Can't access VRay Asset Browser

[Joelaff]

I thought I would give the new material library a look now that we finished our project. However, when I click the button on the VRay Toolbar nothing happens. No errors in the Listener Window or anywhere else.

I tried re-installing (well, I installed the new hotfix), but I still can't get the button to do anything.

Any thoughts?

Max 2021.1 Latest VRay 5.0004 (hotfix1)

Thanks.

[hermit.crab]

For starters, check the solutions posted on this topic.

[Joelaff]

Thanks for the reply. Not much help I’m afraid. Not yet anyway.

I wonder if the issue has something to do with the fact that we run non-admin user accounts and VRay was installed using an admin account.

Does the installer take into account the use of non-admin accounts?

In that other thread it says the files are installed in Documents. Shouldn’t system wide files be installed in a system wide location, not in a user location? At the very least they could go in Public.

No security conscious sysadmin would ever run Windows with an admin account for their normal user.

[hermit.crab]

The installer runs with elevated privileges, where shared folders are invisible for such processes (Windows security measure).

Try the following solution:
1. Start clean by uninstalling V-Ray and removing the Material Library
2. Install V-Ray with the Material Library download checkbox disabled
3. Download the Material Library through the "mtllib.exe" (located in "C:\Program Files\Chaos Group\V-Ray\3ds Max 2020\bin").

Another thing - you can run the following MaxScript command to bring up the Asset Browser:

vrayShowAssetBrowser()

[Joelaff]

Thanks, Aleksandar. I will do some more research. It is likely a path issue. I just wish it spit out an error message of some kind, rather than failing silently.

[Joelaff]

I ran mtllib.exe as my local non-admin user, and it copied the files to my own user's Documents directory.

This works now. HOWEVER, I would STRONGLY encourage you to consider the correct placement for system wide files to be:

C:\Users\Public\Documents\

rather than putting these files into the Documents directory of the current user running the install. When you install as as admin user, but run as an underprivileged user (like everyone should) the files get put in the wrong place. Also, they are put into a per-user directory, even though these are system wide files that belong in a system wide (public) directory.

I would also encourage you to add an error message to the vrayShowAssetBrowser() function such that it displays an error when it cannot find the MatLib directory path. This should say something like "Unable to find the Material Library at C:\Users\Public\Documents" In other words it should include the directory it is looking for so the user knows why things have failed.

Thanks!

[^Lele^]

You can specify the folder to download to at install time.
Also: here, and you can run the mtllib.exe with command line flags:

-help - show this message and exit
-targetDir="c:\path\to\download" - select dowload direcory
-gui=0/1/2 - select GUI mode (0 - console, 1 - GUI, 2 - GUI and console)
-auto - perform automatic installation
-remoteUrl=https://example.com:443/source/url - remote URL to download from
-httpProxy=http://examplehttpproxy.com:80 - use specified HTTP proxy
-no-httpProxy - disable HTTP proxy auto detection and use direct connection
-verbosity=VGUI[,VCON] - select verbosity level of the messages
VGUI (0...4) - verbosity level of messages in the log window
VCON (0...4) - verbosity level of messages in the console output
-progress=0/1 - outptut progress status on the console.
-silent-check - Check if remote and local libraries are the same. Don't show
the GUI at all if versions match.

[Joelaff]

Nice, Lele. Thanks.

I still contend that system wide files should go in Public, though.

[^Lele^]

I'd counter that the vast majority of users log in with administrative rights on their home/ small office machine (i sure do. i prefer abstinence and control to laborious protection.), so installing stuff in the current user's folder is a very good idea for me.
Max does this, Maya does this, Houdini does this: the list is nigh endless.
I have a ton of apps installed, my Public folder is less than 17 MB, so i'd go as far as saying that as we do it is the accepted de-facto standard for Windows installations.

Besides, hey, it's just a default.

[Joelaff]

Appeal to Populace is a fallacy. All those other programs are doing it wrong as well . Chaos could lead the way here, rather than follow the confused herd.

There is NO downside and only benefit to doing it properly and putting shared data in a shared location. This way you can have multiple users on a machine with their own login accounts without duplicating data or jumping through hoops. Each user gets their own setup for everything. No loading in your shortcuts, etc.

[^Lele^]

I have argumented my point before showing it's a standard (which, granted, you call "following the confused herd".): i have admin rights on my machine, meaning my stuff is mine alone.
It's rather yours the assumption that the library should be public to all accessing the computer.

Instead, putting it in a folder accessible only by the user renders it private by default.
It will still allow for an easy way to share the parts one wants, but will crucially stay private for the content one creates for themselves, or has otherwise no express intention of sharing.
As a practical example, It's common enough in a studio to swap out places, and workstations, with someone f.e. at home ill.
Automatic access to the stuff of another user is an unwanted effect.

Further to this, per user settings can change, and one may want to have a super quick library loading 256 px samples, while another may want the samples to be @ 2k res.
User profiles is the way to go.

Once again, it's only an easily changeable default anyway, people will be able to do as they please, before or after the library has been installed.

[Joelaff]

OK. You have a good point... if people want to customize the library then perhaps it should be private. I was viewing it as a stock, public resource.

Assuming systems are single-user is a pet peeve of mine. Comes from decade of *nix, I suppose.

Note the Asset Browser should still say "Can't find library at \Path\To\Lib" in the event it cannot find it.

[pedersenfocus]

Joelaff,
no, you are not wrong. Shared assets need to be in a shared location.
If someone on a team (be it a tiny office of 2 people of an organisation to 100) updates an asset , texture, geometry, whatever ..that change needs to be instantly available to everyone on the team.
I accept that others may have a preference to keep it on a local location (though, why !?), anyway, the real error here is that the location for the vRay asset browser should be easily editable and not affected by administrator/non-administrator installations or other tech gobbeldigook (..yes, it's a word here in Ireland).
It has taken us almost 2 days to install 3ds max, vRay, forest pack & rail clone on two new workstations ..and still we are trying to resolve paths to plug-in assets & libraries.
Anyway, back to resolving asset locations...
Good luck everyone, I hope the software developers of the world are listening to their customers/users

Regards
Jesper Pedersen
http://www.pedersenfocus.ie