Adding Assets to Connecter From 3ds Max

Feature availability 🛈
✔️ Personal ✔️ Suite 🧩 Supported 3ds Max Versions

With this main workflow, users can add new assets to the library in Connecter from a selection of objects or materials in the currently opened 3D scene. This process saves new *.max or *.mat files containing the selected objects or materials in a destination folder, which is usually already added to Connecter. Some of the benefits compared to the standard “Save As…” or “Save Selected…” commands are:

Automatically generates custom previews, which are then automatically linked to the asset in Connecter.
Automatically positions the asset in the center of the coordinate system, runs the garbage collector, and performs other cleaning and organizing features.
Automatically manage external files – search and relink missing files, collect files in specific folders, and more.
Automatically add multiple separate assets from multi-selections.

How to Start?

To add assets from 3ds Max to Connecter, right-click in the viewport to open the quad menu and expand the Connecter menu options.

Add 3D Asset Workflows

Expand Add 3D Asset to access these workflows:

Add Scene as Asset: Ignores any object selections and adds the current scene as an asset. In terms of asset content, it's equivalent to 3ds Max's "Save As…" command.

NOTE: The "Add as Multiple Assets" workflow is unavailable when adding the whole scene.

Add Asset from Selection: Takes the current object selection in the scene to add as an asset.
Update Asset from Scene: Updates an existing asset by replacing it with the entire current scene.
Update Asset from Selection: Takes the current object selection in the scene to update an existing asset.

Add Material Workflows

Expand Add Material to access these workflows:

Add Material from Editor Slot: Takes the selected material in the (compact) Material Editor to add as an asset. This workflow produces material library assets (*.mat).
Add All Materials from Material Editor: Takes all materials from the (compact) Material Editor to add as a single or multiple assets. This workflow produces material library asset(s) (*.mat).
Add All Materials from Selection: Takes all materials from the current object selection to add as an asset. This workflow produces material library assets (*.mat).
Add All Materials from Scene: Takes all materials from the current scene to add as an asset. This workflow produces material library assets (*.mat).
Update Material from Editor Slot: Opens the Update Asset workflow for materials. Refer to the "Updating Assets" guide for more details.
Update Materials from Selection: Opens the Update Asset workflow for materials from selection.
Update Materials from Scene: Opens the Update Asset workflow for all scene materials.

To Add a New 3D Asset to Connecter

Select one or multiple scene objects, right-click in the viewport, and expand Add 3D Asset from the quad menu.

NOTE: You don't need to select any scene objects when you want to add the whole scene as an asset to Connecter.
Choose Add Asset from Selection or choose Add Scene as Asset if you want to add the whole scene as an asset to Connecter.
If there are external files (textures, IES files, etc.) referencing your selection, the Integration checks for missing files and, based on your Auto-Find Settings, attempts to resolve them. If unresolved issues remain, the "Manage External Files" dialog opens for you to review and manage files. At this point, you're still working in your source scene – the actual Add Asset process hasn't started yet.
Once you finish managing external files (if needed), the "Connecter | Add Asset(s)" dialog opens. Select the desired options and click the "Add Asset" button.
The Integration will save one or multiple new *.max assets in the destination folder in Connecter, along with the generated custom previews (if selected).
A notification appears with a "See in Connecter" button. Click it to open Connecter with your newly added asset(s) selected and ready to organize with tags, ratings, custom properties, and more.

IMPORTANT: External file management happens before the Add Asset dialog opens. This makes it clear that you're managing files in your currently open scene, not just for the asset being added. Any changes to external files directly affect your source scene. Refer to the "Manage External Files" article for complete details.

Hold and Fetch Mechanism

When you add assets to Connecter from your 3ds Max scene, the integration performs various operations, such as isolating objects, preparing metadata, and generating previews. To preserve your scene during these actions, Connecter uses one of two approaches:

When not using a Preview Studio (faster workflow): Connecter now utilizes the Undo system, which preserves your undo history and object selections while significantly accelerating the process.
When using a Preview Studio (complete control on the output, but potentially slower): Connecter uses 3ds Max’s “Hold and Fetch” mechanism to temporarily save the current scene state and restore it after the preview is generated.

