3ds Max Plugin

Installation and Configuration of the 3ds Max Plugin

Prerequisites

Before installing the plugin, ensure that the correct version of 3ds Max is installed on your computer. You need 3ds Max version 2017 or later to work with the plugin.

The plugins for exporting models to the game, along with sample models and necessary resources, are located in the modeling folder in the game's root directory.

For information on how to locate the game's root folder, refer to the article Game Local Files and Player Profile Locations

Contents of the modeling folder

Selecting Plugin version

Plugin versions for different versions of 3ds Max are located in the modeling\plugins folder.

Contents of the plugins folder

Identify and select the folder that matches your installed version of 3ds Max (for example, if you have 3ds Max 2025, select the plugin version from the 3dsmax_2025_x64 folder).

Installing the 3ds Max Plugin

This guide covers the installation of the 3ds Max plugin, specifically demonstrating the process using 3ds Max 2025. The installation and configuration steps described here are applicable to other versions of 3ds Max, following the same procedures.

1. Launch 3ds Max with an empty scene

2. Drag and drop the gem3export.mzp file into the 3ds Max window.

Drag and drop the gem3export.mzp file into the 3ds Max window

3. Close 3ds Max

4. Open gem3export.mzp as you would a zip archive and open the max_root folder:

   1. Copy the file Gem3Export.dle to the plugins folder: %path%\Autodesk\3dsMax\2025-64bit\ENU\Plugins;

   2. Copy the file nvtt.dll to the root folder of 3ds Max: %path%\Autodesk\3dsMax\2025-64bit\ENU, where %path% is the path to the 3ds Max folder.

Enabling GEM Materials in 3ds Max

1. Launch 3ds Max

2. Go to the Customize menu

3. In the Custom Defaults Switcher menu, switch to MAX Legacy.

Switching to MAX Legacy in 3ds Max

4. Close 3ds Max.

Add the Plugin to the 3ds Max Utilities

1. Open 3ds Max.

2. Go to the Utilities settings and click the More… button.

3. In the list that appears, select GEMPlugin and click OK to confirm.

The GEMPlugin panel is now added to your Utilities.

Configuring Plugin Settings

1. Open GEMPlugin options On the plugin panel, click the Options button to open the Gem3 export options window.

GEMPlugin panel

2. Set Up the game folder In the Gem3 export options window, specify the path to the game's root folder under the Game folder field. This should automatically fill other fields in the settings window.

3. Configure paths to export resources

• Change the path in the Additional Resources line to point to the mod's folder (ensure a mod package is created beforehand).

• Add a path to the texture folder in the External folders: Textures section. For example, point it to modeling/models_samples/texture/common.

3. Environment Settings

• In the Environment section, set the path to the environment settings files folder and select the appropriate file from set/environment/common.

All paths should be written in lowercase to ensure they are recognized correctly

Adding the Export Button to the Toolbar

1. Right-click on the toolbar and select Customize

2. Go to the Toolbars tab.

3. In the Actions list, find Gem3 Export…

4. Drag Gem3 Export… to the desired location on your toolbar.

Getting Started

Material Conversion

After installing the plugin, when you first open a .max file, any existing materials (such as EclipseMtl and Gem2) will be automatically converted to Gem3 materials. If the plugin cannot find the necessary textures or schemes:

• A dialog box will appear, allowing you to select a folder containing the textures and schemes.

• Alternatively, use the Auto repair feature, which will find the texture folder based on paths specified in the mdl common files located alongside the .max file.

Configuring the Viewport

To ensure that materials appear in the Viewport as they do in the game, it’s important to adjust the gamma settings in 3ds Max.

1. Disable Gamma Correction

   1. Open the Rendering menu and select Gamma/Lut setup.

   2. In the Preference Settings window, go to the Gamma and LUT tab.

   3. Uncheck the Enable Gamma/LUT Correction checkbox.

2. Set Environment Background

In the Viewport Menu, check the Environment Background option under Viewport Background.

3. Texture Quality Settings in Viewport

   1. Open the Viewport Menu and select Viewport Configuration.

   2. In the window that appears, go to the Display Performance tab.

   3. Adjust the Texture Maps setting to control the display quality of textures.

A higher Texture Maps setting increases the load on the system’s RAM. A recommended setting is 2048 for optimal performance and quality.

Export Process

Export Settings

When you click the export button, set the following options:

• Gem RTS compatible

• Don’t rename bones

Other options can be toggled based on the specific components of the scene you need to export, such as geometry, textures, lights, cameras, and animations. These can be exported as a whole or separately.

Default export path

By default, the model is exported to the modeling\scene\entity\ directory. You can directly set an export path to the mod folder by entering it in the Additional Resources field in the GEMPlugin options

Resources Required for Plugin Operation

Below is a summary of the resources needed for the plugin to function correctly and their locations:

Resource Description	Location
Resources needed for the Plugin	modeling/resource
Model samples	modeling/models_sample
Textures and schemes	texture/common