Vray invalid materials

[JKIM1234]

Hi all! I'm trying to open a .3dm file on Rhino 6 but get a popup saying "unsupported version of vray material" which won't go away even after repeated attempts to close or okay the message and therefore I cannot access the file! Any idea on how to fix this? Thanks!

[Peter.Chaushev]

This message indicates materials created in earlier V-Ray version (older than v2.0) are being used in the project. You can automatically migrate the materials to a newer version by following these steps:
1. Uninstall V-Ray for Rhino 3.60.03
2. Go to https://download.chaosgroup.com/?platform=51 and click the filter checkbox "Show older versions"
3. Download and install V-Ray for Rhino 3.60.02.
4. Open the project file, set V-Ray as the current renderer and check if the materials in the V-Ray Asset Editor are alright.
5. Save the project file.

Once done, you can install the latest V-Ray 3.60.03 again.

Kind regards,
Peter

[villa_del_mar]

This message indicates materials created in earlier V-Ray version (older than v2.0) are being used in the project. You can automatically migrate the materials to a newer version by following these steps:
1. Uninstall V-Ray for Rhino 3.60.03
2. Go to https://download.chaosgroup.com/?platform=51 and click the filter checkbox "Show older versions"
3. Download and install V-Ray for Rhino 3.60.02.
4. Open the project file, set V-Ray as the current renderer and check if the materials in the V-Ray Asset Editor are alright.
5. Save the project file.

Once done, you can install the latest V-Ray 3.60.03 again.

Kind regards,
Peter

Hi, The same thing is happening to me. I tried what you suggested but it seems like V-Ray 3.60.02 is not on your website anymore. Also you guys should work on doing this easier. I have a lot of projects using old V-Ray and doing this for every project is really not an option. I hope you guys can come around this problem.

Thanks in advance.

[Peter.Chaushev]

(...) V-Ray 3.60.02 is not on your website anymore.

Please make sure the "Show older versions" checkbox is active:

Also you guys should work on doing this easier. I have a lot of projects using old V-Ray and doing this for every project is really not an option.

You can try the following python script - scene_migration_36002.zip.
Be sure to open it with a text editor (or directly in Rhino using EditPythonScirpt command), edit the directory path and save the change prior to using it.

Kind regards,
Peter

[villa_del_mar]

Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately i used the Python script and i got the same pop up error "unsupported version of vray material" Also i can't see the "show older versions" checkbox when i have filtered Rhino. When i clear all the drop down menus i can see the "show older versions" checkbox but there is no version 3.60.02. I dont know if that's happening cause my account is a trial account. Thanks

[Peter.Chaushev]

You are correct. Trial accounts are limited to downloading only the latest available versions.
If you still wish to check your old projects containing outdated materials in V-Ray 3, you can:
- open and save them using the most recent V-Ray 2.0 version you have available
- click through all invalid material prompts (one for each outdated mtl) upon opening a project, then delete its materials and save it
- contact support@chaosgroup.com for assistance

Kind regards,
Peter

[joonhoe]

Hi, I have encountered the same problem as in the .3dm file cannot be opened and a dialog box of "unsupported version of vray material" popped out. I cannot continue my work.
I have tried looking for version 3.60.02 of vray but couldn't. Anyone can help me on this?

[Pretty Picture Girl]

With all due respect Peter, but downgrading the software reinstalling an old version running some Python script & reinstalling the newer software????
You can not really suggest that as a solution in a professional work environment when your clients need to frequently access older files.
I really urge Chaosgroup to provide a proper solution to this and not some bogus workaround.

You really let your clients down big time:
1) Your clients have accumulated elaboratematerial libraries - Chaosgroup lets them out in the wild and your paying client needs to recreate all their materials at their own time (=cost)
2) Your clients need to retexture all their older files at their own time (=cost)
3) Your clients have to use a complicated workaround if they even want to access their older files at all, again all at their own time (=cost)

All this happens without a proper warning.

All because a render plugin is created with substancial mistakes your clients can not access their files properly.

When can we expect a proper professional solution to this? The one you point to in the other thread is anything but that.
Chaosgroup is really disappointing in their approach to its customers.
Probably its really time to switch to a different rendering system now. Glad there are others to choose from around. Just ashame we spent money on Vray.

Nothing against you personally Peter, but if I compare how McNeel treats and supports their customers to the way Chaosgroup does this (not!), McNeel wins 200%

[palosanto]

I hate to have to partially agree with the main issue in the previous post. A patch for many of the problems not resolved since the last official release of July is desperately overdue. My concern is that if Vray Next is to be the next release, will we be asked to pay for the upgrade? I hope not ... nobody should be paying for bug fixes. Peter, can you tell us about that? Thank you.

