How do you protect a script if you want to sell it?

[doctorx256]

You must export your script as an .mse instead of .ms ( see encryptScript in the maxscript help file of max for more info ) which is an encrypted form of maxscript with autodesk's inhouse encryption applied on it ( although i wouldn't like to comment on the strength of the encryption method ). Then you should check again the manual for the function hardwareLockID which gives you the max hardware lock identity in interger so you can lock the script based on the id of each max. the best thing ever happend to maxscript is the detailed manual it has. do you think we should we thank bobo for this ?

[Bobo]

do you think we should we thank bobo for this ?

Nope, because the majority of the core features (like this one) were originally documented in Max 2 by John Wainwright (the author of MAXScript whom we should ALL thank), then in Max 3 by Larry Minton (the developer of MAXScript since Max 5 whom we should also thank). In Max 4, Mason Foster continued their work until it was my turn.

So you see, I am standing on the shoulders of giants ;)

[PEN]

So you see, I am standing on the shoulders of giants ;)

You look very big way up there Bobo:) And you deserve the recognition, like what you got at Siggraph this year for all the work that you do for the community. Thanks

[reForm]

Hah, good to see this thread turn into a Bobo appreciation society! I can't thank him enough for all the help I've received in the past.

Thanks for the tips guys, that should be enough to get me started.

[rdg]

Hah, good to see this thread turn into a Bobo appreciation society! I can't thank him enough for all the help I've received in the past.

Thanks for the tips guys, that should be enough to get me started.

So do I.

Georg

[Zbuffer]

Me tooo ;)

Bobo, you are an incredible hedper, light, for all of us Maxscripters ;)
Thx

[reForm]

Just when you thought a thread was dead...

I've tried the example scripts in the maxscript helpfile, but if I encrypt the unluck script, it doesnt work.
I found another thread that describes the same problem http://discussion.autodesk.com/thread.jspa?threadID=518877
No-one posted a solution to the problem.
Bobo, is there any workaround to this problem. Also, I'm interested to understand why the unlock script doesnt work when its encrypted.

I assume this is the most straightforward way to setup some form of licensing for a script. If there is another approach that I should look at, I'm all ears.

Cheers.
p.

[Bobo]

Well, it might just be broken... I have not used encryption for almost 10 years.
I would not trust the MAXScript encryption for commercial purposes. When I was using it back in R2 days, it was mostly because I was ashamed of my spaghetti code and did not want people to see how ugly it was ;)

This might not be an option for you, but we at Frantic Films usually develop hybrid systems where a large part of the code (like GUI and management) is a MAXScript (not even encrypted), but the strategical parts that do the actual work are inside a real Plug-in, which on itself is protected with FlexLM (and it is expensive). We allow people to see or rewrite the GUI layer if they want, but they cannot see the important code that does the main work and the protection. This gives us the higher security and and speed of a real plugin combined with the amazing flexibility and development speed of MAXScript as a GUI creation tool.

It is my belief that the scripts market is a niche market and you cannot expect to get rich by writing commercial scripts. My strategy has always been to write free scripts for the masses and get enough exposure to get hired to write custom solutions for single companies tailored to their workflow which nobody else would use. The price for such a solution can easily exceed all the money you could make from a script sold to a larger user base where you would have to keep the price low. (That's why SGI preferred to do military contracts instead of PC mass-production ;))

Last but not least, you could release your scripts for free and then allow users to send you a donation via PayPal, hoping that there are still good souls left out there that would honour such a proposal.

[reForm]

Thanks for the suggestions Bobo, although it leads me to think that your third option is the only one open to me. As it happens I've already received a small donation, enough for a couple of pints, from the scripts I've released... so it seems people out there do show their apppreciation with some greenbacks.

I was hoping that if I managed to get the scripts working smooth enough, they would be beneficial enough to a large userbase to warrant some form of smalll fee. I dont think my scripting skills are or ever will be good enough to earn me scripting work from studios, but I do think the scripts I have come up with are highly useful tools in any 3ds-max user's toolset, and in particular for the arch-vis sector.

Well, it looks like for the time being I'll keep the scripts open, and rely on peoples' honesty for my reward :)

For those interested, the scripts I'm working on are:-

Material Lister : Based on the light lister, but instead allows you to view your scene materials in a spreadsheet format. It means you can easily and quickly check/change parameters of all the scene materials.


One-Click-Curtainwall : Builds a curtainwall from a user supplied mesh; glass, silicon, and mullions/frames are built as seperate reference objects allowing users to adjust window shapes in realtime without rerunning the script. The glazing divisions are defined by the mesh topology.

