Rendering with GMax

One of the advantages of using 3D Studio Max over GMax has always been the capability of the former to perform a quick or full rendering of the model one is working on.
Yet, with the right plugins and a bit of effort, one can add such a rendering function to GMax.

This article gives instructions on how to set up and the basic usage of such a plugin.

Prerequisites

• An installation of GMax 1.2 (installed gamepack does not matter)
• Download GMax Rendering Suite from here

Installation of the rendering plugin

1. Unzip the downloaded plugin
2. Rername the folder "RenderSuite" or similar
3. Running RenderSuiteInstall.exe from the folder and follow the instructions
4. Delete the .bat file the installer creates on your desktop
5. Inside your main GMax Folder, create an empty text file
6. Put these lines inside said text file:
   • For FS9:

   echo on

   cd %cd%\RenderSuite
   

   start GmaxRender.exe
   

   cd..
   

   start gmax.exe -p gamepacks\FS2004\plugin.ini

   
   

   • For FSX

   echo on
   

   cd %cd%\RenderSuite
   

   start GmaxRender.exe
   

   cd..
   

   start gmax.exe -i gamepacks\FSX_GMaxGamepack\gmax.ini -p gamepacks\FSX_GMaxGamepack\plugin.ini

   
   

7. Save the text file as "GMax with Render.bat" or similar. When asked to change file type, say "Yes"
   • Create a shortcut to the batch file for the desktop, if so desired
8. Start GMax with the .bat file or the shortcut leading to it
9. There should be a "Rendering" entry in the main menu bar. If not, refer to the troubleshooting section

Using the RenderSuite

General usage of the render suite is as follows.

• Put some lights into your scene. Spots, Omnis, anything that will properly light the object. Default properties are okay for a start
• Put a camera into your scene. Free or Target
• Adjust the angle and position of the camera, so that the desired objects are rougly in focus
  • Make sure to tick "Manual Clipping" in the camera options!
    • For interior spaces, a 15mm lens and 0.0m near clipping treshhold works well
• Click any viewport's name, then go to "Views" and select "Camera01". The viewport should now show what the camera is seeing
• The custom camera can be controlled like the default camera in the "Perspective" or "User" viewport mode. Fine tune, if needed
• When ready, select "Rendering" from the menu
• Select any of the two clients
  • YAGMAX seems to work best for the author
  • RenderSuite output an untextured model and requires that any scene object has a material applied
• Rendering options should be left at default for now
• Make sure that the active viewport is set to "Camera01"
• Click YAFRAY Render
  • Note: Depending on the number of objects and polygons visible in the scene and selected rendering resolution, the following can take some time
• Wait. There should be activity in the listener window on the bottom left of GMax' main screen
• After a moment, a window labeled "RenderSuite" should pop up, in which the rendered content of the "Camera01" viewport is slowly drawn
  • In case no window pops up, refer to the second entry in the troubleshooting section
• In case of a pleasing rendering result, clicking the disk icon will save the output image in Windows Bitmap format to the "RenderSuite" folder
• This is the basic process. Plaing with the options for the camera, lights and YAFRAY can yield better results. The worst that can happen is a weird looking or empty render image

Example Render Images

Boeing 737-200 rendered with RenderSuite's YAGMAX mode

File:580vc.jpg

Convair 580 cockpit model rendered with RenderSuite's YAGMAX mode

Troubleshooting

1. No "Rendering" menu
   • Redownload RenderSuite, if the .zip file is not present anymore and extract the "Maxmenus.mnu" file from it
   • Copy the .mnu file to "Gmax\RenderSuite"
   • While in GMax, go to "Customize", then "LoadCustomUI scheme"
   • Browse to the "RenderSuite" folder, then select "Menu File (.mnu)" from the dropdown box above "Open"
   • Select the "Maxmenus.mnu" file and click "Open"
   • You should now have a "Rendering" menu item. if not, restart GMax or repeat the procedure

   
   

2. No rendering window after clicking "Render"
   • Open Windows task manager (CTRL+Shift+ESC)
   • Select "GMaxRender.exe" in the process list
   • Click "End Process"
   • Browse to your RenderSuite folder in Windows Explorer
   • Start GMaxRender.exe
   • The rendering window should now pop up and start to display the rendered image. If not, restart the rendering process