Max Hotbox
greentooth
Hi !
I've found this script, lurking on cgtalk. i didn't see any thread about hotbox on PC (except one where Pior says he's in love with quadmenus)
http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/max-hotbox
! it says it doesn't work on max 2012, but apparently it's ok with SP1
I know there have been some attempt at it but this one seems pretty robust and complete.
! the script is in beta and still has unwanted behaviors.
Sure we have quad menus, but i always find them a bit confusing, like, "where the fuck is that function already ?"
There you can customize colors, positions, conditions (if i am on different windows, i'll have different menus), different actions with left click/right click on a button, gesture recognition. Seems there's a lot of possibilities.
[ame]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBRw1bH0TMc[/ame]
(there are other videos on youtube)
Now i've just installed it. It seems cool and maybe it could be useful for some of you.
It's still in beta, so i guess, the more feebacks he gets, the more cool and steady the tool will be.
For a better visibilty, I'll list all feedbacks here. Feel free to comment.
-It needs a proper .mzp installer and installs the scripts in the 3ds max directories. Actually it uses the unzipped file location.
fixed : Andreas wants it portable so everything is stored in the hotbox folder.
-The tool disapears when i reboot max (menu vanished, space bar not working)
The tool still appears in the customize menu, but the functions do nothing (bad installation ?) This is a serious issue. I need to redrop the .mse each time
fixed : drop MaxHotboxAutostart.ms and the script is auto launched.
-we don't like encryption for free scripts though we understand.
-If you display the hotbox, keep pressing "space" and drag a new window (like explorer) over it, the hotbox displays over the window, then doesnt disapear when releasing space.
-when you type "space" on a text box e.g, name of an object, it shows the hotbox instead of typing the character " ". This is really bad
fixed
-sometimes the hotbox doesn't dissapear though you release space, until the next time you press it. I have hard time to reproduce it though.
-people (Mark Dygert) require the maya behavior which is, the action of a button is executed when you release the space bar with your mousepointer over that button, without the need to click it.
I've found this script, lurking on cgtalk. i didn't see any thread about hotbox on PC (except one where Pior says he's in love with quadmenus)
http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/max-hotbox
! it says it doesn't work on max 2012, but apparently it's ok with SP1
I know there have been some attempt at it but this one seems pretty robust and complete.
! the script is in beta and still has unwanted behaviors.
Sure we have quad menus, but i always find them a bit confusing, like, "where the fuck is that function already ?"
There you can customize colors, positions, conditions (if i am on different windows, i'll have different menus), different actions with left click/right click on a button, gesture recognition. Seems there's a lot of possibilities.
[ame]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBRw1bH0TMc[/ame](there are other videos on youtube)
Now i've just installed it. It seems cool and maybe it could be useful for some of you.
It's still in beta, so i guess, the more feebacks he gets, the more cool and steady the tool will be.
For a better visibilty, I'll list all feedbacks here. Feel free to comment.
-It needs a proper .mzp installer and installs the scripts in the 3ds max directories. Actually it uses the unzipped file location.
fixed : Andreas wants it portable so everything is stored in the hotbox folder.
-The tool disapears when i reboot max (menu vanished, space bar not working)
The tool still appears in the customize menu, but the functions do nothing (bad installation ?) This is a serious issue. I need to redrop the .mse each time
fixed : drop MaxHotboxAutostart.ms and the script is auto launched.
-we don't like encryption for free scripts though we understand.
-If you display the hotbox, keep pressing "space" and drag a new window (like explorer) over it, the hotbox displays over the window, then doesnt disapear when releasing space.
-when you type "space" on a text box e.g, name of an object, it shows the hotbox instead of typing the character " ". This is really bad
fixed
-sometimes the hotbox doesn't dissapear though you release space, until the next time you press it. I have hard time to reproduce it though.
-people (Mark Dygert) require the maya behavior which is, the action of a button is executed when you release the space bar with your mousepointer over that button, without the need to click it.
Replies
I'm right there with you about the quad menu, I only use it when absolutely necessary and I tried really hard for a month to work in to my modeling routine and it was just flat out slower than shortcuts no matter how I arranged things.
SimonT : Yes it works with the spacebar by default, but you can bind it to any key, and display a different menu by key.
Edit: err what Noors said... heh
first statements :
-It needs a proper .mzp installer and installs the scripts in the 3ds max directories. Actually it uses the unzipped file location :O
(make it Norman3d Maxscript Manager complient ? )
-The tool disapears when i reboot max (menu vanished, space bar not working) :O
The tool still appears in the customize menu, but the functions do nothing (bad installation ?) This is a serious issue.
-If you display the hotbox, keep pressing "space" and drag a new window (like explorer) over it, the hotbox displays over the window, then doesnt disapear when releasing space.
