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3ds Max 2012 Hot Fix 2

The 3ds Max 2012 Hot Fix 2 is now live. Go install it, all ye 3ds Max users:

• Autodesk 3ds Max 2012 Hot Fix 2 for 32-bit and 64-bit
• Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2012 Hot Fix 2 for 32-bit and 64-bit

Hot fix 2, which comes a month after Service Pack 1, lists 10 new fixes for 3ds Max 2012. It addresses issues with CAT, MAXScript, the material editor, and more. Like the Service Pack before it, Hot Fix 2 is a cumulative update. This means that it includes all the previous fixes (Service Pack 1 and Hot Fix 1), so if you just installed 3ds Max 2012 you don't need to worry about the previous updates, just download Hot Fix 2.

Take a look at the table included at the end of this post or the "Readme" PDF in the links above for the full list Hot Fix 2 specific fixes.

DigitSpreadAngle, DigitCurlAngle, and DigitRollAngle

While it wasn't mentioned in the list of fixes, the latest hot fix also addressed an issue I was having with the DigitSpreadAngle, DigitCurlAngle, and DigitRollAngle in the CATMotion editor.

If you've installed the latest hot fix and 3ds Max still crashes when you select the DigitSpreadAngle, DigitCurlAngle, or DigitRollAngle, then the problem is with your CATMotion layer. CATMotion layers created in 3ds 2012 SP1 cause my installation of 3ds Max 2012 to crash, but CATMotion layers created in 3ds Max 2012 Hot Fix 2 don't have this problem.

The fix is simple: delete and replace the CATMotion layer. BUT BEFORE YOU DELETE ALL YOUR WORK, save your existing CATMotion layer as a preset. This way, you can load the preset into your new CATMotion layer and pick up where you left off in SP1. To save your CATMotion layer as a preset, go to the CATMotion Presets options in the CATMotion Editor window and choose Save under your list of layers.

This just goes to show the hotfix is worth checking out even if your issue wasn't expressly mentioned in the list of fixes. If you're still experiencing bugs, remember you can report suspected bugs with the 3ds Max's Defect Report Submission Form. Be constructive and as specific as possible when filling out the form; the easier it is for the QA department to reproduce the bug, the more likely the cause will be found and it'll be addressed.

The hotfix came at a great time for us. It should make finishing our raptor animation that much easier.

Last month, Ken Pimentel said AutoDesk was working on a "set" of hot fixes for CAT as well as Service Pack 2. After the release of Hot Fix 2, another may be on the way before we see Service Pack 2 for 3ds Max 2012. No release date on these upcoming fixes has yet been scheduled.