Issue:
When launching 3ds Max following message appears and the program exits:
Application Error
An error has occurred and the application will now close.
Do you want to attempt to save a copy of the current scene?
Causes:
The Application Error message can be due to several factors. These include, but are not limited to:
- Corruption during installation.
- Security privileges.
- Graphics/video card driver.
- Graphics/video card not supported.
- 3rd-party plug-ins.
- Insufficient access to folders.
- Incompatibility between the processor’s instruction set and the Arnold rendering engine. Arnold requires processor hardware with the SSE 4.1 instruction set. See: Arnold and SSE 4.1 CPU Requirements with 3ds Max or Maya.
Solution:
Choose from the options. The final solution may require one, or a combination of the following:
Disable the Physx plug-in (occurs in Windows 10 Insider Preview with 3ds Max 2021)
If you are running Windows 10 Insider Preview on your workstation, this build is not compatible with the Physx plug-in included in 3ds Max 2021. Solutions to this are:
- Disable the Physx plug-in by renaming the file PhysX.dlm into PhysX.bak. The file is located in C:\Program Files\Autodesk\3ds Max 2021\stdplugs.
- Install a public build of Windows 10 to be able to use the PhysX plug-in.
Reset the 3ds Max user preferences
Reset the 3ds Max user preferences to their defaults.
A preference reset can correct any issues where one or more user-related files have become corrupted or are missing.
Update the graphics card driver to the latest available version
To update the graphics card driver to the most recent version, visit the manufacturer’s website:
Change the display driver in 3ds Max
Change the current display driver from the default Direct3D11 to another driver.
- To change the display driver, see the steps listed in this article: How to change the graphics display drivers in 3ds Max before launch.
Disable third-party plug-ins or utilities:
To disable any third-party plug-ins, see: How to disable 3rd-party plug-ins quickly in 3ds Max to troubleshoot software problems
Check for third-party plug-ins updates:
Check if any third-party plug-ins that are installed for 3ds Max have updated versions available (for example, Chaos Group V-Ray, iToo Forest Pack):
- Visit the manufacturer’s websites.
- Download the latest update.
- Install the newest plug-in version.
Delete additional user-specific folders:
In Windows, navigate to the following folders and delete them:
- C:\users\<username>\appdata\local\autodesk\3dsmax
- C:\users\<username>\appdata\roaming\autodesk\max (or “maxdes”)
Elevate the 3ds Max Administrator privileges in Windows:
To run 3ds Max as administrator:
- Right-click the 3ds Max <version> Desktop icon.
- Choose “Run as administrator.”
Start 3ds Max without admin privileges with command line (Comspec)
Use the 3ds Max desktop shortcut icon to execute the program with command line:
- Create a 3ds Max shortcut on the desktop by right-clicking on the 3dsmax.exe file located in C:\Program Files\Autodesk\3ds Max <version>.
- Select Send to > Desktop (create shortcut).
- Once the 3ds Max shortcut icon is created, right-click it and select Properties.
Add the following text in the target field in front of the 3dsmax.exe file path: %comspec% /c.
The shortcut target should look similar to:
%comspec% /c “C:\Program Files\Autodesk\3ds Max 2019\3dsmax.exe”
- Click Apply.
- Click OK to confirm the edits.
- Run the 3ds Max by double-clicking on the newly modified shortcut icon.
Note: If a Command prompt window appears after launching 3ds Max, it can be closed without affecting any 3ds Max functionality.
Remove the MAXtoA plug-in
If the preceding steps do not solve the issue, try removing the MAXtoA plug-in as described in the article:
3ds Max 2018 won’t launch successfully if CPUs aren’t compatible with the Arnold Render plug-in.
Install the Autodesk 5.1.5 License hotfix (version 2018 only)
- In the Windows Search bar, type in “Autodesk Desktop App” to open it. Check to see if the latest license hotfix is available and has been installed.
- If not, download and install it, then reboot the PC and restart 3ds Max.
Reformat the Microsoft Windows Operating System (OS):
The Windows OS may have an update that is incompatible, or corrupted. Reinstall Microsift Windows and reinstall 3ds Max.
