(3ds Max 9) BAT4MAX Export Error

[blahdy]

When I'm trying to export a model, I'm getting this error at 23%:

Export failed!
Location = 6
Code = 708

What does this error code mean, what am I doing wrong?  Any help would be appreciated.  This is BAT4MAX2 running on 3ds Max 9.

[callagrafx]

More than likely nightwindows.  An error code 708 is generally a file handling error (either the file is corrupt, wrong format or missing).

Here's a complete list of codes (originally posted at ST)

100 Problem deleting old directories (deletetree).

102 Problem setting render type.

104 Problem setting cameras.

106 Problem resetting cameras.

108 Model name structure failed to initialize.

110 Problem cleaning out temp folder.

112 Problem cleaning up destination folder.

114 Problem deleting temporary meshes left over from previous renders.

116 Problem creating .bat file.

118 Problem creating temporary light.

120 System.bmp file missing from BAT directory.

122 Failed to find or create LODs.

124 Failed to get the LOD for the current zoom level.

126 Failed to set up render viewport.

128 Problem deleting temporary light, or resetting camera rig after rendering complete.

130 Problem creating .fsh files/updating .SC4Model file.

150 Problem sacing temporary day material library.

152 Problem adding scene materials to temporary night material library, or temporary material library is empty.  (Possible cause: scene is empty or has no materials).

154 Problem saving temporary night material library.

156 Problem adding scene materials to temporary night material library or temporary material library is empty.  (Possible cause: scene is empty or has no materials).

158 Problem initializing temporary night alpha material library.

160 Problem building the night alpha library (Possible cause: Bad or incomplete material in scene.  Standard materials work best with night library render).

170 Problem getting night window opacity.

174 Problem setting night window opacity in file properties.

180 Problem getting night window texture map.

190 Problem getting name of night window texture file.

196 Problem getting truncated filename of night window texture.

204 Failure to get LODs.

210 Failure to create LOD.

220 Failure to create LODs 3, 4, or 5.

230 Problem setting up LODs/setting render region.

250 Problem backface culling LOD shell.

260 Problem slicing LOD shell.

300 Failure to apply screen region UV mapping.

320 Failure to apply diced region UV mapping.

400 Pre-render set up problem (day render).

404 Problem making or cleaning up daytime render directory.

410 Rendering problem for daytime render (may be 3ds max or memory problem).

412 Problem processing daytime alpha map.

416 Problem processing daytime render or converting to .bmp.

418 Failure deleting source render (.tga) files.

490 Problem enabling/disabling nitelites.

500 Problem making or cleaning directories for night render.

510 Incorrectly set render type.

511 Problem loading night library or assigning night library materials to objects.

513 Problem setting up nitelites.

514 Problem setting main lighting rig for night renders.

516 Night renders failure (nitelites) (may be memory problem).

518 Problem restoring lighting level.

590 File preparation problem for Nightwindows processing.

592 Problem converting day render to night colors.

594 File handling problem, post day -> night conversion (nightwindows).

600 Problem loading temporary alpha library or assigning alpha materials to objects (for nitelite or night library alpha render).

602 Problem disabling lighting rig.

604 Night alpha render failure (may be memory problem).

606 File handling problem (night alpha).

608 Problem during alpha adjustment.

610 Night alpha file handling problem, post-adjustment.

612 Failure restoring lighting rig or camera rig.

614 Failure loading temporary day materials library, or reassigning day materials to objects.

700 Nightwindows post-processing setup.

703 Problem setting texture tiling parameters.

704 Failure opening night window texture file.  (Possible cause:  File name doesn't conform to standard).

705 Problem tiling nightwindow texture.  (Possible cause:  Image size not 256x256).

706 File handling problem, nightwindows.

707 See 706.

708 See 706.

709 Failure placing nightwindows onto night render.

710 See 706.

800 Night Alpha post-processing, file handling problem.

814 Alpha compositing problem.

815 File handing problem, post compositing.

816 See 815.

817 Problem deleting temporary camera, or memory cleanup.

900 Image dicing initialization problem (pre-render).

910 Problem rendering the 256x256 dicing source image.  If you get this error, try disabling the render viewport, or pan the render viewport until all geometry is far outside of the viewport.  This will save memory (and reduce render time).

