3ds Max - Troubleshooting & General Discussion

[Jasoncw 11,938]

It may be that as well, but in Max 8 I've had the same problem and it went away when I made the spline simpler.

[SimFox 802]

pageflip?

[The_sanderson 6]

Hi.

Here am i again.I start today a test to install the simcity 4 bat 4 max...Well, in the step "Find your 3dsmax.ini file (in your 3ds max root directory)" i go myself and don

[Jasoncw 11,938]

Install BAT4Max version 2.5, which is found in the BAT4Max V2.5 thread at the top of this forum.

What is in the modds & downloads section of this site is outdated.

[The_sanderson 6]

Ok, i will unninstall the older version and do it.

Thank you!

[Sam Johnson 0]

Hello everyone

First of all: I'm 13 years old, I'm from germany and my english is not so good, I think. But I hope you can understand everything.

Since a few days I'm using 3DS MAX for my BATs. I installed BAT4Max 2.5

Some test renderings were really good, but now I have a problem with the preview render. Always if I want to change the rotation of the preview rendering nothing does happen.

As you can see the rotation is changed but the view is still the same

Is there Anyone who can help me ?

Thanks in advance

[Jasoncw 11,938]

In the "Parameters" rollout, there is a button called "Reset Lights & Cameras" and that might fix the problem. If that doesn't, then select everything in your scene, and go to File>Save Selected, and save it to a new file. Open the new file, and then try doing a preview from there.

The problem is that the lighting/camera rig has somehow been disconnected from TB2Handle (or whatever it's called). The lighting and camera rig is actually a normal .max file just like the one you're working in. When you change the direction for renders, your current max scene will rotate the TB2Handle, which indirectly rotates the camlight rig.

[Sam Johnson 0]

Thank you Jasoncw for the quick reply

[Mrqs 33]

Hi, I'm back to try my models again.

But I have a request before I will start again. May someone (a good man) explain me step by step how can I get a night lights in my scene. I think my english is too poor and I had to omitt something important. All my models renders ok but night lights. Please PM me or write here, what exactly I have to do to make good lights in my models.

Any help will be appreciate. Thank you in advance.

I'm using Max 2008 and Max4bat 2.5

I have no idea how to use mental ray in my models, so maybe I should use "standard" lighting. I tried to do so and my efforts were of zero effects. No lights at all. :-(

And what is light rig in the scene?

[Tristan van Blue 0]

The LOD exporter does not create the 3ds. file with the LODs if I want to export the LODs . Can anyone guess a reason or the solution for that ?

mfg tristan

[SimFox 802]

Mrqs:

Mental ray is just a rendering engine. True that it offers a lot more possibilities And you can learn lot of them if you will follow the tutorials that come with your version of Max. This is essential as different versions of program have different versions of Mental Ray in them with different functionality and UI.

As for Night scene... well it is a bit complex issue... I have almost ready tutorial /introduction on the subject, but at the moment I'm terribly busy with work (literally from 7am till 10pm, so I have no force to finish it, but if you could wait for about a week...

Tristan van Blue:

how exactly this problem manifest itself? I mean what happens when you click on export the LODs button? (btw have you created them in first place?)

[Tristan van Blue 0]

hi simfox

what happens when I click on it you see in the pictures. as we can see no 3ds file but only a max file that I can not import into gmax

lod's, I also made with re-fit-lod's

[SimHoTToDDy 2,939]

Ugh...

I keep getting an error code 6 when I try to export. It finishes the first view and it's night render and then stops with the error. I am using Max 2008 on this one, and only night materials/libraries. Nothing I have looked up has been very helpful since they usually refer to night windows or older lighting methods. 2008 hasn't given me a problem up to this point, and I can't seem to sort this one out.

[Jasoncw 11,938]

Use separate scenes for night and for day, and then render using TruNite. This will eliminate any errors resulting from the switch from day to night.

So, save a copy of your scene with the night stuff in it. That will be your night scene. Then in the original scene, remove all nitelites and anything else that would cause it to try and render night time, as if you had never done any niteliting. Then, in your night scene, keep all of your nitelites. You don't even need to bother with night libraries anymore, since there is no day-night switching, you can simply just use the night time materials directly on the objects.

[SimHoTToDDy 2,939]

I figured as much... Hellova way to learn Trunite Thanks Jason!

Off to go figure that out...

-Todd

[SimFox 802]

Originally posted by: Tristan van Blue

hi simfox

what happens when I click on it you see in the pictures. as we can see no 3ds file but only a max file that I can not import into gmax

lod's, I also made with re-fit-lod's

quote>

sorry for not replying sooner...

to the point...

I think you are mistaking all the things in the world. The pictures tell one story and your words entirelly different.

Picture 1 shows that you have exported LODs

Picture 2 shows that you, for some bizzare reason, opening your plugin folder and, even more bizzarelly state that you see there Max files! I think you need to read Max manual and do the tutorials that come with program before you'll continue - you'll do yourself a great favour if you'll learn the tool rather then just render others modles with others tools.

Picture 3 shows warning to name your scene...

From the pictures i also see that you are not using BAt4Max v2.5, so you should direct your questions to the maker of this particular version.

---

SimHoTToDDy:

you'll find the necessary settings for night scene in last post in my Forces of Light and the geometry of Shadows thread (the link is in my signature)

it all actually very simple - more so than a normal procedure.

You an also export two versions - one for Maxis night and one for Gizmo-styled darker night

I'm currently doing a little update to that one and it should be available soon. Anyway the numbers given are same as ones gonna be in that mode.