Never used Maya so I wouldn't know what this was beforehand, but this looks super freaking useful!
Personally I would love to see it work exactly like in Maya or Composite/Toxic where you can gesture through the menu instead of needing to click. Still as is, it can be very very helpful.
Try it with 2012, it works here (sp1), you have to go trought 5-6 error messages at startup though.
For example, if I press Shift-Z for basic tools, Shift-X for Ribbon tools, etc, using Hotbox?
Don't u guys have any problem when you relaunch max ? i have to launch the script manually each time.
Honestly, this has potential but there's a lot of unwanted behaviors. It's an open beta though.
"I've been waiting a long time for this, I had given up on it since the page wasn't updated for almost a year." True hehe, it took a very long time from vaporware to software.
"You still need to click on the button unlike maya though. Someone proposed him on scriptspot, but i'm not sure if it could work with the way he uses right click/left click." That's possible, can be included in the list of Buttonclick, Mouseclick, ... as Buttonhover or so.
> new feature suggestion noted
"I'm impressed. It's hard to control special keys like Space/Ctrl and so on...i tried it by my own and talked here with other people about it" Yeah I first tryed with MaxScript, but I think you need a timer for that or so. The script is using external dotnet eventhandlers.
"It needs a proper .mzp installer and installs the scripts in the 3ds max directories. Actually it uses the unzipped file location :O" It's not a bug, it's a feature. Max Hotbox is ment to be completly portable. Put it on your USB-drive and drag it around when you are working on different computers.
"The tool disapears when i reboot max (menu vanished, space bar not working) :O
The tool still appears in the customize menu, but the functions do nothing (bad installation ?) This is a serious issue." True, I should add an autostart option in the future. I can understand that this is annoying for you. If you like write your own autostart script, just write >filein "c:\\Max Hotbox\\MaxHotbox.mse"< into a textfile, name this textfile "MHB.ms" and put the file into the folder "C:\Program Files\Autodesk\3ds Max 2011\Scripts\Startup".
> new feature suggestion noted
"If you display the hotbox, keep pressing "space" and drag a new window (like explorer) over it, the hotbox displays over the window, then doesnt disapear when releasing space." That is because Max Hotbox goes idling when 3ds Max is not the active foreground application, to save ressources. However it would be cool that Max Hotbox closes open layers when 3ds Max is not in foreground.
> new feature suggestion noted
"Try it with 2012, it works here (sp1), you have to go trought 5-6 error messages at startup though." I only tryed it with Max 2012 Hotfix 1 before I released it and it caused massive errors with dotnet since autodesk changed something in 3ds Max dotnet handling in 2012 which made me very sad. I'm REALLY glad to hear it works somehow, guess it is more like kind of working, you may only have touched working parts of the script yet, maybe some are crashed and will throw errors. Please all do me a favour and keep testing it on 3ds Max 2012 SP1 Hotfix 2.
"Yes. You can also display both at the same time while pressing 2 keys, which is a new bug !" Dunno what you mean, please describe step-by-step so I can reproduce the bug.
This script has been created for my diploma thesis. If this tool supports your work please support mine and participate and send me the following survey. I need some official statistics about the usage/feedback. Thanks, every single Email helps!
(send to "gg9943*yahoo.com", replace * with @)
1.) Do you think the default customization tools of 3ds Max are enough for your needs?
* yes / no
2.) How much faster or slower do you work with Max Hotbox compared to your usual workflow?
* please just give a percentage, for example: +50% or -25%
3.) Do you think Max Hotbox should be integrated in professional work environments? For exmaple at your workplace?
* yes / no
4.) Would you like to continue working with Max Hotbox?
* yes / no
5.) Do you think other people would like to work with Max Hotbox aswell?
* yes / no
6.) Do you tryed all functionalities of Max Hotbox?
* yes / no
7.) What are you using the most when working with Max Hotbox?
* for example: Mouseclicks
8.) What is your favourite function of Max Hotbox?
* for example: Buttons
9.) What is the most new or special thing of Max Hotbox compared to 3ds Max?
* for example: Mousegestures
10.) Was the Max Hotbox Editor easy to use?
* yes / no
11.) Is the time you spend to customize Max Hotbox worth the time you safe later by a faster workflow?
* yes / no
12.) Do you think other applications which you use in a professional way should have a similar tool like Max Hotbox?
* yes / no
13.) Do you think Max Hotbox could have a future and should be developed any further?
* yes / no
14.) Do you think Max Hotbox should be included into 3ds Max by Autodesk?
* yes / no
by the way it seems to be working in Max 2012 now with Hotfix 1 + 2 + sp1.
edit: after spending some time with this, I think hotbox would probably work best with just a few of your favorite tools. you don't want to go over board and try to put every little setting in there. IMHO
Unless we can put a Box in a Box? In which case, the author better call it Boxception.
