3dsmax-mcp

3dsmax-mcp

Connect AI agents to Autodesk 3ds Max through the Model Context Protocol.

Automate everything!

Current release: 1.7.6 — see CHANGELOG.md.

Features

• 160 MCP tools — For scene reads, modeling, materials, modifiers, controllers, viewport capture, procedural graphs, and plugin workflows.
• Native Bridge — only 2023-2027 versions.
• Introspection — discover arbitrary Max classes for all kinds of automation and scripting purposes.
• Bundled agent skill — There is a bundled maxscript documentation if you want to create your own tools.
• FStorm materials and lights — FStorm/FStormPBR texture import, palette laydown and smart import; create and edit plane/disc/sphere lights and suns with native solar controls.

Requirements

• Windows and Autodesk 3ds Max 2023–2027
• An MCP client, such as Claude Desktop, Codex or Cursor

Quick start

1. Close 3ds Max and fully exit your AI clients.
2. Run 3dsmax-mcp-1.7.2-Setup.exe and select your clients.
3. Open 3ds Max and restart your AI client.

The installer includes Python, dependencies, native bridges and agent skills. To update, close Max and your clients, then run the new installer.

Requires Python 3.12+, uv and Git. Close Max and your AI clients before installing.

git clone https://github.com/cl0nazepamm/3dsmax-mcp.git
cd 3dsmax-mcp
uv sync
uv run python install.py

Use the default Full tool profile. To update, run git pull, uv sync, then uv run python install.py again.

See Advanced configuration for manual client setup and tool profiles.

Some ideas for you

Modeling

Build editable meshes from a reference Create polygon cages, sweeps, and lofts, then refine their components and check topology. Tools: create_mesh, curve_model, loft_mesh, mesh_edit, geometry_qa, contact_check

Materials

Turn texture folders into a palette Preview textures or build PBR sets in the Material Editor, with filters and library overflow. Tool: palette_laydown

Save your material scratchpad Back up Material Editor slots and the current material library to reusable .mat files. Tools: get_material_library, backup_material_library

Create custom materials and textures Wire PBR texture sets, tune material properties, or write procedural OSL textures. Tools: create_material_from_textures, assign_material, set_material_properties, create_texture_map, write_osl_shader

Make material variants Clone a material graph, remap its textures, and replace materials across the scene. Tools: inspect_material_network, replicate_material, batch_replace_materials

Asset workflows

Browse an asset library in your scene Batch-import a folder into a grid, filter LODs, and assign matching PBR textures. Tool: smart_import

Reuse objects from old scenes Search .max files, inspect their contents, and merge just the objects you need. Tools: search_max_files, batch_file_info, inspect_max_file, merge_from_file

Move assets between applications Import mesh, CAD, USD, and glTF assets through installed importers. Export through MAXScript and installed exporters, with separate render/export materials where needed. Tools: smart_import, execute_maxscript, create_shell_material, manage_scene

Custom tools

Build your own tools Automate repetitive work with MAXScript, or build procedural geometry and modifiers with Max Creation Graph (MCG). Explore installed classes through introspection and build, compile, and test graphs with the mcg_* tools.

Tools

Bridge & session

Tool	Description
get_bridge_status	Ping the MCP bridge when diagnosing connection errors
get_session_context	Bundle bridge status, capabilities, scene summary, and selection in one call
get_plugin_capabilities	Max version, renderers, installed plugins, and class counts

Scene state & transactions

Tool	Description
query_scene	Unified reads: overview, filter, class, property, selection, delta
resolve_node_refs	Resolve names, handles, or hierarchy paths to canonical, cross-checked NodeRefs
scene_qa	Scan scene-graph hygiene and apply explicit safe naming repairs; never analyzes meshes
scene_patch	Preflight and atomically apply up to 256 mechanical node edits in one native undo step
get_hierarchy	Recursive child tree for an object
get_instances	All instances sharing the same base object
get_dependencies	Reference graph via dependents / dependent nodes

