You shoud spend some time getting used to writing Arduino code to interface with the sensors you need.
This will make it easier to get the right data in the right format back to PD or MAX.
Theres so much Arduino code available here and in other places, that i guarantee that you will almost always be able to find either what you need, or some code you can use as a starting point for your own code writing.
Also never be afraid to ask questions here. I have seen very few questions that have not been answered in a constructive manner in this forum. The collective electronics and coding knowledge in here is rather amazing 
Almost no matter what your project is, someone has done something similar enough to help you get started.