It is possible to run V-Ray from an arbitrary location, rather than installing it locally. To do so, follow these steps: - Run the V-Ray for 3ds Max installer.
- Click the Advanced button to access additional options.
- At the Directories & Feedback step, select the following options:
- Complete the installation process. The Autodesk application package of V-Ray for 3ds Max is now installed in a single directory, e.g. if using 3ds Max 2024, the default directory is C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\ApplicationPlugins\VRay3dsMax2024.
- Create a new folder to store the V-Ray files, e.g. D:\VRayCustomInstallation\
- Create a new subfolder called ApplicationPlugins inside the D:\VRayCustomInstallation\
- Copy the VRay3dsMax20## folder from C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\ApplicationPlugins\VRay3dsMax20## to:
D:\VRayCustomInstallation\ApplicationPlugins\ |
The ## stands for the 3ds Max version. |
- Copy the 3ds Max 20## folder from
D:\VRayCustomInstallation\ |
- Uninstall V-Ray for 3ds Max.
- Set the Autodesk ADSK_APPLICATION_PLUGINS environment variable to:
D:\VRayCustomInstallation\ApplicationPlugins\ |
- V-Ray needs its own environment variables setup to run properly. Set the following environment variables:
VRAY_FOR_3DSMAX20##_MAIN = D:\VRayCustomInstallation\ApplicationPlugins\VRay3dsMax20##\bin
VRAY_FOR_3DSMAX20##_PLUGINS = D:\VRayCustomInstallation\ApplicationPlugins\VRay3dsMax20##\bin\plugins
VRAY_MDL_PATH_3DSMAX20## = D:\VRayCustomInstallation\3ds Max 20##\mdl
VRAY_OSL_PATH_3DSMAX20## = D:\VRayCustomInstallation\ApplicationPlugins\VRay3dsMax20##\opensl |
Note that for Custom folder cases such as in this example, the root path D:\VRayCustomInstallation\ApplicationPlugins\VRay3dsMax20##\ is the location where the packages are deployed and it should match the ADSK_APPLICATION_PLUGINS path. For more information about running V-Ray from a custom location, please refer to the 'Custom folder' section of Autodesk SDK documentation. Starting with V-Ray 6, update 1, the VRAY_OSL_PATH_3DSMAX20## environment variable no longer needs to be set. ## stands for the number of 3ds Max version. |
The preceding steps explain just one of the methods for packaging Autodesk plugins provided by Autodesk, for more information go to: Autodesk SDK documentation. |