8

988 Appendix B: Troubleshooting 3ds Max
There are a couple of ways to recover a lost dialog;
both entail working with the
3dsmax.ini ,foundin
the
\Program Files\Autodesk\3dsmax8\ folder.
Thorou gh Met hod
In this example, let’s say you’ve got a single monitor
that’s configured for 1280x1024 resolution and
you ’ve lost your Rendering Progress dialog.
It was visible the last time you rendered, but that
wasawhileagoandsomeoneelsehasbeenusing
the system.
1. Make sure 3ds Max is not running.
The
3dsmax.ini file is constantly being updated
while 3ds Max is r unning.
2. Open a text editor and load 3dsmax.ini .
3. Scroll down the list of entries until you find the
data block:
[RenderProgressDialogPosition]
Dimension=-425 152 379 866
Adialog’spositionisbasedoffthelocation
of the upper-left corner, anchored by the first
pair of digits. Therefore, in this example, the
upper-left corner of the dialog is -425 pixels
fromtheleftedgeofthescreenand152pixels
from the top. The second pair of digits describe
the horizontal and vertical size of the dialog, so
this dialog is 379 pixels w ide and 866 pixels tall.
Since this example assumes a single monitor,
configured for 1280x1024 resolution, this
dialog is off-screen to the left. If the first
number were greater than 1280, the dialog
wouldbeoff-screentotheright.
4. Place your cursor on the “Dimension” line and
scroll ov er to the problem number.
The problem number is usually the first or
second, since the last two set the width and
height of the dialog.
5. Change the problem number to a value that is
positive and within 1280x1024.
6. Save the 3dsmax.ini file and start 3ds Max.
Thenexttimeyourender,theRenderingProgress
dialog appears appear on-screen.
This is the preferred method, because it causes no
loss to other custom configuration settings that are
stored in the
3dsmax.ini file.
Quick M et hod
There are really only two reasons you’d use this
method:
• You’ve just installed 3ds Max and haven’t made
any customized settings that get stored in the
3dsmax.ini file.
• You’re in a hurry and don’t care about the
customized sett ings that you have stored in the
3dsmax.ini file.
1. Make sure 3ds Max is not running.