What's New in MAXScript

MAXScript has been greatly expanded in 3ds max 4 so that almost all actions in the software are now scriptable. Much of this exposure is due to Function Publishing and interfaces. Additionally, the exposure is an automatic result of more plug-ins moving from ParamBlocks to ParamBlock2s. The remaining exposure used the MAXScript SDK to expose functions to MAXScript.

Note: ParamBlock2s make it possible for plug-ins to host all of their user visible parameters in one or more parameter blocks, including complex parameters such as ReferenceTargets, Sub-Anims, dynamic parameter tables (Tabs<>), and class parameters. The parameter blocks handle old-version loading and reference management automatic. They augment the Parameter Map mechanism to provide automatic UI for the new parameter types including common MAX controls such as node pickers, texmap selectors, etc. as well as listboxes for tabular parameters and, further, to automate the construction of ParamMaps and ParamDlgs in common situations. Additionally, ParamBlock2's provide a system that describes all the parameter blocks and parameters of a plug-in along with a metadata 'reflection' API so that systems like the MAXScript, the Macro Recorder, Schematic View, and custom exporters can access plug-in data automatically. This metadata includes version and position-independent parameter IDs and both localized and fixed machine-parsable names for all classes and parameters. This helps to address version compatibility and scripter / exporter localization issues.

For design details, see the SDK help file topic, "Parameter Blocks and Maps in Release 3."

Note: The MAXScript SDK is a set of Visual C++ headers and import libraries that C++ programmers can use to extend MAXScript. These extensions can be in the form of new built-in functions, new system globals or descriptors for new MAX plug-in class properties. This is useful for 3rd-party plug-in developers to write custom scripting interfaces for their plug-ins, and for programmers to do custom C++ performance code and drive it with scripts for hybrid tools.

The scripter SDK allows extensions to be added either incrementally through a MAXScript-specific DLL file type that is loaded by MAXScript or by runtime calls directly to MAXScript from within an existing plug-in.

For design details, see the SDK help file topic, "MAXScript SDK."

Note: The areas in this documentation exposed by Function Publishing will document the interface information provided by the "showInterfaces" function, in three sections: Properties, Methods, and Actions. In the Properties section, each property exposed by the interface is listed along with its data type or enumeration values and whether the property can be read and written to. In the Methods section, each method is listed along with its return type and its argument list. The value type for each argument is shown. If the return type is shown as <void>, the method returns a value of 'ok'. Methods that are used by Actions are commented as such. These methods typically require that the object be selected and active in the appropriate command panel. In the Actions section, each Action is listed along with its category and action description as shown in the Customize User Interface dialog, and the shortcut keys, if any, assigned to the Action.