MAX Crash!

[glorybound]

I worked on the model the other day, closed MAX and after MAX closed, it gave me some MAX error. Now, I can't open or merge the model. Can someone check it out, if they have time? It would save my schedule.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B1...jNLNnVlbTNmNkk

[glorybound]

I ended up getting in off of a backup. Luckily, I backup my backups.

[Morne]

I save in a sequence of 3, specifically for cases like this.
I add 1, 2 or 3 behind the filename, when I get to 3, I just start at 1 again. This helped me a couple of times. I know which file I worked on, since I just set Explorer to display by date. Then I also get auto backups of each of those files. Been burnt too many times exactly from this, Max crashing when closing and sometimes just from saving, and corrupting the file.

[particlerealities]

1,2,3 - that's a great idea! I do the incremental naming, but never thought to cycle through them again like that. I usually reach mental milestones and save the file to a new folder, like "2016-10-17 3d Model". Can't tell you how many times certain clients have reverted back to old design ideas and brought them forward into the current design. After all these years, it's amazing that Max still has the tendency to corrupt files when it crashes.

[glorybound]

But, files can be 5-6GB, that's an awful large amount of data, especially since you already have a MaxBack and 3 Autobacks. Do you manually save as, or do you use MAX's incremental backup?


[QUOTE=Morne;711636]I save in a sequence of 3, specifically for cases like this.

I save in a sequence of 3, specifically for cases like this.
I add 1, 2 or 3 behind the filename, when I get to 3, I just start at 1 again. This helped me a couple of times. I know which file I worked on, since I just set Explorer to display by date. Then I also get auto backups of each of those files. Been burnt too many times exactly from this, Max crashing when closing and sometimes just from saving, and corrupting the file.

[Vizioen]

If your files are 5-6 GB you're using max wrong and I would absolutely hate to work in a file like that.

[glorybound]

Okay, maybe 1-2 GB.

[Vizioen]

Which is still quite a lot frankly. My (main) files are rarely bigger than 150 MB. Try working more with XREF objects, XREF, proxies. Just my 2 cents ofcourse. It will save you more time (and space, and frustration )

[Bruce Hart]

Which is still quite a lot frankly. My (main) files are rarely bigger than 150 MB. Try working more with XREF objects, XREF, proxies. Just my 2 cents ofcourse. It will save you more time (and space, and frustration )

I would agree - If my files were getting up to say past the 300-400 Mb mark - I would think there is something wrong with my scene optimisation

[glorybound]

I only use proxies for things like trees. Everything else, for the most part, is house.

[Vizioen]

As a comparison to what you mostly do bobby: http://www.vizioen.be/works#/apinwa/ the main scene of this project was 33 MB. For the most part there are XREFS and XREF Objects. No proxies even.

[Morne]

But, files can be 5-6GB, that's an awful large amount of data, especially since you already have a MaxBack and 3 Autobacks. Do you manually save as, or do you use MAX's incremental backup?

My files are typically also large, so I set my autosave to between 30 and 60 minutes because the files take so long to save at that size. Then I usually manually "save as". I've gotten into the habbit of saving often, so my autobackup often don't need to autosave. The 1,2 3 is sort of my nackup. In the odd chance I don't have those because I forgot to save for whatever reason, I always will have at least 1 or 2 real Autobak files.

A long time ago, I use to use the incremental and then at the end just keep the latest 3 files. However, with deadlines getting tighter, I often found that I never really delete the old files and waste space. Therefore I started using the 1,2 3, recycle system which works well for me. I'm sure others have other ways that work well for them

[AJ Jefferies]

Okay, maybe 1-2 GB.

I would also be pretty worried if I was working on files this big. Don't get me wrong, I have huge project files but once a single max file gets over the 500MB part it's time to start looking where you can streamline, use proxies...etc. Mainly for the reasons you've said, I manually save my files ever 30 minutes or so, and waiting for a 2GB file to write every time would be an enormous pain.

[Vizioen]

Hear, hear... For instance, my whole building is also in the main file, as well as my lights, cameras and Forest Pack objects that use XREF Objects. My roof is an XREF with lots of RailClone objects. My interior furniture is depending on the project either an XREF or XREF objects and when there are for instance chairs at a table I use Railclone to put them there. All other props are Xref objects used with FP of RC to distribute if there are more than 1 or 2.

[mitviz]

problem with using xrefs is that its stil in another file, and those the file size is stil essentially the same when you add each file together just its easier to handle when you have xrefs, but for backups max's backup leads to corrupt files and alot of crashes, use the Autosave plugin which saves each file in a separate folder that way you can control better the backups and better yet its much faster when it saves than 3ds max,
http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/auto-save