maxscript for artists - distinctive-imaging · maxscript is a built in scripting language for 3ds...

{ MAXScript For Artists

Anton Vasilescu http://75ive.com

MAXScript is a built in scripting language for 3DS Max which helps with automating tasks. It allows you to perform and automate almost all the tasks which are performed by the 3DS Max user interface.

What is MAXScript?

ANTON VASILESCU http://75ive.com

.ms – which can be run and will execute directly from the MAXScript editor or through the “Run Script” command .mcr – or MacroScripts are associated with user interface elements and acts as a wrapper for a regular .ms file. * To edit a .mcr file which is added to your interface, just right click on it’s icon

Types of scripts


MAXScript menu/Run Script

Utilities panel/MAXScript button

How to run a MAXScript


You can open it one of the following ways: 1. From the MAXScript menu/MAXScript Listener

2. Right click on the mini listener on the bottom left corner of the UI and choose Open Listener Window

1. Press the F11 key

MAXScript Listener


Open the Viewport Configuration panel, choose your layout then click on the desired panel and click on Extended/MAXScript Listener option in the newly opened menu

Listener as custom viewport


YOUR BEST FRIEND! How to use it:

Contents – displays all the topics in an ordered fashion. Great to use when you start to familiarize yourself with the document and it’s structure

Index – displays all the commands in alphabetical order and it’s the easiest to find what you are looking for with

Search – use it when you don’t know the command’s name. The results are quite overwhelming and it’s quite hard to pinpoint what you need

Favorites – use it as much as you can to save the topics you feel like you need most

MAXScript Help


How to define a variable:

Variable types: Boolean → true / false Number (integer & float) → 1, 1.0 String→ “this is a string” Time → 2.5s, 1m15s, 18.25f, 4800t, 0.5n Pathname → $box01, $torso/left_arm, $*box* 2d and 3d point → [1,2], [1,2,3] Array → #(1,2,3), #(1, “foo”, #(1.2, 3), [1,2,3])

Variables


Local Variables - Local variables can only exist within a block. For this reason, they must be created in a block. If you try to define a local variable from the top level of MAXScript, you will receive an error message.

Global Variables - when a variable is global, it means that the variable can be used anywhere in the program.

Persistent Global Variables - You declare a particular global to be persistent and the value it contains is always saved to and restored from scene files as they are opened and closed. Therefore, you can keep direct references to objects in the scene in variables and those references will persist across scene save and reload.

Variable Types


Variable scope is one of the most important things and best grasped in the beginning! You could imagine the scopes as an onion with nested "layers". When a local variable is created at a certain level, it is visible only at this level and all scopes nested inside of it. * Best practice is to always have your script enclosed in a pair of parentheses

Variable Scope


ObjectSets represent the main scene object categories in 3ds Max

selection objects geometry lights cameras helpers shapes systems spacewarps

Object Sets


All objects with similar properties are part of similar a class. For example all spheres are part of the Spehre class. All omni lights are part of the Omnilight class. SuperClasses more generic classes from which each individual object class is derived. For example all geometry objects are part of GeometryClass. To query the objects about their class you would use the following functions:

classOf superClassOf isKindOf

Classes & Superclasses


Comparison Expressions == ← equal != ← not equal > ← greater than < ← less than >= ← greater than or equal <= ← less than or equal

If/Do (not recommended!), If/Then, If/Then/Else

CaseOf

Conditionals


Logical Expressions or and not

The loops are used to iterate through a range of numbers, time values, or a sequenced collection of values, such as an array or object set. For … Do/Collect

For … Where … Do/Collect

While/Do

Loops


One liner scripts


Disable Vray Dsplacement


Colorful Teapots


Geometry from Spline


http://75ive.com/tutorials/ http://Scriptspot.com http://forums.cgsociety.org/forumdisplay.php?f=98 Google MAXScript!

Additional Resources


http://75ive.com/tutorials/

http://scriptspot.com/

http://forums.cgsociety.org/forumdisplay.php?f=98

maxscript for artists - distinctive-imaging · maxscript is a built in scripting language for 3ds...

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