Differences Between pScene and lScene in FBX SDK

When examining sample code for the FBX SDK, whether in C++ or Python, you often encounter variables named pScene and lScene. Both are instances of the FbxScene class, but the difference between the p and l prefixes piqued my interest, so I investigated further.

pScene Is an Argument and lScene Is a Local Variable

The explanation can be found on the following page from the official documentation: Autodesk FBX / Information and technical support

Surprisingly, pScene is an argument while lScene is a local variable!

In summary, the prefixes mean the following:

Prefix	Meaning	Example
Fbx	Prefix for classes provided by FBX SDK	FbxScene
p	Prefix for function/method arguments	pScene
l	Prefix for local variables	lScene
g	Prefix for global variables	gScene
m	Prefix for member variables of a class	mScene

Dividing naming so precisely feels quite C++-like.

In Conclusion

Understanding this difference clarified a lot for me!

Incidentally, before investigating, I had mistakenly assumed they were using Systems Hungarian notation. In Systems Hungarian, p typically indicates a pointer and l indicates a long type. I'm glad I took the time to research it!