To run Corona for 3ds Max, you have to:




Overview

This page serves as a guide for installing Corona for 3ds Max. If you would like to try Corona for 3ds Max or Cinema 4D, download and run the installer.

If you are using User Account Control (UAC), a security prompt opens when launching the installer. You need to confirm that the installer can proceed. 

Trial users should refer to the Trial Installation of Corona for 3ds Max article, as the process differs from the one shown here.




Running the Installer

Before running the installation, make sure your Windows account has administrative privileges.

Run the installer. Windows may ask you for permission to run the installer with administrator privileges. Please confirm.


Welcome

Carefully read the End User License Agreement and the Global Consumer Privacy Policy. Click the I accept button if you agree to the terms.

Click the Install button. This immediately initiates the automatic installation process.

If you need to customize your Corona for 3ds Max installation, click the Advanced button.

If you need to unpack all the installer files into a specified directory, click the Unpack button. This option is useful for advanced users and debugging purposes. For instance, you might choose this option when installing the plugins manually or troubleshooting installation issues. For example, if the installer cannot detect any host application, you can unpack the files and copy them manually.

The Install option uses localhost for licensing by default and installs the software in a default directory.





Unpack Installation

This is an optional step.

Directory – Specifies an unpack root directory where the installer files are extracted.





Advanced

This is an optional step.

Here, you can specify for which version of 3ds Max to install Corona. You can also select components you wish to include in the installation - Chaos Cosmos Service and NVIDIA AI Denoiser.

Also, decide if you need to install the DR Server, Corona Standalone and the Corona Image Editor, and if so, where you want to install them.

Click Continue to proceed.





Licensing

This is an optional step.

In this step, specify whether the Chaos License Server runs locally or on another machine.

If you select Remote licensing, you have to enter the IP address of your Chaos License Server in the Primary License Server field. Leave port 30304 unchanged. An Alternate License Server can be used for redundancy in case the primary one does not respond. The License Server will not install when the Remote option is selected.

When Local licensing is selected, the Chaos License Server is installed with Corona.

For information about the advanced Chaos License Server installation settings, visit the Instance a License Server in a Network page.





Chaos License Server Options

This is an optional step.

At this step, you can choose where to install the Chaos License Server.

Migrate data during installation – When enabled, it transfers all of your settings made with older versions of the License Server, such as proxy settings, etc. Disabling this option makes a clean install of License Server with any custom settings from previous installations reset to their defaults.

Add firewall exception – Allows the default licensing port (TCP 30304) in the firewall. If you disable it at this step, you must manually add firewall exceptions later.





Chaos Telemetry

Corona for 3ds Max installation is successful.

Participate in the improvement decisions for future versions of Corona. No intellectual property is violated when agreeing to participate in the improvement program. Chaos does not gather scenes, assets, materials, etc. For more information, see the Chaos Telemetry page.

Anonymized Telemetry – Includes the most used product functionality and/or parameter values. The data is not personally identifiable and is not tied to the user's individual account.

Personalized Telemetry – Includes the most used product functionality, parameter values, but also contains personally identifiable information tied to an individual user's license. This helps Chaos tailor and optimize the product for better personal use.








Running the Installer


Welcome

Please take a moment to review the End User License Agreement. Once you've carefully read the License Agreement, you can click I accept the terms and conditions if you agree to the terms.

Participate in the improvement decisions for future versions of Corona by agreeing to Help improve Chaos Corona by sending Product usage data. No intellectual property is violated when agreeing to participate in the feedback program. Chaos does not gather scenes, assets, materials, etc. For more information, see the Privacy Notice.

Click Next to proceed.


Install Type

Typical – This is the fastest, fully automated installation type. It is recommended for most users. This mode installs Corona plugins for all software versions detected, plus the Corona Image Editor (GUI and Command Line versions) and the Corona Distributed Rendering server.

If you already have an older version of Corona installed on your system, this mode is renamed to Update. 