912 Problem initializing file names for image dicing.

914 Problem creating temporary bitmaps for dicing.

950 Night dicing initialization problem.

952 failure deleting source files (source file missing?).

954 Problem during dicing of temporary daytime or daytime alpha bitmap.  Problem could be occurring while:  Making or cleaning out directory for .fsh slice, pulling grayscale bitmap (gbuffer channel) from dicing source image, writing pixels to daytime slice, or daytime alpha slice, writing lines to .bta file, writing index.fsh file, or writing .tgi file.

960 Same as 954, except night time.

968 Problem during post-dicing cleanup.

I was under the impression nightwindows do not work in Max9, which could be why you're getting the error.

[blahdy]

Thanks for the list!

only problem is i'm not using any nightwindows in the offending model in question.. are there any simple ways to check to see whether night windows are in use in a model?

[jeronij]

160 Problem building the night alpha library (Possible cause: Bad or incomplete material in scene.  Standard materials work best with night library render).

Cal, do you have some more information about this error?¿. It is happening to someone with MAX9, who tries to use "nitelite" lights (not "nite"/Maxis windows lights). We know we can not use the old Maxis windows nightlighting ("nite"), but we should be able to use standard lights ("nitelite").. is this correct ?¿


Thanks in advance for your help 

[blahdy]

BTW I was able to solve this problem by resetting lights & cameras and also configuring global night windows parameter (even though I don't use night windows) to 0% on global illumination.  After I did that, somehow it started to render just fine.

My biggest problem right now with 3ds Max 9 BAT4MAX install is that its performance is exponentially and significantly slower than 3ds Max7.  The rendering speed is fine, but the various scripted operations run by BAT4MAX is extremely slow under 3ds Max 9 and gets even more slower as rendering process progresses forward (by near the end of the rendering process, it takes about 30 minutes between rendering windows, it's ridiculous).  It's taking longer than gmax BAT for me basically.  I've no idea why this is the case..

[callagrafx]

Cal, do you have some more information about this error?¿. It is happening to someone with MAX9, who tries to use "nitelite" lights (not "nite"/Maxis windows lights). We know we can not use the old Maxis windows nightlighting ("nite"), but we should be able to use standard lights ("nitelite").. is this correct ?¿


Thanks in advance for your help 

Hi Jeroni

Yep, nitelite prefixes on standard Max lighting (omni, spot & direct) works fine in Max 9, but Area lights (mr ones) I cannot get to work, so I suspect the script does not allow for them.

As for the 160 error, it could be there's a texture assigned with a name that relates to nightlibraries, such as "win" or "doo".  It's not an error I've come across as I generally use physical lighting with the nitelite prefix, although I'm experimenting with nightlibraries.  Why this is happening with nitelites I really don't know, sorry.

@Blahdy:  Thanks for posting your solution, every nugget of info is helpful to someone.  As for your current problem, could you provide some more info?  Are you using the scanline or Mental ray with GI?  I don't get a massive lag when rendering, even something quite large with lots of reflection. 

[blahdy]

I'm using the default scanline renderer.  I do have a couple raytrace reflection textures in the scene, although it doesn't seem to make much rendering speed difference.  Like I said, the rendering speed itself is pretty fast, but the BAT4MAX does some scripted operations between each renders (i.e. after it renders South Side, Zoom Level 5, it does some scripted operations, then renders East Side Zoom Level 5 view, etc).  It's the scripted operations that happen between each renders that slow down pretty badly.  And as the rendering goes on, it slows down even farther... it's pretty weird..

[callagrafx]

Does what your're rendering have any lighting?  If not, then maybe it's going through the script that concerns itself with the nitelighting without rendering anything but for some reason it's taking a long time to do it.  Have you tried a clean re-install of Max and BAT4Max with Cycledoggs updated buildingmill.ms script? 

[jeronij]

Thanks to all for the replies and help so far 

We'll see if we can solve it with your indications