NOTE: This method may be slower for large scenes and will clear the undo stack and reset object selections.

IMPORTANT: The Hold and Fetch method is used only when generating previews with the Preview Studio option. Other preview methods, such as “Grab From Viewport” or “Current Render Settings”, do not require it.

Working With the “Connecter | Add Asset(s)” Interface

The "Connecter | Add Asset(s)" dialog opens after you've managed any external files.

At the top of the dialog, there’s a header showing you status details:

Selection information: Shows how many objects you've selected and how many external files they reference.
External files status: File status counts are displayed with color coding, showing OK, Found, and Missing counts.
Options button: Opens the external files management section (only visible if the asset has external files).
Presets button: Save or load your preferred Add Asset settings.
Settings button (gear icon): Configure default Add Asset behavior and preferences.

The following flow describes, in short, how you use the “Connecter | Add Asset(s)” dialog to add assets to Connecter (Refer to the next section for detailed descriptions):

1. Asset Name: Type in the name of the asset.
2. Save In: Choose the folder where the Integration will create the asset.
3. Preview Type: Select the preview type you want the Integration to add to the asset.
4. Click the "Add" button.

NOTE: The "Connecter | Add Asset(s)" dialog locks the Max UI while open to prevent accidental scene interactions.

Asset Name

When adding a new asset, you must type in a name – this will be the asset’s filename.

IMPORTANT: Remember that object and material names stay as they are in the scene you’re adding them from. Ensure you name all elements according to your naming conventions before adding them as new assets to your library in Connecter.

When adding new assets from a selection of multiple objects, an additional workflow is available for adding separate new assets from each object. In this case, you can use the additional naming options to define the names of the assets. Refer to the “Adding multiple assets from selections” section for more details.

Handling Duplicate Names

When you add new assets, it may be the case that a new asset name is the same as an asset already existing in the same destination folder. When this happens, the Integration automatically applies the naming rules in Connecter settings to name the assets and avoid duplicate name conflicts.

These naming rules are also used when multiple assets with the same name get created and must be numbered. Refer to the "Connecter | Global Settings" section for more details.

Save In

When adding a new asset, you must specify a destination folder where the Integration will add the asset. To choose a destination folder:

Click the “...” button to the right of the “Save In:” field.
The Integration will pull all folders already added to Connecter and list them in a “Save In” browser that will appear on the right.
Browse and select a folder from the folder tree. The full path of the selected folder will appear in the “Save In:” field.

Click the “…” button at the top right to choose a destination folder that has not yet been added to Connecter. Once the asset is added to Connecter, the following dialog appears, asking to add the folder to Connecter.

Click the “Create subfolder: [Asset name]” button if you want the Integration to create a new folder within the selected folder named after the asset name. Use this option when adding multiple assets in separate folders in a parent folder.

NOTE: The last used destination folder gets automatically selected the next time the “Connecter | Add Asset(s)” interface opens.

Recently Used Destination Folders

You can select a recently used destination folder by clicking the folder path field and then choosing a folder from the dropdown list that appears.

Preview Type

A central part of the "add asset" workflow is the ability to add custom previews to your assets. A custom asset preview is a separate image file linked to the asset and displayed as an asset preview thumbnail in Connecter's asset view, as well as a full-size preview when browsing the asset's preview gallery.

The Integration offers multiple options for generating custom previews during the Add Asset process. All generated previews are automatically handled by Connecter, linking them to the asset so they appear when browsing your library.

Grab From Viewport

When this option (default) is selected, the Integration will generate previews by grabbing screenshots directly from the Max viewport.

Current Render Settings

When this option is selected, the previews are generated using the current scene render settings, including the active render engine, render output size, and other relevant settings. Refer to the “Render Preset” section below to learn how to use predefined render settings with presets.

