Rendering coloured Dots/Network Stops

[Schnupps]

Hi, in the first testrenderings of our project we got two errors I can not get rid of.

1. Sometimes white, green or blue dots appear in the renderings. Watch the link below to see what I mean.
It looks like some of the materials with an overbright/invalid warning do this. Not all the time though. You can render an Image twice, one time it happens, next time not.
Further we have 4 computers currently rendering. 2amd´s with win2000 and 2 p4´s with winXP. Only the P4 renderings create these dots. Both have intel875p chipset and work with hyperthreading.
Everywhere is the same vray version (newest, same plugins, same max5.1) installed. Can´t leave the p4 out of rendering, they are twice as fast as the AMD´s.
Watch the testrender, it´s quite dark, have been working mainly at night time

http://www.wavesandcircles.de/Test02.avi (2mb)

2. Network rendering stops after some time (10 to 30h) and can not be continued.
It says:
WRN Task Error from xyz
ERR Job xy failed for xyz
ERR Error Message: Unknown Error
WRN Server xyz flagged as failed for Job xy

It tries to reload the job, starting it but after building the irradiance map (single frame), error occurs again.
Restarting windows/manager/server doesn´t help. Rendering the frame by itself doesn´t do any problems.
This happened with two out of two different Testrenderings after 400 to 600 frames. No computer seems to be able to continue the job.

Please help we have to really caculate our rendering time for this job, and I can´t spent more days to fighting these errors.

Thanks Schnupps

[Schnupps]

Alright maybe this helps a little:
http://www.wavesandcircles.de/Settings.jpg

Although these settings aren´t exactly the ones from the rendering.
I gonna render a little sequenze again tonight and pray...

Schnupps

[RErender]

The usual subjects are: Raytrace materials, Cropping not applied to bitmaps , Oren-nayer-blinn, coplanar faces and missing uvw's.

Here is a script I wrote to apply cropping globaly. It's not quite ready and comes with all the standard disclaimers . Maybe it will help. Usage is pretty self explanatory just install it as a macroscript and make a button.

http://www.varcht.com/VArcht_Tools.zip

[Da_elf]

and your interp samples can be a little higher
oh and try to change your AA setting to adaptive

[Schnupps]

Tnaks for the replies...
Checked already the topics you were reffering to RErender, not the cause for the blotches. AA oder interpolation samples don´t help too.
I found out by now, that changing the values of Color, Normal and Distance Treshold to 0,4; 0,5; 0,5 fixes the Problem of the white blotches in one rendering. I let it render over night and hopefully they are all gone.
Still very strange that just the P4´s with winXP do this, not the AMD´s with win2000.

But if you have any ideas still keep posting...
The problem of not continuing the network rendering did not occure again in the last two renderings. I hope is stays that way.

Thanks Schnupps

[Schnupps]

Alright, it are just the Color and Normal Treshold affecting it. It makes it better but doesn´t fixes that completely.
By the way the AMD´s can produce these errors too, when I turn the Color and Normal trshold down.
Unfortunately I can´t post the scene anywhere is´t just tooo large.
But if you got ideas, or questions, please go on...

At this stage the errors are few enough to paint them away in the post


Thanks
Schnupps

[GoncaloP]

That kind of artifact is for sure a raytrace map or material somewhere in the scene, just take a look in depht and kill it!

Gonçalo

[Schnupps]

Man, this reminds me to my Audio Engineering studies...
We did some audio recording in a bigger studio, and after two hours of searching, why we couldn´t record, we realized the microphone had an on/off switch.

I was just looking for raytrace maps not materials, don´t know why really.
But at least I got much more knowledge about VRay after these days

Thanks to all of you,
Schnupps

In germany we got a saying which means:
Sometimes you can´t see the forest because of all the trees

[winberg]

RErender: just wanted to say thanks for the script....solved my colored splotch problems...I dug up some old file, and after going through really big amount of materials and taking away all raytraced materials, I still had splotches...but your script fixed it...

Somehow this is the first time I had splotches in my rendering too...

Now is there a script that seeks out all raytraced maps/materials?

-Tom

[franzISKA]

how to use this script! i need an advise...

hello to everyone!

could someone give me please an step by step advise for the script...

i drop it into the viewport, and it tells me to put it to a button....

but which button, where to put???

if i restart, the tool should be in the tools palette, but it isn't there.
is it anywhere else?

any help is welcome, as i have to finish the project in time...

thanx in advance for any help...

john

[RErender]

In the Utility panel (the Hammer) Look for a button "MAXscript" ,press it, and under "Utilities",in the drop down, "Apply Cropping" should be available.

[franzISKA]

THANK you very much!

hello!!!

thank you very much for the help....

sometimes, when you just don't sleep enough, the easiest things seem to be the hardest ones

now it works
so long

franzISKA