"Propogate materials to instances” was indeed checked.  Thanks, db.  Unfortunately unchecking it did not eliminate the problem.  As suggested I am attaching a zipped file.  Hope it uploads.

Gibby

Well I tried to send a zipped file.  Received the following message: 

Error Message:  Unable to receive your submission at this time

So I’ve unattached the file.  Dean, I’ll e-mail it to you.  Gibby

Gibby,

I received the file. Take a look at the attachment below, and let me know if these were the results you are expecting.

Dean

Max Design 2012 SP2 / Win 7 Pro
NVidia Quadro FX 4800 x 2 (non sli)
HP Z800 - 2 Xeon X5680 @ 3.33 GHz; 36 GB ram

	Attachment
14114_iO9TkzFgUhh7Tk1SxjNM.zip

Dean,

Yes, these are the results I was after.  Can you tell me what you did or what I didn’t do?

Gibby

I have a meeting right now, but will take screen shots of my settings and post them for you...probably in an hour or so.

Dean

Max Design 2012 SP2 / Win 7 Pro
NVidia Quadro FX 4800 x 2 (non sli)
HP Z800 - 2 Xeon X5680 @ 3.33 GHz; 36 GB ram

OK...Attached are the settings I used for the File Link Manager...hope this helps.

Try it and see if you get similar results.

Dean

Max Design 2012 SP2 / Win 7 Pro
NVidia Quadro FX 4800 x 2 (non sli)
HP Z800 - 2 Xeon X5680 @ 3.33 GHz; 36 GB ram

	Attachment

	Attachment

	Attachment

Dean,

Oh how I wish I could say that did it, but it did not.  The settings were the same except for “maximum surface deviation” and “weld threshold”.  Though in “preferences” spinner settings calls for 8 degrees of precision, spinners will not exceed one decimal.  All other settings are the same.  Neverthless, the selection of one element on a layer selects everything on that layer.  Initially I had selected “create one scene object for each architectural one” but even resetting 3ds Max and linking the file again with that change did not effect the results.

When you first received my .dwg file did you have a similar problem to the one I’ve described or did the setting above result in success on the first link?

Gibby

Gibby,

Bummer! OK ...well, the import worked for me fine the first time, EXCEPT for the attached error when I hit the Import button. Something about proxy objects. Well....not sure where to go from here. Why don’t you import your file into Max, and post that.  Let me see what you are getting.

Dean

Max Design 2012 SP2 / Win 7 Pro
NVidia Quadro FX 4800 x 2 (non sli)
HP Z800 - 2 Xeon X5680 @ 3.33 GHz; 36 GB ram

	Attachment

Dean--

This file was originally rendered in VIZ Render several years ago.  I suspected that the proxy objects were these entourage 3D trees available in that program.  As I recall they were viewable from all directions. At anyrate I have purged them from the file.  Neverthless, the problem persists. 

Mark

	Attachment
14131_A37Sbmxt88eUPWqcbRdz.zip

Shouldn’t the check box next to Create one Scene Object for Each AutoCAD Architecture One be checked?  Well, even with that checked, it still creates an object by layer.

2 or so things you can do to work around this, if you don’t find a solution.

Create random new layers in AutoCAD, and place your objects each on their own separate layers in AutoCAD so they can be linked and will each be one object per layer.

Select all objects in the Max file from the drawing linked as you have it now, and apply a Mesh Select or Poly Select Modifier to the lot.  Select one object (layer object), and go to the Element subobject level, pick each item in the scene and assign your material that way. 

You can remove materials from scene objects using the UVW Remove Utility in the Utilities panel.

That’s all I can think of on this… it may be a Max2009 problem… can you try linking it in on an earlier Max, to see if the linking works as it seems it should?

Maneswar Cheemalapati [FA]