Preview Studio

“Preview Studio” is a powerful option to generate previews using dedicated “preview” scenes. You can use ready-to-use preview studio scenes available for download in Connecter or add your own custom scenes. When such a preview studio is selected, the Integration opens the related 3D scene and then merges the objects you add to Connecter to generate a preview. The preview scene is then closed, and the Integration opens your work scene to its current state, saved right before you opened the studio scene. To generate a preview using Preview Studio:

Click the button next to “Preview Studio:”
The Integration will pull all preview studios set up in the Connecter app and list them in the “Select Preview Studios” interface. Select one or multiple preview studios from the list. If you have multiple studios in the list using different render engines, use the filter by renderer to narrow down the list by showing studios related to a particular renderer.

NOTE: If you haven’t yet set up a preview studio in Connecter, you’ll get instructions on how to proceed. See below for more information about adding preview studios.

Using Readily Available Preview Studios

Connecter offers ready-to-use preview studios you can download and use for generating previews. Refer to the ”Adding preview studios” guide for more details.

Using Your Custom Preview Studios

The Integration can use custom preview studios you add in Connecter. Refer to the ”Setting up Your Custom Studio Scenes” guide for more details.

Material Editors Thumbnail

An additional “Editor’s Thumbnail” option is available when adding material assets. If selected, the Integration will add the preview thumbnails from the Material Editor as custom previews for the assets in Connecter.

NOTE: The size of these preview thumbnails is technically limited to 90 x 90 pixels.

No Preview

Use this option when you don’t have the Integration to generate previews for the asset you’re adding. This option is also applicable if, in your workflow, you prefer to generate custom previews in Connecter once the assets are added.

Generating Custom Previews in Connecter

You can generate previews of Max 3D scenes and materials when adding assets from 3ds Max to Connecter, as well as directly within the Connecter app. Refer to the “Generate Custom Previews” guides for further details.

Generate Preview Options

Additional preview generation options are available in the “Generating Previews” section in the “Settings” interface, accessible by clicking the gear button at the top right of the “Connecter | Add Asset(s)” main interface.

Zoom Extents

You can control how much free space (margin) to have around the objects in the preview when using the “Zoom extents” option. To set the margins:

Select the “Zoom extents” option.
Click the gear button next to the “Zoom extents” option.
Type in the desired margins (5% by default) as percentages of the length and height of the preview.
Click the Save button to apply the changes.

Using Custom Perspective Views

As part of the “Zoom extents” options, you can also define a custom perspective view for generating the previews.

To set a custom perspective view:

Select the “Zoom extents” option.
Click the gear button next to the “Zoom extents” option.
Click the “Use custom perspective view” checkbox.
Type in the desired values:
- Film gate (0 to 1000mm): Specifies the horizontal size of the film gate in millimeters.
- Focal length (0 to 360mm): Specifies the equivalent focal length of the camera lens.
- Horizontal angle (0 to 360°): This sets the camera position along the imaginary line that circles the object selection at the world XY coordinate plane. Value “0” positions the camera on the Y axis (negative numbers). Values bigger than “0” move the camera around the object selection counter-clockwise.
- Vertical angle (-90 to 90°): This sets the camera position along the world Z axis. Value “0” positions the camera at the 0 of the Z axis. Values bigger than “0” move the camera higher (above the world XY coordinate plane); negative numbers move it lower (below the world XY coordinate plane).
Click the Save button to apply the changes.

Isolate Asset (Before Generation Previews)

With the “Isolate asset (before generation previews)” option selected by default, the Integration isolates the selected scene objects and sets the view so that the selection best fits in it to generate a preview showing only the selection, since, in most cases, you wouldn’t like to have in the asset preview the rest of the scene content irrelevant to it. Uncheck this option if you want the asset preview to display the entire scene when adding the asset.

Custom Size (Pixel)

Set custom width and height for generated previews, overriding Render Setup output size. Not available with "Grab from Viewport."

Background

Override the background color from the Environment and Effects settings. Not available when using the "Preview Studio" option.

Use 3ds Max's Default Frame Buffer

Use Max's default frame buffer instead of the active renderer's frame buffer for preview generation. Not available when using the "Preview Studio" option.

