3ds Max - Troubleshooting & General Discussion

[Jasoncw 11,840]

Open your .SC4Model in iLive Reader and see if there are the proper .FSH files there.  Also check the output files to see if there are the completed .FSH files there.

If your .FSH files aren't in your .SC4Model file, then delete all of the .fsh files in your model, right click and insert the new .fsh files from the output folder.

If there are no .fsh files in the output folder, then something is wrong with your .bat file, so open it in notepad and make sure all of the paths are right.  You can use the find/replace tool to quickly correct the paths.  Then, run it by double clicking it, and use the print screen key to take a screenshot of the progress.  Paste the screenshot into photoshop and look to see what it says.  If it's not successful it should say something hinting to why.

If none of that works, then delete the .SC4Model file, save the max scene as a new filename, make new LODs, and completely start over, and then see what happens.

[6underground 11]

I openedup the sc4 model in my plugins folder, and while the .FSH files were present, they were as i suspected, blank/black. Headed t my outputfiles, and the fsh.tgi files are present. I ran another brand new model and LOD's through the proverbial mill and had the same effect.

[Configuration]

TB2InitScript=CPTB2Main.ms

TempPath=C:\Program Files\Autodesk\3dsMax8\gamepacks\BAT\Temp\

DestPath=C:\Program Files\Autodesk\3dsMax8\gamepacks\BAT\OutputFiles\

;ExportExt=

AALevel=1

CamerasandLights=gamepacks\BAT\scenes\CamLightRigs\TB2_CameraLightRig.max

CamerasandLightsFolder=gamepacks\BAT\scenes\CamLightRigs\

TB2Scripts=gamepacks\BAT\scripts\

AlphaSeedFile=gamepacks\BAT\AlphaSeed Do Not Delete.bmp

GroupID=cddd1522

InstanceID=00030000

NightMats=gamepacks\BAT\Maps\NightWindows\

SC4PluginPath=C:\Documents and Settings\Gaz\My Documents\SimCity 4\Plugins\

Autoexecute=truequote>

The above is correct for the .ini though? (including semi-colon)

It is strange that I don't get any error messages, and evidently the stuff is getting rendered (andeven saved as fsh.tgi files in output folder) but just isnt being applied)

[Jasoncw 11,840]

The black .FSH files are the black matting from the blank gmax scene you rendered.  The .fsh.tgi files are one of the files that is used to generate the final .FSH files by the .bat file, which can be found in gamepacks\BAT , but they are not the final .fsh files themselves.

I'll look at the .ini tomorrow (it's late where I live), but I don't think it's the .ini.  That file, I believe, is what controls that start up (initialization), and from what it sounds like you're not having problems related to that.

[debussyman 1,348]

I know the question is silly, but do you have the AutoExecute in Batch CMD checked?

[SimFox 802]

6underground:

just few things I've noticed...

In your original message about the problem you say that you can not export anything from 3dsMAX 9, but in the last message in your ini file it says 3dsmax8.

Another issue is that your MAX and consequently your BAT directory is located in "Program Files" folder. I believe this is a problem since FSHTool which is suppose insert your rendered output to SC4Model file can NOT pass the blank spaces in the folder names it will behave as DOS based programs looking for location "Program~" instead of "Program Files" I had this problem when MAX8 came out - first MAX that after Autodesk bought it and insisted on installing it to the Program Files folder.

So, my suggestions would be

1. sort out 3dsmax8 / 9 issue

2. reinstall the whole thing to the folder thazt doesn't have blank spaces in the path name.

[the Monkeys Uncle 35]

I just got my hands on a copy of 3ds Max 7, and I'm learning how it works. One crucial thing I need though, is: how do you weld two points together? You know in gMax where if you had a single line with two loose points at the ends, you could move the points over each other and it would ask you if you wanted to weld them together? I need something like that for 3ds Max.

[SimFox 802]

Sure!

There few welding options in Vertex subobject level roll-outs is say Edit Poly object (this is one to use in MAX! forget about edit mesh!!). First there is Weld command it is adjustable in respect of the distance between vertices, Second, in addition to it there is Target Weld command that allows you to select any vertex and weld it to any other. In that case the location of the resulting single vertex will be same as one of target one.

[the Monkeys Uncle 35]

Oh, I just found a checkbox to enable "automatic welding". Problem solved, but thanks for your help!

[autoVino 26]

I just got bat4max and I'm being flooded by "error code = 6"s. I looked into it and found that the error is at these lines:

sourceCP = Render outputfile: (RenfilenameCP + ".tga") \

renderer:#production \

rendertype:#regioncrop outputwidth:renderwidCP outputheight:renderhtCP \

region:#(renderbox.x,renderbox.y,renderbox.right,renderbox.bottom) \

channels:#(#objectID, #coverage, #shaderColor, #shaderTransparency) antialiasing:truequote>

This is in the CPBuildingMill file, and I think it's a rendering issue. Does anyone have a solution to this problem?

