by Didik Wijaya

In this tutorial, I will introduce you to Maxscript, programming language in 3ds max. This is a really basic Maxscript tutorial, for those who have always wanted to learn maxscript but haven't been able to get started. Don't worry, it's not that scary. Just as simple as writing English. Here you will learn how Maxscript can be used to help you with everyday work.

1. Open 3ds Max. Press F11 to open Maxscript Listener window. It's like Notepad. The white area is where you can type the command. You can delete the welcome message if you want.

2. Create a teapot in viewport. Next, we will modify this object. To modify object in scene, you can refer to its name or by selection. We will try to refer to the name first. Maxscript refers to object by adding a "$" in front of its name. In this case, type:

Press Enter. This will execute the current line. The result is:

$Teapot:Teapot01 @ [1.176471,0.392157,0.000000]

The numbers inside the bracket show object location (X, Y, Z). The values may vary based on your object location.

3. Let's try to find out teapot attributes. Type:

Maxscript will return the radius of teapot. Let's try another

This line returns the amount of segments in teapot. You can always refer to object attribute by using this command:
$Object name (dot) attribute

4. Now, you will try to modify object attribute. This will be fun. Type:

Teapot now has fewer segments. All object attributes can be controlled from Maxscript Listener window. Now, try to change radius value by yourself.

5. Let's try to remove teapot handle.Type:

Teapot handle is gone. To make it back, Type:

6. Experiment yourself with other objects and attributes. If you don't know what attributes are available in one object, select object in viewport and type:

For teapot, this command will return:

.smooth : boolean
.radius : float
.segs : integer
.mapcoords : boolean
.body : boolean
.handle : boolean
.spout : boolean
.lid : boolean
.realWorldMapSize : boolean
false

In the next tutorial, you will learn how to refer object using selection. And this is more fun.

Really Beginner Maxscript Tutorial Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Any question or comments regarding this tutorial should be sent to:
Didik Wijaya, email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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