Objects

Tool	Description
create_object	Create geometry with spatial placement feedback
delete_objects	Delete objects by name
get_object_properties	Compact properties for one object
set_object_property	Set a single object property
transform_object	Move, rotate, and/or scale by offset
analyze_node_orientation	Pivot, bbox, local axes, and world matrix for rigging and placement
clone_objects	Copy, instance, or reference clones
set_parent	Parent or unparent objects
select_objects	Change the current selection
set_visibility	Show, hide, freeze, or unfreeze
batch_rename_objects	Rename many objects in one call

Modifiers

Tool	Description
add_modifier	Add a modifier to an object
remove_modifier	Remove a modifier by name
set_modifier_state	Enable/disable with viewport/render granularity
set_modifier_property	Set a modifier parameter on one or many objects
collapse_modifier_stack	Collapse the stack
make_modifier_unique	De-instance a shared modifier

Modeling

Tool	Description
curve_model	Named curves, rounded profiles, sweeps and quad lofts with controls saved in the scene
inspect_curve / edit_curve	Inspect, visually target and edit spline knots and handles with stale-token protection
create_mesh	Build editable polygon cages from explicit vertices and faces
inspect_mesh / pick_component	Read cage geometry, label components and map image positions to edit targets
mesh_edit	Undoable vertex, edge and face edits that preserve the modifier stack
loft_mesh	Matched-section quad lofts with persistent numeric parameters
geometry_qa	Check mesh boundaries, winding, degeneracy and connected components
contact_check	Find parts that pass through each other, touch, or float just short of contact
boolean_operation	Apply, inspect, retune, rename, or extract Boolean modifier operands; supports inline repeated cutters
draw_spline	Create, read, and edit spline shapes from explicit world-space points and knots
edit_vertices	Read, move, set, or conform Editable Poly vertices in world space

Materials & textures

Tool	Description
get_materials	List materials assigned in the scene
get_material_library	Inspect currentMaterialLibrary and Material Editor scratch slots
backup_material_library	Save temporary/scratch material libraries to .mat files
get_material_slots	Compact slot/property readback for a material
inspect_material_network	Semantic material graph, wired slots, texture manifest, health checks
material_roles	Texture sources per material slot, including shared maps, composites and submaterials; advisory filename mismatches and missing files; flags maps whose file path can't be read
replicate_material	Preview/apply structure-preserving material clone and texture remap
assign_material	Create a material and assign it to objects
set_material_property	Set one property on an object's material
set_material_properties	Set multiple material properties at once
set_sub_material	Create or assign a Multi/Sub-Object slot
create_texture_map	Create a texture map (stored as a MAXScript global)
set_texture_map_properties	Edit a texture map global
create_material_from_textures	Build a fully wired PBR material from texture files
create_shell_material	Wrap any render + export materials in Shell Material (dual pipeline)
write_osl_shader	Write OSL to disk and compile an OSLMap
replace_material	Put a source material wherever a target is used, on objects and in sub-material slots; the source can come from a slot, the Material Editor or the material library
batch_replace_materials	Batch material replacement
palette_laydown	Fill Material Editor palette slots from a texture folder
smart_import	Batch-import meshes from a folder with auto PBR assignment
cosmos_search	Find compatible Cosmos models, materials and HDRIs
cosmos_download	Download a Cosmos asset without importing it
cosmos_import	Import a Cosmos asset through Corona or V-Ray

Inspection

Tool	Description
inspect_object	Deep exploratory object summary
inspect_properties	Deep property dump (`target="object"
introspect_osl	API surface for OSLMap and shader classes
walk_references	Full reference dependency walk
learn_scene_patterns	Analyze class usage patterns in the live scene
map_class_relationships	ParamBlock2 reference relationships between classes
watch_scene	Live event watcher for interactive sessions
isolate_and_capture_selected	Per-selection isolated viewport captures
main_thread	Inspect or clean up callbacks and timers running on Max's main/UI thread
max_dialogs	Read any dialog blocking Max (Win32 or Qt) and press a chosen button, even while a tool call waits on it

