Issues When Using 3ds Max on High-Resolution Screens

Issues with 3ds Max

Table of Contents

After over 30 years, 3ds Max’s optimal supported resolution remains 1920×1080 at 72 DPI. Up until 3ds Max 2017, Autodesk struggled to adapt to higher-resolution displays, causing interface elements to appear very small, overlapping, or displaying other UI issues on UHD monitors.

Autodesk’s Solution

Autodesk’s initial solution was quite amusing. If you had a UHD screen and encountered the issue, you were advised to lower your screen resolution to Full HD, and everything would work just fine!

After intense user backlash, Autodesk finally implemented a UI Scaling feature in 3ds Max 2018 for its beloved software. Like in Windows, on high-resolution screens, 3ds Max would scale the interface so that everything wouldn’t appear tiny.

You can check this setting with the command GetUIScaleFactor() in the MAXScript Listener.

A New Frustration

It seemed that everything was fixed with 3ds Max 2018, but in reality, it wasn’t. The way 3ds Max scales the interface is quite flawed.

When the scale is set to 1, 2, 3, or other even integers, the interface functions perfectly. Everything works as designed.

However, with scales of 1.25, 1.5, or 1.75 on QHD or UHD screens, it’s a different story. The layout is completely disrupted. Buttons start to misalign, and icons appear inconsistently shaded, despite being designed pixel-perfect.

Workarounds

The latest version, 3ds Max 2024, still suffers from this same issue as it did initially. The only temporary fix I found is to use Windows’ High DPI Scaling Override feature. Right-click the 3ds Max icon and select Properties. In the Compatibility tab, click the Change high DPI settings button.

Check option (1). In the High DPI Scaling Override section (2), you’ll find three options: Application, System, and System (Enhanced). Each option has its own advantages and disadvantages.

In the example below, I will use my Auto Material script to demonstrate each scaling mode. This also applies to the interface components in 3ds Max.

Performed by Application

This is the default option in Windows. It is also the only option that allows you to use 3ds Max at the correct screen resolution. With this option, Windows delegates the scaling task to 3ds Max, and as mentioned earlier, it performs very poorly.

The biggest issue with this scaling mode is that it does not scale text. This results in interface components related to text being rendered incorrectly. Typical examples include dropdown lists, list boxes, multi-list boxes, combo boxes, and spinners. These components will always appear smaller than other interface elements.

Extremely sharp, but with a flawed layout

The interfaces of plugins and scripts will also be affected, especially those designed with tightly integrated and sophisticated layouts. For script developers like me, this is a nightmare. Therefore, I rarely use this mode.

Conclusion: This mode offers the sharpest interface but with the worst layout.

Performed by System

This option will make 3ds Max run at the maximum resolution it supports (1920×1080). This method is similar to lowering the screen resolution to Full HD, as suggested by Autodesk. At this point, the Scale Factor of 3ds Max will be set to 1, and all interface issues will disappear.

The interface has a perfect layout but is very blurry

However, when displayed on QHD or UHD screens, everything appears very blurry because 3ds Max does not take advantage of the screen’s high resolution. This is frustrating, as using a large high-resolution monitor becomes pointless.

Conclusion: This mode offers the most aesthetically pleasing layout but is also the blurriest.

Performed by System (Enhanced)

This is the enhanced mode of Performed by System. Essentially, the layout of 3ds Max will be set as if it is running at Full HD resolution. However, its interface components will be displayed at the correct resolution of the screen. This mode will offer a relatively nice layout, with sharp interface elements.

Beautiful layout, fairly sharp, but images are scaled incorrectly.

The only downside is that bitmap scaling is not performed correctly. As a result, it may affect some interface components, such as button icons and images.

Conclusion: This can be considered the most balanced mode in terms of the interface.

Conclusion

In general, for regular users, it’s best to use the Performed by System (Enhanced) mode. If you encounter interface issues, switch to Performed by System. Finally, as a last resort, you can use Performed by Application or leave it as default.

I hope that in future updates, Autodesk can completely resolve these issues.

Update 2024: Everything remains the same. Well done, Autodesk.

Written by Dang Tien Dung

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