External Files

External file management happens in two stages when adding assets:

Before the Add Asset dialog opens: In the MEF dialog, you handle general file management tasks: finding missing files, setting new paths, replacing files, and resolving any issues with external file references.
Refer to the “Manage External Files” article for complete details on the MEF workflow.
In the Add Asset dialog: The Options button expands the External Files section, which allows you to control how external files are organized with your asset: choosing where to copy files (such as to the asset's folder), whether to relink paths to the copy location, or strip paths entirely.

In the Add Asset dialog, you can view the status of external files. If you need to manage them further, click the Options button in the header to expand the External Files management section.

When adding or updating assets, the Add Asset dialog header shows one of two situations:

No external files: If no external files are linking to the scene or the objects you add as an asset, "... referencing 0 external files" info text appears.

External files present: If external files are linking to the scene or the objects you add as an asset, info text showing the number of external files and their statuses appears (e.g., "... referencing 16 external files – status: 5 OK / 8 FOUND / 3 MISSING").

When external files are linked to the asset you’re adding, additional options for managing the external files are available. Click the Options button to open the External Files section:

Copy External Files

You can use this functionality to copy all external files linked to the asset in a specific folder.

Don’t copy (selected by default): The external files are not copied to another folder.
Copy to: {asset’s folder}: The external files get copied into the same folder where the asset is added.
Copy to folder: The external files get copied into a specific folder. To add a folder:
1. Choose the “Copy to folder:” option from the “Copy external files:” dropdown.
2. Browse and select a folder from the File Explorer.
3. Click on the “Select Folder” button.

The “Copy to: {asset’s folder}” and “Copy to folder:” options have additional customization options:

Use or create subfolder: Select this option if you want the external files copied into a subfolder of the specified folder above. If the folder exists, Connecter will use it and copy the files into it instead of creating a new one.
- Prefix (“maps” value added by default): Type in text to add as a prefix at the beginning of the subfolder name. If the “Filename” and “Asset name” options are unselected and the “Suffix” field is blank, the text added to the prefix will be the folder name.
- Filename: The subfolder is named after the currently open scene.
- Asset name: The subfolder gets the same name as the asset.
- Suffix: Type in text to add a suffix at the end of the subfolder name. If the “Filename” and “Asset name” options are unselected and the “Prefix” field is blank, the text added to the suffix will be the folder name.

Nested folder: The "Nested folder" option has been relocated to "Add Asset Settings" in the Asset Options section to reduce visual clutter in the main dialog.

IMPORTANT: The “Nested folder” is an experimental workflow. Use with caution!

Manage External File Paths

It’s a part of the External Files section, where you choose how the Integration manages the external file paths of the assets you add to Connecter.

Relink (update) paths to the new Found In folders (selected by default): This option is available when the “Don’t copy” option is selected from the “Copy External Files” dropdown. The Integration will relink the file paths of all external files (with stripped paths and missing in their original path but found elsewhere) to the new Found In folders.

Relink (update) paths to the selected copy-in folder: This option is available when the “Copy to: {asset’s folder}” or “Copy to folder:” option is selected from the “Copy External Files” dropdown. The Integration will gather all external files (present and missing in their original path but found elsewhere) and copy them to the “Copy to” location, whether in the asset folder or another folder. Finally, all external files will be relinked to the “Copy to” location.

Strip all paths: This option will strip all external file paths. You can use this workflow if you don’t want to have any specific paths saved with the asset and rely on the automatic search and discovery of external files when they are in the asset folder or subfolders.

Do not update paths (no action): This option will keep the external file paths in the scene from which you add the assets. Use caution, as this may add your assets with unresolved missing external files and other related issues.

Resolving Missing External Files

If missing external files remain unresolved when you click the Add Asset button, a warning appears asking if you want to continue:

At this point, you should:

Click “Cancel” to exit the Add Asset workflow, resolve the missing file issues in your scene, then restart the Add Asset process.
Or click “Yes, Continue” to proceed with adding the asset despite missing files (not recommended, as this may cause issues when using the asset later).

