3ds Max render error - Failed to load max file

You may see an error like the below, related to loading of the 3ds Max scene file in Deadline, even though it rendered fine on a workstation. One common cause is if the render node doesn’t have all the dependencies required to render.
The dependencies include - but are not limited to - 3rd party plugins and dlls which are missing or have become corrupted. The heading of the error thrown in the job report will be similar to “Failed to load max file”. However, if you look at around the first 25 lines of stack trace, you will see the error messages like:

2019/03/14 15:30:06 WRN: [00800] [05452] Missing dll: mrmaterialattribs.gup - mental ray: material custom attribute
2019/03/14 15:30:06 WRN: [00800] [05452] Missing dll: multiscatter.dlo - MultiScatterTexture
2019/03/14 15:30:06 WRN: [00800] [05452] Missing dll: mrmaterialattribs.gup - mental ray: Displacement Custom Attributes

2020/02/04 15:59:37 WRN: [27704] [34576] Missing dll: mentalray.dlz - Contour Contrast Function Levels
2020/02/04 15:59:37 WRN: [27704] [34576] Missing dll: mentalray.dlz - Contour Store Function
2020/02/04 15:59:37 WRN: [27704] [34576] Missing dll: mentalray.dlz - Contour Composite
2020/02/04 15:59:37 WRN: [27704] [34576] Missing dll: mentalray.dlz - Glare
2020/02/04 15:59:37 WRN: [27704] [34576] Missing dll: mentalray.dlz - mrOptions
2020/02/04 15:59:37 WRN: [27704] [34576] Missing dll: mentalray.dlz - NVIDIA mental ray
2022/04/13 14:46:31 WRN: [26484] [27852] Missing dll: coronamaxutils2022.dlt - CoronaCam
2022/04/13 14:46:31 WRN: [26484] [27852] Missing dll: coronamaxutils2022.dlt - CoronaSun
2022/04/13 14:46:31 WRN: [26484] [27852] Missing dll: coronamax2022.dlr - CoronaRenderer

These error messages are telling you that 3ds Max was loading but could not find listed plugins and dlls. Your workstation may not throw these errors because these plugins exist on it. This can be confirmed if manually opening the scene file on that machine fails outside of Deadline.

The solution to the problem is to fix the missing dependencies or remove them if not required. Re-installation of plugins will help resolve the issue. If you are still unsure, reach out directly to Autodesk on how to fix missing dependencies.