DCC 3ds Max

3ds Max plugin for the DCC Model Context Protocol (MCP) ecosystem.

Agent workflow

Choose the connection path that matches your client:

• Shell or headless agent: use dcc-mcp-cli through the shared gateway.
• IDE MCP client: connect to http://127.0.0.1:9765/mcp.
• 3ds Max setup: follow install.md to install the runtime and startup hook.

Prefer typed skills and tools over raw scripts.

Install and update the CLI

If dcc-mcp-cli is missing, obtain user consent before installing the official release:

# Linux/macOS
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dcc-mcp/dcc-mcp-core/main/scripts/install-cli.sh | sh

# Windows PowerShell
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -c "irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dcc-mcp/dcc-mcp-core/main/scripts/install-cli.ps1 | iex"

Check for updates, then stage the latest CLI for the next launch:

dcc-mcp-cli update check
dcc-mcp-cli update apply

update apply stages the CLI only. It does not update a running dcc-mcp-server; update that server in its own environment.

Features

• Sidecar MCP Server: Starts dcc-mcp-server.exe sidecar and keeps 3ds Max scene edits on the main thread
• Progressive Skill Loading: Discover skills without loading them immediately
• Shared Gateway: Registers with the stable gateway at http://127.0.0.1:9765/mcp
• Job Persistence: SQLite-based job storage for long-running operations
• Prometheus Metrics: Optional /metrics endpoint for monitoring

Agent install (recommended)

The fastest way to install is to let your AI agent do it. In Cursor, Claude, or any MCP-capable agent host, ask:

Please install and verify dcc-mcp-3dsmax.

First clone or locate the dcc-mcp-3dsmax repository and resolve its absolute
path as REPO_ROOT. Then read these absolute-path files before making changes:

- <REPO_ROOT>\install.md
- <REPO_ROOT>\skills\dcc-mcp-3dsmax-setup\SKILL.md

Follow the setup skill exactly:

1. Locate my 3dsmaxpy.exe. If it cannot be found, ask me for the absolute path.
2. Install dcc-mcp-3dsmax and dependencies. Prefer PyPI for end-user installs;
   use the local checkout only when I am already working from REPO_ROOT.
3. Install the 3ds Max startup hook so opening or restarting 3ds Max starts
   the runtime automatically.
4. Generate MCP Streamable HTTP config pointing to http://127.0.0.1:9765/mcp.
5. Ask me to open or restart 3ds Max, then run the generated smoke prompt to
   prove the agent can discover and call typed 3ds Max tools.

The agent reads install.md, runs the setup script against your 3ds Max 3dsmaxpy.exe, installs a startup hook, generates the MCP host config, asks you to open or restart 3ds Max, and runs a live smoke prompt to confirm the connection.

Installation

pip install dcc-mcp-3dsmax

Quickstart (inside 3ds Max MAXScript Listener)

import dcc_mcp_3dsmax

# Start on a random instance port; the public gateway stays fixed.
server = dcc_mcp_3dsmax.start_server()

# Progressive loading — discover skills without loading them immediately
n = server.discover_skills()        # scan paths, register tool metadata
server.load_skill("3dsmax-scene")  # lazy-load a specific skill

dcc_mcp_3dsmax.stop_server()

Runtime Bridge

Start the runtime bootstrap inside 3ds Max:

python.ExecuteFile @"C:\path\to\dcc-mcp-3dsmax\examples\start_sidecar_bridge.py"

This starts the agent-callable embedded MCP runtime, registers bundled 3ds Max skills/tools, and routes main-affinity scene edits through the shared dcc-mcp-core 0.20.11 UI dispatcher, dcc-cua 0.4 UI Control, pump abstractions, gateway guardian, dynamic instance ports, and six-state readiness probe (process, dispatcher, dcc, skill_catalog, host_execution_bridge, main_thread_executor). The legacy random-port /dispatch bridge remains available for local diagnostics. The 3ds Max instance is registered with the stable gateway at http://127.0.0.1:9765/mcp. See docs/SIDECAR.md and the bundled skill index in docs/BUNDLED_SKILLS.md.

The bootstrap also installs a DCC MCP menu with Start Server, Stop Server, Open Gateway Admin, and Print Status commands. 3ds Max shutdown triggers the same stop path via #preSystemShutdown, so the runtime and local bridges are cleaned up when the host exits.

Skill Development

Create a skill with SKILL.md metadata file and Python scripts:

# my_skill/action_create_box.py
from dcc_mcp_3dsmax.api import max_success, with_max

@with_max
def main(width: float = 100.0, height: float = 100.0, depth: float = 100.0) -> dict:
    import pymxs
    rt = pymxs.runtime

    box_obj = rt.Box(width=width, height=height, depth=depth)
    return max_success("Created box", object_name=str(box_obj))

Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Default
DCC_MCP_3DSMAX_METRICS	Enable Prometheus /metrics endpoint	0
DCC_MCP_3DSMAX_JOB_STORAGE	Path to SQLite job database	platform default
DCC_MCP_3DSMAX_DISABLE_EXECUTE_PYTHON	Disable execute_python tool	0
DCC_MCP_3DSMAX_DISABLE_ARBITRARY_SCRIPT	Disable all arbitrary script execution	0
DCC_MCP_3DSMAX_ENABLE_GATEWAY_FAILOVER	Enable gateway failover	1
DCC_MCP_3DSMAX_SKILL_PATHS	Extra skill search paths (semicolon-separated)	None
DCC_MCP_3DSMAX_BRIDGE_PORT	Runtime bridge localhost port	random
DCC_MCP_3DSMAX_BOOTSTRAP_PATHS	Extra package Python roots for startup bootstrapping	None
DCC_MCP_PYTHONPATHS	Shared package Python roots for Rez/pipeline launchers	None
DCC_MCP_3DSMAX_ROOT	Adapter package root; startup probes python, python37, src, and root	None
DCC_MCP_CORE_ROOT	dcc-mcp-core package root; startup probes python, python37, src, and root	None
DCC_MCP_SERVER_ROOT	Fallback dcc-mcp-server package root for Rez/pipeline launches	None
DCC_MCP_SERVER_BIN	Explicit dcc-mcp-server executable path for sidecar mode	bundled payload
DCC_MCP_REGISTRY_DIR	Optional shared gateway/sidecar registry override	core default

Normal MZP installs do not need DCC_MCP_3DSMAX_PORT or DCC_MCP_GATEWAY_PORT: the adapter uses an internal ephemeral MCP port and the shared gateway default.

For Rez-style deployment, launch 3ds Max with package roots in the environment instead of copying packages into the user scripts folder. A pipeline package cache can expose paths such as <package-cache>/dcc_mcp_core, <package-cache>/dcc_mcp_3dsmax, and <package-cache>/dcc_mcp_server through the root variables above. The MZP installer uses isolated version directories under <user scripts>/dcc_mcp_3dsmax/versions/, so installing a new payload does not delete the version that may already be loaded by the running 3ds Max process. After install, the active payload is added to sys.path, obsolete payload directories are cleaned up where possible, and the runtime is started. The generated startup script repeats that activation on future 3ds Max launches, so the bridge comes back automatically after restart. Uninstall cleanup uses the import-light lifecycle helpers from dcc-mcp-core when available, so locked native files are reported as restart-required instead of disappearing into a generic PermissionError.

Requirements

• 3ds Max 2017 or later (Python 3.x with pymxs support)
• Python >= 3.7
• dcc-mcp-core >= 0.20.11
• dcc-mcp-server >= 0.20.11

License

MIT