How to open .max files

Question

I need help opening a .max file a friend sent me. The thing is, I don't have Alias Maya. Well, a copy of Alias Maya that works anyway.

Are there any other file openers that I can use? Or do I have to get Maya to open the file? Would Alias Maya open the file? I don't want to get download 1.3 GB and discover that there is 15 MB file opener.

Is there a file converter maybe? That converts .max to, maybe, .obj?

I believe the best tool for such conversion is 3DMax itself. I also tried [google](https://www.google.com/search?q=convert+max+to+stl) which returned me some worth-to-check results. — darth pixel, May 10 '16 at 04:27
If you want to use it for 3d printing then I suggest you to ask your friend to export it to STL format. — Sergei Krivonos, May 11 '16 at 08:13

score 1 · Accepted Answer · answered May 10 '16 at 06:30

1

You could try import it with blender. It's a free software which should be able to import the files.

First thing is to go the the File->User Preferences->Add Ons tab. In the Import-Export section, enable the 3DS Add-on.

After that you can export it to the desired format. Before exporting you must select the model/mesh you want to export. Otherwise nothing will be exported. The obj exporter is enabled by default in blender.

answered May 10 '16 at 06:30

salomonderossi

126
3

So I must export the file in Maya first? – GipsyD May 10 '16 at 06:32
Or import in Blender? – GipsyD May 10 '16 at 06:33
Blender should be able to import the .max file directly after activating the shipped 3DS Add-on ;) – salomonderossi May 10 '16 at 06:35
Ah. I see. How big is blender? – GipsyD May 10 '16 at 06:36
Blender is about 100 megabytes at the moment. So not to big in my opinion – salomonderossi May 10 '16 at 06:37
Oh woah. I was expecting it to be atleast 1gb. This is the whole file right? – GipsyD May 10 '16 at 06:39
Jep. In the 100 mb download is everything you need. Just don't forget to activate the 3DS Add-on. I use blender a lot in my 3d printing projects... – salomonderossi May 10 '16 at 06:42
Oh great stuff. Thank you for the insight. I will try it and let you know. – GipsyD May 10 '16 at 06:42
Tell me something. Is a .max file the same as a .3ds file? – GipsyD May 10 '16 at 06:49
These are two different file formats from the same company (Autodesk). But blender should be able to import both – salomonderossi May 10 '16 at 06:51
I installed blender, and went to add ons, and saw the .3ds file plugin was already on. I then looked for my file and didnt see it. Any suggestions? – GipsyD May 10 '16 at 09:39
Is there another plugin? – GipsyD May 10 '16 at 09:40
Have you had any luck importing .max files in blender? – GipsyD May 10 '16 at 10:21
Let us [continue this discussion in chat](http://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/39557/discussion-between-gipsyd-and-salomonderossi). – GipsyD May 10 '16 at 14:45
`.3ds` is not `.max`. Try converting online – PEdro May 04 '20 at 14:41

How to open .max files

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