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 Support
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Frequently Asked Questions >>
Sales Related:
-
What
forms of payment do you accept?
-
I didn't
get a manual with my software.
-
I
originally selected the download software option when I purchased, and
now I want the CD for backup purposes.
-
Do you
have a demo CD?
-
Do you
have tutorial CDs or tapes?
-
When is
the DNT-Maya for Mac OSX version going to be available?
-
When is
the DNT-XSI version going to be available?
-
Can I
transfer my licenses from Softimage to Maya?
-
Do I
have to buy RenderWorld or can I purchase the plug-ins alone?
-
What
are Psunami Render, Psyclone Render, P_Liquid Render and Pyro Render
and do I need them?
-
Can I
buy a plug-in individually, or do I need to get the entire DNT bundle?
-
What is
the difference between Digital NatureTools and Digital NatureTools
Premiere for Maya?
-
Do you
offer volume discounts?
-
Do you
offer educational pricing?
-
Do your
licenses float across networks?
-
If I
purchase one seat of the DNT plug-ins bundle, can two animators use
different plug-ins at the same time?
-
What
platforms do you support?
-
What
graphics platforms is DNT compatible with?
-
Do you offer a maintenance program?
General
-
Where
do I send bug reports or feature requests?
-
I have
a plug-in idea that would be useful. Would Areté Entertainment be
willing to develop it?
-
Do you
pay for images and animations?
Installation
-
I
downloaded the software from your site - now what do I do?
-
Why do
I need to specify an ARETE_LOCATION environment variable?
-
I
installed DNT for Maya, but the NFX and PYRO shelves are missing.
-
I
installed DNT for Softimage, but the DNT tools are not found under the
Get menu.
-
I
installed DNT for Maya, but the icons are missing in the NFX and PYRO
shelves.
-
I
installed DNT for Maya, but I get errors in the Maya Script Editor
whenever I click on a NFX or PYRO shelf button.
-
I
installed DNT for Maya, but the plug-ins are missing from the Maya
Plug-in Manager.
-
I get
DNT evaluation errors in the Maya Output Window whenever I load the
plug-ins.
-
I
installed DNT to evaluate it, but I've decided not to purchase. How do
I uninstall the software?
Licensing
-
How do I get a license once I've
purchased the software?
-
Do you issue evaluation licenses?
-
Why does my license show an expiration
date of dd-mon-0?
-
How do I obtain the workstation
licensing information you need to generate a license?
-
How do I float licenses over a network?
-
I installed the license and
executed the
install_lmgrd.exe, but there is no Arete License Server in my Services
panel.
-
The Arete License Server won't start.
-
The Arete License Server started, but
the diagnostics show that the license server was shut down.
-
I installed the license, but whenever I
load the plug-ins, I get a message telling me that the license can't
be found and the license loads in evaluation mode.
-
I am
trying to evaluate your product in the license-free evaluation mode,
but whenever I load the plug-in, FLEXlm keeps asking me to specify a
license file or server.
Software Use/Features
-
Does Psunami support object collisions?
-
Can I setup a looping ripple in Psunami?
-
The Optics button does not work when I
click on it.
-
How can I attach a Pyro emitter to an
object?
-
How can I browse to an output directory
of my choice in the DNT-Maya RenderWorld Interface?
-
Why does Maya freeze whenever I access
the Hypershade or Multilister and I make changes to P_Liquid,
Psyclone, or Pyro?
-
Why doesn't my P_Liquid or Psyclone
render get updated when I change the RAND utility settings?
Rendering
-
Do your products support
multi-threading?
-
I can't render higher than 320x240.
-
My DNT scene renders black frames.
-
Do your plug-ins support Alpha Channels?
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How can I export my DNT scene
information from Maya to RenderWorld for rendering?
-
Whenever I render Psyclone clouds inside
of Maya, I get a halo around the cloud and the alpha channel gets hard
edges.
-
When launching a
RenderWorld render, I
get an error message stating that the scene header information is
incorrect or invalid.
-
Softimage crashes whenever I
try to render a Global Ocean for Psunami.
Sales Related
What forms of payment
do you accept?