Thanks.

Btw, I'm running  Max 9 on windows 2000, If that helps...

[SimFox 802]

Iljusha:

you say you've "found that the error is at these lines" . Can you be more specific? Exactly where in those line you see an error? That would help, great deal...

[autoVino 26]

The line

renderer:#production \quote>

is what gave the error.  Max says it is an unknown system exception.  Sorry for not being specific.

This specific one is located in the FNDoRender2 function(?) or method(?).

I also tried to change that line to renderers.production, and it does a render, but once done, gives me an error on the next line.

[SimFox 802]

well you can not just take this one line and use it cause in the script it is INSIDE of a function!!

Just type

renderer

in maxscript listner (pink part) and hit enter and take a look at bottom white part.

Anyway the script is wholly working you are getting problems because of something you've done on your own...

[autoVino 26]

The listener gave me "#production" back, so I don't see why the faulty line doesn't work.  Now I'm thinking that you're right, I may have changed something in the code by accident while looking at it...

I hope reinstalling it will help.

edit: nope... still "error code = 6" but this time with an "Error Occurred Somewhere" in the listener...

[SimFox 802]

There is NO fault it that line. That line you are looking at is inside of the render function. If you take some statement out of function of course it stops working cause syntax is screwed.

The problems you’re having aren’t because of script, or to be precise they are not the sign that there is something wrong with the script, but rather result of the shortcomings of the very script design and changes in MAX internal working over the years. For instance for versions greater than 7 you CAN’T use night windows anymore – export will fail with Code6 error message. I have some ideas why but it is so far ideas haven’t tested them as I believe night windows are sub-par solution anyway. Also there is little pitfall with nitelites. Script is looking for objects with nitelite prefix and then trying to enable them. The idea was that those would be lights, but if you name anything else with nitelite prefix script will fail again as it wouldn’t be able to find enable property and will stuck as there is not “if else” statement in a script for it to get out of this situation.

These are just two problems I’ve discovered by trial and second with nitelite because I was looking closely at this particular part of the scrpt to get it to work with NON standard lights, since those don’t have .enable property but .on one instead. So when Nofunk had asked me to look at his model that nobody could export I have noticed that he had a lot of geometry with nitelite prefix and immediately recolled that function in the script. And naturally after nitelite was removed from the names export went through.

There might be great many more problems like that when something you do with your model, something you name ect., that causes some internal conflict within the script

BTW what is you level of experience with MaxScript?

[autoVino 26]

Right now I'm thinking that I have something up with my scene... night lights, etc...

And to tell the truth, I have pretty much no experience with MaxScript other than that it has some parts that resemble other types of scripts (for... if... etc...)  I mean, I can look at it and understand some parts of it, but I can't write anything without screwing up the whole thing, as we have seen earlier.

Btw, do you know If 3ds Max 9 is compatible with Bat4Max?  I think it is, but I'm not too sure.

Thanks.

[blahdy 21]

Ok, here's a question...

I'm using BAT4Max to render in 3ds Max. I have my night lights all prefixed with "nitelite" in front of their object name, just like how it works like a charm in Gmax BAT. All of the lights are turned on; And when I click "Export" all the rendering shots include the night lights turned on, even for day time renders.

So I turned the night lights off using Tools->Light Lister. And tried exporting again, and now rendering windows show all the night time renders don't have any night lighting on.

Is this normal? I don't think it is, and what am I doing wrong that's making BAT4Max fail to distinguish night lighting enabled max lights?

[SimFox 802]

AutoVino:

yes Max9 is compartible (with the exceptions of night Windows) with Max4BAT

Blahdy:

looks like you are trying to use something else than standard Max lights (IES? MR ones??) the issue is that scripts looks for .enable property and only standard max lights use it , all other lights use .on property instead. I have made alterations to the script that takes this in account and works with any kind of ligt (at least works with V-ray, MR, FinalRender lights and IES and ofcause with MAX standard ones) Basically you can safely replace .enable with .on

[blahdy 21]

Originally posted by: SimFox AutoVino:

yes Max9 is compartible (with the exceptions of night Windows) with Max4BAT

Blahdy:

looks like you are trying to use something else than standard Max lights (IES? MR ones??) the issue is that scripts looks for .enable property and only standard max lights use it , all other lights use .on property instead. I have made alterations to the script that takes this in account and works with any kind of ligt (at least works with V-ray, MR, FinalRender lights and IES and ofcause with MAX standard ones) Basically you can safely replace .enable with .onquote>

Yea, I'm using MR lights, not standard lighting.

Where can I get the updated script;  Or if I were to edit myself, if I replace .enable with .on, will standard Max lights still understand the ".on" command?

thanks!

