Download script Point Parent

Download script Point Parent brutal

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Hierarchies are better when groups - they are always in open state and don't clutter viewports with bounding boxes as opened groups do.

I'm using point-headed hierarchies in my scenes - this is when Point object is a parent of your group. For example table and surrounding chairs are linked to one Point object. This approach is close to Maya/Houdini workflow. But groups have one advantage - the 'Group' menu command, you can't create hierarchies in 3ds max with one click - you have to create parent object, then select child objects and drag the mouse in link mode, or select parent in Select by name dialog. It's all not interesting. This is why I've made this script.

Installation:

Run this script with Maxscript -> Run Script command from any folder on your hard drive, then go to the 'Customize User Interface' -> 'Toolbars', browse to category 'Sergo Pogosyan' and add 'Parent Point' buttons to the toolbar or to the menu. Place icon bitmap files to the maxroot/UI/Icons folder if you need button images. Icon files are same for all my scripts, so you can download and install them only one time or overwrite old one as well.

Tested on 3ds max 8, 9, 2008, 2009.

Usage:

Select objects in the scene and start the script with toolbar button or menu command - now 3ds max is in Point creation mode. Create the Point object anywhere you want (I'm choosing 3d snapping and create points at the bottom of the object set), and when the point will be created it will automatically become parent of all selected objects.

Note that existing hierarchies are respected - only objects that are not linked as child to any objects in scene and objects that are parents of some hierarchies already become the children of newly created Point object. The second script is the brutal edition :) - it doesn't respect any dependencies and makes all selected objects his children.