[palosanto]

Nothing against you personally Peter, but if I compare how McNeel treats and supports their customers to the way Chaosgroup does this (not!), McNeel wins 200%

I have to strongly disagree with this statement. Chaos Group support has been always excellent as far as I'm concerned.

[Pretty Picture Girl]

Glad for you Palosanto.

Still if Chaosgroup really suggests something like that suggested here as a solution, its borderline ridiculous in my eyes.
We all paid a substantial amount of money for their software. Only to learn after the upgrade about all these issues mentioned here.
McNeel would be appaled to do that. Their support has been nothing but perfect (at least to me).
What I'd expect would be really for Chaosgroup to get their act together on this and offer at least an option to open the model without any textures.
Playing around with Python scrpts is not a professional solution for end clients.

Than I need to retexture. All at my own cost & with the risk of not getting the textures looking exactly the same.
It's a pain in the but, but doable, especially if one would switch the render system at that moment.

Why on earth do we as clients have to deal with this?
Why did they not offer a utility to convert the old textures/materials?
I'm seriously annoyed about this.

[palosanto]

I can understand your frustration but to be fair to Vray developers, the material problem seem to exist only for materials older than version 2. Version 3 methods and technology are quite different than version 1.xx. Sometimes there are compromises to be maid in order to improve the software. Vray 3 is light years ahead of version 1.xx from almost 6 years ago in terms of quality, speed and usability. Perhaps the old material problem is one on those compromises that might not be easily integrated in the new version engine because it's simply incompatible and might require some external processing of the scene (via scripting or otherwise).

[Pretty Picture Girl]

@Palosanto

well, if they would at least have given us the choice to simply bypass that stupid box and retexture.
But what Peter suggests here is not a professional solution but a workaround which is requiring considerable time (=cost) by their end client.
Whats worse is, that if you need to modify some older project you had done and presented to a client previously and now that clients wants changes, you need to recreate the complete scenery and try to match the previous presentation somehow.
It's just a big pain.

Further they could have at least warned us before purchasing the upgrade and further provided a simple to use utility to carry over most materials to the extent possible, even if we would have to edit some of them later to get them to 100%.
Just to say: "Well it does not work, find a solution at your own time=cost or be almost forced to use our online materials, (after the upgrade!) is not really fair towards paying clients.
I have a custom library made of many many materials and can now recreate almost all of them at my own time&cost. On top I need to retexture old models if I still want to use them + I can not open them at this moment.

Last not least, if I put all that effort into upgrading the materials now, who tells me that they do not repeat this on the next release???
Of course if I enter their wonderful new indirect subscription scheme by using only their online material library I do not run that risk, but I end up paying regularly.
One reason why I had choosen Vray was precisely because I did not want regular subscription fees.
For small offices regular subscriptions are a real pain. In one moment you have an aweful lot of work, than you run on idle. The more fixed costs you have in the later moment the more you end up paying in these times.
Unfortunately the software industry fails to understand that and cater more and more for the big companies..

[Micha]

I have to strongly disagree with this statement. Chaos Group support has been always excellent as far as I'm concerned.

I can't agree. For example I miss cooperation with the users in questions of the UI. So much, or all suggestions, of the beta team was ignored ... . ASGVIS was much more in contact with the users and bugs was solved per nightly builds. At the moment the user needs to be very patient and need to wait months. As a Rhino user I feel like a third class Vray user. First class for the 3dsmax version only, second class because the stripped down combi plugin version and third class because no really lively connection to the Rhino user anymore. The truth is the Rhino community is break down since the beta group wasn't heard anymore. I still hope things will change. All could win.

[palosanto]

I can't agree. For example I miss cooperation with the users in questions of the UI. So much, or all suggestions, of the beta team was ignored ... . ASGVIS was much more in contact with the users and bugs was solved per nightly builds. At the moment the user needs to be very patient and need to wait months. As a Rhino user I feel like a third class Vray user. First class for the 3dsmax version only, second class because the stripped down combi plugin version and third class because no really lively connection to the Rhino user anymore. The truth is the Rhino community is break down since the beta group wasn't heard anymore. I still hope things will change. All could win.

When I mention the support in my post #10, I was referring to specific issues that I had which were almost immediately resolved via email or direct access to my system via Teamviewer.
I hear you Micha, regarding the Beta program, even if many of the beta tester suggestions weren't addressed, at least there seemed to be good progress with the nightlies but this stopped months ago and I don't know why. The answer that I got lately was always: "It will be solved in Vray Next"

Chaos Group seems to just take note of the problems reported and they might get resolved in Vray Next but what if they are not? Why not release patches as the issues are progressively fixed so that users can send feedback and not have a bunch of bugs again in Next? We cannot expect to have to pay for an upgrade to Next while Release 3 is still not fully functional ...