BAT Help - General BAT Problems

[Skyfire2275 23]

Thanks... very simple indeed... when you know.

[scba 179]

I'm getting sick and tired of this happening...

Out of nowhere, all of the zooms start going haywire. When I'm trying to navigate around with the little 'hand' I automatically zoom in and out. When I try and rotate, it goes in the inverted directions. And when I just zoom out with the triangle, the objects get all warped. Any easy way to get rid of this? I'm not using any lights...

[Glenni 1,444]

the model gets all messed up with the triangle,i know that use the magnifier icon instead,and the ortate i dont know what to do with but it is annoying!

[patriots_1228 51]

Everytime i make somthing, when im finished, i go to BAT export, then it gets to 9%, the Grenderer thumbnail comes up, and it freezes. Anyone no whats wrong?

[shpangler 19]

To patriots:

I've noticed this happening on a few occasions to me as well.  I really don't know why it freezes after the 9% but I've found that patience is the answer.  If I click anything or press anything on my computer, it seems to mess up the export process.  After I hit the 'export' button I simply leave my computer and check it periodically...

[onlyplace4 603]

@patriots_1228 and shpangler: gmax isn't actually freezing during the render process, it simply updates the progress bar at the end of each of the various render stages. To check that gmax is indeed still doing stuff open up the Windows Task Manager and watch it eat your processor capacity and RAM! Additionally, you can do other things whilst the render is going on but you must NOT reselct gmax or the render window if you do choose to do something else. Leave it well alone until the render has finished, but you can still work on other programs, browse the net and so forth.

Hope that helps.

[Lehan 0]

Please help, when I try to export model from BAT I always get the same error, while rendering the south side... error code 11 - what should I do???

[david1314 44]

Courtisey of Rapheal_Ninja by way of Pegasus:

B.A.T. Export Error Codes

The most common export error is the file-sharing error. Make sure that the Lot Editor or SimCity 4 are not running during B.A.T. export. Both of these applications prevent B.A.T. for writing to the output file.

Here are the explanations of all error codes reported by B.A.T.

Error #0 - Export initialization error. Possible causes:

Missing cameras and lighting rig.

Failure to create output file.

Error #1 - Temporary object cleanup error. Possible causes:

Corrupted file

Error #2 - Error finding/creating LOD shells.

Error #3 - Error writing model info to the output file. Possible causes:

File sharing violation. This typically happens when the Lot Editor or the game is running.

Output file is write-protected (read-only).

Error #4 - Error rendering thumbnails. Possible causes:

Running out of memory.

OS error.

Error #5 - Error saving thumbnails to the output file. Possible causes:

File sharing violation. This typically happens when the Lot Editor or the game is running.

Output file is write-protected (read-only).

The subsequent errors can occur while exporting particular zooms and rotations. They repeat cyclically.

Errors #6 - #11: zoom 5 rotation 1

Errors #12 - #17: zoom 5 rotation 2

Errors #18 - #23: zoom 5 rotation 3

Errors #24 - #29: zoom 5 rotation 4

Errors #30 - #35: zoom 4 rotation 1

Error #6 - Error rendering/saving zoom 5 rotation 1 view. Possible causes:

File sharing violation. This typically happens when the Lot Editor or the game is running.

Output file is write-protected (read-only).

Running out of memory.

OS error.

Error #7 - Error collecting scene nodes for S3D export.

Error #8 - Error rotating export nodes.

Error #9 - Error saving export nodes to the output file. Possible causes:

File sharing violation. This typically happens when the Lot Editor or the game is running.

Output file is write-protected (read-only).

Bad units. Make sure you are using metric system.

Error #10 - Error rotating export nodes.

Error #11 - Error saving export nodes to the output file. Possible causes:

File sharing violation. This typically happens when the Lot Editor or the game is running.

Output file is write-protected (read-only).

Bad units. Make sure you are using metric system.

