MAXScript Introduction > Objects and Classes in Object-Oriented Programming >

# Properties, Methods, Operators, and Literals

One principle of object-oriented programming is that how a class operates internally is hidden. All interactions with a class are defined by the external interfaces for the class. These external interfaces are broken up into several categories.

Properties : Accessible parameters for objects of the class. Examples of properties are height, width, and length for boxes, and radius for spheres.

Methods :Defines all the functions you can call for objects of the class. Examples of methods are moving or rotating a 3ds Max object, adding a modifier to a 3ds Max object, and accessing the position of vertices in a 3ds Max object. The terms method and function are synonymous in this document.

Operators : Defines the math and other symbolic operators that are defined on values in the class. An example of an operator is the '-' operator, which will perform a mathematical operation on numbers, colors, vectors, and matrices, but will perform a Boolean subtraction when used with 3ds Max objects.

Constructors : The various ways you can create objects of the class. For example Point3 0 0 0 and <color> as Point3 are constructors for the Point3 class. Executing either of these constructors will create a new Point3 object.

Literals : Any literal form for objects of the class. For example [0,0,0] is a literal form for the Point3 class, and "Hello world" is a literal form for the String class.