Convert 3ds Max files online — no license needed

If you've ever tried to open a .max file without 3ds Max, you know the pain. It's a proprietary format, it's version-locked, and until recently, most conversion tools just couldn't handle it well.

We just shipped a completely new MAX importer for Convert3D, and it changes the game.

What's new

We rewrote the MAX importer from scratch. The old one was based on a WebAssembly wrapper around a C library, and it was fragile. The new one is a pure TypeScript implementation that reads .max files directly — no external dependencies, no WASM, no black boxes.

Here's what it handles now:

• VRay and Corona materials — not just Standard materials. If your scene uses VRay or Corona shaders, they'll come through with PBR parameters like IOR, transmission, and emissive values intact.
• Multi/Sub-Object materials — complex material setups with multiple sub-materials are now properly resolved and assigned to the right faces.
• Compressed streams — newer versions of 3ds Max save files with compressed data streams. The new importer reads those natively.
• Editable Poly and Editable Mesh — UV extraction works for both geometry types.
• Better error handling — instead of silently failing on tricky files, you'll get clear error messages about what went wrong, so you can fix it.

What you can convert to

Once your .max file is loaded, you can export to any of our supported formats:

• MAX to FBX — for Unity, Unreal Engine, or other 3D apps
• MAX to OBJ — the universal mesh format
• MAX to STL — for 3D printing
• MAX to GLB / glTF — for the web, AR, and real-time applications
• MAX to USDZ — for Apple AR and AR Quick Look
• MAX to DAE, 3DS, PLY — and 70+ more formats

No 3ds Max license required

This is the key thing. You don't need a $1,945/year Autodesk license to open a .max file anymore. Someone sent you a file, you bought a model from a marketplace, or you're migrating old assets - you can just drop it into Convert3D and convert.

Everything happens in your browser. No uploads, no cloud processing, no plugins, nothing to install, no license needed. And your files stay on your machine.

How to convert a 3ds Max file

1. Go to convert3d.org
2. Drop in your .max file
3. Choose your output format
4. Download

That's it. If you run into issues with a specific file, check our troubleshooting guide for MAX files or drop us a line at feedback@convert3d.org.

What about the 3ds Max viewer?

You can also use Convert3D to just view .max files without converting. Drop in your file, and you'll see a 3D preview right in the browser — with materials, textures, and all. Handy if you just need to check what's inside a file before committing to a format.

View a 3ds Max file online

Try it now

We've tested the new importer against a wide range of .max files; simple meshes, complex scenes with VRay setups and hundreds of objects. It's a dramatic step up from what we had before.

Got a file that doesn't work? We want to hear about it. Every bug report makes the importer better.

Convert a MAX file now