MAXScript 101

MAXScript 101 is a digital video-based introductory course for MAXScript, the scripting language in Discreet's 3ds max® and gmax® and Autodesk's VIZ 3D applications, designed and presented by MAXScript's creator, John Wainwright.

"John Wainwright's MAXScript 101 training DVD is one of the best video-based training courses of any kind that I have run across. ... On every essential point -- content, organization, presentation, production values -- this DVD is first-class."
Michael Hurwicz - Creative Cow review

"In a word, EXCELLENT! The "MAXScript 101" training videos are clear, concise, well ordered, well produced, and easy to follow. I wish they were available when I started!"
swami* - MAXScript programmer/trainer

The course comprises nearly 3 1/2 hours of material recorded at 800x600 resolution, viewable on any computer with a Windows Media Player installed.

It teaches the fundamentals of scripting and provides an introduction to the main features of the language and how they can be used to perform tasks like scene generation, animation, material mapping, mesh export, etc. and how to build these into tools with custom dialog windows.

The course can be used by artists and animators without any prior programming or scripting experience to learn scripting from scratch, or by those experienced in other languages to gain a quick and practical introduction to MAXScript's features.

The source code for the example scripts is provided on the courseware disc.

MAXScript 101 includes the following topics:

1. Introduction
   1. MAXScript 101
   2. Accessing MAXScript
   3. Scripting Fundamentals
   4. Introduction to Sequencing Constructs
   5. Introduction to UI Scripting
   6. Introduction to Code Layout and Syntax
2. Script Building Blocks
   1. Names and Variables
   2. Code Blocks
   3. Functions
   4. Values and Classes
   5. Expressions
   6. Collections and Arrays
   7. Naming Scene Objects
3. Scripting Tasks
   1. Scripting Animation
   2. Working with Controllers
   3. Working with Modifiers
4. More Bulding Blocks
   1. Loops and Loop Control
   2. Case Expressions
   3. More Context Prefixes
5. Example Scripts
   1. ChainMaker - Geometry Creation using Splines
   2. Aside - Adding Scripted Items to MAX Menus and Toolbars
   3. ExportMesh - Writing Custom Scene Exporters
   4. Aside - Debugging: Finding & Fixing Script Errors
   5. Export Folder, ThumbnailFolder - Processing Sets of Scene Files
   6. TreePlanter - Scene Generation using Mesh Sampling
   7. Aside - Using Visual MAXScript