ScriptSpot

Script

Maxscript 2013 Help CHM creator

By Jonathan de Blok · 2012-04-28

Version
1.3.0
Date updated
2012-04-29
Votes
10
Description


****
Update: Our friends at Autodesk have released an official CHM for both MXS and SDK!

Get it here: http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/item?siteID=123112&id=16707768

****

With this tool you can transcode the offline HTML help into a CHM for personal use.

Remember, while these tools are freeware the resulting CHM is still a copyrighted work and you cannot distribut that without permission, so keep the CHM to yourself.

Needed:
-The offline maxscript help files: http://images.autodesk.com/adsk/files/maxscript-2013-help.zip

-For Max 2014 use these: http://images.autodesk.com/adsk/files/maxscript-2014-help.zip

-htmlhelp.exe, download here: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=21138   

Howto:

1) Download offline help and unpack zip somewhere

2) Unpak chm_ftw.zip files to help's root folder (so chm_ftw.exe and index.html are in the same folder)

3) Optionally drop override.css in the '/styles' folder the get the original look and feel of the last CHM. (Thx to Johan Boekhoven for supplying the CSS)

4) **!! Delete or rename the /scripts folder !!** important

5) Run chm_ftw.exe  (can take a while), now 2 files new are created ( a .hhc and a .hhk file)

6) Open '__maxscripthelp_project.hhp' in microsoft's HTLMworkshop (don't drag&drop, use the file menu) 

7) Click on the content and index tabs, if asked for a file point to the files created earlier. (if you see content it worked)

8) Compile & Enjoy*

(Works on Max's main help file as well thx to SpaceFrog's handy work, see http://www.scriptspot.com/3ds-max/scripts/maxscript-2013-help-chm-creato…

 

Additional Info

Checked and works with MaxScript 2014 docs as well

Update 1.3.0

  • Better anchoring routine to account for discrepancies on the originals files.
  • Now comes with a very clean and optimized index, the original had lots of doubles and those are now automatically being filtered out.

Small example, these are 3 original entries:

1) Abs()
2) abs() - Numbers
3) abs() - Time values

Nr1 points to the same place as nr2 so nr1 is removed and the index looks like this:

1) abs() - Numbers
2) abs() - Time values

 

Update 1.2.1

  • Fixed anchoring bug in subtitles
  • Optimization

Update 1.2.0

  • CSS fixes
  • Added subtitles to index for better usability The [1],  [2], [3] etc are replaced by titles so instead of
Controller [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8], [9], [10], [11], [12], [13], [14], [15], [16], [17], [18], [19], [20], [21], [22], [23], [24], [25], [26], [27], [28], [29], [30], [31], [32], [33], [34], [35], [36], [37], [38], [39], [40], [41], [42]

You get

Controller
Controller - Animation Controller
Controller - Audio Controllers
Controller - Attachment : PositionController
etc...

 

Update 1.1.0:

  • Added subtitles in index Update to 1.1.0 Thx to Ruramuq for some better CHM settings: Favorites tab enabled
  • Advanced search
  • Fixed the error on start page
  • Some small tweaks.
Attachments
Comments (27)

Martin Breidt · 2016-12-21

Link broken..?

fajar · 2013-04-15

does anybody tried this methode on new 3dsMax 2014 help ?

OK, done it...with max help too and well its ok too.

miauu · 2013-03-30

Successfully created chm of 2014 maxscript help.

:)

barigazy · 2013-03-31

Yep. It works perfectly.

SIL · 2012-11-11

Also you can use AutoHotkey utility for remap f1 button to run CHM file. But I don't know - how get query for current word in command line.

My script for AutoHotkey looks like this:

#IfWinActive ahk_class 3DSMAX
Tab::Home
CapsLock::End
Lwin::NumpadMult
F1::RUN c:\Program Files\Autodesk\3ds Max 2013\help\Help.chm

#IfWinActive ahk_class #32770
F1::RUN c:\Program Files\Autodesk\3ds Max 2013\help\MaxScript.chm

#IfWinActive ahk_class MXS_SciTEWindow
F1::RUN c:\Program Files\Autodesk\3ds Max 2013\help\MaxScript.chm

macro launcher

Jonathan de Blok · 2012-11-11

You can also use this small macro script and assign it to ctrl-h for example. (will not auto load to the right page)

(first copy the chm to your max folder in appdata dir, or asjudt the macro to point to the right location where ever you keep the chm)

macroScript mxs_help
category: "JDBgraphics"
(
helpfile=getdir #maxData+"mxs2013_help.chm"
ShellLaunch helpfile ""
)