When installing Corona 8 or newer, you may see this option grayed out and with a short explanation instructing you to use the Custom installation mode instead. For more information, see the Basic Information on Corona and the Chaos License Server article.

Click Install to proceed. 




Custom – This is an advanced installation method that allows you to choose the specific items to be installed and their locations. Useful, for example, when you have different 3ds Max versions installed, and you want to install Corona for only one of them or if you only want to install certain components (such as the DR Server, Chaos Licensing, Corona Standalone, or the Corona Image Editor).

Click Next to proceed. 




Unpack files – This unpacks all the installer files into a specified directory. Useful for advanced users and debugging. You might opt for this option, for example, when installing the plugins manually, or if there are problems during the installation, e.g., if the installer could not find any host application, then you can unpack the files and copy them manually. For more information on the manual installation of Corona, see: How to install Corona manually?

Click Unpack to proceed. 


Options

Custom Install Type

If you select the Custom installation type, after selecting Next, you are presented with the customizable options. Select the version of 3ds Max you wish to have Corona installed in. You can also select the components you wish to include in the installation - Chaos Cosmos Services, Chaos License Server, NVIDIA AI Denoiser, and the Material Library. Also, decide if you need to install the DR Server, Corona Standalone, and the Corona Image Editor, and if so, where you want to install them.

By default, the Material Library is downloaded from the internet, but you can also use an offline file to install it. For more information, see the How to install the material library in offline mode article.

Click Install to proceed.


Summary

After a successful installation, you see the following message: Chaos Corona was successfully installed on your computer. Any errors are marked with a red font. 

Click Finish to enjoy Corona. 


Activate Corona

Before running 3ds Max, make sure that your computer is connected to the Internet.





Command-Line Parameters

The Corona installer can be run with the following command line parameters:

Corona 12 Update 1 and newer:

ParameterDescription
-helpDisplays help.
-help=2Displays advanced help.
-unpackInstall=<directory_path>Unpacks the installation into the specified directory.
-configFileSpecifies the path to the installation configuration file.

-gui=0/1

Specifies whether to use the Graphical User Interface or the command-line one. (default: 1)

-debug=<level>

Specifies the level of debug logging used by the installer. (default: 0; assumes the value of 1 if the argument is provided with no value)

-auto

Enables automatic installation and forces -quiet.

-quiet=0/1

Specifies whether the automatic installation is quiet or not. (default: 1 when -auto is present; otherwise 0)

-backup=0/1

Specifies whether the installer should perform a backup. (default: 1)

-bin=<filename>

Specifies the path to the binary image containing compressed installation data to be used for the current installation run. 

-binaryOffset=<offset>

Offset in bytes of the binary image - to be used with packed installation executables. 

-fileTree=<directory_path>

Directory containing all installation files with relative paths corresponding to the ones in the installation XML to be used for the current installation run. 

-log=<filename> or -uninstall=<filename>

The filename of an install log to be used for performing the uninstallation. No uninstallApp required.

-uninstallApp=<name_of_application>

The name of the application to be uninstalled by the installer. 

-ignoreErrors=0/1

The installation process ignores errors during the installation and behaves as if the process completed successfully. 

Corona 12 and older: 

ParameterDescription
-h or --helpDisplays command-line help.

--acceptEulaAndAutoInstall

Runs the installation in console mode with no user input. It is the same as running the typical installation option in GUI, accepting the EULA, and finishing the installation process.
Important note: 
Currently, there is no way to specify which items should be installed during silent installation. This means that when Corona is already installed, the installer will remember the last items selected by the user (e.g. which 3ds Max versions were selected, what additional components were selected). If you uninstall Corona and run the installer in silent mode, it will use the default behavior - it will detect which versions of 3ds Max are installed and will install all additional components. 

Console mode may not work as expected when run directly from the Windows command line console. In such a case, the console will not wait for the installer to finish and will display a new prompt. It will also capture and accept user input while the installer is running and printing into the console. 
Solution: The issue will not appear when using a .bat file or any other script, which is the intended use case. In this case, the script correctly waits for the installer to finish before proceeding.


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