We will gladly accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover for
payment. We will also accept purchase orders, with terms of Net 10 only.
Net 30 terms will only be authorized if credit references are provided.
Purchase orders are to be paid by personal, company, or bank check. Wire
transfers carry a fee of $15.00 and you must advise our sales department
of a wire transfer payment option at time of purchase.
[top]
I didn't get a manual
with my software.
To save on publishing and shipping costs, Areté Entertainment no longer
prints manuals for our products. This also allows us to update the html
documentation file as needed when we come out with updates and revisions
to our software. To access the online documentation, please navigate to
the docs sub-directory of your current AEI software version.
[top]
I originally selected
the download software option when I purchased, and now I want the CD for
backup purposes.
No problem. We will be more than happy to ship the CD to you. Shipments
within the U.S. will be charged a $15.00 shipping & handling fee,
while shipments outside the U.S. will be charged a $25.00 shipping &
handling fee. All CDs are shipped via US Express mail. Please contact our sales
department with your credit card number and we'll send the CD right
away.
[top]
Do you have a demo
CD?
Unfortunately, we do not have a demo CD at this time. However, all
software may be downloaded
and evaluated in a license-free evaluation mode.
[top]
Do you have tutorial
CDs or tapes?
No, Areté Entertainment does not provide educational material on CD or
tape. For help from other Areté users, we recommend that you participate
in our Areté
User Group Forum.
[top]
When is the DNT-Maya
for Mac OSX version going to be available?
Areté Entertainment has adopted a new policy of not releasing information
before we're ready. However, the port to the Mac OSX platform will begin
once strong demand for the port is established. To request the port,
please contact our sales
department.
[top]
When is the DNT-XSI
version going to be available?
Psunami for Softimage|XSI was released in April and is available for
purchase from PhoenixTools. Please visit their website at
http://www.phoenixtools.com to purchase the software.
[top]
Can I transfer my
licenses from Softimage to Maya?
Yes, we are currently offering a license-transfer from DNT-Softimage to
DNT-Maya. For further information, please contact our sales
department.
[top]
Do I have to buy
RenderWorld, or can I purchase the plug-ins alone?
Yes, you can purchase the plug-ins without having to purchase RenderWorld.
The plug-ins will completely function and render inside of your 3D
program. RenderWorld is offered as an additional option for those users
looking to render outside of their 3D program for the utmost in realism
that ocean and cloud renders can achieve.
[top]
What are Psunami
Render, Psyclone Render, P_Liquid Render and Pyro Render and do I need
them?
These options are render-only licenses for our shaders intended for users
who would like to render on additional processors. Unfortunately, we do
not have a universal rendering policy, and therefore require one license
per processor. As such, we offer users the option of purchasing licenses
for the shaders only, in order to take advantage of additional processors.
If a full license is purchased, the render license is not required. The
user may render on one processor with a full license purchase.
[top]
Can I buy a
plug-in individually, or do I need to get the entire DNT bundle?
You can definitely purchase any of the plug-ins separately. The DNT
plug-ins can be purchased as a whole or individually, and packages are
completely customizable to fit your individual needs. For more information
or a sales quote on custom bundles, please contact our sales
department.
[top]
What is the difference
between Digital NatureTools and Digital NatureTools Premiere for Maya?
Digital NatureTools is the bundle of the four plug-ins (Psunami, Psyclone,
P_Liquid and Pyro). Digital NatureTools bundles the four plug-ins as well
as RenderWorld, our stand alone rendering engine.
[top]
Do you offer volume
discounts?
Yes, we offer volume discounts for all orders of 10 or more CPU licenses.
Please contact the Sales
Department for a quote.
[top]
Do you offer
educational pricing?
Yes, we offer all students and academic institutions an educational
discount of 80% on our software. This discount does not apply to any
render-only licenses, or software bundles. To qualify as a student, you
must furnish proof of registration for the current semester at an academic
institution. To qualify as an institution, you must offer classes in which
our software will be taught and given access to students.
[top]
Do your licenses float
across networks?
Yes, all of our licenses are issued as floating licenses. They may float
among and across IRIX, WinNT, Win2000, and Linux platforms within a given
network.
