I imported this model into 3ds max. applying edit poly modifiers breaks the smoothing groups in it. How do I preserve smoothing group while applying the modifiers.
If you switch to max 2021 or newer, explicit normals will be preserved. If you prefer smoothing groups over explicit normals (for example if you plan on modifying the mesh and want more freedom), check "Smoothing groups" when importing the fbx - this will try to convert explicit normals to SGs.
it's one of the reasons I prefer Blender. You can edit something with explicit normal's and it's only breaks them in faces adjacent to your edited area . Plus you could have the data transfer modifier that fixes it on the fly. While in MAx you need expensive Ornatix to do so. I once wasted a weekend trying to do normal…