PM me for the latest version.

[JohnSwafford]

Before you dismiss the idea of an encrypted commercial script, you should take a look at a couple of successful examples:

www.orionflame.com (http://www.orionflame.com)
Orionflame is the advanced modelling toolset created by Yunus Emre "Light" Balcıoğlu. Very much a specialty market, as only high-end modellers work at the level needed for this script to really shine. This script is in .mse encrypted files.

www.rpmanager.com (http://www.rpmanager.com)
RPManager is a high-end tool created by Grant Adam for automating the setup of render passes in a high-end multipass production workflow. I haven't downloaded or installed this script, but it requires activation so you can be sure it's encrypted.


I'm currently working on my own commercial script for a beta release in a few months, and it'll definitely be encrypted. I'd recommend that you also look at potential e-commerce providers to get an idea of whats involved with setting this up. Below are two of the biggest and possibly the best for outsourcing your sales:

www.shareit.com (http://www.shareit.com)
www.digitalriver.com (http://www.digitalriver.com)

[reForm]

Hi John,
Thanks for your suggestions, I shall investigate further!

[PEN]

I have encryped scripts that I have sent to clients on several ocasions without a problem. I have done this because I didn't want them to have the source an I have also set up ones with time outs and keyed to the version of Max. I never had any issues with them that were because of encryption. If I remember the only issues that I could were when I was trying to include an encrypted script.

[Bobo]

Before you dismiss the idea of an encrypted commercial script, you should take a look at a couple of successful examples...


Yes, Orionflame and Polyboost are very popular packages, but rather the exception - the features they provide amount to hundreds of regular scripts.

Also, RPmanager is sort of a hybrid system, as it comes with two DLX extensions, a custom material plugin, a custom effect plugin and a custom object plugin. So it is more along the lines of what I was describing as the Frantic way of doing things, except that the PRM scripts are encrypted, too.

[JohnSwafford]

Yes, Orionflame and Polyboost are very popular packages, but rather the exception....

Very true. Far more commercial scripts fizzle than succeed.


Patrick, you shouldn't kid yourself about the size of your potential market, and you should be as realistic as you can about what price point will get you in your customer's door. However, it does seem that you have some of the same advantages I do:

1) Whether you succeed or fail, the script isn't going to be your only source of income. You can accept a profitable outcome, a slightly profitable outcome or a bust. You don't have anything riding on the endeavor, because you've already done most/all of the development.

2) You deeply understand your potential customers, since you do exactly what they do.

3) Your scripting skills are only a part of your value as a script developer. Your expertise in the workflow/specialty that your script actually addresses is equal in importance, and your scripting abilities simply need to be adequate to effectively serve the idea you're working on.

4) You can price your script as aggressively as you want, since any income from your point of view is a plus. Don't assume that a cheap script means $50...with the plethora of e-commerce providers today, you can sell single or multipack licenses that come to $5/10/20 per seat. The fee structures with many of them are so low that their commissions amount to $3-$5 for a $30 sale. If you discount heavily for multipack licenses, you can make it easier for an arch/vis shop to simply buy it for all of their workstations.


I forgot to mention an important aspect regarding OrionFlame and RPManager. Those are not just examples of successful scripts, they are also excellent examples of customer-centric web site design. There isn't anything on either site that does not directly address their potential customer's questions and level of expertise. No marketing bull$#!t and no noob-friendly oversimplifications of what the script does, so your actual target market knows immediately that they are in the right place. It also lets potentially dissatisfied customers, such as noobs or non-arch/vis types, know that they're in the wrong place. If you do choose to go the commercial route, you'll definitely want to follow those examples.

You've probably done this already, but you'll want to do some serious research at www.scriptspot.com (http://www.scriptspot.com/), any Max/arch/vis forums you can find and on the web in general to find out if there are any scripts similar to what you are doing, and how similar or effective they are in relation to yours. You don't want to put a bunch of additional time into your script and then find a nasty surprise later. Good luck.

[U.S.S. Speed]

I found the solution is a much older thread...

Basicly, encryptScript cannot encrypt MacroScript.

So any macroscript line will return error on the execution.

Solution? Split your macro in 2.

The first would be .mcr with :

macroScript LS_WaterMark category:"LightStriker" buttonText:"Watermark" toolTip:"Watermark"
(
on execute do
(
fileIn "LS_Watermark.mse"
)
)


And the .ms, later turned into a .mse would have all the script part.

Worked fine for me. :)

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