You can add sublayer to buttons, just add a layer to the action of a button, then you can attach buttons to that sublayer. That way you can open different layers, by clicking on different buttons.
edit: i have never used the hotbox in maya much and only remember few options to set regarding it's contents - can you customize it like this one, placing individual buttons and such?
The quad menu has 4 sections and everything must be stacked inside one of those 4 categories, you can't choose the position of the menus/buttons, it's just 4 lists of commands and your command either goes up or down the list. Spacial placement can be pretty important and easier for artists to remember (especially if they pick the placement) rather than sorting lists (programers).
There isn't one quad menu but 18 quad menus that contain context sensitive menus. So if you're going to customize the main quad menu or create your custom (Shift+Ctrl+Alt+RMB), those changes aren't applied to all of the other quad menus like edit poly. You have to update them all. It's a blessing and a curse...
If you want to add a command that isn't in the customize UI menu then you need to script it and add the script to the quad menu just like in the hotbox video.
Setting up the Context menus (menus that show up in one quad menu but filter based on what you have selected, poly, spline, patch, vert, edge, element) isn't all that easy for most people, so you end up with long lists of commands that don't apply to what you're doing at that moment, most people choose to leave buttons out on the menu UI rather than use the custom quad menu.
Also some people use the standard quad menus and would also welcome hotbox.
Navigating a list/ fly out menu (if your mouse slips off the path you fall out of the menu) isn't the same as placing a button in an easy to navigate spot.
There are two things working against this script:
1) The inability to swipe through a button, you have to click it. Which isn't that major I guess...
2) Customizing it is a bit crazy if you're not into scripting. Which I think every artist should be, it opens a lot of doors and you don't need a masters degree in programing to start using it.
Hotbox isn't a happy-go-easy make fantastic art button but it is pretty cool and one more option when customizing your UI could be the one option that allows you to move faster with less repetition.
A lot of people fall into the trap that the UI they are handed is the best they'll ever get and don't ever question its authority over their workflow. They don't use other apps and realize there might be better faster ways of working. When I started using Silo I went back to max and made some modifications that drastically sped me up. They don't realize that they are slowed down and handicapped to a UI that might not suit their needs. They never record themselves working and see that they wasted a bunch of time traveling across the screen to click a button when that button could be moved right under their mouse.
Lots of wise words ;] I had same experience after trying modo. Came back to max and first thing I did was furious googling to find pie menu script for 3dsmax... unfortunately no luck. Did a lot of key binding in max script and now still looking for ways to add something new to my workflow. When you have really good hotkeys and things like hot box the program vanishes. You just model... nothing between you and modelling. Just give me pie menu or a hot box for views. Modos pie menu with views is so god damn awesome. Actually swiping as you called it for me is important. It changes menu into gestures because you don't even look at menu after some time of using it. Sometimes I wish my first app was Modo ;] Now after so much time polishing my workflow in Max I just can't switch to other apps ;/
Note that the file has to be located in the Max Hotbox folder first before dragging it into the viewport. Also note that autostart function makes the location of Max Hotbox fixed. Max Hotbox was designed to be portable so you can drag it around between multiple workstations on an USB drive. If you change the location of Max Hotbox then you have to re-apply the autostartscript.
Sorry for the slow support, I'm not working on the script right now. I'm more busy with diploma and finding a job afterwards.
Thanks for the update !
I understand now that you wanted to make it portable, but it was annoying to drop a file each time you reboot max (which happens to me like 50 times a day).
The autostart.ms is a good compromise i think.
Also what i meant in a previous post, is that, if you assign 2 different actions to 2 different keys, and press those 2 keys at the same time, both menus will display, but it's not systematic.
Now the fact you can't type the key that you assigned the hotbox to in a textfield is the last thing that prevents me to use this tool.
e.g if it's binded to space, you can't "type" a space in a texfield.
For the script being encrypted: I worked 1 year on realising it and thought of selling it at some point for an affordable amount of money, nothing much really just some dollars. For now it's a free version.
Just download the new version and copy the old "Profiles" folder into the new version. This folder contains your configuration.
Yeah this must have been a really bad bug. Sorry that it took me so long to fix it. Right now I'm not frequently working with 3ds Max. But at this point I also want to encourage people to play around with Max Hotbox and find their own style. Many want to use it like the Maya Hotbox which is fine, but maybe think ahead, use mousegestures, use the mousebuttons 4 and 5 on the side of your mouse, add nested sublayers to buttons. It offers some cool new ways to work.
Time for testing in real work situation now.
Is there a possibility to get a new update to avoid this "outdated" message while installing?