Environment variables

Environment variables are text strings that contain information to dynamically configure a software application when it is launched. For example, to specify a particular drive, directory path, preference setting, or file name.

Environment variables can be set locally for a single user account by the user or more globally for an entire system of users by a system administrator.

In Mudbox, the following environment variables can be set to configure Mudbox in specific areas. They are intended to be optional, and address specific situations that are not encountered by the majority of users.

For information on setting environment variables for your system, consult the documentation for your specific operating system.

Environment Variable	Platform	Usage/Notes:
MUDBOX_SETTINGS_PATH	All	Overrides the default directory path where Mudbox stores general settings and preferences. This directory requires very little space.
MUDBOX_DATA_PATH	All	Overrides the default directory path where Mudbox creates and stores data such as map extraction files.
MUDBOX_WORKING_FILES_PATH	All	Overrides the default directory path where Mudbox creates and stores temporary files. (By default, temporary files are stored in a subdirectory of the data path directory.) This directory can require large amounts of space for short periods of time. For Mudbox to read and write files to this directory efficiently, you must set it to a local directory where you have lots of space (a location on the same machine as your CPU, not a network location).
MUDBOX_PLUG_IN_PATH	All	Mudbox searches for plug-ins at specific locations, depending on your operating system. Use this environment variable to specify additional search paths for plug-ins. For a description of the default search paths, see File environment. For example, in a production environment, multiple users can share plug-ins placed in a common location (server) or in a project-specific location. You can specify absolute paths or relative directory paths. When relative paths are specified the variable: $MUDBOX_LOCATION should precede the relative file path. For example, if Mudbox is installed on Windows at C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Mudbox2012 this becomes the value used by the $MUDBOX_LOCATION variable. In that situation the relative path specified might be: $MUDBOX_LOCATION\plugins\game_project_plugins
MUDBOX_PAINT_CONTEXT_FLUSH	All	Forces Mudbox to flush texture caches on the GPU after each brush draw of the Paint tool, fixing a paint corruption issue that can occur with some graphics card drivers. Danger: Setting this environment variable does have a negative effect on painting performance. Set only if you experience display artifacts while painting.
MUDBOX_NO_PTEX_PREMULTIPLY_ON_IMPORT	All	When importing Ptex files, prevents Mudbox from multiplying the alpha into the color channels. By default, Mudbox multiplies with alpha when importing Ptex files, since Ptex files specify that all colors stored are not premultiplied. Use this environment variable (once per file) if you need to load and re-save Ptex files that incorrectly stored premultiplied pixels on export. For more information, see Troubleshoot painting.
MUDBOX_DISABLE_IDLE_LICENSE	All	Prevents Mudbox from surrendering a network license to the license server even if the product is idle for the amount of time specified by MUDBOX_IDLE_LICENSE_TIME. This lets you keep your network license regardless of a license timeout rule established by your network administrator.
MUDBOX_IDLE_LICENSE_TIME	All	Sets how long (in minutes, as an integer value) Mudbox can be idle before it stops sending a 'heartbeat signal' to the license server. Mudbox is idle when there are no mouse or keyboard input actions, and Mudbox is not performing any operation such as loading a file. The heartbeat signal is a licensing mechanism that periodically lets the license server know your Mudbox license is still in active use, and not available for another user on your network. If you run Mudbox using a network license and your network administrator has defined a regulation for license timeouts, your license can be returned to the server if it stops emitting the heartbeat signal for a length of time specified by the network administrator.
MUDBOX_FORCE_GPU_RAM	Windows, Linux	Overrides the amount of graphics card (GPU) memory that Mudbox detects. This addresses a limitation on some systems where Mudbox detects an incorrect GPU memory value, causing unnecessary warnings to appear as you work with layers. Set this value between 256 and 4096 MB. For example, if Mudbox reports 1 MB of memory and your GPU actually has 1.5 GB, set this variable to 1536 (1.5 * 1024). Non-numerical values are ignored. Tip: To determine whether Mudbox detects an incorrect memory value, verify your GPU memory in the nVidia or ATI Control Panel, then compare to the value listed in Mudbox (Help > System Information.)
MUDBOX_USE_LOWRES_TABLET_DATA	Windows	Forces Mudbox to use low-res cursor position values from your tablet in order to correct a problem where the cursor can appear offset from your sculpting if Stamp Spacing is on. This can occur on some Wacom Cintiq tablets. Set this environment variable if you use your tablet in Mouse mode and experience this limitation. Attention: Mouse mode is not recommended when using your tablet with Mudbox.
MUDBOX_SKIP_GRAPHICS_CHECK	Windows	Disables the warning message that automatically appears at startup if Mudbox detects that the graphics hardware and or related drivers on the computer do not match qualified specifications. Non-qualified graphics hardware and related drivers are unsupported and can adversely affect the operation of the application. For more information, see http://www.autodesk.com/mudbox-hardware.
MUDBOX_SKIP_OSX_VERSION_CHECK	Mac OS X	Disables the warning message that appears at startup when Mudbox detects that the Macintosh operating system does not meet the minimum hardware qualifications. Use of a non-qualified operating system may adversely affect the expected operation of the application. For more information, see http://www.autodesk.com/mudbox-systemrequirements.