IMPORTANT: Best practice is to resolve all missing external files before adding assets to ensure they work correctly in your library.

Organizing Assets in Connecter

After you successfully add an asset to Connecter, a notification appears in the bottom-right corner with a "See in Connecter" button. Click this button to open Connecter with your newly added asset(s) selected and ready for organization.

In Connecter, you can add comprehensive metadata and organizational information to your assets:

Tags and descriptions.
Custom properties.
Ratings.
Collections.
And more.

Rather than offering a limited subset of these features during the Add Asset process, the Integration makes it easy to jump directly to Connecter, where you have access to all organizational tools in an interface designed specifically for that purpose.

NOTE: If you added multiple assets, Connecter opens in Isolate view, showing only the newly added assets, making it easy to organize them all at once.

Presets

Presets allow you to save and reuse your Add Asset and Update Asset configurations, making it faster to work with assets that require similar settings.

Save settings to file … – Save your current configuration (preview settings, external file options, etc.) as a preset file.
Load settings from file ... – Load a previously saved preset to apply those settings instantly.
Clear used presets files – Clear the recent presets list.

TIP: (Create presets for different workflows (e.g., "Quick_No_Preview," "Studio_VRay," "Materials_Standard") to speed up your asset creation process.

Settings

There are some additional options available when adding assets to Connecter. Click the Settings button at the top right of the “Connecter | Add Asset(s)” interface to open the “Settings” dialog.

Asset Settings

The options in this section help clean up any objects’ transformations and scene elements you don’t want to save with the asset you’re adding to your library.

IMPORTANT: It’s always recommended to carefully check the objects and materials you’re adding to Connecter and verify that everything is set according to your requirements. Use these options cautiously and don’t rely entirely on them to automatically handle all your assets in any situation and use case.

Reset

Position: Clears any position transformation applied to the objects you’re adding. This brings objects to the center of the coordinate system, meaning their pivot points are at the 0, 0, 0 point.
Rotation: Clears any rotation transformation applied to the objects you’re adding. This realigns the objects’ pivot points to world X, Y, and Z axes.
Scale: Clears any scale transformation applied to the objects you’re adding.
Material Editor (selected by default): Clears any materials added to the Material Editor. When this option is not selected, materials in the Material Editor slots also get saved with the asset you’re adding.
Slate Material Editor (selected by default): Clears any materials added to the Slate Material Editor. When this option is not selected, materials in the Slate Material Editor slots also get saved with the asset you’re adding.
Environment Map (selected by default): Clears the environment map if present in the scene you’re adding assets from.

Other

Move pivot to the bottom center of the asset: Positions the object pivot point at the button of its bounding box, meaning the lowest point along the world Z axis. This option is useful for many assets you’d usually want to place in your scenes “above” the world coordinate system or another object. This, however, won’t work for assets “hanging” from another object, like a chandelier on a ceiling.
Add Asset to default layer: 0(default): Moves all objects to the default layer.
Delete empty layers: When this option is selected, any empty layers in the current scene won’t get saved with the asset you’re adding.
Ignore hidden objects: When this option is selected, any hidden objects won’t get saved with the asset you’re adding.

Generating Previews

This section provides additional functionality for generating asset previews.

Zoom extents (selected by default): When this option is selected, the Integration will apply the 3ds Max “zoom extents” command to the viewport, ensuring that the selected objects added as assets fit well into the view.
Isolate asset (before generating preview) (selected by default): When this option is selected, the Integration first isolates the objects you’re adding (meaning all other scene objects are not visible) before executing the other adding-asset processes. This is useful when you generate previews with the “Grab form viewport”, “Current render settings,” or “Render preset” options, as it will ensure only the objects you’re adding are included in the preview.
Custom size (pixel): You can set a custom size in pixels for the previews that the Integration generates for the assets. This option will override the output size values in the Render Setup interface.

