The 3ds Max Interactive SDK is what we call the collection of programming APIs and extensibility features that you can use to create plug-ins that customize and extend 3ds Max Interactive.

Use this SDK if you want to do things like:

• Add new content editing workflows and tools into the editor;

• Import new kinds of art assets that 3ds Max Interactive doesn't support out-of-the-box;

• Integrate the editor and/or the runtime engine with third-party libraries, applications, web services, or data sources;

• Generate new content programmatically on the fly while the app is running;

• Write your own gameplay interaction code in C instead of using Flow or Lua;

• And many more.

Any customer can use the 3ds Max Interactive SDK to make these kinds of plug-ins. You don't need to have access to the product's source code.

1. Make sure you take the time to understand how 3ds Max Interactive works. If you're new to 3ds Max Interactive, you'll want to start by creating some projects and getting used to creating content in the environment before you jump in to writing your plug-in.

   You'll also need a good idea of how all the pieces of the ecosystem work together internally under the hood, so that you can plan out what your plug-in will need to do and how it will need to tie in to the overall system. See the System Overview and All the Ways You Can Extend 3ds Max Interactive.

2. Get the Example Plug-ins. You'll want to have as many real working examples as you can, so we're working on fleshing out a set of plug-ins that show how to extend the editor and the engine in different ways.

3. Create a new folder for your plug-in. You'll put all the files your plug-in needs in here.

   In this folder, you'll have to create a new .stingray_plugin file to describe your plug-in. This descriptor contains metadata about your plug-in, and a set of extensions that define what the plug-in should do when it's loaded. An easy way to get started is to copy the minimal description from the Define a 3ds Max Interactive Plug-in page, or copy one from a sample plug-in.

   Tip: Try starting from our stingray-plugin repository on GitHub! This repo gives you a basic framework for your plug-in, including a sample .stingray_plugin file that you can tweak as you go. This repo is especially useful if you want to extend the engine or the editor in C or C++, because it comes with all the build tools you'll need to compile your plug-in libraries.

4. Install and load your plug-in into the editor and/or the engine, so that you can test it out as you work. You'll need to use the editor's Plugin Manager to find and load your .stingray_plugin file.

   For details on installing plug-ins in the editor, see Add and remove plug-ins using the Plugin Manager.

5. Get working!

   The sections on extending the editor, extending the engine and extending the project content describe how to go about setting up your plug-in to hook in to the different parts of the 3ds Max Interactive system.

6. While you're working on your plug-in, you'll probably need to reload it often so that you can test and iterate on your latest changes. See Reload a Plug-in.

7. When your plug-in is ready, you'll need to package it up and distribute it to whoever else will need to use it. See Distribute and Install a Plug-in.