3ds Max allows you to enter scripting commands directly on the command line. When you launch 3ds Max from a DOS command line, you can have it run a specified launch MAXScript or Python script. This can be useful for tasks such as unattended batch rendering.
This capability uses the existing -U command line switch that names a utility to be run when 3ds Max is started. The -U switch allows an optional extra argument which, for MAXScript and Python, is taken to be the name of the launch script to run. The case (capitalization) of MAXScript must be as shown in the following example (entered after you CD to 3ds Max directory):
3dsmax -U MAXScript rendercams.ms
This example command line would launch the 3ds Max executable , start MAXScript, and then have it run the launch script rendercams.ms.
The following example launch script loads two scenes, renders frames from each of the cameras in them, and then quits 3ds Max:
loadMaxFile "foo.max"
for c in cameras do render camera:c outputfile:("foo_"+c.name+".bmp")
loadMaxFile "baz.max"
for c in cameras do render camera:c outputfile:("baz_"+c.name+".bmp")
quitMax #noPrompt
This example makes use of the quitMax() method to exit 3ds Max when the script is finished. Launch scripts need not be batch scripts as in this example, but may be used to condition 3ds Max for interactive use, for example by loading a scene file and setting some user-interface options.
The normal startup scripts, startup.ms and those in the \scripts\startup directory, are run before the launch script. It is also possible to install scripts into individual scene files that run automatically when that scene is open or closed or at certain other events.
The following switches work specifically with MAXScript and Python files and functions.
| Switch | Effect |
|---|---|
| -mi | Starts 3ds Max in a minimized mode – but never allows you to open the window for interactive usage. |
| -mxs | This switch is essentially the same as -U MAXScript file.ms, but avoids the need for the .ms file. You can follow the switch with MAXScript commands. |
| -silent | Comparable to the MAXScript command, setSilentMode, this switch suppresses all MAXScript and 3ds Max UI dialogs so that batch scripts specified by the –U command do not get interrupted. |
| -u MAXScript <filename> | Opens a specified MAXScript file. |
| -u PythonHost <filename> | Opens a specified Python script file. |
Examples of desired syntax usage:
3dsmax.exe -silent -mxs "for c in cameras do render c outputFile:(c.name + \".bmp\") vfb:off " file.max
This example starts 3ds Max in silent mode, opens file.max and renders each camera view to a BMP file without showing the Rendered Frame Window. Note that quoted strings inside the passed script need to be escaped.
3dsmax.exe -q -mi -U MAXScript \\server1\folder\myScript.ms \\server2\folder\file.max
This example suppresses the splash screen while starting 3ds Max in a minimized state, opens file.max from a network server and runs myScript.ms found on another server. If myScript.ms contains the same commands as the first example, both of these examples would give the same results.
3dsmax.exe -q -silent -mip -mxs "for c in cameras do render c outputFile:(c.name + \".bmp\") vfb:on; quitMAX() #nopromptfile.max" file.max
The final example suppresses the splash screen while starting 3ds Max in silent mode and in a permanently minimized state, opens file.max, renders each camera view to a BMP file showing the Rendered Frame Window, then exits 3ds Max.