Responsibilities of a Parameter Block

Parameter blocks handle the following tasks:

• Storing parameters - The fundamental task of parameter blocks, is to store parameters describing the appearance and behavior a plug-in object.
• Exposing values to the user - The parameter block synchronizes values with specific UI elements to allow the user to examine and modify the values.
• Interpolating values via a controller - Parameter blocks automate the task of interpolating values using animation controllers. In other words computing the value at a specific time.
• Loading and saving of variables - Parameter blocks handle the saving and loading of variable data when the 3ds Max scene file gets saved and loaded.
• Displaying animated values in track view - Animated parameters are automatically displayed in the track view, when managed by a parameter block.
• Exposing variables to MAXScript - Parameter blocks automatically expose variables to MAXScript