So if you are used to the fast blazing UI speeds of old 3dsmax 2009, then you’re like me, annoyed when 2016+ MAX versions became extremely laggy. So I’ve found a solution.

Set a Qt Environment variable in Windows

In some instances, 3ds Max UI improvements may occur by setting a Qt (UI) environment variable in Windows:

  1. In Windows (8 or 10), go to the Windows Search bar.
  2. Type: System. (It should bring up the choice of “System (Control Panel).”
  3. Press Enter.
  4. In the System menu, in the bottom-left of the menu, click the Advanced Systems Settings item. A System Properties menu will appear.
  5. Click Environment Variables. The Environment Variables menu will appear.
  6. Under System variables, click New to bring up the New System Variable menu.
  7. Under Variable name, enter: QT_OPENGL
  8. Under Variable value, enter: Angle
  9. Click OK in to save the changes.
  10. Under System variables, click New to bring up the New System Variable menu.
  11. Under Variable name, enter: QT_ANGLE_PLATFORM
  12. Under Variable value, enter any one of these variables: warp, d3d9 or d3d11. (Note: Save only one of these at a time. If you see no improvement, reboot the PC and repeat the process but enter the next variable in this list.)
  13. Click OK in each menu to save the changes.
  14. Reboot the PC and test the performance in 3ds Max.

For more information on the Qt variables, see: Qt 5 on Windows ANGLE and OpenGL.

SET 3DS MAX INTERACTION MODE AS WELL