ACC2000: Access Setup Modifies 3d Studio Max File Association

When you install Microsoft Office 2000 on a computer that has 3d Studio Max installed, 3d Studio Max Material Library files are no longer associated with 3d Studio Max. This may cause the Material Editor Browser dialog box either not to display any materials or continue to show the materials from the last library.

3d Studio MAX and VIZ rely upon material libraries for storing the materials available in the material editor. During installation, Microsoft Access 2000 re-associates these .mat (Material Library) files to Access .mat (Microsoft Access Table) files.

To work around this issue, re-associate the .mat files with 3d Studio Max. However, keep in mind that this causes Microsoft Access Table files to lose their association with Microsoft Access.

1.	NOTE: Because there are several versions of Microsoft Windows, the following steps may be different on your computer. If they are, see your product documentation to complete these steps.
2.	Open Windows Explorer, and then on the View menu, click Options.
3.	Click the File Types tab. Scroll through the list of registered file types until you find Microsoft Access Table Shortcut. Note that the extension listing under Registered file types displays MAT.
4.	Click Remove, and then click OK.

Steps to Reproduce the Behavior

1.	On a computer that has Kinetix 3d Studio Max Release 2.5 installed, perform a typical installation of Microsoft Office 2000.
2.	Start 3d Studio Max.
3.	Import a Material Library file. Note that 3d Studio Max is intermittently unable to open the .mat file.

The third-party products that are discussed in this article are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products.