help a max sdk noob, please

#1

Hi all,
I am an absolute noob to c++ and the sdk world. I have written a lot of maxscripts,
though. I am on Max9, and I have installed VS express edition and the platform SDK.
My limited knowledge tells me that express ed is not suited for writing plugins for Max,
because it doesn’t support any UI stuff … am I right?

 Assuming that is true, then will I still be able of create .dlx files, since you don't need 
 any UI here. And this is what i am actually more intersted in. I'll be quite satisfied if 
 I could write a c++ code that would expose a new function in maxscript, .... maybe a
function that adds a couple of integers will do me good for a start, just need to 
 figure out how the hell do I bring it into Max.
 
 I went on a mission to compile my first .dlx plugin ...  IntervalArray from the howto
 examples, but got stuck immediately, and am not able to figure out what's going wrong.
 
 These are the errors that I get:sad:, and ther are 16 of them :eek: : 
 
 \maxsdk\include\winutil.h(161) : error C2061: syntax error : identifier 'HIMAGELIST'      and
 \maxsdk\include\custcont.h(448) : error C2061: syntax error : identifier 'HIMAGELIST'
 
 Could any of the gurus out there please, please enlighten me how I could get rid of them.
 suggestions for a noob other than this particular topic are also very welcome .
 
 Thanks for reading
 shibu
#2

when I click go to location on the error, this is what comes up :

CoreExport LoadMAXIconErrors LoadMAXIcon(HINSTANCE hInstance, LPCTSTR resID, LPCTSTR resMaskID, COLORREF bkColor, HIMAGELIST imageList, int imageIndex, int preMultAlpha=TRUE);

CoreExport int LoadMAXIconFromBMI(LPBITMAPINFOHEADER biImage, LPBITMAPINFOHEADER biMask, COLORREF bkColor, TCHAR* pFilePrefix, int preMultAlpha=TRUE, HIMAGELIST* pImageList=NULL);
CoreExport BITMAPINFOHEADER *LoadBitmapFromFile(TCHAR *filename);

CoreExport void DrawMAXIcon(HDC hDC, Rect &r, HIMAGELIST hList32, HIMAGELIST hList16, int index);

all greek to me :scream:

#3

ok, if that looks Greek to you, then I suggest you learn C++. Don’t bite off more than you can chew, especially if you are “absolute noob to c++”. C++ is not an easy language that you can learn in a week. If you are serious about learning it, then get a good starters book, like C++ Primer (latest edition), or start with an OK free book: Thinking in C++ (start with the first volume).
Accelerated C++ is also a great choice.

Learning a complex, and rather messy SDK like Max’s, is not something a beginner should tackle.

#4

Hi Scorpion,
Thank you for the suggestions.
I am already reading “Object Oriented Programming in C++” by Nicolai Josuttis,
would it be better if I shift to thinking or primer or accelerated? are these books on par or are they bettr?

Could you also help me with my other questions, please?

  1. … is it possible to compile a maxscript .dlx using the VS express edition and
  2. … A slight clue whether the errors that I’ve shown in my first post are due
    to the express edition or not.

Thanks again
shibu

#5

The express edition of MSVC 2005 is just as good as the pro version in terms of the compiler itself. The main things its lacks are certain IDE features like visual RC editing (designing a UI), not very important. Note, you can still write RC’s by hand, or not use them at all, use wxWidgets or something instead.

Those errors are not caused by a lacking compiler.
So to answer your question, it is possible to compile all plugins for max using MSVC 2005 express. I have done it a number of times.

Please also post the first few error messages you get. They are most important.

PS. I’m not familiar with the book you mentioned, but my guess is its not an introductory text, so you’re better off starting with one of the ones I’ve mentioned. (If you are a complete n00b).

#6

Hi Scorpion,
glad to know that the express ed will do and I’m on to the links you provided.
I’ll post the complete errors, once I reach home.
noob, yes i am, just been thro some of ‘hello world’ kind of applications till now,
and i’ve been reading thro the advantages of oop.

thanks
shibu

#7

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