Plugins & introspection

Tool	Description
discover_plugin_surface	Find plugin-related classes and entry points
discover_plugin_classes	Enumerate registered SDK classes
list_plugin_classes	List classes for a plugin or superclass family
inspect_plugin_class	SDK schema v2: bounded metadata, exact bindings and enum sources; legacy reflection retained
inspect_plugin_constructor	Creation notes for a plugin class
inspect_plugin_instance	SDK schema v2: live values, linked maps and guarded edit tokens
plugin_patch	Atomic typed PB2 edits with readback and stale/shared/animation guards
get_plugin_manifest	Structured manifest (classes, workflows, gotchas), rebuilt from the live runtime on each call
introspect_class	SDK parameter descriptors and published interface metadata
introspect_instance	Deep SDK introspection with live values

MCP resources: resource://3dsmax-mcp/plugins/{name}/manifest|guide|recipes|gotchas

Lighting

Tool	Description
lighting_capabilities	Installed renderer routes, emitter shapes, units and color policy
create_lights	Semantic lights and environment graphs in one verified native transaction
inspect_lights	Decode actual light settings and linked emission maps
edit_lights	Guarded color, output, size, enable and shadow edits

Providers cover Corona, V-Ray, Octane and native photometric emitters. Query capabilities for the current renderer: shapes, units and environment routes differ. HDRI maps and existing procedural skies use the provider's dome or environment binding.

Controllers & animation

Tool	Description
assign_controller	Create and assign a controller to a sub-anim track
script_controller	Inspect, validate and apply scripts with typed inputs, frame checks and rollback
inspect_controller	Inspect one controller track
inspect_track_view	Track View-style controller hierarchy
set_controller_props	Edit script text or controller properties
add_controller_target	Add a target to script/expression/constraint controllers
keyframe_tracks	Timeline control; bounded delete/move/scale, bake/resample, tangent normalization, pose matching, and loops

Parameter wiring

Tool	Description
list_wireable_params	Discover wireable sub-anims on an object
wire_params	Connect parameters with a wire expression
get_wired_params	List existing wire connections
unwire_params	Remove a wire

Organization

Tool	Description
manage_layers	Create, delete, list, and configure layers; move/select objects
manage_groups	Create, ungroup, open, close, attach, detach groups
manage_selection_sets	Named selection sets
manage_scene	Hold, fetch, reset, save, scene info
undo_last	Undo the last 3ds Max scene operation

Viewport & render

Tool	Description
agent_viewport	Independent floating agent view, visual targeting and V-Ray preview controls
set_viewport	Position and frame the agent or user viewport
capture_viewport	Capture the agent or user viewport as an image
capture_multi_view	Capture several views into one image, with agent-view restoration
capture_screen	Capture visible desktop pixels or crop to the V-Ray frame buffer
render_scene	Render the current view
render_automations	Arm/poll completion signals, request cancellation or capture a progressive render before cancelling

External .max files

Tool	Description
inspect_max_file	Read metadata and object names without loading
merge_from_file	Selective merge with duplicate handling
search_max_files	Scan a folder for objects matching a pattern
batch_file_info	Parallel metadata from many .max files

Effects & state sets

Tool	Description
get_effects	List atmospheric and render effects
toggle_effect	Enable or disable an effect by index
delete_effect	Remove an effect by index
get_state_sets	State Sets with camera assignments
get_camera_sequence	Camera-assigned State Sets sorted by frame

Data Channel

Tool	Description
list_dc_operators	Search the live version-specific operator catalog
list_dc_presets	List installed Data Channel presets
add_data_channel	Append operators to a Data Channel modifier stack
inspect_data_channel	Read the active stack in visible processing order
set_data_channel_operator	Edit one visible operator with rollback on failure
manage_data_channel_stack	Delete, enable, disable, or safely reorder operators
load_dc_preset	Load a preset into the stack
add_dc_script_operator	Add executable MAXScript with explicit authorization

