MAX9_32 SP2

I am trying to diagnose a problem that I’m having with using my SpacePilot’s customizable buttons.  I can put MAX commands on the buttons and for the most part, they work fine.  But if I am trying to use a MAX or Maxscript dialog to rename objects and I want to add the standard Copy, Paste, Delete functions… when the SpacePilot sends these commands they don’t do anything.

The 3D Connexion folks have asked me to test something.  They want me to use the standard MAX customization commands to assign these to keys and test.  When I go to do this and I look at all the commands MAX presents, there is no Copy or Delete but there is a Paste.  When I assign this to a new key combo such as CTRL-ALT-P, it is assigned but does nothing when I use it in MAX.

Anyone know what this ‘Paste’ is for and if it works?

Thanks!

Sincerely,

Mike Truly
--------------------------------------------
Truly Media
1.800.829.4990
http://www.trulymedia.com

I’m sorry Mike, but I’m totally lost.

Can you describe where I should look to encounter the feature you’re looking at?  I mean, you say Max or Maxscript Dialog, but pick one that shows the behavior you want to discuss, or me to look at, and I’ll take a look.  Which Maxscript Dialog and what should I do?

Max does not seem to rely on some of the Windows functions in many locations because they don’t make sense there.  You can’t copy in Max in the viewport as such but Clone… You use an internal to Max function and don’t rely on the Windows Buffer to achieve the functionality.  However, you can copy text and that’s in the context right click menu’s, so Max is externally calling the function within Windows… but I’m not sure where I’m trying to direct you until you specify what I’m missing.  You might have to look at the SDK to figure out how to access the native windows comands but let’s hope not.

Maneswar Cheemalapati [FA]

Sorry Maneswar, I know this is a bit confusing.  I’m basically talking about common commands (not particular to MAX) such as Copy, Paste, Delete, etc.

If you select an object and in the Modify panel at the top where the object name is shown, you highlight some text.  If (using the keyboard) you CTRL-C to copy the text and then select some other text field and then CTRL-V to paste, you have done basically a ‘Copy/Paste’ and it works.

On the SpacePilot, there are about 10 programmable buttons and they have a driver for MAX where you can choose various commands to assign to the buttons.  In the config dialog, you can choose from all these commands to program the buttons and I tried to program the buttons to do Copy, Paste, Delete, etc.  But it didn’t work.  The buttons get programmed and send the command to MAX but MAX does nothing.  If I use these same commands, but on the computer keyboard, MAX responds appropriately doing a Copy, Paste, Etc. both in the main MAX area (such as the name slot in the Modify panel) or in a Maxscript type floating tool (such as Neil Blevins Name Manager tool - for renaming objects, etc.).

I have been having the 3D Connexion folks looking at this and they asked that I try to use the MAX customization tools to assign these same commands to a keyboard shortcut to see if they work there.  When I go into the customize UI dialog, only the ‘Paste’ command is listed (and this could be something other than the basic system ‘Paste’)… Copy and Delete are not in the list.  In any event, I assigned ‘Paste’ to CTRL-ALT-P.  I then copied some text and tried to use this shortcut to paste and it did nothing.

So, I was wondering if anyone knew about the ‘Paste’ command in the list and whether it’s a real paste or some paste specific to some particular tool but not the same as a system ‘Paste’?

Confusing I know.  Bottom line is, I’m trying to program my SpacePilot for some of this simple functionality and it’s not working in this case.

Thanks!

Sincerely,

Mike Truly
--------------------------------------------
Truly Media
1.800.829.4990
http://www.trulymedia.com

Hmmm… how’d that little smiley get in there?

Thanks!

Sincerely,

Mike Truly
--------------------------------------------
Truly Media
1.800.829.4990
http://www.trulymedia.com

Do you have Polyboost? The “Paste” command I believe belongs to Polyboost category. Max doesn’t have Paste command except within a specific context.

E. K. Anna Hennequet [FA]

Anna,

Thanks for this!

Yes… I do have Polyboost so it must be that ‘Paste’.  Which makes me think the other commands that the SpacePilot sees (Copy and Delete), although they are not showing up in the MAX commands list, are also not the ‘System’ Copy and Delete.  I’ll pass this on to the SpacePilot folks.

Thanks again.

Sincerely,

Mike Truly
--------------------------------------------
Truly Media
1.800.829.4990
http://www.trulymedia.com

OK, an update to this.

These commands listed in MAX are not the system commands.  So when the SpacePilot assigned them to the buttons… they didn’t work.

The SpacePilot has two ways it can be programmed.  A generic config app and a MAX specific config app.  The generic config app WILL create the proper macros and assign them to the buttons.  But, they are not saved into the MAX config from here… so they don’t stick.  What you have to do is:

1.  Start MAX (which loads the MAX specific config).
2.  Start the generic config app and create and assign your macros.  (Leave this app open).
3.  Close MAX
4.  Close the generic config app.  (This saves the macros into the MAX specific config).
5.  Restart MAX (and the new macros are there too).

Now these macros are there in addition to all the MAX commands.

Thanks!

Sincerely,

Mike Truly
--------------------------------------------
Truly Media
1.800.829.4990
http://www.trulymedia.com

Mike Truly 12 October 2007 01:03 AM

Hmmm… how’d that little smiley get in there?

Thanks!

Common problem detecting smileys.
‘) is ‘ ) (without the space), wierd that it still displays the “‘“ though.

Tip - Always preview posts before submitting them :P

Max 4.2 through 2013.
XP-64 (SP2)
NVidia 9800GTX-512 (Driver 266.58).
Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz, 8Gb Ram, DX9.0c.

Steve,

Thanks for that.  Fast Reply doesn’t have a preview!  (although I frequently skip the previewing anyway to expidite things).  But I would gladly agree to preview all posts if someone would get that MotionBuilder demon to stop staring at me as I browse the forums!  Please Autodesk… kill that left hand panel please!

Thanks!

Sincerely,

Mike Truly
--------------------------------------------
Truly Media
1.800.829.4990
http://www.trulymedia.com

I don’t think I’ve ever used the Fast option - alway Quote or Reply.

Not bothered by the image, but I agree that they shouldn’t be there at all - at least not in the discussion pages.

Max 4.2 through 2013.
XP-64 (SP2)
NVidia 9800GTX-512 (Driver 266.58).
Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz, 8Gb Ram, DX9.0c.