Hello everybody,
These types of 3dsMax errors that happen right after a new version of Anima is installed may fall into one of the following cases:
- A) There is some problem with the C++ and/or .NET redistributables
- B) There is some older setting in the Anima config folder that that cannot be processed
- C) There is some pre-downloaded file in the Purchases folder that cannot be processed
Case A happens only in devices that have never had an Anima installation before. It should be solved forcing the installation of those libraries by the running the installer from the commandline, using the process explained in the following documentation:
Usually, the installer is able to autodetect if the the system already has those libraries or not and do that step automatically if needed. However, in some rare cases this check might fail, and the only way to fix it by forcing this step manually.
Cases B and C may happen in a devices that worked fine with previous versions of Anima. In these cases the problem could be caused by some kind of corruption in the anima config files or the models downloaded in the local library (the Purchases folder defined in the Preferences dialog).
Please, follow the steps described below to reset the anima config files to their default state (case B):
- Close Anima and any other DCC apps with Anima plugins installed (3dsMax, Cinema4D, or Unreal Engine).
- Go to the “Anima” user config folder at the following location: “%localappdata%/Chaos/Anima”
- Rename it to something else (like “anima_bak”).
- Start the standalone Anima Designer app again and check if it works now.
If it doesn’t work yet, pelase try to reset the local library (case C) by following the steps below:
- Close Anima and any other 3D app with Anima plugins installed (3dsMax, Cinema4D, or Unreal Engine).
- Find your “Purchases” folder by starting Anima in Safe Mode
- After opening, the following Preferences Dialog should appear
- Find that path using your Windows File Explorer
- Rename it to something else (like “Purchases_bak”)
- Create a new empty folder with the same name as the original Purchases you had before, in the same path that was visible in the Preferences dialog (step 3).
- Start Anima again and check if everything is working now.
This process should force Anima to rebuild the local cache of the library that is stored in the Purchases folder and fix the problem. Once you confirm that the problem is fixed, you can choose to either download the models again or move them gradually from the old renamed library to the new one, respecting the subfolders (make sure to move only the *.y files, not the other ones).
If you chose the “move” option, please notice that some of the models existing in the older Purchases might be the culprit for the crashes. Therefore, if you want to keep using those, we would recommend moving them to the new Purchases folder in relatively small batches, trying to start Anima after each copy. That would help you identify which one is causing the problem. If, by any chance, you are able to identify one of those models, we would greatly appreciate it if you can share it with us so we can analyze the problem in detail and create a permanent fix.
If these solutions do not solve the problem or you encounter any issues while applying them, please contact us directly through the Chaos Help Center. Our support agents will review your case there and provide a solution.