[top]
If I purchase one seat
of the DNT-Maya plug-ins bundle, can two animators use different plug-ins
at the same time?
Depends. When you purchase our bundle of four plug-ins, we are actually
delivering two plug-in files: dptMayaXXX and nfxMayaXXX. dptMayaXXX will
load Pyro. nfxMayaXXX will load Psunami, Psyclone, and P_Liquid.
Therefore, if you plan to use Psunami, the Psyclone and P_Liquid licenses
will be checked out as well, even if they are not being used. When this
happens, these licenses become unavailable for other users. However, since
Pyro loads under a different plug-in file, this license is still available
for use by other animators.
[top]
What platforms
do you support?
Currently, our software runs on IRIX 6.5, WindowsNT4.0, Windows2000, and
Linux.
[top]
What graphics
platforms is DNT compatible with?
The DNT plug-ins are available for Maya, Softimage|3D, Lightwave, 3D
Studio Max, Electric Image Universe, and After Effects.
[top]
Do you
offer a maintenance program?
Unfortunately, we do not offer a maintenance program. We feel it is unfair
to charge customers a maintenance fee when we cannot guarantee that an
upgrade will be released within their maintenance contract. Therefore,
upgrade fees are decided upon on a per-release basis. If major
enhancements and new features went into the upgrade, a fee will be set.
Otherwise, if it is a minor upgrade, the upgrade will be free to all users
of the current software version.
[top]
General
Where do I send
bug reports or feature requests?
Our programming staff is always looking for feature requests, and our high
commitment to top-notch software makes bug reports important. Please email
them to technical
support with a detailed description of:
-
Your system. Include hard drive size,
space remaining, and type, RAM, graphics accelerator details, monitor
settings, and OS (Service Pack on NT).
-
If possible, include the scene or the
object that is giving the error.
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Exactly what you were doing at the time
of the error.
-
The exact error message.
-
The exact version of the 3D program you
are using (file size and date).
-
The exact version of DNT you are using
(file size and date).
[top]
I have a
plug-in idea that would be useful. Would Areté Entertainment be willing
to develop it?
Sure! Contact our Director of Product Development, Angus
Taggart, with full details of the plug-in. Having a evaluation or demo
copy would be helpful in the evaluation process. If he feels it could be a
viable product, a non-disclosure agreement will be signed and we'll go
from there. But don't be surprised if we turn your offer down! We are
contacted several times a day by animators with something that's a good
idea, but not practical as a selling product. Our standards are very high,
as you can see by the products we publish. Don't take it personally, it
just means we feel you could make more money marketing it on your
own!
[top]
Do you pay for
images and animations?
Areté Entertainment receives animations and images from some of the
world's foremost studios, as well as from many talented animators working
in smaller companies or freelance. We enjoy receiving the material,
because it allows us the chance to see what people are doing with the
software we work so hard to create. We do not give monetary compensation
for the submission of these images or animations, but we do give full
credit on any demo reels, advertisements, marketing material, packaging,
and our web site. Occasionally we also offer promotions in which we will
offer free rendering licenses in return for any images or animations you
submit. It is a great PR move for you as an animator to have your work
shown by us. Thousands of people visit our web site monthly, tens of
thousands of people see our demo reel at trade shows, and hundreds of
thousands see our printed material. We are proud of what our contributors
create, and we are more than happy to show it off!
[top]
Installation
I downloaded
the software from your site - now what do I do?
When you downloaded the software from our site, you will have downloaded
either a tar or zip file. Extract the contents of this file to a temporary
directory. You will now obtain html installation instructions (install.htm)
and a software install file. At this point, open the html installation
instructions, select the platform you are installing on, and click on the FTP
Installation link. This page will walk you through the installation of
the setup file you have just extracted.
[top]
Why do I need
to specify an ARETE_LOCATION environment variable?
This variable is an important step for our plug-in in locating the
software and license files it needs to run. This becomes especially
important if you have not installed the software in the default directory
(i.e. c:\arete or /usr/local/arete). This variable is also
used by our software in locating the license file.
[top]
I installed DNT
for Maya, but the NFX and PYRO shelves are missing.
