Autodesk 3ds Max

Training Description:

This course is designed to provide 3rd party developers with the necessary tools and skills to extend 3ds Max. The 3ds Max SDK is extensive and covers a wide range of capabilities and properties of the 3ds Max application. Participants will be introduced to the core concepts of 3ds Max and its SDK before constructing, step-by-step, real world applications of the course material. By the end of the 2 day training the participant will have both an understanding of the methodology of the SDK and examples of how to construct software within its framework effectively.

The focus of the 2 day training will be an introduction to best-practice principals for general plug-in development, and in depth analysis of how to use the 3ds Max SDK components to achieve your development goals.

Target API Language: C++

Level of expectation:

Intermediate/Advanced - Although all material in this course is introduced without expectation of prior knowledge, some level of familiarity with 3ds Max is recommended. All participants are expected to be familiar with C++, Object Oriented Programming, and general development and debugging concepts.

Agenda:

The two day training will be broken down into approximately 4 lessons per day, with Q & A available throughout. The lab exercises will be done at the end of each lesson. This hands-on approach allows the participants to experience the SDK and ask questions as they arise. The agenda is not completely fixed, and slight modifications to each days schedule is possible.

Day one: We will introduce the 3ds Max general customization capabilities (including MAXScript and UI) and then rapidly move in the 3ds MAX SDK functionality. The SDK terminology will be discussed in detail and the plugin wizard will be introduced. We will then move into the building blocks of the 3ds Max scene and discuss the SDK techniques for transformation and geometry topics.

Day two: We will continue diving into the 3ds Max SDK by talking more about the object and geometry pipelines, and also introducing modifiers. We will also include texture and material overviews. Finally we will discuss the public symbol server and how it can help you to debug your applications.

Note: For trainings that are listed that require you to bring your own computer, instructions will be sent before the training occurs for what you should have preinstalled. Typically we use the latest version of 3ds Max and the matching SDK. The SDK documentation contains which compiler and tools are necessary, but you can expect to receive those requirements after you have registered for the training.