Is there anyone that can help there are lots of 3D Max files out there but i can`t import them into Poser5 is there any software that can change them into objs or anything that Poser will import

If you're talking about .max files, then you're out of luck. Unless you have a copy of 3dsMax, this file format can not be converted to something usable in other apps because it's a Max proprietary file format. Deep Exploration by RightHemisphere can read/convert/export .max files to other formats, but I believe you still need a copy of 3dsMax for it to do so.

Who sells 3DSMax? How much does it cost?

Many thanks for your quick reply I suppose I shall have to save for a copy of 3dMax ah well,

On option: The 3ds max official website has a full working trial for 30 days. You can start the trial and export out the models. It's not illegal, because they're giving you the right to use their software for 30 days. Go for it!

What is the http://... address of the 3ds max official website?

Attached Link: http://www4.discreet.com/3dsmax/

Here is a link to the max site, if you thought any other programs you used are hard wait till you see max. I am not sure but I think you need windows xp to use the newer versions of max.

The trial version of max is 84 megabytes and there are some other files to download, just so you know.

Internet explorer 6 or above is needed for 3dsmax 7, it is probably only to read the help files but it wont install without it. This seems very foolish to me unless they have done some kind of deal with microsoft to promote their newer poorer products.

"Internet explorer 6 or above is needed for 3dsmax 7, it is probably only to read the help files but it wont install without it. This seems very foolish to me unless they have done some kind of deal with microsoft to promote their newer poorer products." The help files are viewable with Adobe Acrobat. I think the reason it requires IE 6 is because DirectX 9 is required to use the product, which I believe only works with IE 6 or above installed. It has nothing to do directly with IE per say. If you have XPpro as your OS, you shouldn't have any problems.

I have direct x 9 installed and dont use internet explorer 6 and dont have windows xp either. Windows xp is too slow for my computer, takes up too much room and is not so much better, it does handle memory better for some programs but not all.

"Windows xp is too slow for my computer, takes up too much room and is not so much better" Not so much better than what? I upgraded from 98 on one of my machines recently, and found it to be much more stable and useful. Many newer applications are being written specifically to take advantage of a 32-bit OS and/or the NTFS file system. 98, for example, is not a "true" 32-bit OS, and can't use the NTFS file system natively. XP Pro also takes advantage of two-way multi-processor support, which isn't available in the Home edition or 98. 98 doesn't support dual processors. I'm not sure why IE 6 is required for Max 7 though, but I'm pretty sure it has to do with some integrated functionality Microsoft has that only works with IE 6, although it's not the help files from what I can see.

Could be the XML parser but you can download that by itself from Microsoft. 3D Exploration would open some Max files up to Max 3 I think, withoug Max installed,but the results depend on on whether any Max special features were used in the model i.e. it probably only imported primitives. For Max 5, you're probably going to need Max 5. I'm assuming their free GMax program won't open them. I'm pretty sure it only exports it's own GMax format.

Windows xp is not much better than windows 98 for me. I dont have dual processors and dont use the NTFS file system it might be 32bit but it is slower on my computer so I stand by what I said. PCs would be much better without windows anyway it is time someone made a new better operating system and got rid of all the extra ini files and junk like the registry that most computers dont even have (or need). I have not seen a microsoft program yet that I like.

Attached Link: http://list.opera.com/pipermail/opera-users/2003-November/022264.html

Xantor, there's always Linux, which is very fast. Although I'm sure you wouldn't be able to run all your most useful apps on it.

THIS might be the answer to the IE 6 mysetery. Apparently, Adobe Acrobat 6 reader update had required IE 5 to be installed, because they have put a built-in "dependancy on the Microsoft browser" in order to use it.

Perhaps the help files in Max 7 require a certain version of Adobe Acrobat Reader that requires IE 6 or higher. That would be a logical assumption, based on what I read at this link.

I guess we could blame Adobe for this, not Discreet specifically? ;-)

Message edited on: 12/27/2004 01:53

Everyone's mileage varies. I don't have dual CPUs and I use FAT32 on all of my drives save one and I only have 372MB or memory but I would never use 98 in preference to 2000/XP. 98/98SE crashes or locks up with depressing regularity for me, always has, regardless of the CPU/Memory, etc. 2000 doesn't crash, runs multiple programs reliably without one program crashing and locking up the system etc. For me, it's all about reliability which Win2K give me, in addition to running all the applications I have. Some folks swear by Linux, others wouldn't have anything except a Mac. To be honest, I think this is the first time I've heard anyone say that 98 works just as well for them but as I said, individual results and levels of satisfaction vary so whatever works for your needs is the best thing available no?

