Documentation Changes in 3ds Max 2011
The following noteworthy changes and updates have been made to the MAXScript Reference for the 3ds Max 2011 release in addition to the topics covering new features listed in the What is New in MAXScript in 3ds Max 2011 page:
Previously Undocumented Features
Added documentation of the previously undocumented .uvLoop() , .uvRing() , .Align() , .Space() , .getTweakMode() , .setTweakMode() , methods exposed by the UnwrapUVW Modifier's unwrap6 interface.
Scripted_Plugin_#filename Parameters As Assets
Added documentation of the existing Parameter type #filename which requires an additional keyword option specifying the Asset Type of the file
since 3ds Max 2010.
MAXScript Editor - Defining Custom Keywords
Added examples of defining custom keywords and changing their style and color.
Added notes and examples of comparing Arrays and Matrix3 values which normally do
not perform per-component equality comparison.
MaxCustomControls DotNet Assembly
Added a new chapter with several topics overviewing some of the DotNet objects and
controls implemented by the MaxCustomControls Assembly shipping with 3ds Max. These include various components of the Scene Explorer and the Material Explorer
as well as a custom MaxForm that matches the Look-And-Feel of 3ds Max dialogs and can be easily parented to the main 3ds Max window, a MaxTextBox control and a floating ProgressDialog.
How To Tutorials And FAQ
A new How To... Tutorials Quick Navigation Index has been added to all Tutorial pages
and the Quick Navigation Main Index for fast access to the topics.
A new MAXScript F.A.Q. Quick Navigation Index has been added to all FAQ pages and
the Quick Navigation Main Index for fast access to the topics.
How_To_..._Generate_Hash_Checksums_Using_DotNet
Two new topics related to the use of DotNet have been added.
Changes To Existing Topics
Edited the Number Literals and Values pages to include the complete Syntax Definition
of Numbers which was missing the signature of Double, Integer64 and IntegerPtr.
Edited and reformatted the Scope Of Variables topic and most other topics in the Variables
- Assignment and Scope chapter to provide more cross-linking to related topics added
over the years, including Specifying Global Variables As Global Using ::
Added a new page documenting the complete CUI struct, while preserving the original
pages providing details about specific areas of application like dockable windows,
command panel access etc.
Added a new example and explanation of the Flags second argument to ImgTag event
handlers describing the buttons' pressed state.
Updated the documentation to include the Advanced Lighting properties exposed by the
RadiosityPreferences Interface and made the detail images jump back to the main map
on top of the page for much faster navigation.
The documentation of the RendererClass superclass was incorrectly listing the class
as "Renderer". This has been corrected. The page has been updated with an example
of using the RendererClass.classes to determine the list of renderer plugins installed
on the current system.
Updated the documentation of the Render Elements and the Render Elements Manager Interface
and added more cross-linking for easier navigation.
When do I use () after a function?
This FAQ entry has been expanded with more examples and better explanations.
Meshop General Mapping Methods
Reformatted the above topics for easier access and added sub-topics with local Topic
Navigation and Quick Navigation icons.
Reformatted the above topic for easier access and added sub-topics with local Topic
Navigation and Quick Navigation icons.
Added Topic Navigation and back to Topic Navigation icons.
General Event Callback Mechanism
Node Common Properties Operators and Methods
Added Topic Navigation and back to Topic Navigation icons.
Fixed the image map which was not implemented correctly.
Environment And Effects Dialog
Added a new topic to document the access to the Environment Dialog including Image
Map navigation.
Moved the description of 3ds Max system global variables and methods related to the Environment dialog from the Working with Atmospherics topic which is now dedicated only to the examples of using MAXScript to add Atmospheric
effects to the list.
Reformatted the topics related to Atmospheric effects and added more See Also links
to ensure access to all relevant pages from every one of them.
Added a new topic to document the access to the Render Effects tab on the Environment
and Effects Dialog including Image Map navigation.
Reformatted the topics related to Render Effects and added more See Also links to
ensure access to all relevant pages from every one of them.
Applying Standard Transformations
Updated the Learning MAXScript topics, replaced the illustrations with new, partially
animated screenshots.
Replaced obsolete screenshots and examples (from 3ds Max 2!) with new ones. Reworked
the topic content and added cross-links to related topics as well as boxes explaining
how to avoid the specific errors presented in the examples.
3ds Max File Loading and Saving
Copied the related System Globals maxFileName and maxFilePath to this topic since they are relevant and were difficult to find otherwise (according
to user feedback).
Updated all index keyword targets to link directly to the variable's description.
In the process, refreshed all referenced pages.
Reformatted the topic and added example screenshot demonstrating custom Listener colors
and fonts.
Units Struct - Accessing System and Display Units
Updated the topic with examples of using the units.decodeValue() and units.formatValue() methods.
CHM Compiler Changes
The MAXScript Reference for the 3ds Max 2011 release has been compiled using a different authoring software. As result, there are several changes in the Help behavior compared to previous releases:
-
The MAXScript Reference will now remember its last location and size between sessions.
-
The Index tab's keywords required rebuilding - they have been partially updated and re-sorted.
-
Some larger script examples are now placed in tables with relative instead of absolute width, allowing them to scale horizontally as the Help Viewer is resized and display the code without word wrapping.
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The toolbar buttons of the Help Viewer has been updated to use the Home button to return to the startup page of the Help, with two custom buttons to navigate to the web sites of ScriptSpot.com and Autodesk.com for external resources related to MAXScript and 3ds Max.
See Also
Except where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Please see the Autodesk Creative Commons FAQ for more information.