NOTE: Keep in mind that the Integration uses the output size setting not from the current scene you’re adding assets from, but from the preset file (with the “Render Preset” preview type) or from the studio scene file (with the “Preview Studio” preview type) when either preview type option is selected.
Background: Overrides the background color setting in Rendering > Environment… > Environment tab > Common Parameters > Background > Color.
Use 3ds Max default frame buffer: When this option is selected, the Integration will use Max’s default frame buffer to generate asset previews.

Asset Previews

This section’s options control how the preview files are handled after they are generated.

Auto-hide in Connecter (selected by default): This option enables Connecter to hide preview files in the Asset view automatically. Since preview files are linked to the actual assets they visualize and are visible through the asset item in the Asset view, you typically want to keep the preview image files separate from the other assets when browsing your library.
NOTE: You can always use the “Show hidden assets” option in Connecter to see the image files used as custom previews for the assets. Additionally, you can change their state from hidden to visible if you want to see them even when the “Show hidden assets” option is not selected.
Save previews in: When custom previews get generated for an asset you add to Connecter, the Integration saves the preview image files in a location according to this setting:
- Asset’s folder (selected by default): The preview image files are saved in the same folder where the asset is added.
- Custom folder: You can set a folder to host all preview image files for all assets you add to Connecter. To add a folder:
  1. Select the “Custom folder” option in the “Save previews in” dropdown.
  2. Browse and select a folder in the File Browser that opens.
  3. Click on the Select Folder button.
Save previews as: The Integration can save preview image files in JPG (default) or PNG file format.
Compression: Adds compression to the image files from 0 to 99 %, where 0 is no compression, and 99 is maximum compression. The default value is 10.
Save with alpha: If the PNG format is used, you can select this option to add an alpha channel to the image file, making the background around the objects transparent.

Custom Scripts

The Integration allows you to customize the workflow by executing scripts before the add asset operation starts or before the Integration finally adds the asset to Connecter. Although it’s a powerful way to integrate even more specific features not available with the Integration, an experienced pipeline engineer should implement and deploy your custom solution.

IMPORTANT: We don’t provide support on issues related to using external scripts with the Integration.

Executing External Script Before the Add Asset Operation Starts

If this option is selected, when you click the Add button in the “Connecter | Add Asset(s)” interface to add the asset, the Integration will execute the external script you pointed to, and after it’s done, start the add asset operation. To add an external script:

Select the “Run custom script before processing asset” option.
Click the browse “...” button next to the file path field.
Browse and select a Max script file.

Executing External Script Before Saving the Asset to the Library

If this option is selected, when you click the Add button in the “Connecter | Add Asset(s)” interface to add the asset, the Integration will first execute all add asset operations and, after it’s done, execute the external script you pointed to. To add an external script:

Select the “Run custom script before saving asset” option.
Click the browse “...” button next to the file path field.
Browse and select a Max script file.

Adding Materials to Connecter

Due to their specifics, there’s a separate workflow for adding material assets to your library in Connecter. This workflow produces material library assets (*.mat).

Add Material from Editor Slot: Takes the currently selected material in the (compact) Material Editor to add as an asset.
Add All Materials from Material Editor: Takes all materials from the (compact) Material Editor to add as a single or multiple assets. Each material is added as a *.mat file to your library.
Add All Materials from Selection: Takes all materials assigned to the currently selected objects and combines them into a single *.mat asset.
Add All Materials from Scene: Takes all materials present in the current scene and adds them as a single asset.

Adding Multiple Assets from Selection

The Integration allows you to conveniently add multiple assets at once from an object or material selection in the scene. If there are multiple objects or materials in the selection you’re adding to Connecter, the “Add as Multiple Assets” button at the top of the “Connecter | Add Asset(s)” interface becomes active. Clicking the button adds additional options to the “Asset name” section. There, you can set the desired naming pattern for the multiple assets that are going to be created:

Prefix: Adds a prefix at the beginning of the asset name.
Filename: Assets take the current scene name.
Object name: Each asset takes the name of the respective object or material it gets created from.
Suffix: Adds a suffix at the end of the asset name.

Except for the naming pattern, the rest of the process of adding multiple assets is the same as when you add a single asset.

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