[jrm1]

I'm getting this message on my model when I hit the Render view button. I have no idea which object has invalid surfaces. I was wondering if the model had faces that occupied the same physical place but that didn't figure, as the last saved version of the model rendered OK and all I have added since then is a plant object, which incidentally renders fine on its own in a fresh C4D document.

I'm stumped and not a little stressed as I have no way of troubleshooting. Any ideas anybody?

I'm on v 2.7 Maxwell. C4D is R14 Visualize. Mac OS 10.7

[JDHill]

All I can tell you about this is that there is an object in your model for which Cinema returns an array that is either null, or which contains zero elements, when faces are requested for the object. If you send me the model, I can figure which object it is, and use the model to improve reporting (e.g. by including the object name) in this case, in the future.

[jrm1]

Thanks Jeremy. The model is quite big. 370Mb. I could delete some of the high poly trees and see if the problem persists and then send you the lighter file.
Do I understand you correctly when I say that Maxwell asks C4D for faces and it gets some objects with no faces? I've probably misunderstood, since splines are OK. Is there perhaps a Null object that's causing confusion?

[jrm1]

I've got it down to 6 Mb and it still fails to export for the same reason as before. I'll email it you. Many thanks for looking into it!!

[JDHill]

The plugin requests that Cinema walk it through a polygonized copy of the model, where any generators have been asked to turn their geometry into regular polygon objects; one of these is producing a polygon object whose faces array is null or empty, hence the "invalid" label. It won't be a null object, or a spline object.

Before trying to send such a large file, you might try what I'd do here: split the model in half under two nulls, disable one of them, and try to export; if it succeeds on one side, it should fail on the other, which can then be split in half and tested similarly. I can generally find issues using this method in a few minutes, regardless whether we're talking Cinema, Rhino, or whatever.

Ah, I see you posted again -- yes, I'd like to see the file, so I can see what is the matter with this object.

[JDHill]

Thanks, under BED CENTRAL EDGE, you will find that there is a polygon object, Cap 1.1, which has 8 points, but no polygons (i.e. faces), and that the render should proceed fine if this object is hidden or deleted. For future reference, this is actually reported by the plugin, in the Console (Script > Console), where you should find printed: "Maxwell: error @ 'Cap 1.1' (the object has an invalid set of faces)".

[jrm1]

I got there the long way, the inexpert way, but found that same object to be the one that made the export fail.

Thanks for the v helpful info (as always) and the time you took to solve the problem.