CopyPaste Studio · 3ds Max 2024–2027
How to copy and paste between 3ds Max scenes
3ds Max has no clipboard for objects. The usual way to move a chair from one scene to another is Save Selected, then Merge, then find the file again next week. CopyPaste Studio replaces that with Copy and Paste: the selection goes into a slot, and comes back into any scene, on any machine that can reach the folder, materials and textures included.
The ways to move objects between scenes
| Method | What it takes | What you lose |
|---|---|---|
| Save Selected + Merge | Two dialogs, a file name, a folder, and the same again in the other scene | Time, and the file is wherever you last put it |
| XRef | A file that has to stay where it is | Freedom to edit; it is a link, not a copy |
| Two instances of Max | Twice the RAM, and still Save Selected between them | Half the machine |
| CopyPaste Studio | Copy in one scene, Paste in the other | Nothing: the slot keeps the hierarchy, the materials and, on a share, the textures |
Slots, so the clipboard holds more than one thing
Hold Shift, Ctrl or Alt while copying and the selection goes into another slot, eight in all on the keys. The HUD in the corner of the viewport shows what is in each, with a picture, and lights the slot you are about to use while you hold the key. Slots are folders on disk, so they survive closing Max and are there tomorrow.
Paste where the mouse is
With Paste on Cursor, the objects hang off the mouse until you click, and drag scales them. Continuous Stamp leaves a copy at every click, standing on whatever surface is under the cursor. It turns any slot into a scatter brush for props.
Materials, the same way
Material Mode uses the same slots for materials: copy what is selected in the Slate editor, or the materials of the selected objects, and paste them onto objects in another scene or into that scene's editor.
Between colleagues
Give each person a folder on a share and Copy Remote puts the selection where the whole team can paste it. Their slots show on your HUD in a row of their own. Textures are collected and sent with the copy, so a material that renders on their machine renders on yours.
Versions and licences
3ds Max 2024, 2025, 2026 and 2027, one installer. The beta on sale today has every feature; the Freelancer licence ($12) is for one person, Studio ($42) for a team.