.

To add objects to a container:

The added objects remain visible in the viewports, but when the container is closed they are removed from the scene and referenced from the container’s MAXC file.

To remove objects from a container:

The objects are removed from the container and added to the scene.

To identify which container an object belongs to:

  1. Select the object in a scene whose container you want to identify.
  2. From the Tools menu, choose Containers Select Contents Container.

    The object’s container is selected in the scene.

Note: In the case of nested containers, the object’s immediate parent container is selected.

To close and save a container:

  1. Do one of the following:
    • Select the container to close and then on the Modify panel Manage Container rollout, click Close.
    • Select the container to close and then from the Tools menu, choose Containers Close Container.
    • Open the Container Explorer, or the Scene Explorer with Customize Toolbars Container on, or the standalone Containers toolbar. Highlight the container to close, then on the toolbar click (Close Container).
  2. If this is the first time you are closing the container, you’re prompted to save it first. Use the Container Definition File dialog to specify the location and file name, then click Save.

    The Container helper changes from an open to closed state. After you close the container, it can be edited by someone else.

    Objects in closed containers are removed from the scene but remain visible. They are now referenced by the scene from the saved container’s file. Closing containers can be an effective way to improve scene performance.

To save a container:

If this is the first time you are saving the container, a file dialog prompts you for the name and location of the MAXC file to save.

To reload a container:

To update a container:

This updates the container to its most recently saved version.

To inherit a container:

    This procedure shows how to bring a container into a scene as a new entity. Alternatively, you can inherit a container into an existing container; see the following procedure.

  1. Do one of the following:
  2. On the Inherit Container dialog, navigate to the MAXC file of the container to inherit in your scene.
  3. Click Open.

    If the author of the container has provided edit permission and you click Edit In Place, you can edit its contents.

To inherit the contents of a saved container into an existing container:

  1. In a viewport, select the container to receive the inherited contents, then on the Modify panel Manage Container rollout, click Inherit Content.
  2. Use the Inherit Content dialog to navigate to the MAXC file of the container whose objects and display properties you want to inherit.
  3. Click Open.

    Any contents in the current container are deleted and replaced with the contents of the container you chose to inherit.

    If the author of the container has provided permission and you click Edit In Place, you can edit its contents.

To edit an inherited container:

To allow edits to a container:

  1. Select an open container.
  2. On the Modify panel Rules rollout, choose Only Edit In Place, Only Add New Objects, or Anything Unlocked (and set attributes to lock), then save the container. For explanations of these options, see Rules rollout.
  3. Close the container.

    The container file can now be edited by someone else. Anyone who subsequently references the container will inherit the changes.

To change inherited content to local content:

The container status changes from Closed to Open and all its contents are loaded into the scene. The contents are no longer referenced from the MAXC file; any changes you now make to the container contents are done locally.

To merge a container into your scene:

The container is loaded with the most recent version of the source container and changes from closed to open. The container is now local and any changes you make to the container no longer affect the source.

To override content display settings:

To delete a container:

  1. In a viewport or Explorer, select the container to delete.
  2. Press Delete or choose Edit menu Delete.

    When you delete a container, its content is deleted as well.