What Was New in MAXScript in 3ds Max 2024

This topic will give you a quick overview of the MAXScript language changes and improvements in 3ds Max 2024 and updates. For details on each feature, please follow the links to the respective documentation pages.

New in MAXScript in 3ds Max 2024.2 Update


Conform Modifier	The Conform : Modifier exposes the new conform modifier functionality to MAXScript.
Data Channel Modifier	The Data Channel Modifier has a new MAXScript Process operator for modifying channel data via scripting.
Python Callbacks	The `callbacks.addScript()` function can now take a `fileName:` keyword argument that is a Python script.
Editor Improvements	The Scripting Editor now highlights all instances of a selected word. This behavior can be controlled with settings in the Properties File Settings.
`quiet` Argument Consistency	The `importFile()`, `exportFile()`, and `resetMaxFile()` functions now take a `quiet` keyword argument, which is consistent with `quitMax()`.
New `thehold` members	The `thehold` struct contains two new functions for getting the strings shown when you right-click the Undo and Redo buttons: `getUndoNames()` and `getRedoNames()`.
Animation Time Scaling	A new `maxOps` function, `GlobalTimeScale()`, allows you to re-scale a segment of animation keys.
`LoadSaveAnimation` Additions	The `LoadSaveAnimation` interface contains new methods for getting map files and directories: `getAnimFileDirectories()`, `getMapFiles()` and `getMultLoadAndMapFileFromDlg()`.
Scripting Editor File Commands	Two new commands have been added to the Scripting Editor File Menu: Copy Path (to copy the path of the current script to the clipboard) and Open Containing Folder (to open the folder for the current script).
Nitrous Settings	Existing settings for controlling the display of textures in the viewport are now exposed to MAXScript via the NitrousGraphicsManager Interface: `<ViewportViewSettingImpl>.UseTextureEnabled`, `<ViewportViewSettingImpl>.TextureSizeLimit`, `<ViewportViewSettingImpl>.ProceduralTextureSizeLimit`, and `<ViewportViewSettingImpl>.BackgroundTextureSizeLimit`.

New in MAXScript in 3ds Max 2024.1 Update


Set Scene File Name	The new `setSceneFileName()` function allows you to set or change the file name for the current scene.
Deep Copy Optimization	The `deepCopy()` function now has a `copyAllValuesAsUnique:boolean` keyword parameter that improves performance when set to `true`.
Ignore SSSE State Keyword	The `safeExecute()`, `safeReadValue()` and `safeReadExpr()` functions now have an `ignoreSSSEState:<boolean>` keyword argument that specifies, when true that restricted security policies are applied regardless of Safe Scene Script Execution state.
BitArray Equivalence	The equivalence operators `==` and `!=` are now implemented for BitArray Values.
Array, Dictionary, DataPair Equivalence	The Array, Dictionary, and DataPair values can now be compared using the `deepEqual()` function.
Intervals	Two new constructor options have been added for creating Interval Values: `#forever` and `#never`.
User Properties	Two new functions allow you to get and set user-defined properties on nodes using Dictionary values: `getUserPropsAsDict()` and `setUserPropsAsDict()`.
Color Conversion	The `ColorPipelineMgr` interface has a new `ConvertColor()` method for converting a color (as a Point4) in one color space to another. There is also a new global `colorConvert()` method for converting a bitmap from one color space to another.
SME File Drop Callback	The Slate Material Editor SME Interface has a new property, `.fileDropCallback`, that allows you to handle files dragged and dropped into the editor with a callback.
Boolean Modifier	A new interface `BooleanModifierInterface` has a single property `.saveFinalResult` that allows you to turn off caching so that scenes are compatible with 3ds Max 2024.
SME NodeView Methods	New methods have been added to the `NodeView` interface for selecting and laying out nodes: `GetSelectedSceneMaterials()`, `GetAllSceneMaterials()`, and `LayoutAll()`.

