3ds Max Documentation Set

The documentation set for 3ds Max^{^®} comprises online material only. Most documents are available from the Start menu Programs Autodesk [program folder] Help folder, as well as from the Help menu within 3ds Max or the Additional Help dialog.

Installation Documentation Set You can access all of the documentation associated with installing, deploying, and licensing Autodesk 3ds Max 2012 from the installer. The Installation Overview and FAQ is also provided locally in case an internet connection is not present. Refer to the following table for direct links to these documents:

Document:	Location:
Installation Overview and FAQ	www.autodesk.com/3dsmax-faq-2012-enu
Licensing Guide	www.autodesk.com/me-licensing-2012-enu
Network Administrator's Guide	www.autodesk.com/me-nag-2012-enu
System Requirements	www.autodesk.com/3dsmax-systemreq-2012-enu
Troubleshooting	www.autodesk.com/3dsmax-troubleshooting-2012-enu
Readme	www.autodesk.com/3dsmax-readme-2012-enu

Autodesk 3ds Max and 3ds Max Design Help: This document covers fundamental concepts and strategies for using the product, as well as details about the features of 3ds Max / 3ds Max Design.
Access the reference by choosing Help Autodesk 3ds Max Help or 3ds Max Design Help.
Autodesk 3ds Max 2012 Tutorials and Autodesk Autodesk 3ds Max 2012 Design 2012 Tutorials: Contain tutorial information and detailed procedures to walk you through increasingly complex operations. This is the best source for learning 3ds Max .
Access the tutorials by choosing Help Tutorials.

NoteThese tutorials reside on the Web, so an Internet connection is required. To get the tutorial scene files, visit http://www.autodesk.com/3dsmax-tutorials-scene-files-2012 for 3ds Max scenes, and http://www.autodesk.com/3dsmaxdesign-tutorials-scene-files-2012 for 3ds Max Design scenes.
MAXScript Help: Describes the MAXScript scripting language. If you're new to MAXScript, check out the “Learning MAXScript” chapter there.
Access the MAXScript Help by choosing Help MAXScript Help.
Additional mental ray® Help Files: Documentation from mental images® is available from Help menu Additional Help mental ray Help. There, you'll find the mental ray Reference, comprising the mental ray Manual, mental ray Shader Reference, and LumeTools Collection. Further PDFs describing more complex concepts are available from Help menu Additional Help mental ray Supplementary Help.
NoteThe Autodesk 3ds Max 2012 Help documents most mental ray components available in the 3ds Max user interface. This includes documentation for lights for mental ray and specific shadow types, controls for adding mental ray shaders to lights and cameras, mental ray materials, custom shaders for 3ds Max, and the mental ray renderer controls.
Additional Backburner Files: Backburner lets you render on multiple computers over a network. Procedures for using Backburner from inside 3ds Max are documented in this Autodesk 3ds Max Help File (see Network Rendering). For further information on using and configuring Backburner go to the Help menu in Autodesk Backburner.

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