[blahdy 21]

Originally posted by: blahdy

Originally posted by: SimFox AutoVino:

yes Max9 is compartible (with the exceptions of night Windows) with Max4BAT

Blahdy:

looks like you are trying to use something else than standard Max lights (IES? MR ones??) the issue is that scripts looks for .enable property and only standard max lights use it , all other lights use .on property instead. I have made alterations to the script that takes this in account and works with any kind of ligt (at least works with V-ray, MR, FinalRender lights and IES and ofcause with MAX standard ones) Basically you can safely replace .enable with .onquote>

Yea, I'm using MR lights, not standard lighting.

Where can I get the updated script;  Or if I were to edit myself, if I replace .enable with .on, will standard Max lights still understand the ".on" command?

thanks!quote>

Replying to myself here... I just duplicated the line where script turns on/off the lights with "enabled" flag on them under respective if-statements and added "on" flag on them as well.  And it works now!  Thanks SimFox for the suggestion/help!

[Jasoncw 11,840]

That's the same problem I'm having with one of my buildings, I'll have to give that a try.

[SimFox 802]

yep! As blahdy said replacing .enable with .on should work on ALL lights I know of : Sandard MAX ones, V-Ray, MR, FinalRender ones.

[joerg 280]

Hey guys I am using bat for max with 3ds max 9 and i am getting a few errors. First off I get 2 errors on start up and then the CPbuildingMill script comes up with this line highlighted

local dCP = (getDirectories (gNightMatPathCP + "*"))

I cant seem to figure out what is going wrong here, I changed my 3dsmax.ini file to point to the gamepacks/bat folder and that reduced a few earlier errors i was having but this one still is stumping me.

Once in max i am missing the parameters tool, so i cant make lods, also when i go to preview and click on a zoom or orientation max crashes. Anyhelp?

[Jasoncw 11,840]

I don't know.  I guess make sure that all of your files are there, and that all of the paths point to the right ones.

[blahdy 21]

Okay guys.. I'm having another problem with BAT rendering in 3ds Max.

I have some objects in my model that use textures with Specular Level/Glossy effects.  Most of them show up fine during render, however there are 3 objects that show severe discoloring and differing light tones whenever I click "Export" in BAT4Max!

Here is an image of the BAT4Max render to tell you what I mean.  If I use regular 3ds Max rendering feature by pressing "F9", I don't see any of these discoloring problems.  But whenever I render using BAT4Max, the output bmp images in OutputFolder all have the discolored texture issue:

URL: http://216.93.240.36/~blahdy/stex/big-dig-tunnel-portal/rhwmis/render-errors.jpg

EDIT:  I figured it out... apparently having too many textures with many of them merged from other models seem to have confused the BAT during render process.  I've individually renamed the textures of each affected objects and it's no longer doing that now

[6underground 11]

6underground:

just few things I've noticed...

In your original message about the problem you say that you can not export anything from 3dsMAX 9, but in the last message in your ini file it says 3dsmax8.

Another issue is that your MAX and consequently your BAT directory is located in "Program Files" folder. I believe this is a problem since FSHTool which is suppose insert your rendered output to SC4Model file can NOT pass the blank spaces in the folder names it will behave as DOS based programs looking for location "Program~" instead of "Program Files" I had this problem when MAX8 came out - first MAX that after Autodesk bought it and insisted on installing it to the Program Files folder.

So, my suggestions would be

1. sort out 3dsmax8 / 9 issue

2. reinstall the whole thing to the folder thazt doesn't have blank spaces in the path name.quote>

Sorry, I really should havereplied sooner but i solved the problem shortly after posting by myself. I stumbled upon one of your posts highlighting the directories problem. Reinstalled everthing to the C:/3dsax8 directory and everything works just fine now. =D

[wolverine 12]

Hopefully someone can answer this, but I'm going to xref some scenes into another scene in 3ds. I've successfully been able to do so, but is it possible to move the 'child' objects around in the 'parent' scene? They appear to be locked. Most other programs allow the ability to move an xref around, just not edit it of course.

[SimFox 802]

Yes You can!! How do you think lighting camera rig which is Xrefed in is moved (rotated) around.

But not directly. When something is Xrefed special dummy object is created. You should move this object and your xrefed one will move along

[wolverine 12]

Ya, I know.  It's just that I want to be able to move the dummy object around in the existing scene instead of having to move the base file.  It's really just a convenience thing. 

[Jasoncw 11,840]

For the nitelite switching issue, which file do I edit again?  Can someone say the file, and then copy and paste the area that needs editing?

Thanks. 

[ViralEnemy 0]

I have a problem with the size of my building when i render it. I do all the re-fit LODs then export the LODs to gmax and render them.When i import the LODs to gmax they seem rather small, they are under 1 unit although in max the LODs are 10 units, anway i render the LODs.I go back into max to render the building everything goes fine.But in the lot editor this is what i get-btw im using max 7