Slow or sluggish performance while running 3ds Max can usually be attributed to either a video configuration conflict or a memory allocation problem. The hard thing about performance problems is narrowing down the culprit. Here are some common situations that can hamper operation of 3ds Max and steps to take to rectify them.
Files Take a Long Time to Open
Slow Response to Open or Drag Dialogs
Autodesk Product Support often encounters an increase of this situation around the time a new version or upgrade of the software is released. The question usually posed by the customer is, “Why does the new version take longer to start than the last version?” There are several reasons.
The size of the executable that starts 3ds Max and the additional overhead needed to load the new features of a new release can cause a slowdown. Code in a new executable may use the system processors in a different way than the last version so a slowdown may be noticed. The important thing is how 3ds Max performs once it is running.
Each version of 3ds Max is programmed and optimized to use newer video technology than what was previously available. If you haven't upgraded your video card in the last year, or at least updated video drivers, there is a very good chance 3ds Max will not start as quickly as in previous versions. You can also try a different 3ds Max video configuration.
If you have not defragmented your system recently, 3ds Max could exhibit a slower start time. Defragmenting the system can also streamline the loading of large files that tend to swap to virtual memory.
The size of a file often defines how quickly it loads into 3ds Max. However, if you notice an increase in load time from one design session to another, it could be an indication that 3ds Max is not finding enough memory to operate efficiently or that the file needs to be optimized.
The first thing to check is your system memory allocation. Per the 3ds Max system requirements, you should have a minimum of 256 MB of physical memory (RAM) and 300 MB of swap space. Recommended RAM is 1 GB with a 2 GB swap file. Here's how to check your memory and swap-file allocations.
To check RAM and swap-file allocation on Windows 2000:
Right-click the My Computer icon on your desktop and choose Properties from the menu.
This opens the System Properties dialog.
On the General panel, you should see information about your computer. The amount of RAM should be listed on this panel.
Note: The RAM may be displayed in kilobytes (KB) instead of megabytes (MB).
Open the Advanced panel, and click the Performance Options button.
Check the “Total Paging File Size For All Drives” setting in the Virtual Memory group.
If you have 256 MB of RAM, you should set the Virtual Memory to approximately three times the RAM, or 768 MB.
To check RAM and swap-file allocation on Windows XP:
Right-click the My Computer icon on your desktop and choose Properties from the menu.
This opens the System Properties dialog.
On the General tab, you should see information about your computer. The amount of RAM should be listed on this panel.
Open the Advanced tab and click the Performance Settings button.
Click the Advanced tab, and check the “Total Paging File Size For All Drives” setting in the Virtual Memory group.
If the physical and virtual memory are set appropriately, then you'll have to check the model. If the model does eventually open, do the following:
From the File menu, choose Save As and save the scene under a different name. Then try opening the new file to see if it loads faster.
Review some of the objects you know have large modifier stacks. Performance can be improved if you collapse the stacks of objects that you've completed.
If the model uses XRefs, make sure the XRefs are locally accessible. If they're located on a network server, the long load time could be due to high network traffic.
This situation is exhibited when you click a command that opens a dialog, like the Material Editor or graph window, like Track View. After you click, you notice an appreciable time lag until the dialog or window opens. If you then attempt to drag it to a new location, the dialog or window does not smoothly follow your cursor.
The usual cause for this is a video driver conflict or display configuration issue because opening or dragging a dialog causes your graphic card to refresh the screen. Try these steps to diagnose the problem.
Open the Viewports panel and check the Current Installed Driver.
If set to OpenGL or Direct3D, click the Choose Driver button and choose Software.
The Software setting is a generic driver that works for all video cards. It doesn't have any video enhancements but it's a good place to begin diagnostics.
Note: If you're switching from Direct3D, you first have to use Revert From Direct3D before choosing the Software configuration.
Click OK to close the Graphic Driver Setup dialog.
You will be informed that you have to restart 3ds Max for the change to take affect.
Try opening or dragging dialogs around to see if performance has improved. If it has, do the following:
If the software was originally configured for OpenGL, try configuring 3ds Max for Direct3D and see if performance is improved. Or vice-versa.
Verify that your graphic card supports your preferred display configuration choice. Some cards do not fully support OpenGL or Direct3D.
Visit the Web site of your graphic card manufacturer and see if they have any newer video drivers that you can download and install.
Sluggish command response is closely related to the previous situation. If you create an object such as a Box, you might notice that the cursor suddenly slows down when you drag it into a viewport. Clicking the corners to set the length, width and height is equally time-consuming. Once again, the likely cause is video-related.
Try using the command that was giving you trouble and see if it works correctly now.