[jvanmetre]

I've got a scene I'm having trouble exporting to an mxs. Earlier version exported fine...then copied and pasted a large set of objects within the file and now it doesn't want to export.

I cleaned the file up after finding some surfaces without normals and it checks out when I run maxwell_checkandfixbadobjects.

Here's the log:

********************************
* Maxwell for Rhino 4
* Version: 1.7.31.0
********************************
* Session Log
* Date: 11/3/2008
* Time: 17:01:22.6406250
* File: file://C:\Documents and Settings\Jim\Application Data\MaxwellDotNET\Plugins\Rhino\Logs\session_log_05_01_22_PM___11_3_2008.txt
********************************
* line 1: OnLoadPlugIn, _info, Checking required paths
* line 2: CheckRequiredPaths, _info, Maxwell root directory found at: C:\Program Files\Next Limit\Maxwell
* line 3: CheckRequiredPaths, _info, mxcl.exe found at: C:\Program Files\Next Limit\Maxwell\mxcl.exe
* line 4: CheckRequiredPaths, _info, mxed.exe found at: C:\Program Files\Next Limit\Maxwell\mxed.exe
* line 5: CheckRequiredPaths, _info, mxst.exe found at: C:\Program Files\Next Limit\Maxwell\mxst.exe
* line 6: OnServerMessage, _info, initializing Maxwell Database, using directory: 'C:\Documents and Settings\Jim\Application Data\MaxwellDotNET\SDK\DB'
* line 7: OnServerMessage, _info, to learn about using alternate database locations, see file://C:\Documents and Settings\Jim\Application Data\MaxwellDotNET\SDK\Config\readme.txt
* line 8: OnLoadPlugIn, _info, Creating DropTarget
* line 9: OnLoadPlugIn, _info, Retreiving user-preferences
* line 10: OnLoadPlugIn, _info, Enabling Scene events
* line 11: OnLoadPlugIn, _info, starting plugin update status thread
* line 12: OnLoadPlugIn, _info, Synchronizing cameras
* line 13: CreateCamera, _info, created camera: Perspective
* line 14: OnLoadPlugIn, _end, Plugin-load finished successfully
* line 15: RestoreViewport, _info, ActiveDoc.GetPathName is:
* line 16: set_CurrentDocumentDirectory, _info, _cd =
* line 17: OnBeginOpenDocument, _info, filename: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\McNeel\Rhinoceros\4.0\English\Template Files\Small Objects - Inches.3dm
* line 18: OnEndOpenDocument, _info, filename: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\McNeel\Rhinoceros\4.0\English\Template Files\Small Objects - Inches.3dm
* line 19: CreateCamera, _info, created camera: Perspective
* line 20: set_CurrentDocumentDirectory, _info, _cd = C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\McNeel\Rhinoceros\4.0\English\Template Files
* line 21: OnBeginOpenDocument, _info, filename: F:\omorovicza\Bergdorf\furniture_testers_009.3dm
* line 22: ReadCompleteDocument, _begin, reading complete document: F:\omorovicza\Bergdorf
* line 23: SSSPresets.GetPresets(), _info, using SSS presets file located at file://C:\Documents and Settings\Jim\Application Data\MaxwellDotNET\Plugins\Common\Presets\sss_presets.xml
* line 24: ReadCompleteDocument, _info, updating database with document materials
* line 25: RestoreViewport, _info, ActiveDoc.GetPathName is:
* line 26: ReadCompleteDocument, _end, finished reading complete document
* line 27: ReadDocument, _end, sucessfully read Maxwell data
* line 28: OnEndOpenDocument, _info, filename: F:\omorovicza\Bergdorf\furniture_testers_009.3dm
* line 29: PrintPathStatusReport, _info, -- BEGIN Path Status Report --
* line 30: PrintPathStatusReport, _info, Total number of Materials: 45
* line 31: PrintPathStatusReport, _info, Invalid Paths for: GREENISH BERGDORF SURFACE
* line 32: PrintPathStatusReport, _info
* line 33: PrintPathStatusReport, _info, Invalid Paths for: coldmetal
* line 34: PrintPathStatusReport, _info
* line 35: PrintPathStatusReport, _info, Invalid Paths for: bergdorf_chair_color
* line 36: PrintPathStatusReport, _info
* line 37: PrintPathStatusReport, _info, Invalid Paths for: Material1 1
* line 38: PrintPathStatusReport, _info
* line 39: PrintPathStatusReport, _info, Invalid Paths for: blue tube
* line 40: PrintPathStatusReport, _info
* line 41: PrintPathStatusReport, _info, -- END Path Status Report --
* line 42: RenderStatusReady, _notify, the .mxs file will be written to 'F:\Max\MXS\si_ormovicza_counter_001.mxs'
* line 43: RenderStatusReady, _notify, the image will be written to 'F:\Max\MXS\si_ormovicza_counter_001.png'
* line 44: WriteMxs, _info, rendering camera: Perspective
* line 45: WriteMxs, _notify, generating new MXS meshes, press CTRL+ALT+SHIFT to cancel
* line 46: ExportScene, _info, CacheMXSGeometry=True
* line 47: ExportScene, _info, ExportReferecesAsInstances=False
* line 48: ExportScene, _info, OnlyExportActiveCamera=False
* line 49: mxVersionChecker.CheckForUpdate(), _notify, checking for plugin updates...
* line 50: mesh transfer 10.0% completed (77 of 772)
* line 51: mxVersionChecker.CheckForUpdate(), _notify, the installed plugin version (1.7.31.0) is up-to-date.
* line 52: mesh transfer 19.9% completed (154 of 772)
* line 53: mesh transfer 29.9% completed (231 of 772)
* line 54: mesh transfer 39.9% completed (308 of 772)
* line 55: mesh transfer 49.9% completed (385 of 772)
* line 56: mesh export failed (see Log Viewer for details)
* line 57: BEGIN: System.Runtime.InteropServices.SEHException
* line 58: Message: External component has thrown an exception.
* line 59: Source: Maxwell
* line 60: BEGIN STACKTRACE: 'System.Runtime.InteropServices.SEHException'
* line 61: - at Cmaxwell.createMesh(Cmaxwell* , Cobject* , SByte* , UInt32 , UInt32 , UInt32 , UInt32 )
* line 62: - at Maxwell.Scenes.Scene.MeshWriter.BeginMesh(String Name, Int32 nVertexes, Int32 nNormals, Int32 nTriangles, Int32 nPositionsPerVertex)
* line 63: - at Maxwell.Rhino.mxMesher.WriteMesh()
* line 64: - at Maxwell.Rhino.mxMesher.ExportGeometry(Boolean selectedObjectsOnly)
* line 65: END STACKTRACE: 'System.Runtime.InteropServices.SEHException'
* line 66: END: System.Runtime.InteropServices.SEHException
* line 67: ExportScene, _info, total export time: 00:01:02.6093750
* line 68: OnEndWriteMxs, _notify, mesh export was cancelled
* line 69: mxLogView.OnShowWindow, _info, sz=838x555h, loc=96,215(virtual), pWnd=66360

