'cmd' not intitializing Tweet

[cperkins]

Hi TIG, good work on the exporter. I've been waiting for a decent method of rendering animations out of SketchUp. I've seem to have hit some kind of a wall though. First off, I'm using the 'keyframe animation' plugin to create my sketchup animations. I've successfully used the combination of 'keyframe' and octane (and your exporter) to render some short animations, approx 10 frames. When I tried to go full-scale, around 350 frames, the 'cmd' never initializes after all of the .obj and .mtl files have been created. My basic workflow has been this: Create scenes in SU while animating my objects from scene-to-scene and recording the position data > create mymodel.tweens.skp and save >> render frame from octane exporter >>> setup materials/lighting .ocs and save >>>> exit octane >>>>> 'render animation' from SU exporter. My last attempt produced 350 obj/mtl files over the course of around 11 hours and then I left it overnight to render out. Like I mentioned the render never actually started though. The 'Render Animation' button remained grayed-out with the "Rendering Animation - Please Wait" dialog. I closed the exporter this morning and all of the files I had waited all day on to be created were automatically deleted Have you experienced this problem? The model is kind of big I guess and there are a large number of frames, but when the animation is set at 24 fps, we're only talking around 14s of animation, so to me this shouldn't be a problem. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[TIG]

The cmd and all temporary obj/mtl files will persist only as long as the exporter dialog is open [clearly they should go when it closes!]. SO if there is a failure to launch, you need to move these file into a temporary folder BEFORE closing the dialog and the SKP - then they will be kept.

Remember that you need to to have done at least one render and have the base obj/mtl files needed for that with its ocs saved etc.
There is no reason that the thing should then stall.

Put simply, it goes through each scene and makes a separate obj/mtl [as the geometry/layers could change between scenes - especially if you are animating objects; as could the lighting settings etc]. However, if you pick the other option to animate just the camera, it then runs using the first one's other settings and then fewer files are needed.
Whichever animation option is chosen, once any required files have been made the cmd file is written, and that is then run to animate them in turn, by open/save-image/close the OCS etc...
Does the cmd file get written?
If so, is it 'correctly' written? i.e. have ALL of the files been added to it?
Do ALL of the expected [temporary] obj/mtl files get made in the project's folder?
If you have saved these obj/mtl/cmd files then exited the SKP and subsequently replaced the obj/mtl/cmd files back in their original project folder does the cmd file run if you double-click on its icon?

[cperkins]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I have a good grasp on the procedure for doing object animations and I'm familiar with what to expect to happen and when. Like I said. I ran test object animations with fewer frames no problem.. same exact workflow. The exporter created both obj and mtl files for each frame to be rendered. After it was done creating those files, no .cmd files were created and nothing else happened. I monitored it in this condition for 2-3 hours before leaving the office and figured that it might just need time to write all of those frames, but this morning when I showed up, probably about 9 hours later, it was in the same state. I left SU open the entire time and actually just left the rendering PC alone entirely except to check the target folder.

So, the real problem I am having is that the .cmd file is not being created.

[TIG]

Can you run it again with the Ruby Console open [open it before opening the exporter-dialog] and see if there are any error messages about making the cmd file. Something is stopping it getting made BUT as you said it works fine and gets made with fewer files. I need some clues

[cperkins]

okay, sounds like a plan. I'll get back to you with some more info.

[cperkins]

This is what showed up on the ruby console during my latest attempt:


Error: #<NoMethodError: undefined method `+' for nil:NilClass>
C:/Program Files (x86)/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/Octane/Octane_1024.rb:2160:in `render_animation'
C:/Program Files (x86)/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/Octane/Octane_1024.rb:367:in `initialize'
C:/Program Files (x86)/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/Octane/Octane_1024.rb:455:in `call'
C:/Program Files (x86)/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/Octane/Octane_1024.rb:455:in `show_modal'
C:/Program Files (x86)/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/Octane/Octane_1024.rb:455:in `dialog'
C:/Program Files (x86)/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/Octane/Octane_1024.rb:421:in `activate'
C:/Program Files (x86)/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/Octane/Octane_1024.rb:3428:in `select_tool'
C:/Program Files (x86)/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/Octane/Octane_1024.rb:3428:in `octane'
C:/Program Files (x86)/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/Octane/Octane_1024.rb:3440

[TIG]

Try it without 'motion_blur' selected.
That's where the error is originating.
It can't find the 'next' scene ?
I suspect this must be for the last frame IF there are no available scenes after it to blur to ??
I'll look at trapping it

Please report back if it works without 'motion-blur'...

[cperkins]

yep, got that after it processed the last .obj. I'll post back prob Monday morning when I'm back in the office. thanks Tig!

[TIG]

I've trapped it now, I suggest you get v1024-04 that I've just posted and which should now avoid these issues...

Remember that even with the new version. you can leave one frame unused at the end so the last processed scene has a 'next' scene to blur to...
Or if using 'previous' option leave one frame at the 'start' unused etc...
Otherwise the end [or start] frame will be set up without an error and rendered OK... BUT it won't be blurred like the rest of the frames as there's nothing to 'blur' it with...