JohnnyRandom · 2012-07-06

Epic work! I owe you a beer or two, or whatever your prefered refreshment may be :)

Compiles the standard docs to CHM too after some changes !

spacefrog · 2012-06-21

Hi!
I just made some changes to the HTML Help Workshop project and tested the script on the 3ds Max docs itself. And it works with them too !!
You might get some warnings in the CHM, because some quicktime MOV's are embedded, but i think they are no way essential (they do not display on my system).
So the steps to create the CHM for the standard 3ds Max documentation are as follows:

* Download the 3dsMax docs and extract ( http://www.autodesk.com/3dsmax-helpdownload-enu , i did not test with non-english help )
* Download Jonathan's great maxscript CHM creator package (this page) and extract to the folder where you extracted the docs to
* Download the attached file ( __3dsmaxhelp_project.hhp )and save it to this folder too

* follow all steps from Jonathan's script's readme, but instead of opening "__maxscripthelp_project.hhp" in HTMLWorkshop, use the project-file i provided in the attachement and compile

Result:
you got a CHM of the 3ds Max doc's, a quick test shows search and index is working (some difference in the presentation compared to the HTML docs )
And as mentioned of course, quicktime movies might not work in the CHM version...

Attachments

Nice! :)

Jonathan de Blok · 2012-06-22

Nice find that it works on the regular help as well :)

br0t · 2012-05-28

Like a breeze Jonathan! Owe you one!!

error

mad · 2012-05-02

with the created chm file is something wrong, theres an error "navigation to web page has been canceled" even if i dont copy owerride.css and use spacefrog 2012 hhp file

http://s9.postimage.org/yillfx7vx/error.jpg

spacefrog · 2012-05-02

I bet this is not a problem with the generated CHM but with your systems security settings, which prevents you from opening a CHM of unknown origin (even if that sounds stupid). For more info please google "CHM unblock security"

eg. look here http://www.jeff.wilcox.name/2008/11/unblock-chms/

There are other ways to fix this for all CHM's, like editing/adding some registry entries.

Just backchecked the generated 2012 CHM here, and it looks pretty okay ;-)

mad · 2012-04-30

does it work for max 2012 too?

spacefrog · 2012-05-01

I tested it with the Max 2012 files and it looked okay
Did'nt check the CHM for problems though ...

spacefrog · 2012-05-01

There's a issue displaying the Default/Index page when running the tool on Max 2012's help files. I looked up the correct file and fixed it and saved to a different HTML Help project. Use that one instead when working with Max 2012 files
(Copy it to the same folder were the original one sits....)

Attachments

Jonathan de Blok · 2012-05-01

If the data structure is the same it should work fine, looks like SpaceFrog got it to work already :)

It looks for a 'indexes-data.html' and 'contents-data.html' to build the index and TOC structures, so if those are there it should work.

I'm not sure if the CSS overrides will work.. quite busy atm but I'll add 'check 2012 compatibility' to the todo list.

Randall Hess · 2012-04-30

Well done and Thank You!

fajar · 2012-04-29

Thanks my men , I wonder if you could also do this for max help....I could easly do maxscript to launch chm file to override the original one.

Motiva · 2012-04-29

Thank you for this. For easy use inside max you can add it as additional help (help->additional help) by editing the Plugin.UserSettings.ini file, located at C:\Users\[your username]\AppData\Local\Autodesk\3dsMax\[your max version]\enu\

Open the file and add this under [Help] header (add header if not exist)

[Help]
Maxscript 2013=[yout path to help file]\__maxscripthelp_project.chm

fajar · 2012-04-29

Autodesk team kept reaping the best thing in max, viewport, help, Ive complain it starting from max 2012 , but seem they didnt get a clue about and kept their "brutal" improvement which is make max sufffer more than to recover. Why did I must download the help file ? the max installation is in big DVD, it only take 3.5 Gb which is still enough to put some additional files such as help file or at least put english help file on default installation. Dang I dont want to sputter more than this, but it seem I starting to lazy to open new max now, theres many thing that missing and broken. I must download this, download that, just to see non sense new feature....for my internet connection is slow this is a problem.Dang......

Get a clue autodesk max team

Fajar

noranim · 2012-04-28

Big thanks !!! But ...... maxscript editor still loads the html help from the site. Is it possible to do so to maxscript editor understands this chm file?
sorry for my english ......

Great Job

rotem · 2012-04-28

I hope Autodesk take the hint...

barigazy · 2012-04-28

this is awesome!!!
Thanks +1

miauu · 2012-04-28

Thank you very much for this.
:)