Why the First Frames Appear Blurry or Slow
In 3ds Max (from version 2010), the first seconds of animation may show blur or slowdown in the viewport. This happens because the software performs initial simulation, particles, GI, or Motion Blur calculations ⏳.
Possible Causes
- Motion Blur enabled: it needs several frames to stabilize.
- Global Illumination or Final Gather: the first frames calculate lighting while the cache is not yet ready.
How to Fix It
- Generate a few seconds of pre-roll before the actual start of the animation to stabilize calculations.
- Use Image Motion Blur instead of Object Motion Blur for a more stable start.
- For GI or Final Gather, enable Precompute Irradiance Map or save the lighting cache before rendering.
A Detail to Keep in Mind
This behavior is not a bug, but a normal margin that render engines and motion modifiers need to stabilize data. It's like warming up an engine before starting the trip 🚗: patience and everything will turn out perfect.