Can two copies of 3ds Max be installed on the same machine

Autodesk Support

Oct 8, 2023

Products and versions covered

Issue:

Can two copies of 3ds Max or 3ds Max Design be installed on the same machine or Operating System?

Solution:

Yes, two (2) or more differing versions of 3ds Max or 3ds Max Design can be installed on the same machine or Operating System.

An example would be:

  • 3ds Max 2015 could be installed on the same system as 3ds Max 2017 and also 3ds Max Design 2013. However, two (2) versions of 3ds Max Design 2013 could not be installed on the same machine.  

It is recommended that when using Suite Workflows with programs like Revit, Inventor and AutoCAD that the same product version is used, as this can cause the Workflows option to be disabled. Note, newer (or older) versions of 3ds Max can still be installed and utilized on the same system as the Suite installation, but will not have the same access to Suite Workflows as it is a separate install. 

When using Backburner for network rendering, it is recommended to use congruent versions of 3ds Max and Backburner (with identical plugins, Service Packs, etc.) to decrease the amount and frequency of any net-render errors. If using differing versions of 3ds Max and Backburner:

  • Newer versions of Backburner are only "backwards compatible" with older versions of  3ds Max for so many versions back. (i.e. Using Backburner 2018 with 3ds Max 2012 may not work.)
  • Network rendering jobs can be submitted through newer versions of 3ds Max while using older versions of Backburner. (i.e. Using 3ds Max 2017 and Backburner 2015)
 

Products:

3ds Max;

Versions:

all;

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