MAXScript Introduction >

# What is MAXScript?

MAXScript is the built-in scripting language of Autodesk® 3ds Max® and Autodesk® 3ds Max® Design.

MAXScript provides users of these products with the ability to:

- Script most aspects of the program's use, such as modeling, animation, materials, rendering, and so on.

- Control the program interactively through the command-line Listener window.

- Package scripts within custom Utility panel rollouts or modeless windows to give them a standard user interface.

- Package scripts as macro scripts, and install these macro scripts as buttons in the product’s toolbars, as items in menus, or assign them to keyboard shortcuts.

- Extend or replace the user interface for objects, modifiers, materials, textures, render effects, and atmospheric effects.

- Build scripted plug-ins for custom mesh objects, modifiers, render effects and more.

- Build custom import/export tools using ASCII and binary file I/O.

- Write procedural controllers that can access the entire state of the scene.

- Build batch-processing tools, such as batch-rendering scripts.

- Set up live interfaces to external systems through OLE Automation.

- Record your actions in the product as MAXScript commands.

- Store scripts in scene files to run at each of the supported notification events, for example when a scene has been reset, a file has been opened or saved, rendering has been started or stopped, object selection has changed and so on.

#### See Also

- MAXScript Overview
- General MAXScript Topics
- MAXScript for New and Casual Users