Max Creation Graph

Tool	Description
mcg_get_context	Compiler, temporary workspace, templates, samples, and safety state
mcg_list_graphs	List temporary, installed, or bundled sample graphs
mcg_inspect_graph	Normalize graph metadata, nodes, connections, and parameters
mcg_search_operators	Search live typed operators and offline compound references
mcg_create_graph	Fork a read-only source into the temporary workspace
mcg_apply_patch	Patch, compile, verify, checkpoint, and roll back transactionally
mcg_compile_graph	Validate and compile one temporary graph with diagnostics
mcg_test_tool	Create, inspect, and remove a disposable generated instance
mcg_resolve_class	Resolve the exact generated modifier class descriptor
mcg_apply_modifier	Compile and apply a typed MCG modifier safely
mcg_inspect_instance	Verify graph identity and inspect a live MCG modifier
mcg_set_node_parameter	Retarget one supported scalar node parameter
mcg_restore_checkpoint	Restore an opaque checkpoint with hash protection
mcg_cleanup_workspace	Remove one graph family or the temporary MCG workspace
mcg_reload_operators	Explicitly refresh Max's global MCG operator depot

tyFlow

Tool	Description
create_tyflow	Create tyFlow with an event and operators, or a preset: rain, snow, fountain, burst, debris
get_tyflow_info	Deep flow/event/operator readback
harvest_tyflow_manifest	Probe and cache the installed tyFlow operator surface by tyFlow version
list_tyflow_operators	Query the cached manifest, including per-type availability, without touching Max
get_tyflow_graph	Read events, operators, properties, ledger edges, and wiring staleness
tyflow_apply_patch	Apply a batch of tyFlow graph operations as one verified transaction
connect_tyflow_operator	Connect or retarget a test/Send Out operator to an event, optionally creating the Send Out
disconnect_tyflow_operator	Disconnect an operator output and remove its ledger edge
set_tyflow_wiring_ledger	Reconcile recorded graph wiring after external or visual edits
tyflow_event_census	Count particles per event at probe frames with temporary instrumentation
capture_tyflow_editor	Open and capture the tyFlow editor for visual wire inspection
modify_tyflow_operator	Edit operator properties
set_tyflow_shape	Configure Shape operator
set_tyflow_physx	Object-level PhysX settings
add_tyflow_collision	Collision operator + collider list
add_tyflow_event	Add an event
remove_tyflow_element	Remove operator or event
get_tyflow_particle_count	Particle count at a frame
get_tyflow_particles	Particle data rows
reset_tyflow_simulation	Reset one or all tyFlow sims

RailClone (1.7.2)

Tool	Description
get_railclone_style	Read complete style XML and edit token (RailClone 7.3.5+)
set_railclone_style	Replace style XML with guarded, undoable adoption
get_railclone_output	Read generated segments, transforms, bounds, and tags

Forest Pack (WIP)

Work in progress — the Forest Pack integration is early-stage and may be incomplete or change between releases.

Tool	Description
scatter_forest_pack	Create a Forest Pack scatter with surfaces and source geometry

Scripting & diagnostics

Tool	Description
execute_maxscript	Run MAXScript when no dedicated tool exists (respects safe mode)
execute_python	Run Python with captured output, JSON results, tracebacks and undo rollback (requires safe mode off)
invoke_tool	Call any registered tool from inside Max (testing)

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Skill & reference

The installer builds an agent skill from skills/3dsmax-mcp-dev/SKILL.md with tool-choice rules, material pipeline notes, and MAXScript reference files. Rebuild manually with python scripts/build_skill.py — see Advanced configuration.

Further reading

• Contributing — development, validation, and pull requests
• Advanced configuration — architecture, safe mode, tool profiles, native builds
• CHANGELOG.md — release history
• LICENSE