[JDHill]

It may be a lack of the proper runtime libraries. I assume you downloaded and installed Maxwell for 64-bit, and that this is running fine. Its installer would have also installed necessary runtime libraries, but they would be for 64-bit applications. As SketchUp is 32-bit, you may still be lacking the proper 32-bit runtime. You can download and install that from here:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/deta ... laylang=en

Let me know if that helps. I think it would be strange that you would not get an error message, but it might be the case that SketchUp is being very protective and just silently failing to load the exporter if any error occurs while attempting to do so.

[brodie_geers]

Holy canoli, that did the trick. Not something I ever would have figured out. Thanks JDHill for the help and the super quick response.

-Brodie

[Richard]

Great work JD!!

[fv]

Done some new testing. plugin 2.4 and the lastest Studio/Maxwell.

Made a simple model with 2 new textures, located in a folder on my desktop.
Exported with autoMXM and all went well, rendered fine out of SU and also imported fine into Studio and export fast as well.

So, I took 2 extra materials from my MXMlibrary and copied them into my new material folder on the desktop. I checked these materials for their images and so on until they showed up to be fine in MXED. It took a lot of time to get the materials all right since MXED crashes non stop with the older materials. Do no touch your mouse when rendering a material preview....

Well, then I exported from SU the same model with the extra materials into Studio and the export failed to work properly. At opening the mxs with Studio a dialog popped up saying:
The following texture could not be found:
/Applications/Maxwell 1.7/materials database/MXM library/Olive/O_2.jpg

This dialogs message conflicts with the actual situation since the materials were set ok and opened in MXED with their assigned image maps. There are also no preferences with a path to MAxwell 1.7 neither in Studio or Maxwell or SU'splugin at export.

Also weird is that when I import the same older material from my desktop folder into Studio as it should have done automaitically I get the material imported with a _1 added making it sure its the same material that came in twice now. Once automatically under autoMXM with missing image maps and once properly by import matarial in Studio

The new MXED is extremely buggy btw, crashes nearly at every session and when I try to fix a texture path it renames the material from for example Olive to OliveOlive showing an empty MXED window basicly crashing MXED.

Now I renamed the old material Olive into Olive test and also renamed Olive in SU into Olive test and exported again. Now all went well and also the other materials in the same folder that gave problems before imported fine into Studio or rendered directly to Maxwell fine.

Hope this helps to sort out the OSX problem with autoMXM. I am sure it has to do with a problem with Maxwell materials of the previous generation. I think the path to the image maps gets mixed up in v2 and as such under autoMXM.

MXED needs attention under OSX since its basicly useless with older materials.

I feel sorry for you JD, I hope you get paid very well to fix all this ... before v3 messes it up again.

PS
One other thing I would like to be solved as well in Maxwell render. Zooming in and out the rendered image while rendering is very crude. It should be possible to zoom to fit window. Now I get either to zoomed in or too zoomed out. This has been a problem since Maxwell started.

[brodie_geers]

PS
One other thing I would like to be solved as well in Maxwell render. Zooming in and out the rendered image while rendering is very crude. It should be possible to zoom to fit window. Now I get either to zoomed in or too zoomed out. This has been a problem since Maxwell started.

I'd love to see that as well. And I really liked the old system better with regards to zooming & panning. And it's pretty odd that there's not a zoom to fit feature. I constantly have issues where either the image is clipped off because it's zoomed in too much or one step back makes the image about 30% smaller than it could be on my screen.

-brodie

[Richard]

Yeah the old right click for panning was brilliant now you have to select to pan, grr!

[fv]

Is this not just a OSX problem...the zoomin zoomout issue ?
You should see me render and the images constantly go back and forth....very unprofessional to say the least....
sometimes I really wonder how that works at NL, did the NL team never noticed it.

I have many issues like this in Studio, Maxwell, the Material editor and the plugin. I do no longer mention them normally since they seem a hassle to the developers enthusiam for their photorealistic endeavor. I got used to the fact the UI of Maxwell and Studio is below any standard really and looking at my renders I forgive NL. Anyhow, all users of Maxwell forgive NL in this regard since by now those who don't have left and will never come back.