New in MAXScript in 3ds Max 2024


Boolean Modifier	Functionality for the new Boolean Modifier is exposed in the BooleanMod : Modifier.
Color Pipeline Manager Interface	The new `ColorPipelineMgr` interface exposes properties and methods for the new OCIO color management feature, as well as legacy gamma mode color management.
`IDisplayGamma`	This interface is now deprecated, the new `ColorPipelineMgr` interface should be used instead. These properties are removed from the `IDisplayGamma` interface: `LUTFileName`, `affectColorPickers`, and `affectMEdit`. The `#LUT` enum is removed from `colorCorrectionPrefMode`.
Color Management Viewport Settings	Several new properties are added to the `ViewportViewSettingImpl` interface for color management-related settings: `.ColorPipelineViewTransformEnabled`, `.ColorPipelineAffectsBackground`, `.ColorPipelineSceneLinearExposure`, `.ColorPipelinePostDisplayGamma`, `.ColorPipelineViewTransform`, `.ColorPipelineDisplaySpace`, and `.ColorPipelineRenderingSpace`. Two new settings on `NitrousGraphicsManager`: `.ViewportColorPipelineOCIOBased` and `.ColorPipelineTargetFormat`
Pass-through modifier object type	The `EmptyModifier` no longer converts the incoming object to a mesh on the stack.
Bitmap values	The Bitmap object has several new read-only attributes added as part of the new Color Management support, and the `openBitmap()` method has a new optional `colorSpace:` keyword parameter. There is are also new `validateColorSpace()` and `SetOutputColorConversion()` methods for bitmaps.
Material Switcher	The new `Material_Switcher` class exposes the functionality of the new Material Switcher.
Compound Material Nodes	The Slate Material Editor now supports compound nodes to collect and organize complex shader graphs. This feature is exposed to MAXScript with the `Compound`, `CompoundIO`, `CompoundMember` and `CompoundIndexedConnection` interfaces, as well as new methods in the SME NodeView interface: `PackageNodesIntoCompound()`, `PackageSelectionIntoCompound()`, `UnpackageCompound()` and `EditCompound()`.
Other Changes
SME Compound Node	The Slate Material Editor jas a new `Compound` node that allows you to combine complex shader graphs into a single node object.
Display Editor Setting	You can now specify whether to display a running script that encounters an error in the Scripting Editor. This setting is exposed as `preferences.displayScriptEditorOnError` and `scriptEditor.displayOnError`, and on the Preferences > MAXScript dialog as Display Editor On Error. The new `scriptEditor` struct exposes two other properties: `hwnd` and `isVisible`.
Controller Removal	Now you can easily remove a property controller by setting the controller value to `undefined` using setPropertyController() or setting the `<object>.<property>.<controller>`.
Display Warning Settings	Two settings for displaying warnings are now exposed as system globals: `preferences.displayTopoMessage` and `preferences.displayCollapseMessage`.
WindowStream Handle	The `<WindowStream>` value has a new property `.hwnd`, which contains the windows handle for its associated Script Editor window.
New Windows Functions	The `windows struct` has several new functions: `windows.isWindow()`, `windows.isWindowVisible()`,`windows.showWindow()`, `windows.getWindowPlacement()`, `windows.setWindowPlacement()`, `windows.setFocus()`, `windows.setForegroundWindow()`, `windows.getWindowLong()`, and `windows.setWindowLong()`.
Windows Functions Parameters	All `windows struct` functions that take a HWND argument for the window to operate on now can take a RolloutFloater, Rollout, or the main 3ds Max window (specified by the name `#max`), making it easier to operate on these types of windows without having to query their window handle first.
Disable error tracebacks	The new `errTracebackDisabled` system global specifies whether to disable error tracebacks in the listener window. Intended for testing / internal use only.
Disable / enable change handlers	The `<ChangeHandler>` value has a new `.enabled` property that allows you specify whether the handler is enabled. This allows you to disable handlers without having to de-register or delete them.
Spinner UI Control Properties	The spinner UI control has a new property `autoscale:<boolean>`, and these existing creation keyword parameters are now exposed as properties that can be accessed at runtime: `scale` and `type`.
Assert Functions	Two new Assert Functions have been added: `assert_eulerAngles_equal()` and `assert_matrix_equal()`.
Make Preview Dialog	Some missing parameters from the Make Preview dialog are now exposed to the `createPreview()` method: `dspCamViewName`, `autoPlay`, `vpPreset`, `vpStyle`, and `vpEdgedFaces`.
XRef Improvements	The `objXRefMgr.AddXRefItemsFromFile()` method now takes a new keyword parameter `objHandles` which allows you to specify an array of node handles to merge. The `xrefOptions` parameter has a new option `#mergeChildren`, which allows you to specify whether or not to merge the children of specified objects. The same options are also available in `mergeMaxFile()` : `#mergeChildren` option and `mergeByHandles` parameter.
Viewport	The `FixedViewportPipeline` interface has two new methods: `SetViewportShadingFragment()` and `RestoreDefaultShadingFragment()`. The `SetShadingFragment()` method is now deprecated. The `NitrousGraphicsManager` interface has two new methods: `SetDefaultViewShadeFragment()` and `ResetDefaultViewShadeFragment()`.
Scripted Plug-ins	Scripted plug-ins have two new event handlers for when they are added or removed as custom attributes on objects: `on refAdded` and `on refDeleted`.
File Information	The new `getMaxFileObjects()` function is similar to the existing `getMaxFileObjectNames()`, but returns an array of node information including node handles.