csMakePreview

3dsMax 2024 bring a lot of new features. Some of them are hard to show in a video. This is one of those features.

I always have wanted to have a modified version of Make Preview. For example, if you are a pipe guy at a studio, you probably would not want to give assess to the output path to artists. How about forcing some consistent studio-default options?

I have used UIAccessor in the past. I also know some studio just made their own make preview utility. But, with the update in 3dsMax 2020, I really wanted to use Max’s own Make Preview engine since it can make bigger than screen size preview.

There is a MXS command, createPreview. But, it didn’t have all the functionality of UI version. Especially, there was no way to control viewport settings. Finally, the 3dsMax 2024 createPreview function exposes every single UI option to MXS function.

So, I re-created Make Preview dialog as a script for the following reasons.

• I wanted to check if it still misses anything compared to UI.
• I wanted to give a template implementation for other users.
• I wanted to add some of the features that users wanted

The added features

• Use Current Viewport Settings checkbutton – If this button is on, the current Viewport Preset/Stylem Edges Faces and Texture settings of the active viewport will be used. Basically, it will make a preview as you can see in the viewport. This is on by default.
• The output path textbox is editable. You can directly type/edit in the textbox.
• Token! It supports all tokens in “Name Template”.  You can also use any global variable or global function.
  For example, you can make a  setPrefiewPath global function and set <setPrefiewPath> as path. This script will run the global function and use the result as the output path.
  Ot, If you want to add fps in the name, you can use <FrameRate>.
• mpt4 support via ffmpeg – you need to download ffmpeg by yourself and set the path in the Settings dialog. Eventually.
• Ramplayer, ChaosPlayer, Custom player support.
  To use a custom player, you need to make csPlayPreview global function with 4 arguments [output path], [fps],  [start], [end].
• Set default button –  you can save default settings per user.
• Play Preview button
• Open the preview folder button
• Presets – you can save/load as many as presets you want.