Introduction to Scripting in Softimage
To use a scripting language with Autodesk Softimage, you must first install the scripting engine for that language. Softimage only supports ActiveX-compliant scripting languages. ActiveX is a technology for sharing data between programs. The ActiveX-compliant scripting languages supported by Softimage are:
• VBScript (the default)
• JScript
• Python
VBScript is the default scripting language used by Autodesk Softimage. The Softimage installation automatically includes VBScript on Linux and Windows, if it is not already installed. You can also download the Windows version and obtain further documentation from MSDN.
JScript is an ActiveX-compliant version of the JavaScript scripting language. The Autodesk Softimage installation automatically includes JScript on Linux and Windows, if it is not already installed. You can also download the Windows version and obtain further documentation from MSDN.
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MainWin, the Win32 emulator used to run on Linux, currently only supports version 3 of JScript. This is the version of JScript that was supported in Internet Explorer 4. Support for error trapping (try/catch) was only added to the JScript language in version 5. |
PerlScript is a version of the Perl scripting language that supports ActiveX. It is included in ActivePerl, which is available for Windows and can be downloaded from ActiveState. The recommended version for Softimage is ActivePerl-5.8.0.805.
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With PerlScript, the scripting engine does not stop on errors. You cannot terminate using Ctrl+Break. |
Python ActiveX Scripting is a version of the Python scripting language that supports ActiveX. It is available for Windows and Linux and is the recommended version for Softimage.
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Softimage was tested with Python version 2.3.3 and pywin32, build 200 but more recent Python releases should also work. |
For more information on using Python with the Softimage SDK, check out the following topics in the Issues with Python chapter:
• Why Doesn’t the Python ActiveX Scripting Language Appear in the Preferences Dialog Box?
• How Do I Get Python to Recognize Softimage Constants (Enums)?
• Linking Python Classes to Command Buttons
• Working with Custom Python Modules in Softimage
• Restrictions on Using Special Python Types as Return Values from Custom Commands
• How Do I Get Rid of the Assertions that the Module Has Already Been Processed?
Autodesk Softimage v7.5