Recording for Automation

[Koper]

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SHORT TITLE FOR SUGGESTION/BUG/ENHANCEMENT REQUEST

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Recording workflows of simple tedious processes

 

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF YOUR REQUEST

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Certain processes are repeated over and over and over, which becomes tedious to do. For example (very simple), You create a profile of a window frame (spline) and name it 'Window Frame', then detach the inner spline of the profile for the glass, the window frame is extruded X-amount and the glass is converted to a mesh and nudged to be in the center of the window frame. But there are 40 other windows all with different dimensions

 

I would like to see a record function that records this process. Then turning on the automation on, when I create a window frame profile and as soon as i name it 'Window Frame', the above process is automated.

 

The record function must be able to record any process that can be repeated. One must also be able to save the recorded process to be loaded in another file

 

 

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WHY THIS REQUEST IS IMPORTANT TO YOU

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I feel this will speed up modeling processes by more than 50%. I have got a set workflow and naming convention for modeling a house, and modeling two different houses uses the same workflow and naming convention. The problem is we do it over and over. (Why re-Invent the wheel)

[Justin Hunt]

This can be done through the Macro recorder.

 

It records the actions as you model etc and creates a script which you then make a button out of. If you want you can rdit the script in the script editor.

 

I made a rather crude but nice one to automate makeing windows. I would make a plane a cut it up for the placment of the mullions. then run the script and it would convert it into a window with the visible edges being the mullions andthe polies into glass. Made it back in Max7 and worked great until Max9, havnt tried it in 2008 though.

 

I have no clue when it comes to scripting so this was the easiest way to do it.

 

JHV

[Koper]

I'm trying it, but know nothing about scripting, a bit time consuming if you ask me just to learn it, i mean, setting up a simple automated batch process in photoshop takes 5 min. Mayeb the topic should have been - 'A nice & clear GUI for creating Automation processes for the graphical orientated user'

[Justin Hunt]

Its exactly like a photoshop action, activate the macro recorder , go through the steps you want to record and then stop recording. Grab all the text in the listner and drag it onto a tool bar, a button is created. You can customize the button to look the way you want it.

 

If you really want to or need to you can edit the new script in the Maxscript editor. Remeamber to save the sript into the scripts folder for future use.

 

JHV