JD, I hope you are aware of the fact my critism is not meant to discourage you to make a fine plugin.

[Richard]

I think the zooming issue is caused by the resource suck up when rendering!

My machines are pretty crap and I get the same issue with 1.7.1. I haven't tried it much in V2 as I'm just in no position to upgrade until work picks up here (Dammed being a small one man show these days, software costs and hardware upgrades eat before you do!)! Goodbye Richard's PushPullBar maxwell tips!

[fv]

Maybe but I think the zooming issue is caused by a fixed zoomin/out percentage. If you are unlucky your size is never to fit your window, and yes, because of the rendering taking place, before you find out you will never zoom right to fit your window, you have zoomed in and out more than a normal person can stand.....

[fv]

I just posted this in the MXM reporter thread in Sketchucation forum:

Hi,
I have had some more time to test and I am pleased to see MXM reporter v0.4g works well even without autoMXM on at export in v2. So the export is fast and I do not have to copy paste material names in the SU material panel.

I just asign materials through MXM reporter and the mxs file show up in Studio with SU names for the materials with the settings as they are in the original MXM's.
Just perfect.

As it is now v2 and plugin 2.4 and MXMreporter v0.4g together work well. Switch off autoMXM at export to speed up exporting a mxs file. In Studio you will see all the materials with their SU names with the settings of the assigned MXM equavalents as assigned by MXM reporter. All together a fine workflow I think. At least clear.

Only thing I would wish for is that the MXMreporter window is a little more refined and smaller..... but thats a detail..

I am a little more used now to the new Studio. Apart from the material editor Studio is rather solid and does not crash much. I just did away with most windows and kept those I need most to get the model ready to render. I am beginning to feel I am back on track again with SU and Maxwell.

[messire]

Where are we ( i mean NL is) with the new updated bugless plugin...?
I am ok to reinstall V2, but only if that issue is solved..

N.

[fv]

Hi Nils,
I hear the PC version is ok. The Mac version works but very slow with autoMXM. If you download the rb MXMreporter vesion 0.4g and assign the materials through that panel and export without autoMXM on things should be fine too. Actually, you do not need MXMreporter but then you will have to asign your materials in Studio.

My renders are much faster (exterior, direct light) and in general Studio, the Material editor and Maxwell are better in different ways. Waiting for a bugless plugin is unrealistic. The new plugin is without any doubt neither bugless in the first few versions. It would be pity to do without all the new and better features just to avoid a few bugs. I would not advise though to start in the middle of project. Take a week to test without a deadline in sight.

The material editor is very buggy though (OSX). Crashes a lot with material previews. But its workable somehow. You need to edit your materials though, not for all but probably for many. Clipmaps are much easier to use in the new editor, so much easier that I take the crashes for granted.

Good luck,
Francois

[fv]

I am working on a bigger project now and using mxmreporter also gives me a slow export with v2.4.

I get this message in the log file
Exporting: /Users/francois/Desktop/808rab-nieuw model-485.mxs.log
Maxwell: Method Textures:, Message: Export failed - internal error. Exporting one-by-one

But the file eventually gets exported but as it says "one by one" meaning extremely slow. I think I am back to assigning in Studio.
Anyhow, hope this helps you a bit JD. I hope though you work on the new plugin instead to much on the old one. Asigning in Studio is not the worst really.
Francois

[JDHill]

In my development so far, I have encountered some problems with SU's texture writer; possibly this error you are getting is related. If the model is not too large, you could zip and send it to me at jeremy at nextlimit dot com...hopefully I can get the same error here and try to make sure it gets fixed.

Thanks,

JD

[fv]

Hi JD,
tx, I will sent the file, its a 30Mb SU file though. Would you still think it ok to sent it ? (EDIT I put it on my downlaod site and sent you the link)

The model is a mess but it imports into Studio without automxm or anything assigned in SU just fine. Once assigned a few textures through mxm reporter or automxm it stalls on export.
There is no other way really then to asign in Studio.

I had a problem last night with a render I tried to finish before this morning.

I added one texture with an sss and the model crashed from Studio to Maxwell. This is not SU related. But I removed the sss settings and the mxs just rendered fine.
Francois