3ds Max 2012 Bible - Kelly L. Murdock [50]
Tip
I highly recommend that you keep the Auto Backup option enabled. This feature has saved my bacon more than once. Also, if you enter a different autoback name for different projects, then you won't accidentally overwrite a backed-up project. •
Tutorial: Setting up Auto Backup
Now that I have stressed that setting up Auto Backup is an important step to do, here's exactly how to set it up.
To set up the Auto Backup feature, follow these steps:
1. Open the Preference Settings dialog box by choosing Customize⇒Preferences, and click the Files panel.
2. Turn on Auto Backup by selecting the Enable option in the Auto Backup section.
3. Set the number of Autobak files to 5.
Note
To maintain version control of your Max scenes, use the Increment on Save feature instead of increasing the Number of Autobak Files. •
4. Set the Backup Interval to the amount of time to wait between backups.
The Backup Interval should be set to the maximum amount of work that you are willing to redo. (I keep my settings at 15 minutes.) You can also give the Auto Backup file a name.
5. Auto Backup saves the files in the directory specified by the Auto Backup path. To view where this path is located, choose Customize⇒Configure User Paths.
Maintaining log files
You can also use the Files panel to control log files. Log files keep track of any errors and warnings, general command info, and any debugging information. You can set log files to never be deleted, expire after so many days, or keep a specified file size with the latest information. If your system is having trouble, checking the error log gives you some idea as to what the problem is. Logs are essential if you plan on developing any custom scripts or plug-ins. You can select that the log contain all Errors, Warnings, Info, and Debug statements.
Each entry in the log file includes a date-time stamp and a three-letter designation of the type of message with DBG for debug, INF for info, WRN for warning, and ERR for error messages, followed by the message. The name of the log file is Max.log.
Configuring Paths
When strolling through a park, chances are good that you'll see several different paths. One might take you to the lake and another to the playground. Knowing where the various paths lead can help you as you navigate around the park. Paths in Max lead, or point, to various resources, either locally or across the network.
All paths can be configured using two distinct Configure Paths dialog boxes found in the Customize menu: Configure User Paths and Configure System Paths. The Configure User Paths dialog box is used to specify where to look for scene resource files such as scenes, animations, and textures. The Configure System Paths dialog box is used to specify where the system looks to load files that Max uses, such as fonts, scripts, and plug-ins.
Configuring user paths
The Configure User Paths dialog box, shown in Figure 3.10, holds the path definitions to all the various resource folders. The dialog box includes three panels: File I/O, External Files, and XRefs.
FIGURE 3.10
The Configure User Paths dialog box specifies where to look for various resources.
The main panel in the Configure User Paths dialog box is the File I/O panel. The Project Folder is listed at the top of the dialog box and can be changed in this dialog box or with the Application Button⇒Manage⇒Set Project Folder menu. This panel includes entries for Animations, Archives, Auto Backup, Bitmap Proxies, Downloads, Export, Expressions, Images, Import, Materials, Max Start, Photometric, Previews, Render Assets, Render Output, Render Presets, Scenes, Sounds, and Video Post. If you select any of these entries, you can click the Modify button to change its path. All paths are set by default