3DS Max Tutorial - Xref Scene and Xref Object

Tutorial going over understanding and using Xref Scene and Xref Object inside 3DS max. This is a powerful way of keeping big projects organized and optimized. Crucial information every 3DS Max user should know. Thanks for watching and hope it helps.
jcobes3dart.com
www.artstation.com/jonathancoble

[@TheTimeProphet]

Been using max for 15 years and didn't know this existed. I have a heavy scene, and every time I save it, it is saving a huge file size. This will make my hard drive love me again LOL, thanks. Gonna try this tomorrow

[@JCobesV2]

Absoultey! This is the way to go for large environments or vehicle models with many parts. Glad it helped! All about working clean and efficient.

[@luhisslukus]

Great tutorial. Been one of those things that I've been wanting to learn for some time. You explained it perfectly.

[@artinstroukeprod]

It is good way for project. Every time I forgot about it... Bind feature so cool! Thank you for video!

[@JCobesV2]

Igor Novik Glad it helped! Yeah the bind feature is crucial when working with XReF scene. If using XRef Object, you can still use the old “select and link” option. Great way to keep scenes optimized for working in!

[@christopherfairfowl5521]

Thanks for the video, excellent. My only criticism is you flick the cursor around too much and too quickly for no reason and click click too fast and again unnecessarily, other than that it’s great.

[@JCobesV2]

Christopher Fairfowl Glad it helped and thanks for the feedback :)

[@gabrieldomingues6322]

what about the materials? do i have to change them everytime on master files?

[@JCobesV2]

Yeah, I would recommend doing material work in the master files. You can change materials to Xref Objects though in scene. Xref scene will always require a merge and you want to avoid that to keep organized. Great question!

[@alternate.reality.]

Learned a new thing for myself, thanks for the lesson

[@andreearoxana5989]

Hey! So I have a scene merged as xref object in another scene. My problem is when i delete an object and i add a new one in the source scene, the xref object doesnt update these changes. I get a missing xref object window when i open the file and the new object is not merged. Any idea how to fix this? I tried to update the xref but nothing changed

[@JCobesV2]

Hey Andreea! I believe I'm understanding this correctly. So the problem sounds to be that the link between your objects in getting broken when you delete. So your merged scene is looking for that exact object that no longer exists. So if you make changes to an object, you will have to do that on a sub-object level so that the xrefed object remains the same. For example: attach the new geometry to the original xref object and delete what you no longer want inside that object's sublevel (poly or element mode). It sounds a little hacky because it is. I personally try to avoid XREF object as much as possible for this reason and instead rely heavily on XREF scene (Xref object is unreliable). XREF scene doesn't break easy and is also much cleaner to work with. So maybe rethink your workflow here. PersonalIy, I would add the specific objects to a seperate max file and XREF scene that into your main max file. So when you update and save that max file, it auto-updates easily/instantly and never breaks. Clean and simple. Hope that helps and thanks for watching!

[@easymax2323]

Is there any way to create file in such a manner that when we Xref it as a scene, an empty is automatically created with it and it also allow to place it just after referencing to any place, it is very fast process and i seen such thing in "evermotion archmodel corona vol 1" in this if we xref any object it automatically create empty with bottom aligned.

[@JCobesV2]

Great question and I believe I understand it fully. No, I don't believe such an option exists outside of making a personal maxscript that may be able to do what you're looking for.

[@channitahong2826]

Hello.could i ask for some halp.... i have a problem. I used Xref nomraly be4 but suddently i cant delet Xref object. Even if i delete it as usaul. i restart my computer but it still in my file. it also evenc cant update Xref.

[@JCobesV2]

Hey Channita! Great question. I'm assuming you're working with the Xref Object? I know Xref scene doesn't have this issue because its works with whole scenes not indiviaul objects. I've had this problem too in the past. Sometimes there isn't much you can do other than make sure that everything associated with the xref object file is either deleted or merged and then try remvoing the file again. This includes materials as well that may have been potentially worked with. To do so, open your "Asset Tracking Dialogue" (Shift + T) and remove any unsused materials in the scene that might have come in from the Xref's. Sometimes, the record just stays there and there isn't anything you can do. If all the objects are deleted or merged it shouldn't matter anyway and you can click diasble as well. This is why I always try to just use Xref Scene instead of Xref Object because it never has these isssues. Xref Object can be a little buggy in y experience. Here's a forum post that may help with some other options. Hope it helps! forums.cgsociety.org/t/getting-rid-of-an-xref-object-not-working/996794/5

[@channitahong2826]

@@JCobesV2 yeah Xref Object seem often error. Ah... shirt+T, it also help.Thank you ...😊

[@JCobesV2]

@@channitahong2826 Glad it helped 😀

[@behnoudtaheri3643]

Your tutorial was useful ! thanks! but you don't say any thing about that what do xrefs actualy??? and whats diffrent between a scene with xrefs and a scene whithout it ??????

[@JCobesV2]

Hey! I'll go deeper: What an XREF really does is link external files into the project you're currently working on. Since it's a reference, you can't manipulate that file unless you merge it into the scene you're currently working in. However, you want to maintain your XREFS as much as possible. Once merged, the link is broken. The referenced link allows the referenced file to be changed/worked on and it will automatically update in the scene where the XREF is established. Hope it helps! I'll link 3DS Max Documentation too.

