OCIO vs Gamma Correction in 3ds Max (2026 Update)

The way we perceive the world isn’t quite true to its reality. And that’s a fact that doesn’t even take into account any of the philosophical hypotheses on the matter. What we mean is in terms of light, shadows, colors, and all the adjustments our brains make for practical purposes so we can make sense of what we see.

It’s quite the same in creative software — different approaches, techniques, and mathematics are used in various applications for different purposes. And all these differences are what makes it so hard to combine creations made in diverse software solutions into one place and have them all look consistent.

That’s why today, we’ll talk about Color space and how Gamma and OpenColorIO (OCIO) workflows assist artists in achieving the desired consistent look in terms of colors, specifically in 3ds Max.

Gamma Workflow

As we mentioned, we do not see the world as it is. In thousands of years of evolution, our brain has made some adjustments that allow us to see better what’s going on in the lights and shadows and prevent us from feeling overwhelmed by what we have in front of us. We call our way of seeing things “non-linear.”

Cameras, on the other hand, perceive light in a linear manner — they record things as they are. The recorded images have to be Gamma Encoded. It’s a way to store tones more efficiently because fewer bits are required to describe a given tonal range. Without this encoding, more bits would go to the brighter tones, as the camera is more sensitive to them, and notably less would be for the darker tones — it’s what makes this distribution more or less even.

In order to see digital images the same way as we see the world, we need Gamma Correction. That is the adjustment of the image luminance, so it can compensate for the non-linear way we perceive light and color and avoid having images that appear too bright or dark. It’s also necessary to maintain consistency.

Image by CambridgeInColors

Encoding is obviously beneficial, but it also adds complexity to the process of recording and displaying images. Namely, when you have Gamma Encoding, you need Gamma Correction to display the image. Monitors and video cards automatically do that.

To wrap up a bit — Image Gamma is applied by your camera or RAW development software when the captured image is converted into a standard JPEG or TIFF file. Then you have Display Gamma, which is the correction your monitor or video card makes to compensate for the Gamma encoding. And finally, the System Gamma is the result of the former two.

Color Management

Color management is а practice that ensures consistent colors across various devices, such as monitors, printers, and cameras. One method to do so is by using color profiles — standardized descriptions of how colors should be displayed or reproduced, as well as information about the Gamma Encoding.

That’s required because all devices have different color capabilities and characteristics. The same image, for example, would appear differently if seen in a web browser or when opened in creative software. The same goes for all devices and physical media.

Some image formats, like TIFF, JPEG, PNG, SVG, and others, may contain embedded color profiles, while other file formats (RAW) don’t have this information by definition.

Gif by Pat Herold

Another essential consideration is the color gamut — the range of colors that a device can record or produce — of the input sources in a CG production pipeline. Academy Color Encoding System (ACES) is a system that standardizes such diverse input.

With technological developments, we now have cameras that record a much bigger range of colors, which requires the input-pipeline-output process to fit the new standards. The ACEScg color gamut is much bigger than sRGB, therefore providing notably more colors to the benefit of 3d artists, making it the color space of choice in the industry, as it’s linearly encoded and works well with different renderers.

Until recently all workflows were dependent on the sRGB color gamut, including the linear workflow. That’s why color management solutions like OCIO were developed. However, now, with the input devices that can record in a much bigger color range, a wider support for said colors is needed so they can be reproduced and displayed accurately.

What all that has to do with 3ds Max?

Until 3ds Max 2024, the only option for color management was to set Display Gamma value or have it unmanaged. With the release of 3ds Max 2024, Autodesk introduced a new option — OpenColorIO (OCIO), and it became the default setting in Max 2025.

OCIO comes with more options and makes more complex color workflows possible by giving you Input, Output, and Display color profiles to manage on a filetype level.

OCIO is an open-source color management solution providing consistent color space across different applications and devices. It’s mainly tailored to the visual effects and animation industries, but it also finds numerous applications in the CG field.

OCIO allows artists to define a color space pipeline to convert images between different color spaces easily. Creative studios can use it to standardize their color management practices across all projects and teams to ensure consistency in color representation. It’s designed to work across different platforms and applications, including 3d software like Autodesk Maya and 3ds Max, image processing tools like Adobe Photoshop, and much more.

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OCIO operates based on a configuration file, typically named “config.ocio,” which defines the entire color management pipeline. This file includes information about various color spaces, roles, and the transformations needed to convert between these color spaces.

Going back to the ACEScg color space and the fact that most monitors, even the nice ones, can’t accurately display such a vast color gamut. Therefore, you’ll need to have the image converted from the ACEScg color space it’s been rendered in to a space that your monitor can work with. OCIO optimizes this process and saves you the trouble of figuring out all the complications on your own.

It does color adjustment based on the file type used, which significantly impacts the results.

What’s New In The 3ds Max 2027 Color Management?

While the shift to OCIO in version 2025 was the “revolution,” the 3ds Max 2027 update focuses on refining the user experience and removing the technical friction points that made color matching a chore in previous versions.

If you’ve ever struggled to pick a color from your viewport only for it to look washed out when rendered, you’ll certainly enjoy this update:

• The New Eyedropper Flyout: In the Color Selector dialog, you can now click and hold the eyedropper icon to reveal a new menu.
• Sample Scene Color: This allows you to pick the raw, underlying scene-linear values directly from your viewport or the Rendered Frame Window (VFB). It bypasses the display transform (sRGB/ACES), ensuring the color you pick is mathematically accurate for your rendering space.
• Sample Display Color: This remains available for when you specifically want to capture the color exactly as your monitor displays it.

What’s more, 3ds Max 2027 has updated its core color engine to the latest OpenColorIO v2.5.1 library. While this is an “under-the-hood” change, it provides:

• Improved Performance: Faster color space conversions and lookups, especially in heavy scenes.
• Better Compatibility: Ensures that your .ocio configs and textures behave exactly the same way across 3ds Max, Maya, Nuke, and other modern VFX tools using the same OCIO standard.

You’ll also notice cleaner viewport visuals for color accuracy. To help artists make better color decisions, Autodesk has overhauled the viewport display environment:

• Solid Backgrounds by Default: The legacy gradient background which often skewed how we perceived colors and contrast has been replaced with a solid color background.
• Customizable Grid and Axes: You can now customize grid line colors and axis visibility more easily, reducing visual clutter so you can focus on your asset’s actual surface colors.

Video by CG Channel

And finally, the Autodesk Assistant, AI-powered help tool built directly into 3ds Max 2027, provides you with contextual answers and documentation links regarding your color management settings without you having to leave the software.

Wrap Up

As 3ds Max continues to evolve, especially with the refinements introduced in recent updates, artists are now better equipped than ever to make accurate color decisions without the guesswork that once slowed production.

And when combined with tools like our digital asset management solution, Connecter Suite, the experience becomes even more streamlined — thanks to its advanced integration with 3ds Max, users can manage, preview, and organize assets with full awareness of their color context, ensuring consistency from asset library to final render.

If you’re looking for a way to take control of your digital assets, our DAM might be a good fit for your needs. Contact our support team to find out more about its organizational and collaboration features.

Disclaimer: Some of the images in the article are generated by Midjourney.