Chaos Cosmos not opening after clicking Cosmos icon in Corona toolbar - 3ds Max

If you're getting errors when trying to open Chaos Cosmos from the Corona toolbar, seeing messages like "Cosmos service is not running", or clicking on it does nothing at all, try these solutions one by one:

 

Solution 1: Restart the Cosmos Service

This is the quickest fix and often solves the problem: 

  1. Click your Windows Start button
  2. Type "Stop Chaos Cosmos Browser" and click it

    StopCosmosBrowser.png
  3. Type "Start Chaos Cosmos Browser" and click it

    StartCosmosBrowser.png
  4. Go back to 3ds Max and try clicking the Cosmos icon again

 

Solution 2: Check if Cosmos Works in Browser

Before continuing, let's check if Cosmos is running properly:

  1. Open your web browser

    CosmosBrowser.png
  2. Go to: http://localhost:30305
  3. If Cosmos opens in the browser, the service is working - the problem is just with the 3ds Max integration
  4. If it doesn't open, continue with the solutions below

 

Solution 3: Clean Reinstall Cosmos

If restarting didn't work, try a fresh installation.

Step 1: Uninstall Cosmos

  • Go to Windows Settings > Apps
  • Find Chaos Cosmos and click Uninstall

Step 2: Delete leftover folders

Delete these folders if they exist:

  • C:\Program Files\Common Files\Chaos\Cosmos
  • C:\Program Files\Common Files\ChaosGroup\ChaosCosmos
  • C:\Program Files\Chaos\Cosmos
  • C:\Program Files\Chaos Group\Chaos Cosmos
  • C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Local\Chaos\Cosmos

Note: Replace [YourUsername] with your actual Windows username

Step 3: Download and install Cosmos

 

Solution 4: Delete Database Files

If Cosmos still won't open, there might be corrupted database files.

  1. Stop the Cosmos service (see Solution 1)
  2. Go to: C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Local\Chaos\Cosmos\DB
  3. Delete all files that end with .cpkg
  4. Also delete cpkg.db and cpkg.meta files if you see them
  5. Start the Cosmos service again
  6. Open 3ds Max and try the Cosmos icon

 

Solution 5: Cosmos Window Hidden Off-Screen

Sometimes Cosmos opens but the window is outside your monitor area. This can happen, for example, if you previously used multiple monitors.

  1. Right-click on your desktop and choose Display settings
  2. Turn OFF these two options:
    • "Remember window locations based on monitor connection"
    • "Minimize windows when a monitor is disconnected"

      Cosmos-troubleshooting.png
  3. Change your screen resolution to something different (you can change it back later)
  4. Close 3ds Max completely
  5. Reopen 3ds Max and click the Cosmos icon
  6. If it still doesn't appear, repeat steps 3-5 with a different resolution

Important: You must close and reopen 3ds Max after changing the resolution for this to work.

 

Solution 6: Cosmos Configuration File Corrupted

In some cases, the Cosmos configuration file can become corrupted, causing the Cosmos window to open off-screen or become invisible. The following steps should resolve this issue:

  1. Close 3ds Max
  2. Go to C:\Users\_your_username_\AppData\Local\CoronaRenderer\QCefViewData\
  3. Rename the file QCefViewBrowserSettings.conf to QCefViewBrowserSettings.conf.BCK - this results in the file being ignored by Cosmos, which triggers the creation of a new file. Another option is simply deleting this file, however in that case it may not be possible to recover it. 
  4. Start 3ds Max 
  5. Check if Cosmos works

 

Workaround: Use Cosmos from Browser

If none of these solutions work but Cosmos opens in your browser (http://localhost:30305), you can use it directly from there as a temporary workaround:

  1. Open Cosmos in your browser
  2. Browse and download the assets you need

However, please also contact Corona support so we can help you further:

  1. Take a screenshot of any error messages
  2. Note your 3ds Max and Corona versions
  3. Collect and share these logs:

    C:\Program Files\Common Files\ChaosGroup\ChaosCosmos\cb.log

    C:\Program Files\Common Files\ChaosGroup\ChaosCosmos\config.json

  4. Contact Chaos support with this information

Remember to restart your computer after trying these fixes - sometimes a simple reboot can solve the problem!

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