[@JCobesV2]

docs.autodesk.com/3DSMAX/15/ENU/3ds-Max-Help/index.html?url=files/GUID-5DB41A62-D7A5-4D54-AC83-5D03C9F7DB11.htm,topicNumber=d30e484947

[@rajendrameena1170]

Thanks buddy really confused earlier. especially moving, rotating and scaling xref scenes

[@JCobesV2]

Rajendra Meena Glad it helped man! Xref is a powerful tool! Essential for big scenes.

[@rajendrameena1170]

@@JCobesV2 One more problem, can we duplicate xref scenes....

[@JCobesV2]

Rajendra Meena Somewhat. You can have only one reference in Xref scene but you can clone your xref objects and they maintain the xref links. Hope that helps :)

[@rajendrameena1170]

@@JCobesV2 I dont want want Xref object as they increase poly count. I am using trees and cars as xref scenes and I don't want to edit them in my main scene, just duplicate in different positions

[@JCobesV2]

Rajendra Meena Ah gotcha. Makes total sense. Another approach would be to save your main scene with the cars and tress iteratively, say, 01, 02, etc and then xref all those in and move with the bind option. That would work without increasing the overall polys in the scene.

[@tbaproductions123]

How do you duplicate an xref object? I'm trying to duplicate a tree ive ex reffed through the dummy but it only duplicates the dummy.

[@JCobesV2]

Sorry for the late reply. I'm assuming we're talking about xref object and not scene right? If it is xref object, you can clone the geometry (tree) and move around. You will have to link it back to a dummy of its own if that's your desire since we're only cloning the geo and acts like geo. The copied piece of geometry references the same xref and should work fine then. But if it's xref scene and your just copying the dummy, that will not work and only get a duplicated dummy. You need to go back to your referenced .max file and do your work there (clone and move your trees in seperate max file and xref that scene in. Hope that helps!

[@Mjbrowngraphics]

Is there a way you can do this but preserve instanced objects? For example you have different buildings in different root scenes that use the same instanced windows, but keep them all as one instance, or are you limited to having to have the multiple sets of different instances from each root (even though its the same object)?

[@JCobesV2]

Hey there! To my knowledge, the instances must remain in the same max file. So even if you have the same windows in different individual roots, they only stay connected in those root files. What might be best for you in this case, would be to use Xref object instead of scene. The Xref object would be one window file but by using “object” you can clone and move around freely while always referencing the original file that acts as your base instance that is then referenced in all your individual building files. Xref object can be unreliable at times but is usually good to use. Thats the route I would take here. Hope that helps!

[@Mjbrowngraphics]

@Jonathan Coble thank you for your reply, some context: I'm building the Hogwarts Castle so: - 2.1 mil polygons - 145mb file size (fairly well optimised with instancing) - each building is a group and on its own layer Of course multiple instances are strewn across multiple groups/layers/buildings. But so far I have been working on the scene with the entire castle in it. And for the second time now when I opened my file (last time this happened was about a month ago) 3 buildings were missing as though they had been deleted (layers were still there but empty) So wondering what is causing this, which is why I thought maybe the file is getting too large, hence why I'm looking at splitting the file up. But if you know what is going on I would appreciate it, I may have some how deleted those buildings while working on it without realising (it's a very large scene and can sometimes spend weeks working in just one area) but I usually check everything before I save and quit for the day. Bit of a ramble but needed to explain the context of the situation

[@Mjbrowngraphics]

Or if you know of a better way of managing it I would appreciated it aswell

[@Mjbrowngraphics]

Might just have to have all instances in the master scene like you said

[@JCobesV2]

@@Mjbrowngraphics Thanks for the added information. It’s hard to say why those buildings went missing. It may have been human error or the group’s bugged out. I personally avoid using groups unless for quick and dirty solutions and then ungroup them. Keep utilizing layers for sure. Yeah, utilize xref objects as much as possible. You also can treat them as copies and not instances. It will also shrink your file some as instanced and referenced objects take up more memory. So start with a window file at 0,0,0 and then xref object into your scene. You can then place/move/copy the xref object and it maintains. Sometimes it will break but its rare. Another thing, once your done manipulating the xrefed assets, create another file where you merge some of this in or save select all your windows, delete from final scene and then Xref scene them back in. Xref scene runs the smoothest. Hope that helps and happy creating man!

[@antonioandrearq]

Hello. Thanks for tutorial. But it remain some useful explanations. How to move a xref scene with snap on. Imagine we have an Architecture Master Plan of a city project. There are streets, cars, trees, surrounding buildings, and project itself. Have 3 employees. Some are working on Trees. other on surrounding building and the rest on Architecture project. Then we create a clean folder in which gone a be saved the xref files. Then we create a complete new empty scene to load all xrefs. But then we need to move those xrefs to the exactly georeferenced "x,y,z coordinates" How can we move those xref scenes with snaps? Cheers

[@elijah8906]

Thanks for that tutorial!

[@JCobesV2]

Thanks mate! Glad it helped :)

[@markg8125]

Thanks a lot. Explained really well

[@JCobesV2]

Good deal, thanks for the feedback Mark :)

[@silentboof]

-hey let me teach you something new...wait...what is that over there...let's learn it on the fly :)

[@JCobesV2]

Hahaha for sure. My ADD always gets the best of me :) Thanks for watching

[@andyprasetyoo]

Thanks for the tutorial, much talking it's better to understand :)

[@JCobesV2]

Andy Prasetyo Right on! Thanks for the input.

[@tochukwunwankwere3573]

You talk too much. I had to say... I watched a silent tutorial. It was shorter and I understood more in less time. Work on that.

[@JCobesV2]

Appreciate the feedback. Although, I feel its beneficial in the long run to understand some theory rather than following button clicks. Anyway, thanks for watching.