Appendices >
Environment variables

Environment variables are text strings that contain information to dynamically configure a software application when it is launched. For example, to specify a particular drive, directory path, preference setting, or file name that may be required.

Environment variables can be set locally for a single user account by the user or more globally for an entire system of users by a system administrator.

In Mudbox, the following environment variables can be set to configure Mudbox in specific areas. They are intended to be optional, and address specific situations that may not be encountered by the majority of users.

For information on setting environment variables for your system, consult the user help for your particular hardware platform and operating system.

Environment Variable | Platform | Usage/Notes:
--- | --- | ---
MUDBOX_USER_DOCUMENTS_PATH | Windows (32 and 64 bit) | This environment variable overrides the default directory path specified for Mudbox (Windows only) to address a limitation where directory paths containing double-byte characters (such as found in Japanese, Korean, Chinese languages) cannot be read or written to for user settings and preferences. When this variable is set, user settings and preferences are stored in a sub-directory of the specified path(s). Users data files are also stored by default to a sub-directory of this path, but this path can be modified using the window that appears when Mudbox is first launched. This environment variable must be: Set to an absolute directory path that already exists. Set to a value/path that contains single-byte characters (Latin alphabet) only.
MUDBOX_NO_COMPRESS_TIFF_LZW | All | This environment variable specifies that TIFF image files are exported from Mudbox by default without LZW compression. A value is not required for this environment variable. This provides compatibility for software applications that do not support LZW compression in TIFF image files.
MUDBOX2009_SUBDIVIDE_SMOOTH_UV | All | This environment variable alters how the Smooth UVs property works when subdividing a model. When this environment variable is set, the Smooth UVs property works as it did in Mudbox 2009. That is, the entire UV shell, including its UV borders, are smoothed when subdividing a model whenever the Smooth UVs property is turned on. If this environment variable is not set, the default Mudbox 2010 UV smoothing behavior occurs. That is, smoothing only occurs for the interior UVs in a UV shell, leaving the UV shell border edges unsmoothed. Which UV smoothing method you choose to use is entirely dependent on your individual rendering pipeline requirements and render application used. For more information on the Smooth UVs property, see Mesh menu.