If the NFX and PYRO shelves are missing from Maya, then the shelf files
have not been properly copied to your user Maya directory. You need to
copy the contents of arete|dntmayaXX|shelves to your user|maya|XX|prefs|shelves
directory. This is explained in the DNT Installation Instructions ->
Platform -> Loading the Plug-in. These installation instructions
may be found in arete|dntmayaXX|docs.
[top]
I installed DNT for
Softimage, but the DNT tools are not found under the Get menu.
This means that Softimage cannot properly find our tools. You will need to
check two places:
-
Your system environment variables. Make
sure that the SI_CUSTOM_MODEL environment variable is correctly set to
the arete|dntsi3.5|NatureFX|bin directory.
-
Softimage Environment variables.
Make sure that the SI_CUSTOM_MODEL environment variable is correctly
set to the arete|dntsi3.5|NatureFX|bin directory.
This is explained in the DNT
Installation Instructions -> Platform -> Setting Environment
Variables. These installation instructions may be found in arete|dntsi3.5|docs.
[top]
I installed DNT
for Maya, but the icons are missing in the NFX and PYRO shelves.
If the icons are missing from the NFX and PYRO shelves, then Maya cannot
find our icons directory. This means that the DNT modules file has
not been properly installed. To fix this problem, copy the
arete|dntmayaXX|modules|DNTXX file to your aw|modules|maya|X.X directory.
If you have installed the software in a location other than the default,
you need to modify the contents of this file. There are step-by-step
instructions in DNT Installation Instructions -> Platform ->
Loading the Plug-in. These installation instructions may be found in arete|dntmayaXX|docs.
[top]
I installed DNT
for Maya, but I get errors in the Maya Script Editor whenever I click
on a NFX or PYRO shelf button.
This means that the DNT modules
file has not been properly installed. Maya cannot find our scripts
directory.To fix this problem, copy the arete|dntmayaXX|modules|DNTXX file
to your aw|modules|maya|X.X directory. If you have installed the software
in a location other than the default, you need to modify the contents of
this file. There are step-by-step instructions in DNT Installation
Instructions -> Platform -> Loading the Plug-in. These
installation instructions may be found in arete|dntmayaXX|docs.
[top]
I installed DNT
for Maya, but the plug-ins are missing from the Maya Plug-in Manager.
This means that the DNT modules
file has not been properly installed. Maya cannot find our plug-ins
directory.To fix this problem, copy the arete|dntmayaXX|modules|DNTXX file
to your aw|modules|maya|X.X directory. If you have installed the software
in a location other than the default, you need to modify the contents of
this file. There are step-by-step instructions in DNT Installation
Instructions -> Platform -> Loading the Plug-in. These
installation instructions may be found in arete|dntmayaXX|docs.
[top]
I get DNT
evaluation errors in the Maya Output Window whenever I load the plug-ins.
If you do not have a license, DNT will load in a license-free evaluation
mode. Therefore, whenever the plug-ins are loaded, you will receive
evaluation error messages in the Maya Output Window. This evaluation mode
restricts you to render frames 1-100 only, at a resolution no higher than
320x240 pixels. If you do have a license, but continue to receive this
error, please refer to the Licensing #9
FAQ.
[top]
I installed DNT to
evaluate it, but I've decided not to purchase. How do I uninstall the
software?
To uninstall the software, you will need to:
-
If you have a license, stop the license
server. If you do not have a license, skip to Step 3.
-
Next, uninstall the license
server.
-
You may now delete the arete
directory structure.
-
Delete the NFX and PYRO shelves from
your user|maya|XX|prefs|shelves directory.
-
Delete the DNTXX modules file from aw|modules|maya|X.X.
[top]
Licensing
How do I get a
license once I've purchased the software?
If you have purchased the software, you will need to submit a License
Request Form to receive your license. This form is now provided online in
our License page. Once
we receive your form, we will e-mail back a license key based on the
information you have provided. Permanent licenses will be issued only when
payment for the order has been received. Otherwise, we will provide a
temporary license until payment comes in.
[top]
Do you issue
evaluation licenses?
