What needs to be done with the Plugin?

[Lehm]

The thing about the 3ds Max SDK is that the question of redistribution is a largely moot one except in respect of any possible implications caused by the GPLv3 license on the code that SDK is linked to. This is because the SDK is only provided on the media for 3ds Max. And the plugin is only any use if you have 3ds Max to plug it into, ergo if you have Max you have the SDK anyway.

I haven't been able to find a copy of the license that goes with 3ds Max, so I don't know how permissive it is anyway on redistributing the SDK within a binary. I wouldn't expect it to be too restrictive as apps using the SDK will likely be seen as helping to push sales.

You don't need Autodesk's permission to distribute compiled plugins.

[Chisaipete]

You also don't need the actual SDK to run a plugin--it seemed that Natales was under that impression. All you would need to run the COMPILED plugin is Max of a binary compatible version to the plugin.

Example (rough, but illustratively accurate):

CWE Plugin compiled with Max SDK 7 --------> works with Max 7, no SDK libs needed for the end user
CWE Plugin compiled with Max SDK 8 --------> works with Max 8, no SDK libs needed for the end user
CWE Plugin compiled with Max SDK 9 --------> works with Max 9, no SDK libs needed for the end user
CWE Plugin compiled with Max SDK 2009 --------> works with Max 2009, no SDK libs needed for the end user
CWE Plugin compiled with Max SDK 2010 --------> works with Max 2010, no SDK libs needed for the end user
CWE Plugin compiled with Max SDK 2011 --------> works with Max 2011, no SDK libs needed for the end user

[Chisaipete]

Mac_Fife, I can send you a full copy of Autodesk's EULA if you'd like to look it over in more detail.

[Nye_Sigismund]

Okay, so. I'm not a coder but this is what's known about the Max plugin so far.

It at the moment will not compile due to the fact that it requires Cyan's AssetMan (central asset hub thingy) which for probably obvious reasons was not included with the OSing. However, the Asset Manager code is certainly optional, as the code makes numerous exceptions for devs not using AssetMan (and the fact that nobody outside Cyan uses AssetMan yet there are several Max ages out there should give another clue as to the vitalness of AssetMan!).

Hence, stripping out AssetMan is pretty important, but shoudln't be too difficult. As it stands I've not run into any other missing libraries.

EDIT: Oh, and Hoikas got a CMake'd port of the plugin done. Not sure if that's any use to anyone.

[Mac_Fife]

Mac_Fife, I can send you a full copy of Autodesk's EULA if you'd like to look it over in more detail.

Yes, do that please, then I can update the wiki notes on licenses. You should get an email link at the right of this post, or in my profile.

EDIT: Oh, and Hoikas got a CMake'd port of the plugin done. Not sure if that's any use to anyone.

CMake is a cross platform build system and is what some devs prefer to things like the "native" solution files in MSVS. The value of CMake is maybe limited if you're building something that can probably only ever be targeted at a Win platform, but it still makes sense if it means you avoid using multiple build tools across all your projects.

[branan]

CMake also makes configuring SDK locations simpler (You might note our repository no longer has the StaticSDKs directory.), and allows generating project files for multiple VS versions (so you don't have to keep a whole bunch of different project files in sync). It also makes sense since our main Plasma project was already cmake-ified, so adding the plugin to that project is simpler than setting up VS projects just for that.

We've got a lot more than CMake done at this point - Hoikas has it building against the Max 2011 SDK. Still a bunch of things that are broken (the plugin code is apparently truly awful), but he's been moving at quite an impressive rate.

[Lehm]

We've got a lot more than CMake done at this point - Hoikas has it building against the Max 2011 SDK. Still a bunch of things that are broken (the plugin code is apparently truly awful), but he's been moving at quite an impressive rate.

Good news. Can't wait for the day I can finally use Max to do some age creating. Does Hoikas keep a record of his progress somewhere (blog/forum)?

[Mac_Fife]

I believe he's Tweeting progress, but I can't confirm that since I'm not personally all that enthused about Twitter.

[Lehm]

If the plugin needs to be compiled for older versions I may be able to help with that. I know I have the sdk for max9, and I may have access to the ones from 2008-2010.

Then I'd need a way to compile it. Right now I have VS C++ 2010 Express, but I don't know if that can do it. I'm hoping to get Professional thru the Dreamspark program.

[JWPlatt]

I can't decide whether this thread should be retitled "3ds Max" or be split.

For strictly MOULa support, Cyan builds with 3ds Max 7. That's what we'll need. Version 8 won't work. Going forward, if we can also have a build for 3ds Max 2011 coming out, that could take us and Cyan, if they upgrade, along for some number of years. Fan created ages from different tools and versions would be very tough to get onto MOULa. If you have version 8 or 2010, or something in between, and we can get successful builds from it, we're that much closer. But ultimately, we have to have version 7 to start and then most likely 2011.