XSI Mod tool - closing on object selection

[Draise]

I have successfully installed XSI Mod Tool 7.5 to use with Mach Studio Pro 2 (GPU renderer) - on one of my windows 8.1 machines. Works fine.

But on my other machine, I installed it clean, and on object select - it hard crashes - closes, has a fatal error.

One has Nvidia graphics, the other AMD Ati graphics - the crashing one is of the latter.

Why would it be crashing on object select?

Why have I decided to use XSI Mod Tool? Because.. it's available and free - has some ICE tools, same animation tools as SI 2015 (layers, keyframes, curves) and the like - a familiar similar and streamlined workflow typical of Softimage....

I only trade off some cool ICE tools, 64bit compatibility, syflex, lagoa and an unwatermarked renderer (so not sure how to render pointclouds and particles/strands now - any times to alternatives out there?), Alembic export, and another of other cool features I haven't actually used yet.


But.. it's not really working here.

Help?

[luceric]

try setting the XSI_EMULATE_OPENGL environment variable
http://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/s ... v-bat.html

edit: to 1.4, for example

[Draise]

Gave that a try and edited the Setnev.bat, same issue prevailed.

[Manticor]

Does mach studio pro support texture baking ? /lightmapping?

[Draise]

It does do texture baking/light mapping, yes. Has SSAO and Volume AO and SSGI and Volume GI also - all realtime. It has SSS shaders, and you can make your own too. It also has variable difference shadows (?) (cascading fade) on some of the lights. It's in HDR, and has lens effects which are nice. The animation is limited, but good for setting up your cameras and things. It has a DOF system, but no Bokeh, but you do have a set of AOV passes that you can use to export that data, including Zdepth. Being a game engine, it does have a few finicky bits, depending on your video card - but for the payoff in rending time for animation sequences, I think it's a great trade-off on the time you save. It also has batch rendering if neccesary. For motion blur it give you an RGB motion vector pass to add that in post. Some shaders have realtime refraction and reflection too - like in Unreal.

Workflow: it exports your rigged animation from SI with UV's and basic shaders, all vertex deformations too, and... viola. Add shaders, lights, cameras, layers then AOV's or passes.. and your are good to go. Few seconds a frame for a nice result.

[Manticor]

Wow how have missed this. Is it possible to export the baked maps out too or is it all kept internal?

[Draise]

Yes, you can. I just did a test with the sample scenes, and it bakes them for you - the GI, AO, lights and normals too - to your UV'd meshes creating external files. I haven't tested it too deeply, but it's nice and fast. The normals are in World Space though, unfortunately. I don't know if that can be changed. It's a simple program.

[Manticor]

awesome! I am definitely looking into this later.
thanks for the heads up draise

[Draise]

No worries. ;) The latest exporter also works with the newer versions of Softimage, if you need documentation, tutorials or sample files, just let me know.. I think I have them all.

The software was left for free, and the software makers StudioGPU no-longer exists. In this case, they left it publicly free making it legally shareware even if it still has the "copyright" in it's documentation.

[Manticor]

if you could give me a link that would be great.we are still on xsi 7 at work so the exporter should be compatible if it works with the mod tool.?
I'm just downloading it off CNET but not sure if it's version 1 or 2 yet

[Draise]

Well the exporter is from SI 7.5 onwards... but it may work with 7.0?

I have been trying to use XSI Mod Tool 7.5

I'll send you a link with the documentation in a bit after work.

[Manticor]

Thanks dude much obliged

[luceric]

I thought mod tool did not support plugins, are you saying that it does?

[Draise]

Ah yes.. it does.. I got the Mach Studio Pro 2 Addon to work with Mod Tool (haven't tried others), well the version that was working on the other computer. It's like SI 7.5 but with an export with polygon limits and Mental Ray watermarks - and no Lagoa, Syflex, etc.

[Draise]

The Mod tool is free for personal use and demonstrative work. Exporting with Mach Studio Pro 2... probably can be used due to the terms being left as freeware by public announcement back in 2011.

I am not sure on the legalities in your country concerning using assets used personally or as demonstrative work to then be compiled in something you can use commercially - but maybe it can be? I never was clear on cross pollination when it comes to assets, what can be used and not used commercially (things you've built, animated or programmed using said platforms).

[Draise]

The addons or plugins you can put would be VBS, JS, PYS, PY, PLs, PL and DLL plugins.