Max.NET

(This plugin was submitted to ScriptSpot as a benefit to the users - technical questions need to be directed the developers using the project page link below.)

Max.NET is a .NET CLR wrapper for 3d Studio Max's (3dsmax) software development kit (SDK). It allows developers to write tools for 3dsmax in a managed and reflective environment using any of the common .NET languages such as C#, VB.net, J#, and C++/CLI. Moreover it provides access to all of the classes and their members accessible to normal unmanaged SDK.

This carries a number of benefits over traditional development procedures, which include:

1. The obvious benefits of using a managed language: garbage collection prevents serious memory bugs, ability to use reflection, integration with the rest of the .NET framework, and much better IDE support.
2. Plugins compiled are forward and backward compatible: the interface assembly they link to doesn't depend on MaxDotNet implementation
3. Plugins compiled are x86/x64 platform neutral: compiled IL code is platform neutral by definition
4. Built-in SDK documentation: All of the 3dsmax interfaces used contain full documentation extracted from 3dsmax docs
5. Unit testing
   and remote execution: Included remoting framework, along with .NET's
   great support for remoting allows all plugins and 3dsmax scenes to be
   unit-tested straight from the IDE, providing a very agile approach to
   tools development
6. Dynamic loading/unloading
   of assemblies inside 3dsmax: I have added this feature to be able to
   not to restart 3dsmax once changes are done to a plugin. MaxDotNet
   simply re-loads the modified assemblies with the current scene so that
   testing/development can be continued un-interrupted.

Licensing:

• Max.NET is available for non-commercial use under GNU General Public License. Please note that this license carries no waranties about the code or its function.
• Commercial licenses
  for Max.Net 1.x, which remove all restrictions, are available for
  USD$675 per 5 seats of 3d Studio Max. These include 5 hours of support (per license) for any integration or issues that you might come across as well as all the (non-redistributable) source code and debug builds for your convenience.
  Further support and consulting will be provided on demand.
• Development licenses
  are also available upon request. These licenses allow developers to
  write and sell commercial tools that run using the Max.Net framework.