3D Studio Max requires Internet Explorer, because it uses the interface .dlls for it's own interface. can't blame discreet for it, blame autodesk, they own discreet. linux doesn't have the hobbyist priced quality 3d apps. the high end 3d apps mostly have linux ports. lots of open source apps for it. can't really play the games, as the manufacturers don't seem to port them. ( lots of open source games are available though... if gaming is your thing ) slower to boot generally, but fewer viruses or security problems. more customisable, with over 12 different graphic interfaces available, they haven't stolen the command prompt only mode away from you like m$ and Apple have. and every distribution worth using in linux has around 6 GB of apps available during the install. hmm.. install, have 8 web browsers, 8 email clients, 2 time managers, 2 sql databases, webservers, email servers, ftp servers, dhcp servers, 2 office suites, 15 graphics apps, 12 sound apps, 6 video apps, 6 ide for programming, on 3 different styles, 12 text editors.... over 1,000 applications available during install, and you can choose which to install. not like winders or macosx which says like our choices or go screw yourself.

"3D Studio Max requires Internet Explorer, because it uses the interface .dlls for it's own interface."

Do you know what .dll's it uses specifically?

"can't blame discreet for it, blame autodesk, they own discreet"

Apparently, other applications, like Adobe Acrobat, do the same thing, so there must be some programming advantage or requirement to doing this, in which case I'd say the blame is ultimately on Microsoft. ;-) Message edited on: 12/27/2004 02:52

nope I haven't disassembled any dlls to find out. check the windows api reference for using ie interface, it should tell you which ones. advantage: vbscript activex m$' limited support for their products. ( actually get far more help for linux, from far more sources than you can get from microshot ) disadvantage: ie's vulnerabilities

You can run Depends on the Max binaries to determine which dlls they call, you shouldn't need to disassemble anything to find that out. Honestly folks, sometimes the sport of blaming Microsoft for everything you don't like gets a little silly. Perhaps you should blame Discreet for putting their product on Windows at all. Certainly, the last I heard, no one was being forced to use Microsoft's APIs. Discreet could write the entire thing in 80x86 assembly. They can engineer their own framework independent of anything Microsoft. You're blaming Microsoft for providing support that makes it easier for developers to develop applications instead of writing the plumbing? Come On. If Autodesk wants to, they can license the Windows source code and write any interface they choose to. Perhaps we should go back to the days when an OS provided only the bare bones necessary to boot up. You may not like Microsoft or their products but the fact that companies like Discreet choose to use the facilities those products provide in developing their applications makes business sense to them. As for support, I've been developing on the using Microsoft tools for many years. I used Borland's development tools before that. I don't know of any other company that provides better developer support, more free tools and code, API documentation, etc. Combine that with the wealth of third party resources available and I think the support is excellent. There's nothing wrong with Linux, Apple or any other platform. They each have their strengths just as Microsoft has weaknesses. You base your decisions on cost, potential market, skills and that intangible "feel" a particular platform has and how well it meshes with the way you work and your philosophy. Reflexive dislike of a particular company or religious zeal for another shouldn't cloud technology decisions.

I was reffering to microsoft's lack of real, honest to goodness support for thier own products. no jumping through hoops to get any information from them ( .net passport ) no support at all for a full install version of windows. that is what I was talking about. building a system for someone, installing windows on it, needed a specific .dll that would not register properly during install.. "it's oem you have to talk to the manufacturer" from microsucks support desk. that is a lack of support. blame autodesk for using internet exploiter's interface. qt, gtk are both interface specs and run under any os. so they don't have to build from scratch. oh, qt, borland's products use it, so does winders.

It seems a bit strange, if you dont want to use internet explorer or use an older version then you cant use 3dsmax that to me seems very bad business sense, the more people who can use the product the better.

My idea about the windows replacement was not linux which as far as I know has quite a bit of setting up and maintaining involved. My idea was more like the amiga workbench which was a much better copy of the apple operating system than windows is. A new operating system that is simple and fast and easier to use is possible and would IMO eventually be the most succesfull.

Sorry, Jaqui, I'm not sure what you're referring to here. AFAIK, you don't need a .Net Passport to access the main support resource, MSDN. For that matter, I've access support at IBM, Sun, etc. They all require registration to get full access to their stuff. You can't even get to many Poser freestuff resources these days without registration. That's just the way things work. I don't see how Microsoft is any more onerous in that respect than anyone else. If an OEM like HP or Dell chooses to customize their install of Windows with a custom dll, Why is Microsoft support supposed to be responsible for that? I could include a custom dll in an MSI package I create but I certainly wouldn't expect Microsoft to support it. Maybe I'm misunderstanding the incident you're describing here. I know from personal experience how frustrating it can be to be at a client's site and have problems crop up but if even if the base system is Microsoft's if it's an OEM system, then the OEM licensed the right to package and create the install the system. They're the first level of support. It's their responsibility to interface with Microsoft. My browser says "Microsoft Internet Explorer Provided by America Online" (don't ask). If I have browser problems and call Microsoft, guess what--they're gonna say, "call AOL." If a company wants to, I'm sure they can probably get Microsoft to provide support but I'm sure it cost's more. That makes sense to me. If I sell you a dll to include in your application, I don't want every one of your end users calling me and having to try to figure out if it's my code or yours. Would you? You're right, the decision was Autodesk's. If they develop for more than one platform, it makes some sense for them to use a platform neutral framework. On the other hand, many companies choose to take advantage of platform specific features. Apparently, they seem to think it enhances their products. Even Microsoft develops Mac native versions of their products. Knowing how fanatical Mac users can be about the look and feel of their platform, I'm sure that's a wise business decision.

