From 3ds Max 2022 the format for plugins is changed to the Autodesk Application Plug-in Package format as described here: Autodesk application package help
V-Ray for 3ds Max installation has been modified to support plugin packages.
The V-Ray installation location could be obtained by 3rd parties through the 3ds Max’s PluginPackageManager. The upgradeCode is "{00B38902-1C59-405A-875E-A9E3461F1FE7}"
Structure of the V-Ray application plugin package
For the sake of portability V-Ray for 3ds Max is installed in a single directory under the application plug-ins location, known further as PKGROOT. The accompanying V-Ray Standalone files are there too. The package is in a directory named “VRay3dsMax<3ds Max version>”. This should allow for distribution by just copying the whole package and setting the environment variables.
There are two possible locations for installing an Autodesk application package as follows:
%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Autodesk\ApplicationPlugins\[plugin_name]
Example:
C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\ApplicationPlugins\VRay3dsMax2022
This is the preferred install location when a plug-in is installed by the Autodesk store installer. Plug-ins installed to this location are available to all users on the machine.
%APPDATA%\Autodesk\ApplicationPlugins\[plugin_name]
Example:
C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\ApplicationPlugins\MyPlugin
The V-Ray SDK, example projects documentation installer and it’s logs as files not essential to rendering are still in their former place (defaulting to “C:\Program Files\ChaosGroup\V-Ray\3ds Max <3ds Max version>”) further known as INSTALLROOT.
A summary of the files bundled in the Autodesk application package for V-Ray
Package element | description | Former location |
[PKGROOT]/amg | viewport shaders | <Program Files>\Autodesk\3ds Max*\AMG |
[PKGROOT]/assets | files needed for V-Ray for 3ds Max e.g. material_preview.vrscene | <Program Files>\Chaos Group\V-Ray\3ds Max*\assets |
[PKGROOT]/bin | V-Ray Standalone binaries (needed for V-Ray GPU) | <Program Files>\Chaos Group\V-Ray\3ds Max*\bin |
[PKGROOT]/defaults | 3ds Max defaults settings | <Program Files>\Autodesk\3ds Max*\en-US\defaults |
[PKGROOT]/docs | V-Ray EULA | <Program Files>\Chaos Group\V-Ray\3ds Max*\docs |
[INSTALLROOT]/docs | V-Ray SDK documentation shipped | <Program Files>\Chaos Group\V-Ray\3ds Max*\docs |
[INSTALLROOT]/include | V-Ray SDK headers | <Program Files>\Chaos Group\V-Ray\3ds Max*\include |
[INSTALLROOT]/lib | V-Ray SDK export libraries | <Program Files>\Chaos Group\V-Ray\3ds Max*\lib |
[INSTALLROOT]/mdl | VRayMDL sample shaders | <Program Files>\Chaos Group\V-Ray\3ds Max*\mdl |
[PKGROOT]/opensl | VRayOSL headers | <Program Files>\Chaos Group\V-Ray\3ds Max*\opensl |
[PKGROOT]/plugins | V-Ray for 3ds Max plugins | <Program Files>\Autodesk\3ds Max*\Plugins |
[PKGROOT]/resources | V-Ray Toolbar icons | <Program Files>\Autodesk\3ds Max*\UI_ln |
[INSTALLROOT]/samples | V-Ray SDK sample projects | <Program Files>\Chaos Group\V-Ray\3ds Max*\samples |
[PKGROOT]/sceneconverter | 3ds Max scene converter scripts (and presets) | <Program Files>\Autodesk\3ds Max*\SceneConverter |
[PKGROOT]/scripts | 3ds Max startup scripts | <Program Files>\Autodesk\3ds Max*\scripts |
[INSTALLROOT]/uninstall | V-Ray installer's binary, config and log | <Program Files>\Chaos Group\V-Ray\3ds Max*\uninstall |
[INSTALLROOT]/utils | Other products installations that are bundled with V-Ray | <Program Files>\Chaos Group\V-Ray\3ds Max*\utils |
[PKGROOT]/PackageContents.xml | The Autodesk application package descriptor | |
[PKGROOT]/bin/vraydummy* | These are needed by 3ds Max in server mode | <Program Files>\Autodesk\3ds Max* |
[PKGROOT]/bin/vrayspawner*.exe | <Program Files>\Autodesk\3ds Max* | |
[PKGROOT]/plugins/vray*.dll | Various .dlls that were loaded as dependencies for the plugins | <Program Files>\Autodesk\3ds Max* |