No, we do not issue evaluation licenses. The software may be downloaded
and evaluated in a license-free evaluation mode. This evaluation mode
allows the user to evaluate the software in its full functionality. The
only restrictions are that users may render only a limited amount of
frames, at a limited resolution.
[top] Why
does my license show an expiration date of dd-mon-0?
All permanent licenses will show a date of dd-mon-0, where dd is
the day the license was issued, mon the month it was issued in, and
0 signifying the permanence of the license. This is the standard
FLEXlm date code. If a 0 or 00 is shown as the year, then
the license is permanent. However, if a four digit year is entered, such
as 2001, then the license becomes temporary.
[top] How
do I obtain the workstation licensing information you need to generate a
license?
For SGI systems, you will need to provide a hostname and lmhostid. To
access this information, navigate to the arete|license directory.
Then type hostname at the prompt. The system will return a hostname
for you to copy into the License
Request Form. Next, type lmhostid at the prompt. The system
will return a lmhostid for you to copy into the License
Request Form. For Windows systems, you will need to provide a hostname
and FLEXid number. If your workstation does not have a FLEXlm dongle
attached, then the Ethernet Address may be used instead of the FLEXid. To
access this information, run the arete|license|lmtools.exe
application. Then click on the System Settings tab. At this point,
copy the information in the Computer/Hostname field into the License
Request Form. Next, look for either a FLEXID6, 7, or 8 field.
If a value exists for any of these, copy the information into the License
Request Form. If this information is missing, please use the
information provided in the Ethernet Address field instead.
Licenses may not be issued without this information.
[top] How
do I float licenses over a network?
All Areté licenses are issued as floating. These license may be floated
across any IRIX, Linux, or Windows workstation in a given network. To
setup a floating license, the Arete License Server must first be installed
and started on the designated server. For instructions on how to do this,
please visit DNT Installation
Instructions -> Platform -> Default Licensing. Once the license
server has been installed properly, and you have verified that the
licenses are available for use, you must now go to the designated client
workstation. To float the license to the client, you will need to set an LM_LICENSE_FILE
system variable with the value of 12563@server, where server is the
hostname of the license server. On IRIX and Linux systems, you may create
a .flexlmrc file in your root directory, with the setting LM_LICENSE_FILE=12563@server.
On Windows systems, you will want to create the LM_LICENSE_FILE variable
in your System Environment Variables Control panel. For instructions
on how to do this, please visit DNT Installation
Instructions -> Platform -> Setting a Floating License. These
installation instructions may be found in arete|dntmayaXX|docs.
[top] I
installed the license and executed the install_lmgrd.exe, but there is no
Arete License Server in my Services panel.
The first thing to check is the name of your license file. You must make
sure that the license file is named arete.lic and is placed in the arete|license
directory. It is important to check that a .txt extension was NOT
appended to the arete.lic file so that it was named arete.lic.txt.
The safest way to check this is to open a MS-Dos Command Prompt, navigate
to the arete|license directory, and perform a dir to list
the contents directory. If a .txt is in fact appended to the arete.lic
file, you will need to rename the file to remove the appendage. Once you
have verified that an arete|license|arete.lic file exists, you will
need to open the license file. While keeping this window open, also open arete|license|lmtools.exe
and click on the System Settings tab. Verify that the server name in the
license file matches the Computer/Hostname listed in lmtools. Make
sure that the casing, as well as the spelling, matches perfectly. Finally,
make sure that you have both Administrative privileges, and that all the
files in the arete|license directory are not Read-Only.
[top] The
Arete License Server won't start.
You will need to open the arete|license|arete.lic file. While
keeping this window open, also open arete|license|lmtools.exe and
click on the System Settings tab. Verify that the server name in the
license file matches the Computer/Hostname listed in lmtools. Make
sure that the casing, as well as the spelling, matches perfectly. If there
is an error, correct it, save the file, and restart the license server. If
it will not restart, check to see if a flexlm.log file was created
in arete|license. If so, please e-mail this log file, along with
your arete.lic file, to our technical
support department.
[top] The Arete License Server started, but
the diagnostics show that the license server was shut down.