[Mrqs 33]

Hi,

I'm using Max 2008 and BAT4Mx 2,5.  After reading many tutorials I decided to try  the true night render.  I'm using the Jasoncw CamLight Rig for the day and night.  My first model rendered in that way was ok.

But now  I have another problem, not with BAT. I think something is wrong with my settings of the mental ray.

here is the model of unfinished  building - just the doors.

It is an ordinary, extruded spline. The light is omni, casting shadows, nothing special.

My setting of the mental ray render are:  Samples per pixel - 4 to 16, Mitchell width 2, height 2.  Final gather is on with custom preset.

After render my doors look like:

I've tried this light on the plane and box - without any  textures. The effect is near the same (the "shadow" stripes are thinner and in other directions).

I tried to change the light (spot), the render settings - no changes, the doors look ugly.

In the scene I use Jasoncw night CamLightRig.

And there is something more.  In the day scene the doors are opened. I'd like to "close" them in the night. I've rendered the both scenes without my custom lights, just with Jasoncs Camrigs.  In the game I have my model only with opened doors. :-(

Please help me, what I'm doing wrong? How to change my lights or geometry or render settings to get the good (the best?) result.

OK, I have solved  my problem with this "shadows".  Now I wonder  how open and close doors will work.

[Jasoncw 11,938]

Try opening your .SC4Model in iLive's Reader, and see what .FSH files are there. There should be a bunch for day, and a bunch for night. But sometimes when you use the automatic insert feature, it will add the new night .FSH files in, instead of replacing the old night .FSH files. If you have two sets of night .FSH files, go through and delete the outdated set, and then go into the game and see if it's better.

Also, in the game, you'll need to provide the building with electricity and stuff, and let the game run, so that it can change into "night". Right now there might be the dark blue overlay from night mode in the game, but your model may not have switched over to the night images yet.

Those are my first thoughts.

[Mrqs 33]

Hi Jasoncw.

Thank you for your replay.

I've opened my model in the Reader and checked the FSH files. There are day and *right* (with lights and closed doors) renders. There are many days render and the same quantity of night renders (I didn't count them).

I made the new Lot and came to SC4. Ah, this building is the prop - I think it doesn't matter?

In the game there's no lights. Others lots are lighted properly but mine is not. It is just dark and no changes. I've changed several times day and night, but no result.

And now I don't know what to do next. If you'll be so kind and tell me what I have to check or change?

[Jasoncw 11,938]

In the Plugin Manager, for props there's a property that tells the game whether or not that prop is to use nitelites, and I think by default it is set to not to use them. Try going into the Plugin Manager and finding and changing that property.

[Mrqs 33]

I'm sitting, red on my face and with shame in my eyes .  I knew about this PM property but forgot!!

Thank you!

Ok.  Now the pictures from game:

You can see closed doors and open doors   On the other side of the building there are only open doors

I checked once more FSH files and it seems ok there. Oh, one more thing: on the other zooms and views building looks different - there are the open doors ("phantoms" of the doors) only.

And... what now?  

[Jasoncw 11,938]

Can you post the .SC4Model (and whatever lot you put it on)?

[Mrqs 33]

Here you are   This is very early stage of my model - I wanted to check the idea of the opened/closed doors, so don't look at the textures and so on

ZNTK.zip

[Jasoncw 11,938]

ok, everything seems to be correct (no technical problems).

You'll just need to BAT the ground around the doors. The day version and the night version need to have the same silhouette.

Also, I've just updated my TruNite rig on the STEX with a newer one, which is better than the previous two. Use that one instead (it just looks better).

[Mrqs 33]

Originally posted by: Jasoncw

ok, everything seems to be correct (no technical problems).

You'll just need to BAT the ground around the doors. The day version and the night version need to have the same silhouette.

Also, I've just updated my TruNite rig on the STEX with a newer one, which is better than the previous two. Use that one instead (it just looks better).quote>

Thank you for new TruNite rig. 

To BAT the ground? Do You think of making the ground in 3dmax? This builiding is a workshop for train cars and the rails should "run" under the doors. Now I'm waiting for my ID to make my textures with rails. There won't be any error when I will build the lot with rails and the BATed pieces under the doors?

[Jasoncw 11,938]

If that's the case then you'll need to BAT in rails. That shouldn't be hard, since you've already made the rail textures (however, you may need to make some adjustments to the color and brightness, since the lighting conditions in the BAT are different from the lighting conditions in the game). If you do it right, then the BATed rails and the lotted rails should blend together.

[Mrqs 33]

I have downloaded the last Camrig from :

https://www.simtropolis.com/stex/details.cfm?id=20232

But  there isn't the TB2_CameraLightRigHuge–Jasoncw-TruNite(V3).max  inside the zip; there is only the (V2). 

Can you check it out, please?

[Jasoncw 11,938]

opps!! Sorry, I accidentally re-uploaded the old .zip instead of the new .zip. It should be correct now.

[Amthaak 1,501]

I just have a small question, in Gmax (let say in Front view when you point the mouse arrow in an area and the turn the mouse wheel for zooming the zoom "follow" the area where you point the mouse as shown on pics hereafter:

So to move and zoom the area  I don't need to use the little hand down on right of the screen , I just point the mouse and turn the whell. In max, when I do the same:

the screen is still centered and if I want to move the screen I have to use the small hand. I would say that is "ergonomicless" (don't know if the word exists ) Well, I can live with it but maybe there something I can do in "preferences" that somebody maybe knows. Thanks for your help.

[SimHoTToDDy 2,939]

If your mouse has a center click ( mouse wheel button), press and hold that and it will pan around the view port. The only function that I ever need to hit the button is orbit.

Glad to see this is your only problem with MAX so far

-Todd