3ds Max 2010 - Any Explainations for the Samples on DVD 2

THE 5

Hi aggain,
as the Max users of you shurely will know on DVD 2 there is a bunch of nice Sample files. The only problem I encounter is that they do not tell me that much. Ofcouse I can open them and try to figure out what was done in the scenes, but isn't there any sort of Index or even Explanations what was done etc. and how to reproduce it? Also there are a heap of scripts/plugins whit no explainations either (mostly there is a description in the script itself). So far I have searched on DVD 2 itself, DVD 1 (installation disc) and at autodesk.com without much success.
Is there actualy something like a Index for these files?

P.S.:
I am using the Student version of the "Entertainment Creation Suite 2010" that also incudes various other autodesk applications and their tutorial files.

Eric Chadwick

Is it this stuff?
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/item?siteID=123112&id=14708391

THE 5

Nope Eric, thats the "standart" tutorial files, thanks for the fast reply ayways.
On DVD 2 there is a (2GB) folder called "Samples" It's filled up with ~200 .max scene files and a ton of other stuff. This scene files seem to cover all kinds of topics in an advanced manner. Biped, hair, lighting, mental ray, cammera effects, texture mapping, shaders, IK, reactor. Awesome!
But all that is only haf-usefull without any explainations.
Ther is a folder called "Luminaires" filled with "*.ies" files and I don't even know what that is. Realy strange there is no Index at all, atleast i can't seem to find one.
(Wierd that I did not have deeper a look at DVD2's content until today...)

ES_139

ies files are a way of distributing the light. They work with photometric lights i think they go under the web parameters tab if my memory serves me right.

http://www.cgarena.com/freestuff/tutorials/max/ieslights/

THE 5

ES_139:
Thanks, just tried such a photometric web light, looks pretty nice.
I did not bother googling for "ies" since I did not realy care, but now this seems to come in quite handy.

Though, my main question remains unanswered.

Eric Chadwick

The example scripts are mostly undocumented and all are unsupported, because they're not finished tools for end users... if you're a scripter they're meant to be helpful as starting points. The MAXScript help file says as much IIRC.

The Scenes folder mostly has example files that were used to make the illustrations that are in the main Help file. The Help file itself is the documentation you seek.

THE 5

So there is no real documentation for the whole samples folder, huh?
Alright then, thanks Eric!