You will need to open the arete|license|arete.lic file. While
keeping this window open, also open arete|license|lmtools.exe and
click on the System Settings tab. Verify that the server name in the
license file matches the Computer/Hostname listed in lmtools. Make
sure that the casing, as well as the spelling, matches perfectly. If there
is an error, correct it, save the file, and restart the license server.
Once you have done this, perform another diagnostics on the file. If the
problem persists, then please follow the steps at the bottom of the the DNT Installation
Instructions -> Platform -> Troubleshooting section. These steps
will walk you through generating all the licensing log files needed to
diagnose the problem. It will be important that you e-mail the arete.lic,
flexlm.log, hostname.txt, flexid.txt, lmhostid.txt, checksum.txt,
status.txt, and diagnostics.txt to our technical
support department. This will provide us with all the information
needed to diagnose and solve your problem. We will contact you once we
have received and reviewed your files.
[top] I installed the license, but whenever I
load the plug-ins, I get a message telling me that the license can't
be found and the license loads in evaluation mode.
First, exit Maya. Next, make sure that an arete.lic file does exist
in the arete|license directory. Next, run a diagnostics on the
license file to make sure that the license is available for checkout. At
this time, also run a status on the license server to make sure everything
is up and running. For more information on how to do this, please refer to
the DNT Installation
Instructions -> Platform -> Troubleshooting section. Once you
have verified that your license file is indeed working properly, you may
want to set an LM_LICENSE_FILE variable that explicity points to the
arete|license|arete.lic file. On IRIX and Linux systems, you may create a
.flexlmrc file in your root directory, with the setting LM_LICENSE_FILE=(path
to arete|license|arete.lic). On Windows systems, you will want to
create the LM_LICENSE_FILE variable in your System Environment Variables
Control panel.
[top] I am trying to evaluate your product in
the license-free evaluation mode, but whenever I load the plug-in,
FLEXlm keeps asking me to specify a license file or server.
By default, FLEXlm will always try to load a license. If it finds a proper
license, the plug-in will load in its fully interactive mode. However, if
you do not have a license and are only evaluating the product, then you
will need to click Cancel on the FLEXlm window that asks to specify
a license file or server. The window may pop up a second time. Click Cancel
a second time. At this point, the plug-in should load into an evaluation
mode, which will be displayed in the Maya Output window or console.
[top]
Software Use/Features
Does Psunami support object collisions?
No, Psunami does not support object collisions. The Psunami wave surface
is one continuous surface that may not break at any point. However,
Psunami does support full object reflections and refractions on and
through its ocean surface. Also, users may introduce ripples and boat
wakes at an object's location to give the illusion that the object itself
is interacting with the ocean surface.
[top]
Can I setup a
looping ripple in Psunami?
No. Currently, ripples do not loop, even if the looping ocean option is
activated in the Psunami Wave Engine. We plan to introduce the dynamic
ripple feature in our next release of Psunami.
[top]
The Optics button
does not work when I click on it.
Check to make sure that you do not have a previous version of Psunami
loaded at the same time as the current version. Also, check to make sure
that Maya can only access and read the scripts, icons, and plug-ins for
the current version of the software. To do this, make sure that only the
DNT modules file for the current version exists in your aw|modules|maya|X.X
directory. If an older DNT modules file exists, delete it. By providing
Maya access to two versions of DNT at the same time, conflict such as this
are introduced and the software becomes unstable.
[top]
How can I attach a
Pyro emitter (source) to an object?
Objects may be attached to our Pyro sources. For an example scene on how
to do this, please refer to the DPT_PresetFlameFromMovingObject.ma Pyro
Preset. This preset scene may be accessed through the Pyro Preset Manager.
Note that although objects may be attached to Pyro sources, the sources
themselves will not collide or interact with the object.
[top]
How can I browse to
an output directory of my choice in the DNT-Maya RenderWorld Interface?
You will have to manually type in the directory path and scene file name
in the RenderWorld Interface Processing Directory and File Name
field. RenderWorld will then create the scene input files in the directory
you have specified.
[top]
Why does Maya freeze
whenever I access the Hypershade or Multilister and I make changes to P_Liquid,
Psyclone, or Pyro?
