Hey Sweenie... How's The Irrlicht Wrapper Coming..

It's slowly coming along.
About 250 of about 600 functions are done.
The rest of the functions are "converted" but requires a bit more work to...um, work :)

Trying to answer your questions...

Let's say I have a C++ Api which expose a class called SceneManager.
This class contains three methods called BeginScene, RenderScene and EndScene.

A c++ user could easily create an instance of this class by simply writing...

SceneManager mySmgr;

and call it's methods by writing...

mySmgr->BeginScene()
mySmgr->RenderScene()
mySmgr->EndScene()

Now if I want to do the same thing i Bmax I get trouble because the only thing I can use from the API(dll) is ordinary functions, not classes.
The methods in the class are "ordinary" functions but they are hidden inside the class and beyond my reach.

What I can do though is to create a wrapper dll which creates and call class-methods for me.

So to reach the methods above I create four functions in my wrapper.

Smgr_CreateSceneManager()
Smgr_BeginScene()
Smgr_RenderScene()
Smgr_EndScene()

Smgr_CreateSceneManager() will create a SceneManager Instance and return it's pointer.

Smgr_BeginScene(),Smgr_RenderScene() and Smgr_EndScene() will take the pointer to the class that I provide and call the corresponding method inside it.

So doing the same as the C++ code above but in Bmax would look like this...

Local MySmgr = Smgr_CreateSceneManager()
Smgr_BeginScene(MySmgr)
Smgr_RenderScene(MySmgr)
Smgr_EndScene(MySmgr)

Now, this doesn't have a very objectoriented feel to it so why not put it inside a couple of types?
Like this...

Type SceneManager
 Field ClassInstance:Int

 Method BeginScene()
  Smgr_BeginScene(ClassInstance)
 End Method

 Method RenderScene()
  Smgr_RenderScene(ClassInstance)
 End Method

 Method EndScene()
  Smgr_EndScene(ClassInstance)
 End Method

 Function Create:SceneManager()
  NewInstance:SceneManager = New SceneManager
  NewInstance.ClassInstance = Smgr_CreateSceneManager()
 Return NewInstance
 End Function

Then the bmax code could look like this instead...

Local MySmgr = SceneManager.Create()
MySmgr.BeginScene()
MySmgr.RenderScene()
MySmgr.EndScene()

Now, it is a bit more objectoriented a more like the C++ code.

I have to mention though that this is how I solve this problem using my current knowledge of Bmax and C++.
There probably exists a much smarter and easier solution.
So if anyone knows a better way of solving this with Bmax, please let me know. :)