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What's New in Autodesk Civil 3D 2025?
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3DS Max 2018 Will Not Launch Or Will Experience Instability When File Browsing
After installing 3ds Max 2018, the software will not launch properly, or will experience instability when trying to change a user-configurable path (such as the Autoback file location).
Causes:
There are several possible causes for these errors:
- Conflicts between 3ds Max, Windows updates and the ProSound.dlc sound driver
- Windows permissions issues
- Certain PC-bundled backup software may cause Max instability or startup problems
- Certain anti-virus programs may prevent 3ds Max 2018 from loading properly when the new, animated Welcome Screen attempts to access web content
- Older versions of the Arnold renderer may also prevent 3ds Max 2018 from running properly.
Solution:
Here are several troubleshooting steps to try:
Update to 3ds Max 2018.2
- Log into your Autodesk Account > 3ds Max > Updates & Add-Ons menu, then download and install the 3ds Max 2018.2 Update.
Change the 3ds Max display driver
- Try changing the 3ds Max display driver from the default D3D11 driver to another 3ds Max display driver, such as D3D9.
Update the ProSound.dlc file codecs
- Go to the Xiph open source website, and download and install the Directshow Filters for Ogg Vorbis, Speex, Theora, FLAC and WebM
Rename the 3ds Max ProSound.dlc file to prevent it from launching (warning: this will remove support for loading sound files into 3ds Max)
- Navigate to C:\Program Files\Autodesk\3ds Max 2018\stdplugs, and rename the ProSound.dlc file to ProSound.dlc.BAK.
Make sure your CPU supports the Arnold Render plugin SSE 4.1 instruction requirements. (Incompatible CPUs for Arnold may cause 3ds Max 2018 to become unstable.)
- If your CPUs are compatible, download and install the newest version of Arnold for 3ds Max 2018
- If not, go to Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, and uninstall the MAXtoA plugin for 3ds Max 2018.
Uninstall or Disable Cloud-based Backup Software
- Some users have reported that certain 3rd-party cloud-based backup software, including Microsoft OneDrive, Carbonite, Dell Backup and Recovery Solution, and Druva, may cause 3ds Max to experience serious instability or prevent it from launching entirely.
- If these or other cloud-based backup software programs on on your system, please disable them from starting up, or uninstall them entirely by going to the Windows Command Panel > Programs and Features menu. Then, reboot your PC.
Turn off the 3ds Max 2018 Welcome Screen before launch
- Navigate to C:\Users\YourUserName\AppData\Local\Autodesk\3dsMax\2018 – 64bit\ENU folder and open the 3dsmax.ini file in Notepad.
- Select Control-F to search for the word “welcome.” Notepad should display this entry:
[WelcomeScreen]
LaunchCount=30
ShowAtStartupExt=1
- Change the line ShowAtStartupExt=1 to ShowAtStartupExt=0, then resave the .ini file and restart 3ds Max 2018.
See also:
If you are still experiencing issues with your product, please do not hesitate to contact us HERE
