Arnold and SSE 4.1 CPU Requirements with 3ds Max or Maya

Autodesk Support

Oct 8, 2023


Products and versions covered


Issue:

Users without SSE 4.1 that are using Arnold in 3ds Max or Maya may experience an error on startup of Max because of these new requirements.

Solution:

Arnold 5 requires that the computer's processor supports the SSE 4.1 instruction set. SSE stands for Streaming SIMD Extensions, and adds as many as 54 new instructions to the CPU. Arnold previously had an SSE4.2 requirement.

Errors on startup of 3ds Max or Maya may occur if the SSE 4.2 requirement is not met. Despite installing the latest build from the Solid Angle site's downloads section, plug-ins do not load correctly.
 

Identify the computer specifications

Look up the CPU specifications by following this guide: How to check if your processor supports SSE4.1

Alternatively (for Windows only) download the Coreinfo utility and run it the DOS command line to see if SSE4.1 is supported:


Coreinfo -f


A list populates. If an asterisk (*) appears next to "SSE4.1" it is supported; a minus sign (-) if it is not:

  • SSE4.1 * Supports Streaming SIMD Extensions 4.1
  • SSE4.1 - Supports Streaming SIMD Extensions 4.1

For information on how to use the Coreinfo tool, see this screencast video.

If SSE4.1 is not supported, uninstall the Arnold plug-in to avoid further complications.

  • On Windows, use the Add/Remove or Apps option in Windows Settings (Control Panel).
  • On Mac, drag all associated files to the trash bin

Arnold is a highly optimized, high-performance renderer, and there are no plans at this stage to support older hardware.


If SSE4.1 is supported but issues are still persisting, perform a clean reinstallation of the Arnold plug-in:

  1. Uninstall the program:
  2. After uninstalling, launch Maya or 3ds Max to see if any startup errors have been eliminated
  3. Close Maya or 3ds Max, and navigate to the Solid Angle download page to download the most current version of the plug-in: Solid Angle | Downloads


CER Reports

After a crash with 3ds Max or Maya, it is highly recommended that a crash report (CER report) is submitted if given the option. A CER is a window that automatically populates after a crash, and creates a detailed system report and documentation of the module the program crashed in. A window may appear with the following text (or similar) before the CER window:

 “Fatal Error: An error has occurred and the application will now close. Do you want to attempt to save a copy of the current scene?”

CER report windows look similar to the following image (varying depending on product and product version):

CER report

Submitting with an email attached allows technical support to look up these reports should a Support Case be created. A technician will not automatically contact the submitter after a CER report has been sent - a technical support case must be created.


Contact Autodesk Support

Products:

3ds Max; Maya; Arnold;

Versions:

2017; 2019; 2018;


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