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Set Active Project Folder

The Active Project folder lets you keep files for a project organized in one place.

  • File menu > Project > Set Active Project

The default 3ds Max Project folder is your local C:\Users\<User Name>\Documents\3dsMax folder. You can use Set Active Project to specify a different location. You can also set the Active Project folder from the Asset Tracking Dialog Paths menu.

To change the location of the default folder structure:

  1. Copy the default 3ds Max folder structure location (C:\Users\<User Name>\Documents\3dsMax).
  2. In 3ds Max, go to Customize > Configure User Paths > File I/O tab.
  3. Individually select all of the folders that should be changed.
  4. Select Modify.
  5. Paste the default folder location into the Path section.
  6. Select Use Path. The paths should now be set for each folder to the default folder structure location and no longer added to the set Project Folder location.
    Note: You may need to delete any folders from the newly set Project Folder if they have been previously created.

When you set the project folder, 3ds Max automatically creates a series of folders within it such as \scenes and \renderoutput . Saving or opening files from the browser uses this location by default. Using a consistent project folder structure among team members is good practice for both organizing and sharing files.

When you set the project folder, 3ds Max might display a warning that some file paths are no longer valid. If the scenes you are working on belong to the project you have chosen, it is safe to disregard this warning.

Tip: If you have done scene work in the current 3ds Max session before you set the project folder, then it is a good idea to choose File menu Reset before you open a new scene. Otherwise, the Open command defaults to the folder where the previous scene was saved. After Reset, the Open command defaults to the \scenes folder of the current project.

3ds Max creates an MXP file with various paths that pertain to the project folder, and stores it in the folder you have chosen.

Note: Among the files installed along with 3ds Max are a number of material libraries as well as maps used by these libraries. These files are placed by default in the program folder, in the \materiallibraries and \maps subpaths, respectively. Should you wish to use any of the material libraries in a project, we recommend that you copy the library files into the project \materiallibraries folder. Also, if necessary, use the External Path Configuration feature to add the \maps path along with its subpaths (turn on Add Subpaths when adding the \maps path).

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