Vrimage format corruption in Vray for Sketchup 1.49.01

[andybot_cg]

What is wrong with the vrimage that is saved with vfSU 1.49.01? There's been discussion about this before, but I don't recall having this particular question answered. I'd like to know if the vrimage files I saved with 1.49.01 will ever be usable (with an updated converter) or are they garbled for good. I am curious which of the options describes the current problem with vrimage format:

1. Is the file format corrupted, and the next beta will correct the problem?
-or-
2. does the current converter not work. If it's the converter, is there a new converter available that can unscramble the messed up vrimage files?

(BTW sorry for posting this question twice - I asked this at the end of an old topic, but realized that it doesn't show up under new posts. Just trying to get a hang of this new forum, thanks for your patience
edit: I think I just figured out that it's new *unread* posts under the "new posts" heading - again, I'm just getting the hang of this forum format)

Andy

[dkendig]

Need a new version of the converter, which I don't have on hand to distribute, but someone else at Chaos Group may be able to help you with. I believe a newer version of the converter gets distributed with the latest V-Ray for 3D Studio Max... but I haven't checked to be sure. The VRImages you have made with this beta, should be valid though. Until a new version of the converter is made easily accessible, I would suggest rendering to an .exr rather than a .vrimage.

[andybot_cg]

Thanks Devin, good to know.

The main issue with exr is that it only saves transparency. I can't save any other channel information with exr

[dkendig]

what? I was told by users that the converter didn't extract channels from the vrimage format, and that rendering to .exr didn't cause a loss of any useful information. You usually extract individual channels from the vrimage? ... and the .exr format ONLY saves transparancy? There's no color?

[andybot_cg]

I mean the only additional channel besides the color rendering is transparency. No material ID, no Zdepth, etc.

The converter that worked before would save out each channel as a separate image from the *.vrimg file.

[dkendig]

so the converter was actually able to extract channels, and the users that told me otherwise just didn't know what they're doing... I should have known... Well andybot, it appears that we have ourselves a problem then. I will put a bug in someone's ear again, and hopefully we will get a new version of the converter that we can distribute to you all.

[andybot_cg]

Yeah, the converter isn't exactly user friendly, DOS program and all.

That would be super to have an updated converter. Hope that can happen sooner than later.

[dkendig]

Yup, I never actually tried using it, because I never really render anything that requires a vrimage. I usually test with just simple scenes that have boxes or spheres. Sometimes I'll toss in a more complex piece of geometry, or render a user's scene, but it never requires a vrimage, so I never really tried the converter tool out, and just relied on users to tell me if there was a problem. Whoops! Users don't know DOS I always forget about that! In my head, you learn DOS before you learn Windows, but I guess that isn't the case these days.

[andybot_cg]

Acutally, there's a batch tool found here on this forum:
http://www.chaosgroup.com/forums/vbulletin/showthread.php?41740-Shimakaze-s-Tools-(SP2-update)

It works by allowing you to double-click on the vrimg file and gives you prompts to save out layers and a few other options. Don't know if it'll work with an updated converter, but up till now it has been very useful.

I always forget about that! In my head, you learn DOS before you learn Windows, but I guess that isn't the case these days.

lol, I guess you have to be over a certain age to appreciate DOS.