"A new operating system..." We have three major OS platforms now, Windows, mac and Unix/Linux. If you consider that OS X is essentially a Unix variant, there are only two. The major companies are abandoning their own proprietary OS platforms (often Unix variants like HPUX) and embracing either Windows and/or Linux. The last serious independent desktop OS effort I heard of was BeOS, which didn't exactly take the world by storm. Even if someone came up with something truly revolutionary, they'd have an extremely daunting task to gain any market acceptance at this point. AFAIK, none of the products that require IE to install require it to be your browser in order to run. They use IE's components, not the browser itself. For those who really, really can't stand Microsoft, one can get a Mac (relatively expensive) or Linux (free). Then if you find you have to use a Windows application, you can get the Mac PC emulator (money) or on Linux, WINE (free) or the excellent VMWare (again money), so there are plenty of alternatives. Even Bill Gates doesn't control your destiny.

BeOS = Mac OSX, apple bought beos the microsoft passport system is stored online, in microsoft insecure systems. no, not a customised version of windows, a retail full install version, 100% microsoft, they will not support it. and it's only in 3d that you wind up needing windows apps. they don't work right with wine or vmware.

Attached Link: http://macreate.net/reloaded/?q=node/view/149

All I can say is go to http://msdn.microsoft.com/ and if they tell you you that you need Passport to get in, I'll gladly stand corrected. If you want to pony up the $99 to $2,799 to subscribe, the same applies but sorry I can't refund your money :-) I believe you do need Passport for the special subscriber downloads but I'm not that rich and the free stuff has always met my needs. I really don't need an early preview of Longhorn. I do have a Passport account. The last time I used it was to get into surprise, a Poser site hosted on MSN! Not to sound cavalier, but if they do get hacked, hackers are gonna get a lot less of my personal info from Passport than they can from PayPal, my bank, the DVD rental site, etc. Do I have any more faith in their security than Microsoft's, not really. I'm still not clear on the OS thing. You installed a retail boxed copy of Windows and Microsoft won't support it? If so you certainly have a right to complain. My point of confusion is the "it's oem you have to talk to the manufacturer" part. What's OEM, the machine, the DLL? If it's a third party DLL, of course Microsoft's not gonna help. If it's a Windows DLL and they're saying they won't support it somehow because of the hardware then that's BS and I agree that they screwed up. You've got me on the emulation thing. I only know that Penguinisto says that Poser works fine under Win4Lin (though with a memory limit of 128MB) and even renders faster than under Windows. Looking ate the CrossOver Office site, I see that Lightwave 8 installs and runs on their system. Moray, ZBrush 2 and Cinema 4D XL are listed as untested. Given VMWare's deep level of emulation, I'm kind of surprised that no 3D applications run in a virtual machine though I suspect that graphics would be a limiting factor. At any rate, emulation is only a bridge for those who deeply detest Microsoft (as you obviously seem to :-), until all of their software is liberated from Pharoah Gates' evil empire and emerges in the Promised Land of Mac, Linux or whatever's not Microsoft... Just kidding. The only connection I can find between BeOS and Apple is that it was created by Jean Louis Gass, former Apple guru and this, dated November 24, 2004: "BeOS continued investing a large portion of their talents and energies into BeOS for the PowerMac, hoping to be aquired by Apple, until December 1996 when Apple anounced that it would aquire NeXT and make OpenStep the basis of its next generation operating system. Be then set about porting their operating system for the third time to the Pentium. Despite these efforts, Be was never successful and eventually sold its assets to Palm, with whom Gass is a board member)." AFAIK, OS X is based NeXT OS (Mach kernel) but I'm certainly no font of information on things Apple.

Not to beat this to death but something ocurred to me when I kept thinking about OEM. If you bought a copy of Windows and when you called Microsoft support and gave them the serial number they said "That's OEM, we won't support it," that I can understand.You can certainly buy Windows from a discounter that was originally sold to an OEM like IBM or Micron. Somewhere on the packaging it should say , I think the language Microsoft uses is something like "For sale only with a new PC." If that's on the shrinkwrap or a sticker, it could well have been removed though. Microsoft would still have a record of who they sold it to originally. They have no obligation to support it and I'm sure it's against company policy though you might get a nice rep who might help out for a mnior issue. Really though it's the OEM's responsibility and if you didn't buy the OEM hardware, you're out of luck. Sorry if I'm saying something you already know. It's just the only scenario I can figure out. If you walked into CompUSA or BestBuy and picked it up for full retail then I'd like to know so I can contact Microsoft myself and clarify their support policies since I don't want to end up in a similar situation.