BAT4Max Manual Rendering Settings Fix

[Jasoncw 11,840]

In 3ds Max 2013 and newer, the BAT4Max buttons don't work correctly, and you need to manually change a few settings in order for your renders to turn out correctly.

This is because starting in that version of 3ds Max, new features were introduced to the Mental Ray renderer, and those features were turned on by default. The default settings were the wrong settings, and since BAT4Max was made before those settings existed, it doesn't change them when you press the buttons. I had actually tried to edit BAT4Max to fix this in the past, and it didn't work and I was under the impression that it was just broken, because some other people also weren't able to get it to work. Anyway, I tried it again just now and it seems to work, so it might depend on your version of 3ds Max.

Try this out and let me know if it works or not, and what version of 3ds Max you're using. If it works then I'll add it into the main installation instructions for BAT4Max.

 

To make the BAT4Max buttons work correctly:

1. Go to C:\Program Files\Autodesk\3ds Max Design 2015\gamepacks\BAT\scripts or wherever you have 3ds Max installed.
2. Open SF_LtbL_functions.ms in notepad.
3. You need to edit the function SFFG1 and SFFG3. Press Control+F to open the find menu, and search for: fn SFFG1 = (
4. Add the following lines to SFFG1 and SFFG3:

       myRen.UnifiedEnable = false
       myRen.ScanlineEnable = false
       myRen.IBLEnable = false

    

5. It should look like the screenshot below. I made the added lines indented differently so that it's easier to see. 
   

 

[Girafe 1,729]

Hi Jason.

Thanks for your involvement on upgrading BAT4MAX for newer version. So much needed to keep the BAT community alive. 

I tried on 3dsmax 2017. I am able to render properly with BAT4MAX however while exporting, I get faded .fsh (most probably a question of gamma which I did not yet solved).

Edit: I tried the gamma fix available on the STEX, it seems to work so I can export properly with 3dsmax 2017

Edit2: I need to remove the below line from both SFFG1 and SFFG3 as it's not valid: 

myRen.FinalGatherUseRadiusInterpolation = true

Edit3: while opening with 3dsmax 2017 a scene created with 3dsmax 2012, need to delete rig lights and reset lights and camera, and click again on day to have a proper gamma set

[art128 4,618]

I want to try this too. Which version of the recent 3dsmax would you say is suited best? Isn't the 2020 out of the question?

[Jasoncw 11,840]

@art128 Mental Ray stopped being included starting in 3ds Max 2018. And after that Mental Ray as a whole was discontinued so I don't think it's even possible to get it separately.

I have the general intention of installing a newer version of max with Arnold, the renderer that now comes bundled with Max, and remaking the lighting rig and rendering setting defaults for Arnold and updating BAT4Max. Hopefully Arnold has the right features to be a good renderer for BATing.

But anyway, 3ds Max 2017 is the last version which you can use for BATing right now.

@Girafe myRen.FinalGatherUseRadiusInterpolation = true  can be removed. The setting made sense at the time. It allows you to interpolate final gather samples by pixel, which makes sense because BAT renders are basically pixel-art, with multiple zoom levels.

Without this setting, you'll probably want to decrease "Interpolate over Num. of FG Points". By default it's 30, and the lower it is, the higher the quality. Actually, even for people using 2016 or older, turning off "Use Radius Interpolation Method" and changing the other setting to a low number will improve the quality of the rendering.

[art128 4,618]

Okay so I tried on two different 3dsmax versions.

 

On 2016 I was able to install and use BAT4MAX to do a render. However even after installing the gamma fix i still get bright out exports. (and there is still the halo around the object, which I don't remember how to remove)

 

On 2017, i was able to install BAT4MAX by running 3dsmax as admin. However every time I click on the Sky button, I get this error message:

[Jasoncw 11,840]

@art128I don't know about either of those problems, but my advice would be to go through the installation instructions in my BAT sticky again and make sure you did everything. For example maybe you didn't give full permissions for the 3ds Max folder.

[Diego Del Llano 5,206]

Hello everyone, I have an existential question.
When I make a final model in SDoutput the model does not have any problem, it comes out complete in all the zoom and rotation views, however I want to make models in HDoutput like this one in particular, which is very small and loses many of its details, however when the process ends and the HD model is cut or damaged, this does not happen with the SD, someone knows why this is?

by the way, I already replaced the CPBuildingMill and ._ModelNames files thousands of times and this keeps happening to me.

I see @Jasoncw models, and it seems that he does always render them in HD.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Jasoncw 11,840]

@Diego Del Llano Do you have HD selected in Gmax, when you're making the .SC4Model file?

[Diego Del Llano 5,206]

@Jasoncw, yes, always. 

 

[pierrebaptiste 472]

Hello ,

With Gmax I want build 5 models to create an "URHW" (underground RHW).

1) I build the model with gmax.

2) I merge file under the BAT without lods/thumbcamera/thumbnail ...

3) I recall all textures and control that the dimension are in the middle place of model it's okay.

4) I relift LODS.

5) I export.

6) To work model/lot I use SC4PIMX.

7) Under the game I have noticed, that the textures of my models are visible , logically the textures must be in the floor and doesn't appear ... I solution to doesn't see this ?

 

Thanks to help me.

 

[Propfam 2,288]

It's nice to see a URHW. Regardless if it's functioning or not, still a nice model. Though, being functional is a nice bonus.

[City4fanatictasia91 17]

will this work on newer version 2025 3ds Max?..

[Jasoncw 11,840]

48 minutes ago, City4fanatictasia91 said:

will this work on newer version 2025 3ds Max?..

No, the last version of 3ds Max that can be used for BATing is 2017.