What was New in MAXScript in 3ds Max 5
The following pages will give you a quick overview of the MAXScript language changes and improvements in 3ds Max 5. For details on each feature, please follow the links to the respective documentation pages.
Modifiers
Edit_Normals modifier provides control over face and vertex normals for realtime display.
Support for the new features of the modifier has been added.
Access to the Morpher Modifier channels has been added.
The MultiRes modifier MAXScript access has been updated in 3ds Max 5.
New properties have been added to the Skin modifier class in MAXScript to provide access to the new features in 3ds Max 5 like Weight Table, BackTransform vertices etc.
The Spline_IK_Control adds Helpers to any spline for control over the vertex animation.
The new Subdivide Modifier allows for mesh refinements to enhance radiosity processing.
The new Symmetry modifier allows modeling on one half of an object while procedurally mirroring and welding the other half.
The Unwrap_UVW modifier has been greatly enhanced. A new unwrap2 Interface provides access to the new features of the Unwrap_UVW modifier.
Editable Poly
Access to most properties of the enhanced Editable_poly has been added.
This interface provides access to the new Editable Poly functions.
Advanced Lights and Shadows
The Free Area light is a Photometric light simulating lighting from a larger area source with two possible types of distribution. It is aimed using transforms.
The Free Linear light is a Photometric light simulating lighting from long sources and supporting two types of distribution. It is aimed using transforms.
The Free Point light is a Photometric light with 3 distribution types. It is aimed using transforms.
The Target Area light is a Photometric light simulating lighting from a larger area. It is aimed at its target.
The Target Linear light is a Photometric light simulating lighting from long sources and supporting two types of distribution. It is aimed at its target.
The target Point light is a Photometric light with 3 distribution types. It is aimed at its target.
The IES_Sky light is a Photometric light simulating outdoor skylight.
The FreeIesSun light is a Photometric light simulating sunlight.
The Daylight system combines an IES_Sun and IES_Sky light to a single system controlled by a Daylight controller.
The Skylight light can be used to simulate skylight illumination.
The Adv__Ray_Traced Shadows generator provides enhanced raytraced shadows for complex scenes.
The Area Shadows generator generates shadows typically cast by area light sources.
A new property .twoSidedShadows has been added to all shadow generators:
Advanced Lighting (Radiosity)
The RadiosityEffect used by Autodesk VIZ has been added to 3ds Max 5.
Light Tracer is a Global Illumination RadiosityEffect solver.
This Core interface provides access to the Lighting Units settings.
New Radiosity Preferences interface provides access to the Customize>Preferences>Adv.Lighting tab settings
New Node Interface gives access to object-specific Advanced Lighting preferences.
Materials and Shading
Advanced_Lighting_Override_Material
A material class to control the Material’s Physical Properties when used in conjunction with Advanced Lighting.
Provides access to the InkNPaint Cartoon Shading material.
A material class used mainly by the Lightscape importer to control the radiosity mapping of materials imported from Lightscape solutions.
Some additional Raytrace Material properties have been exposed.
Provides a top-level material for the Render To Texture utility with the ability to control separate materials for viewport and rendering.
A new Translucent shader has been added to the Standard Material.
Hardware Shaders
Reference target for rendering cubic reflection maps in the viewports using D3D hardware shading. Unsupported sample.
Reference target for displaying the Render To Texture lighting map in the viewports using D3D hardware shading.
Direct3D Membrane shader for viewport display. Unsupported sample.
Reference target for rendering Metal Bump maps in the viewports using D3D hardware shading. Unsupported sample.
Renderer
The Default_Scanline_Renderer class allows creation of a renderer class instance to be assigned as the Current, Production or Draft Renderer. A new Interface provides access to the Default Scanline Renderer settings.
This new function returns a bitmap value containing the last rendered image.
This new structure gives access to the current, draft and production renderers.
Returns an array of the available renderer classes.
This new structure gives control over the renderer dialog window like opening, closing, updating, canceling etc.
The scanlineRender structure has been enhanced to give access to most settings of the default scanline renderer.
A new global function to set the Render Aperture Width value.
The MAXScript render() method now accepts time values for the frame, fromframe and toframe parameters which allows for sub-frame rendering.
The VUE_File_Renderer class allows creation of class instance to be assigned as the Current, Production or Draft Renderer.
RenderElements
New Ink RenderElement for rendering the InkNPaint Ink component.
New Paint RenderElement for rendering the InkNPaint Paint component.
Render To Texture - BakeElements
8 Bake Elements have been added to 3ds Max 5.
Allows baking of a selection of lighting components.
Allows a lit, or lit & shadowed full material to be baked.
Allows a raw, lit, or lit & shadowed diffuse channel to be baked.
Allows a light map of incoming illumination to be baked with or without shadows.
Allows a light map of incoming illumination to be baked with or without shadows.
Allows a shadow map to be baked.
Allows a raw, lit, or lit & shadowed specular channel to be baked.
Exposure Controls
The Linear Exposure Control samples the rendered image and uses the average brightness of the scene to map physical values to RGB values.
Logarithmic Exposure Control uses brightness, contrast, and whether the scene is outdoors in daylight to map physical values to RGB values. Logarithmic Exposure Control is better for scenes with a very high dynamic range.
Pseudo Color Exposure Control is a lighting analysis tool that provides an intuitive way of visualizing and evaluating the lighting levels in the scene. It maps luminance or illuminance values to pseudo colors that show the brightness of the values being converted
Lightscape Integration
A material class used mainly by the Lightscape importer to control the radiosity mapping of materials imported from Lightscape solutions.
