Unable to load .vrscene file in GH

[seltzdesign]

We are trying to load a .vrscene file using Grasshopper, but every time you try to do it on a machine that is not the one that saved the vrscene file, the component in Grasshopper turns red and shows a solution exception.

Could it have something to do with merged cosmos assetts?

I can privately send you a .vrscene file that is causing this.



We rely on loading a vrscene file into Grasshopper to be able to render in Grasshopper, but currently this only works on one machine.

[nikoleta.garkova]

Hey seltzdesign,

This is happening due to the way the file path autoresolve functionality is working. We are only looking for the .vrscene file and not the described within it necessary assets - in the case with Cosmos assets, we have a .vrscene file with nested .vrmesh files. We might look for improvements in this regard and update you further.

Regardless, you should be able to import .vrscene files in GH, but keep in mind that using such .vrscene files on other systems will require all texture and .vrmesh files used by the Cosmos assets to be manually transferred.

It is recommended to either use the Pack Project functionality for a quick grab of the necessary files or alternatively merge the Cosmos assets before exporting a vrscene in order to utilize the V-Ray File Path Editor. As long as all the assets' files are in the same directory as the .vrscene file, everything will be loaded as expected.

[seltzdesign]

Hi Nikoleta.

Thanks for getting back to us. Will it be possible with the new functionality to have the Cosmos asset folder on a shared file server? The idea would be that we have one asset folder on the server and multiple machines can access it and use the downloaded assets. Then all paths should resolve on any machine.

We tried it the other day briefly, but it wouldn't allow to use the same folder on different machines due to some folders being locked. Can you confirm that accessing 1 folder for cosmos assets on a shared drive from multiple machines should work?

Additionally I think we would all appreciate if the vrscene component could produce some more helpful error messages. As a programmer I would always strive for graceful errors and not simply let the whole component fail because of a known error. It could say something like "Error: some paths in the vrscene file could not be resolved". I think that's just kind of best practice for coders and a good UX for people using your plugin

[nikoleta.garkova]

Hi seltzdesign,

Thanks for the valuable input!

To answer your question: we've added support for storing the Cosmos assets on network drives. In case that multiple users share the same network folder to the downloaded Cosmos Assets, assets downloaded by one user, will show as downloaded to all users. They would, of course, need to have read and write permissions to that location.

Should you encounter any issues, do not hesitate to get in touch!

[seltzdesign]

Hi nikoleta.garkova

Thanks for getting back to us. So the exchange of vrscene files containing Cosmos assets should work as long as we share the asset folder? What happens to vrscene files that contain Cosmos assets we have not downloaded?

I think it would be great if in the asset editor you could see what vrscene files you have loaded and their contents, so that you could see which Cosmos assets were not downloaded and download them. Currently I think there is no way to see the contents of a vrscene file at all right? I mean you get some preview, but cannot see if the geometry is a cosmos asset or not, right? Even if its not in the plugins, then a standalone V-Ray Scene viewer/editor would be great and finally take the vrscene files from something you only use in very special cases to a more universal file format.

[nikoleta.garkova]

What happens to vrscene files that contain Cosmos assets we have not downloaded?

This is why we recommend merging the assets/using the Pack Project functionality (and making sure to pack the Cosmos assets as well, you will receive a prompt for confirmation); if the files are not found on the same location as the .vrscene, then you will get the same error.

Thanks as well for the valuable suggestions - as mentioned, we are in the process of discussing possible improvements in this regard, so your feedback is greatly appreciated.