Info compliments Raphael Ninja !quote>

http://www.jphayden.com/pegprod/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1905&sid=4b16bc7f58ffd61d91e396b9ff06e0bf

Edit:  Also, anything that just flat won't render will give error 4.  I got this when x-refing objects with a light.

[bri3d 4]

Help! I've done a building, textured it, and was about to get to last part - putting night textures on the windows. However, in the drop-down list where you choose your night textures, there is nothing. I would show a pic but I'm not sure how to take one in regular desktop mode. 

Please help. I want to finish my hard-worked on building.

EDIT: I forgot. I reinstalled BAT but that just messed up all of the regular textures in perspective view, but it still seems to render fine. And the night textures are in the right folder, so that can't be the problem.

[Jasoncw 11,840]

Try typing "nitelite" infront of the windows names, and see what happens.  I'd guess that it would glow with whatever the default nitelite texture is, but I don't know.

To take a screenshot, press the "prnt scrn" or "Print Screen" key on your keyboard.  It's usually to the left of F12, and above insert.  That key will copy a screenshot of your screen.  Now open an image editing program, like Microsoft Paint, or Adobe Photoshop, make a new file, and paste it into it.  Crop out the areas that you don't need to show.  Then upload it to an online image hosting website (I use imageshack, you can google it to find their website), and once they give you a url, you can post that here. 

Did you get all that?

[bri3d 4]

Ok, I tried typing "nitelite" in front of the windows' names but no luck.
Here's whats happening (outlined in yellow, click for larger image): 


Nothing in the list. I can get night lights to work, but not night windows.
Thanks

[Jasoncw 11,840]

Double check to make sure that there are three folders (for three colors) at C:\gmax\gamepacks\BAT\Maps\NightWindows and in each of those three folders there should be 5 files.

That's the only thing I can think of.

[marc 13]

I don't have a clue what may be causing this, but to narrow the problem down, try this:

You said the textures are in the correct folders. Like Jason suggested, make sure each of the three folders has 5 files.

Once you've restarted your computer, open up a NEW scene in the BAT, create a simple box, apply the "Night_" prefix to its name, and then check to see if you can change the nightlighting colors. If you can do that, that means your BAT file has been corrupted, but not the program/gamepack itself. If you can't change nightcolors in your new scene, the BAT gamepack has been corrupted.

If it turns out only your scene was corrupted, you can select all your objects, "save selected" as a seperate file, open a new BAT scene and "merge" your save-selected file into the new scene. If it turns out your program is corrupted, I can only suggest a reinstall of the BAT gamepack.

Edit: I notice in your screenshot that under the color selection dropdown list (which is blank in yours), under "Selection" you have the box next to "Enabled" checked. I have this box UNchecked and am able to select night colors. Perhaps this has something to do with it?

Second Edit: I was browsing the BAT forums and happened upon this thread, in which someone had the same problem. I decided to come back here and add this link. Caliban's post explains how to fix it.

[bri3d 4]

Thanks Jasoncw and marcszar for the link. The problem was fixed!

Finally I can finish that building...

[guitarist4816 3]

i have an issue thats probably gonna be hard to explain, but ill try my best.

When i try to make a custom shape using the spline>>line tool, it only allows me to make 3 segment and then asks if i would like to close the spline. Then then stops me from being able to zoom and change my position to plot the next point. Has this happened to anyone else?

[spa 968]

Strange. The only time it ever asks me if I want to close the spline is if I click on top of one of the points I have already made. If it's doing that without you closing up the shape than I don't know what to suggest. Strange.

[budweiserdude23 80]

You know what might be the problem is your trying to draw a line in the perspective view. Odd things tend to happen when you try to create shapes in that view. Just a guess on my part...

As for your zoom problem, if you are in the midst of creating a shape or editting a poly or mesh the bat will not allow you to zoom.

[Yoman3 5]

Alright after a recent computer wipe I have re-installed BAT and entered the Gmax code. But when I attempted to open BAT I got a prompt that said: IO Error and contained:

The Help path (C:\gmax\help) does not exist.