[EADC]

Had this situation too, and rather often already. Usually the rhino memorylimit (32bit) is the problem. Look at the memory usage while exporting, somewhere around 3.8 gig it starts to protest. Just export in smaller parts (or by groups of layers) and reassemble again in studio.

[jvanmetre]

It does seem to be a memory problem...hadn't thought of exporting parts and reassembling, thanks for the suggestion.

jvm

[JDHill]

For what it's worth, I've only ever seen an error like this when there was a lack of memory, or when some memory was bad. So some questions would be:

- does it fail at the same point every time?
- if so, what about after rebooting the machine?
- what exactly is the memory usage of the Rhino4.exe process at the time of failure?

Also note, the plugin's Maxwell_CheckFixAndReportBadObjects command is just like Rhino's SelBadObjects with some more stuff thrown in - it verifies several factors in order to determine whether some mesh is totally invalid, but it is not possible for it to detect whether an error like this will occur during the export.

[jvanmetre]

JD-

I'm clearly pushing my machine/memory to the limit with the file...it completes about 50% of the meshing and then quits. Rhino4.exe is using 1.6 gb from a total of 2 gb when it crashes. File fails at the same point every time.

I've now tried to import parts into Studio but it seems to hang up when importing parts into a scene...I'm prompted to rename meshes since the imported parts have the same mesh name and after doing so it crashes or doesn't import the parts. Not having much luck with this method.

jvm

[JDHill]

When you say 'total of 2GB', do you mean the machine only has 2GB physically installed? Because even if not, on 32bit, each process (i.e. Rhino4.exe) is limited to 2GB, so the export may or may not be possible based on whatever else is running. However, if it is a total of 2GB physical memory, you have to remember that the OS and other resources need to live in there too, and failing with 1.6GB usage might be a likely failing point. You may have some success with tuning your machine's disk-paging behavior, but you probably do not want to pay the cost in time it might represent, or the wear it will put on your hard drive; better to think about more memory, as it is quite cheap these days. The other fundamental is to make sure you're not using finer mesh settings than necessary; any detail which is not detectable in the rendered image is a waste of resources. Optimizing meshes in a 32bit-only app like Rhino is one of the most important things you can spend your time doing if you're hitting the wall on memory. I can't really comment on the Studio stuff, due to lack of any recent experience.

Cheers...

[jvanmetre]

I took your advice...re: optimizing meshes. That seems to have worked, I'm able to export the scene in full after falling back to default settings on some meshes.

An alternative, trying to break a scene up into usable parts and importing into Studio is so problematic (from my experience) as to make it not a viable solution. Might be easier to do if only importing geometry, but with materials and maps...oy vey!

jvm

[EADC]

Well, i do import scenes part by part into studio quit often, and find it rather helpfull. Replacing changed geometry is a breeze by working with layers, and being able to work with huge scenes is a big plus. The materials and maps issue is also no problem when disregarding the new materials on import. The image below has been made with real engineering data which means huge (and i mean HUGE) file sizes. It would have been impossible to do straight out of rhino. Starting up the render (8000*5000) requires 8Gig+ alone.

[jvanmetre]

EADC-

Thanks for sharing that...my workflow is probably a little different and I should qualify that I'm working with Studio in OSX which, to my understanding, continues to have some issues -- at least when it comes to importing files that I've worked on in Rhino.

For example meshes that I've assigned materials to in Rhino import without material assignments into Studio OSX -- it seems random at times. I've managed to work around the problems, but they do come up from time to time when I work with large files.

jvm

[EADC]

Ok, have no experience with OSX, allergic to mac related stuff