8

Backing Up and Archiving Scenes 19
Startup conditions are also defined by the
maxstart.max file. To save any particular startup
condition, create a MAX file with the condition
present and then save it as
maxstart.max .3dsMax
wil l automatically use this file when you start
3ds Max.
The
3dsmax.ini file has the following categories:
[Dir ectori es]—Defines the default paths for various
file operations.
[Per f or man ce]—Controls that speed up viewport
perfor mance.
[Pl ugIn K ey s]—Turns on or of f the key bo ard
shortcuts for plug-ins.
[R enderer ]—Controls for rendering alpha and filter
backgrounds.
[RenderPresets]—DefinesthepathsforRendering
Preset files.
[BitmapDirs]—Defines the default map paths for
bitmaps used by materials.
[Mods ta ck] —Controls modifier stack button sets
and icon display.
[Wi ndowS ta te]—Settings for software display,
OpenGL, or Direct3D drivers.
[CustomMenus]—Defines path for the . mnu file.
[Ma ter ia l Edit or ]—Ma terial Editor settings.
[ObjectSnapSettings]—Settings associated with
snaps.
[CommandPa nel]—Sets number of columns, and
controls rollout display in multiple columns.
Backing Up an d Arch ivin g Scenes
You should regularly back up and archive
your work. One convenient method is to save
incremental copies of your scenes. This method
creates a history of your work process.
S avi ng I ncrement al Files
IfyouturnontheIncrementOnSaveoptionon
the
Files p anel (page 3–870) of the Preferences
dialog, the current scene is renamed by appending
atwo-digitnumbertotheendofthefileand
incrementing the number each time you save. For
example, if you open a file named
myfile.max and
then save it, the saved file is named
myfile01.max .
Eachtimeyousavethefileitsnameisincremented,
producing the files
myfile02.max , myfile03.m ax ,
and so on.
Yo u c a n a l s o u s e
Save As (page 3–403) to increment
thefilenamemanuallywithatwo-digitnumber
by clicking the increment button (+) on the Save
As dialog.
Using Auto B ack up
Yo u c a n a u t o m a t i c a l l y s a v e b a c k u p f i l e s a t r e g u l a r
intervals by setting the Auto Backup options on the
Preferences dialog (see
Files Preference Settings
(page 3–870)
). The backup fi les are named
autobak#.max , where the # is a number from 1 to 9.
You can load a backup file like any other scene fi le.
Archiving a Scene
3ds Max scenes can make use of many different
files. When you want to exchange scenes with
other users or store scenes for archival purposes,
you often need to save more than just the scene fi le.
Use the File menu >
Archive command (page
3–500)
to pass the scene file and any bitmap
files used in the scene to an archiving program
compatible with PKZIP® software.
Cra sh R ecovery Sy stem
If 3ds Max encounters an unexpected crash, it
attempts to recover and save the file currently
inmemory. Thisisfairlyreliable,butitdoes