Comparing Autodesk SDKs
See also Import Export (XSISDK)
Maya
This series of articles provide a quick introduction to the Softimage SDK for script writers who are familiar with MEL-script and the Maya SDK. Rather than comparing the products in a biased or critical fashion, the focus is on giving an overview of the concepts so that script writers can quickly become effective within Softimage. Both products are incredibly sophisticated, with SDKs so large that they rival an operating system, so this document can only hope to give a high-level view.
Maya script-writers will find that there are many similarities between the two products and that they will be able to leverage their existing skills effectively. And, once armed with a high-level view, the reams of details that are stored within the SDK documentation becomes meaningful and can provide the rest of the information necessary to master the Softimage SDK.
The following are the main topics in this article series:
3ds Max
MAXScript
Users of MAXScript (the scripting language of 3ds Max) usually have little problem learning to use the Softimage SDK.
MAXScript has its own proprietary and unique syntax. However users should find learning JScript, VBScript or Python syntax a straightfoward task. Perhaps Jscript has the most similar syntax, for example a JScript object is similar to a MAXScript struct.
A simple example, creating an array with two elements and assigning it to a local variable:
mymaxscriptarray = #( 4, "Hello" )
myjscriptarray = [ 4, "Hello" ]
Softimage has a smaller Object Model because it focuses of generic classes. For example, all shaders can be represented by a generic Shader object and derived Texture object.
3ds Max C++ SDK
Similarly users of the 3ds Max C++ SDK will have little trouble when looking at the Softimage C++ API.
