PDA

View Full Version : maya crashes when rendering if Dmap shadows are on

trigger_happy
08-11-2003, 07:57 AM
hey all, hope someone knows the answer to my problem. ive only been using maya for about 2 months, so there is probly just something i dont know about.

ok, heres the problem-
the scene im working on has 7 area lights and 2 ambient. if i turn on Dmap shadows on any of the lights it wont render, maya just freezes for about 2 minutes and then disapears without a trace.

this problem has only just popped up as i have done renders in the same scene before with shadows on several of the lights. this is why im thinking [hoping] its a little problem that maybe ive ticked the box that says 'crash when rendering shadows.'

please help.
-trig
Jozvex
08-12-2003, 11:05 PM
7 area lights is fairly intensive for calculation.

What Dmap resolution are you using? How much memory do you have?
Gremlin
08-12-2003, 11:50 PM
hmm, ever think of doing it in layers, and compositing the final thing? :surprised
just a thought,
Cheers!
:beer:
jeremybirn
08-12-2003, 11:55 PM
So, you're _not_ raytracing, you're just using dmap shadows - Right? If you are raytracing, then use raytraced shadows not dmap, if you're not, why not use spot lights? (Is it just for different highlights?) Usually spot lights are the best choice for rendering with dmap shadows, and usually you want to keep the dmap resolution between 512 and 1024.

Sometimes a light gets corrupted, too - if you select all the objects (not lights) in the scene, and export selected as a new scene, then run maya, load the new scene, and add a new light, often it renders fine again, if that was the problem.

-jeremy
trigger_happy
08-14-2003, 05:13 AM
hey, i typed a reply yesterday but when i try to post it i couldnt coz the forum was being backed up :S

everything is fine now, i had a ramp on a light [for good reason] and after deleteing it everything rendered fine. but now i just cant do ipr renders without turning off all the shadows first.
oh well

-trig
CGTalk Moderation
01-15-2006, 09:00 PM
This thread has been automatically closed as it remained inactive for 12 months. If you wish to continue the discussion, please create a new thread in the appropriate forum.