Lightscape_Materials UtilityPlugin
The Lightscape Material utility allows mass-changes of Lightscape Materials, usually of objects imported using the Lightscape Importer.
This SpaceWarp modifier is only visible when a LightscapeMesh object is selected. It provides control over Lightscape Radiosity colors imported using the Lightscape Importer.
This Modifier is only visible when a LightscapeMesh object is selected. It provides control over the meshing of objects imported using the Lightscape Importer.
Layers
LayerManager interface and LayerProperties Interface
The LayerManager Interface provides access to the Layer Manager. The LayerProperties Mixin Interface gives access to a single layer’s properties.
.displayByLayer, .motionByLayer, .renderByLayer
Assemblies
The Assembly Manager Interface lets you put objects together to Assemblies, test and manipulate the Assemblies
IAssembly is a MixinInterface providing access to the assembly’s head and members
The Character helper is used as the head of Character Assemblies
The CharacterAssembly helper provides the controls, UI and icon for the Character Assembly creation.
The Luminaire Helper is not creatable by MAXScript in 3ds Max 5, but can be accessed when loading Autodesk VIZ files.
Controllers and TrackView
New Weight and Average properties have been added to the List Controller for real layered animation capabilities including Pose To Pose interpolation.
New ILookatControl Interface has been added to the LookAt Controller.
TrackView has been rewritten in 3ds Max 5. The Trackviews Core Interface provides new properties and two MixinInterfaces that give access to the advanced features of the Function Curve Editor and its UI.
SplineIKChain : Matrix3Controller
Not creatable by MAXScript, but the SplineIKChain properties are accessible.
This Core Interface provides means to create and manage track selection sets.
Bitmap I/O
Provides a function published interface to allow access to the TIFF file format I/O settings.
Skin Modifier Enhancements
New Skin Properties in 3ds Max 5
New properties have been added to the Skin modifier, incl. access to the Weight Table.
The following new methods have been added to the skinOps structure:
bakeSelectedVerts, buttonWeightTable, Invalidate, isRigidHandle, isRigidVertex, isUnNormalizeVertex, loadEnvelopeAsText, paintOptionsButton, paintWeightsButton, rigidHandle, rigidVertex, SaveEnvelopesAsASCII, unNormalizeVertex
Painter Interface
The Painter Interface is a general painting API which is used for example by the Skin Modifier for painting weights.
Defining Custom Paint Tools Using the Painter Interface
The Painter Interface can be used for creating custom scripted painting tools.
String Parsing and Manipulation
MemStream and MemStreamMgr Interfaces
New interfaces for fast parsing by loading into memory.
This new method lets you append to a string in place without creating intermediate string copies in memory, thus reducing memory usage when building incremental strings, for example for dynamic rollouts.
Viewports
This method can now be used to set the active viewport to a Light View using a free, target or direct light node.
New method added to viewport structure - returns true for cameras and lights that can be used as a viewport camera.
New member added to the gw structure.
Returns the 3ds Max window size in pixels.
Lets you set the title bar string of 3ds Max.
This Core Interface provides control over the visibility of the status panel. Now, a Super-Expert-Mode with just viewports and main menu can be achieved through MAXScript!
This Core Interface provides control over the transform gizmo.
Dockable MAXScript dialogs
cui.registerDialogBar and cui.unRegisterDialogBar
Register / Unregister a scripted dialog as a dockable dialog bar.
cui.dockDialogBar and cui.floatDialogBar
MAXScript UI Elements and Handlers
UI Elements .visible UI_Item_Visible_Property
A new general property lets you hide and disable UI Elements.
A subclass of Rollout class, this is a UI item which you can place rollouts into.
Tristate Parameter and Property added to the checkbox UI Element
Spinner Indeterminate Parameter
Indeterminate Parameter and Property have been added to the spinner UI Element.
When default parameter is set to 0, none of the radio buttons will be selected.
MacroScript "on AltExecute type do" handler
Lets you specify an alternative execution option for a MacroScript.
ActiveX
New method returns a IPictureDisp, an MSDispatch object to be used by activeX controls accepting IPictureDisp.
Key Functions
Function for appending keys to controllers added to the controller common functions.
Functions for assigning keys to controllers added to the controller common functions.
Misc. Additions
Get the external file size in bytes.
GetInterfaces Interface Inspector
Returns an array of all interfaces exposed by the specified MAXWapper or MAXClass.
The GetPropNames method now works with interfaces and returns the names of interface properties.
loadmaxfile useFileUnits option
New option has been added to control the use of the file’s units.
New global variable: manipulateMode
#manipulateModeOn and #manipulateModeOff
New manipulate mode related events added to the callback events.
New method added to the Create Panel methods to check whether a class is creatable in the UI.
New property added to existing maxOps interface to determine the application MAXScript is running in.
This is a structure of scripted functions that simplifies the creation of dynamic rollouts.
#systemPreNew NotificationParam
A new #systemPreNew Notification Parameter returns the option selected in the New Scene dialog.
Reflects which node, if any, is the current reference coordinate system node
This new method returns an array of all bitmapTexture maps’ filenames.
Lets you open and close Utility Plug-ins in the Utilities Tab
Other New Sections in the MAXScript Online Help
MAXScript for New and Casual Users
The section gives some basic knowledge about installing and using scripts in the daily work without knowing much about programming.
The new "How To" Tutorials provide practical MAXScript examples with detailed explanations for beginners.
An index pointing at some of the useful example scripts found inside the Online Help.
MAXScript Questions and Answers
An index providing task-oriented links and some general concept explanations.
See Also
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