Use Configure Paths to set the location to a path that exists. 

Any help?

[Jasoncw 11,840]

That's just the tutorial thing or whatever, so it doesn't really matter.

The problem seems to be that Gmax is looking for the help files found in the path it listed.  Then it says to go to Configure Paths to redirect the default path to wherever it really is.

You could do that (look through the menus, I think it's under customization, but I could be wrong), and poke around untill you find something that looks like it, then redirect the path to wherever the files really are on your computer.  Or, find the files on your computer, and put them into the folder it listed (or make the folder, then move them there).

Or, if you don't have the files at all, then don't worry about it, because it doesn't look like something important.  The help feature doesn't work on my Gmax, so that might just be the way that it is.

[marc 13]

My Gmax help didn't work either until I visited the Turbosquid website and realized this:

The Gmax help files have to be downloaded separately from the installer package on Turbosquid. The Gmax help files can be found here.

Edit: Darn, it looks like they removed the link. All of the links get a "The Page Cannot be Found" error. Hopefully it's temporary.

[Yoman3 5]

Thank you for the advice both of you. I think I made a silly error and that isnt the main problem.

I discovered something this morning which might be the problem. This time teh Prompt says :

Fatal Error

Interactive 3D Renderer initialization failed.
Plese check your device settings by using the -H command line option. 

Now I'm not skilled in computers at all so could anyone help with that?

[ja/att 61]

For some reason after creating my BAT when I go to export, there is no BAT button under the utilities tab to export. Any ideas?

[Jasoncw 11,840]

Make sure you open it through the BAT shortcut, not the Gmax shortcut.  If you just open Gmax, none of the BAT stuff will be there.

[ja/att 61]

Jasoncw, thanks you were right on the button........

[patriots_1228 51]

ok so i want to get the inside of my building to glow. I put the windows at 85 opacity and then stuck an omni in there. I hit cast shadows, which is what i was told to do the first time. how do i make this work?!!!

[SimFox 802]

For insides of the building to "glow" light produced from your omni have to bounce /reflect from the internal geometry of the building - walls, etc... just as it does in real world, unfortunately it is impossible to recreate in GMAX. When cast shadows is on light will (as advertised) create shadows, but these will be worse then in outer space - you could have absolutely black spot next to brightly light spot. In real world and good rendering setups light from bright spot will bounce and INDIRECTLY illuminate the shadow area - this is why there are no totally dark places in real world. But this basic concept is beyond simple replication in GMAX. To get it to work you have to move upscale from it, about 3-4 000$ up that is - meaning 3ds MAX with either built in Mental Ray with Final Gather, or for much slower calculation and significantly inferior results with Scanline with either Ray Tracer or Radiocity. There are other 3d modeling packages some are either much cheaper - like MoDo or even Free - Blender, but you wouldn't be able to use those with BAT. But take a look at those who knows may be it will be instrumental in something else!

Blender 3D

Luxology MoDo

[roodle 0]

Hi guys,

I'm new to the BAT thing, so first question:

Where can i get the BAT program from???

Thanks

[Jasoncw 11,840]

Nice to see someone start BATing. 

The answer to your question can be found here.

[nofunk 1,933]

I'm posting here only because I'm afraid that nobody will see this in the LODs sticky -- it's been about 8 months since someone has posted there.

I was exporting LODs in GMAX for a model that I have in 3DS, and I encountered a 'Code 6' error. Any idea what that is and how to get past it?

I followed the BatForMax instructions -- Export Selected from 3DS, Import into GMAX and then export. The LODs seem to have disappeared from the scene after the error.

Is there a problem with me just making some LODs in GMAX -- I know the dimensions they need to be -- and exporting those? Or do they have to come from 3DS first? Am I still going to run into the same error anyway?

[hoyes02 1]

This is my first time to use BAT and I have a stupid question:

How come I can't see any lights at night after I downloaded a BAT? (even thought the screenshots show that they have light)

I've downloaded the updated version but it dosen't work, can anybody help me?