By Josephus Holt
#295274
I think that the crashing problem has been found/resolved. Has to do with Vista having issues writing out a file coming out of the program file directory. Resolution is to install Vista in a non-programs location, in my case my Data drive. Seems to be working fine now.
By JDHill
#295276
No, I don't think that's it. I have this scene running/crashing on x64 now, and it's due to a memory-access violation that's happening during the export. Seems random so far, but at least I can make it happen on-demand. The code should work fine, but things can be tricky sometimes working with Cinema - there are lots of objects that have to be duplicated (in memory) temporarily, and it looks like someone is holding on to some memory longer than it should be when it's time for one of those objects to be destroyed.
By Josephus Holt
#295414
So I suppose that I should work with x32 version until this is fixed?
By JDHill
#295415
You should work with whatever works; what I meant above is that as far as I've yet been able to tell, the plugin isn't doing anything wrong. I'm not sure what combination of things in your scene is causing this to happen, but if you've gotten to a point where it's no longer happening, I also don't have any reason to think it will start up again. Nor do I have a reason to think it won't. There is always a definite cause, but with no pattern to follow and many components involved, finding it is not an exact science.
By Josephus Holt
#295436
OK...just out of curiosity, is there a significant performance difference between x32 and x64?

I re-rendered (using C4D x32) the same scene/view after making some minor client changes, and watched the material assignments closer (actually just all generic grey, but mxm grey) and the lights, and the time was much better, 2 1/2 hours reaching SL18. Also not so grainy as before...so this is very encouraging.

I must say you've done a GREAT job on the plugin...setting up the lighting is a breeze....no constant test renders to check if the lighting is correct...don't have to worry about the cumulative effect when mulitlight is enabled....that has to be THE best "cool" feature of Maxwell.

[URL=http://img514.imageshack.us/my.php ... .jpg[/img]

The second view is a bit grainier...ran 3 1/2 hours to sl 18. I decreased the roughness of the generic greys to see what would happen.

[url][URL=http://img9.imageshack.us/my.php?image= ... 9view2.jpg]Image[/URL
By JDHill
#295439
I don't know that there should be a huge speed difference between them, the main reason to use x64 is x86's 2-3GB memory limitation. On the images, yes this is looking better now. Keep in mind also that your speed may increase (generally speaking) as you get more of the materials assigned, since some of them will tend to be darker than what you have now. That can be offset by some of them having more complex reflection characteristics which will tend to bring some noise in other areas, but in general, I'd say that you might still have some general speed increases coming as you proceed.

Just off-topic, is this your design?
By Josephus Holt
#295441
Ok, thx.

OT...Yes, my design...it is a remodel in California....long ways from Nashville :D

How can I get Maxwell to show the "bright" sunlight coming in as this image? I have the same angle for sunlight in both.

[URL=http://img4.imageshack.us/my.php?i ... .jpg[/img]
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By JDHill
#295447
It's a cool design...would be fun to build/install (I was in cabinetry/woodwork before I got into Maxwell). About your sun-angle, I assume that's because you are trying to use a Cinema sun object or something; the plugin doesn't (yet) recognize that. It provides its own tools for working with Maxwell's sun, and you can find some info on that by glancing at page 21 in the plugin manual. I'm working on having the plugin scan for a Cinema sun and then figure the position of the sun in Maxwell from that.

(since this is all about Cinema, I may move this topic over to the Cinema forum...I'll wait until you respond again so you don't think it just disappeared)
By Josephus Holt
#295450
Thank you...very traditional...just what I've always done...it's a medium that's been fun to work in. I also like the "modern" stuff very much too.

Go ahead and move it to C4D forum...I'll look for it there.

I'll check out the reference for the sun you mentioned.
By Josephus Holt
#295452
Got the sunlight coming in...thx.

Couple of questions,
1) I can't find the Maxwell version of "render region"...seems like I used to be able to do that.

2) Also, it seems like before when I put a number of lights under a Null Object, that the multilight controls would show all those lights as one light...makes it a LOT easier to change settings when there are a lot of the same light. Can you shed some light on this :oops:

Joe
By JDHill
#295456
1) region render is implemented in a tag - just right-click on a camera (or other object) in the object manager and add one. Rather than drawing a rectangle, the region tag gives you a persistent rectangle that you can use to repeatably render the same region.

2) in order for ML to use multiple lights in one slider, they must all be part of the same mesh; you can accomplish that using Cinema's Connect command on two or more polygon objects. This is true if you are building your light geometry manually - if, however, you are letting the plugin auto-generate lights from Cinema light objects, then there is no way to get several of them combined into one ML slider.
By Josephus Holt
#295461
ahhh, yes...they have to be put under a "connect oject", kind of like a null object. That's how I did it before. Thanks!

The render region tag must be new...don't remember doing it that way, but that works fine.
Will there be a Maxwell Render 6 ?

Let's be realistic. What's left of NL is only milk[…]