Maya v4.0 does not properly load our icons into the Multilister/Hypershade.
We have contacted A|W about this and they have promised to fix this in
their next release. Until then, you will just need to ignore this message.
This does not affect the plug-ins functionality or renders. If you wish,
you can always turn off rendering of the icons for shaders in the
Multilister/Hypershade so that it does not attempt to load these icons. To
do so:
-
Before loading the scene,
you can type "renderThumbnailUpdate off;" in the script editor to
inactivate Maya's updating of the thumbnails, then load the scene, then
open the Hypershade/multilister.
-
Before loading the scene,
open the Hypershade/multilister and click on Show bottom tabs only so that
it hides the icons. This will hide the icons that want to stall the
program. Then load your scene.
[top] Why doesn't my P_Liquid or Psyclone
render get updated when I change the RAND utility settings?
This is a bug with the RAND utility. There is no fix at this time. The workaround is to turn off RadiusPP in the volume shader, render, turn on RadiusPP in the volume shader, input the new RAND values, and render. This way, the volume shader gets updated with the new settings.
[top]
Rendering
Do your products support
multi-threading?
No. Our products do not multi-thread at this time. To render on several
processors, you will have to launch multiple, single-threaded renders. For
example, one single threaded render from frames 1-20, the next from frames
21-40, and so on. This will allow you to take full advantage of all your
processors. Note, however, that you will require a render license for each
processor you wish to render on.
[top] I
can't render higher than 320x240.
This means that you are currently in evaluation mode. If you have
purchased the software and received and installed your license file, then
there may be problem with your license. Please refer to the Licensing
section of the FAQ for more information.
[top] My
DNT scene renders black frames.
There are a few possible causes:
-
Check to make sure that you have added
the DNT sun to your scene file. Without a light, many of our plug-ins
will not be imaged.
-
You may not have a license available for
your render. Check to make sure that you do have a license for the
shaders and that it is available. Also remember that we do require one
render license per CPU. If you feel you have a problem with your
license, please refer to the Licensing section of the FAQ for more
information.
[top]
Do your plug-ins
support Alpha Channels?
Yes, all of our plug-ins have alpha channel support. For Psyclone,
P_Liquid, and Pyro, the alpha channel is turned off by default. To
activate,
please go to the Shader attribtute editor -> Render Controls ->
Output Channels and activate Compute Matte Opacity. Note that
this will significantly increase render times.
[top]
How can I export my
DNT scene information from Maya to RenderWorld for rendering?
Please work through the RenderWorld Interface tutorials in the DNT
Tutorial. This may be found in the arete|dntmayaX.X|docs
sub-directory.
[top]
Whenever I render Psyclone clouds inside
of Maya, I get a halo around the cloud and the alpha channel gets hard
edges.
This occurs whenever the visibility for the cloud is too high. What
happens is that if the visibility is too high, the cloud is not as dense.
This means that too much light travels through the edges of the cloud, the
least dense part of the cloud. Also, since we calculate our alpha channel
based on the density of the cloud, there is not enough density around the
edges of the cloud for us to image. The cloud's alpha channel, therefore,
loses its soft edges, resulting in a hard-edged alpha channel. To fix
this, go into the Psyclone Volume Shader -> Light Scattering
Properties. Reduce the Visibility so that the cloud is not as
transparent. This will darken your cloud significantly. To counteract
this, you can then increase the Intensity and/or reduce the Spread.
[top]
When launching a
RenderWorld render, I
get an error message stating that the scene header information is
incorrect or invalid.
This happens only when the render is launched from the RW bin directory (i.e. RWEngine.out c:\temp\scenefile). If instead, the render is launched from the scene directory (i.e. $RW_LOCATION\RWEngine.out scenename) then
the error no longer occurs.
[top]
Softimage crashes whenever I
try to render a
Global Ocean for Psunami.
Check to see if you are running Softimage|3D v3.9.2. What happens is that
the version of mental ray that ships with SI v3.9.2 has a bug in the way
that it handles displacement shading, the method we use for global
oceaning. This bug has been fixed in mental ray v2.1.47. You can download
this patch in What's New.
[top]
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