Max Script

[MFreywald]

Maxscript really isn't something you 'set-out' to learn. At least not in the way of say learning C++. It's usually learnt by needing to do something specific and you kind of go from there. It's really recommended you already have some background with programming cause if you don't it'll prob just frustrate you that much more. But usually people just go through the online refrerence and dissect other peoples scripts to get a basic understanding of writing in Maxscript.

[Aaron Moore]

The online manual has a pretty good step by step explnation of how to get going with it...

First follow that.

Do you know any programming?

[Joel Hooks]

I don't know any programming. Well, I took Pascal 12 years ago in High School, but that doesn't count I don't think.

I am going through the Maxscript reference, specificaly the "learning maxscript" section. This is giving me enough knowledge of the syntax to go through peoples scripts line by line and see what's happening.

I also found the old )out of print) maxscript book on amazon for $12.95. I don't even know if it is still relevant. I hope so.

[3dfArtist]

Thanx MFreywald, Aaron and lowdown,

I think I am somewhat getting what you are trying to say.......

Hmmmmm....

Thanx again.

[TOMMY 3D FREAK]

I think the best way to learn MAX-script is by first simply trying to automate simple actions in max with the command-line. Let's say you've placed 10 boxes randomly in 3d space, and say you wanted to change the height. Important now is to wonder if this process can be automated, if it is worth automating, and what you will gain by automating this process.

If you had 2 boxes it would not be recommendable to script his, but if you had like 6 boxes, it would get interesting, because it would save you a vast amount of clicks.

I wont dare to say that I'm extremely good at max, but I do know some nice cheats and tricks to speed up your workflow, and automate otherwise time-consuming actions... What I would like to know is where you want to use maxscript for?

By the way, here's my advice: maxscript is not something you will learn in a day or two, it is a graduate process. Try to constantly wonder yourself if you could script something to make your life easier in max. And then force yourself to script it, no matter the blood, sweat and tears involved. This way you will learn it.

P.S. I have some nice scripted plugins, if you want to I could send 'm to yall!!!

Hope you find my advice usefull!

greets thomas

[bkroll]

I agree with all the comments about MAXscript, it takes time to get used to it.

I've been using it for over a year and still learn something new everytime I attempt to use it.

I didn't learn from following tutorials but from having an idea and trying to see if I could use MAXscript to achieve it.

I work on a sign language project and my goal was to create a script that could automatically rig/skin different arm meshes with different proportions, so it would be easy to use different models to sign words/sentences.

After about 25 pages of script, it is near completion but it took a lot of time and patience.

But once you grasp MAXscript, you'll be amazed what you can do with it!

[3dfArtist]

Tommy and Bkroll,

thanx for the advise.

[Chaosphere]

Any other sites for scripting :shrug:

[tonygib]

On the topic of maxscript, not that I really have a clue what I am doing either, but I have noticed when opening some other ppl's max files that a message box, etc will pop-up with info and the like. Now I assume this is a maxscript and I went looking in the help and found out about scene embeded scripts and some Callback thing that can triger a script after a file has just been loaded.

But do you think I could find a bloody thing in the help file that shows you how to do it. So to those in the know, where in a max scene file do you add the maxscript and how do you use this Callback thing to make it all work.

Thanks


PS. www.scriptspot.com has a link to a few tuts on maxscripting.

[LFShade]

I feel your pain, as this is nearly impossible to find in the documents (I'm actually not even sure it's there). If you open up the customize UI dialog, you'll find a category called "Pop Up Note." Everything you need to add, edit, and show popup notes is in there. Saves you the trouble of having to learn about callbacks and persistence :)

[tonygib]

ahh, ok thanks for that LFShade, I will check that out.
Though I would still like to know how to do a full Maxscript Callback. What I am think of is when I have a compelete characer done, I would make a full Maxscript Animation Character UI, so it would be cool to have it so that when you open the max scene, the UI pops up automatically, maybe even putting max into expert mode, etc. In effect having an animation interface like what you see in those "making" specials for movies.

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