Textures and materials gone after reinstallation.

Glad you figured out the problem.

I’m having email problems right now. Unfortunately all of my emails are sitting in my outbox unable to send. I think it is a firewall problem, or something similar.

Hi. I hope somebody can help with this one or mention if they have had a similar problem.

Here is a transcript of the email to customer support:

Recently I had to format my hard drive. I fully backed up 3DC Professional, all files and folders, before formatting the drive. After formatting and reinstalling windows I reinstalled 3DC professional and it appears that all functions are working. I then opened some projects I had been working on before the reinstall and I had all white models, no textures! I used the material palette to relocate the textures (they are still in the original folder in the original location so the path should be the same) and some of the the textures were recovered on the model. Other textures were entirely wrong or missing and some of the materials were also wrong or invisible.

I’ve had a similar problem before just reinstalling the application when things went wrong, but never to the same extent as this, usually all that took was the step above that seemed to re-establish the path to the texture folder. Please can you tell me how to recover my textures and materials after a reinstall as I’m sure that this will not be the last time that I will be reinstalling. I hate the idea of having to repeat hundreds of hours of work each time I may find it necessary to reinstall 3DC.

Thanks, Mike Traves.

It could be that the Pro upgrade is not installed. It can be downloaded from the Help menu after you enter your license code.

I’m sure we can find a way so that you needn’t re-texture.

Regards,

Richard Borsheim Amabilis Software

I wish that was the problem. The Pro upgrade is definitely installed and mentions the fact on the splash screen. Everything is back the way it was before the reformat.

On previous occasions when for some reason 3DC had crashed and needed a a reinstall it was a very simple matter. I just rerun the 3DC install followed by the upgrade, entered my liscence and presto! I was back in buisiness … many times with untextured models. That was an inconveniance because I had to open the material palette and open each texture related to the model in the cropping window although I didn’t have to crop. It was if 3DC had lost the path to the texture image and needed it restored by relocating the images.

On this occasion it appears that not only the paths have been lost but the texture mapping and material information also. If the saved projects carried this information then there is something in the 3DC application that ceases to be able to read all the data in the ‘ *.3DC ‘ files after its reinstalled. Either that or the model data is not being saved in the project files but some place in the application files or register and is getting deleted when there is a reinstall ?

At the moment there is about 200 hours of work at stake and its a little dismaying to say the least.

I still haven’t had my application to the forums processed so I can’t ask any questions there about this problem and see if others have had it.

Thanks in advance, Mike.

Can you try this, it should work ok.

Make sure the model and textures are in the SAME folder. Try creating a new folder…Copy the 3DC file and the textures you used to this folder.
Then open the 3DC file in this new folder, your textures should re-appear….hopefully.

The clue I think is when you mentioned your models appeare white…..This always happens to me if the texture isn’t in the same folder as the model.

IMO this is the best way to work (model and textures in the same folder)…if you wanted to send the model to someone else, all you need to do is to send the one folder.

Bazza

Also, if all else fails and if there are not many texture files per model.

Immediately after loading the model, select the texture, select the parts, group or hierarchy that are coverd by the texture and run the Update Material plugin.

You may find the UV mapping has remained.

Thanks Bazza and Paul. I tried all of your
suggestions and got a partial recovery of textures, but very few and some incorrect. *sigh*.

Looks like I’m going to have to take the time and redo the textures. Was hoping to have these msts models of 4COR and 6PAN/PUL/CITY out in time for Xmas but looks like they will be out for release of Kuju Rail Simulator now with nowhere to go <!– s:) –><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_e_smile.gif" alt="" title="Smile" /><!– s:) –>

Cheers, Mike.

Sorry, Meonia. I haven’t forgotten about you. I’ve sent you an email.

Richard

No problem Richard. I haven’t received the email yet, neither was it quarentined by my isp. Maybe its still in transit, that happens sometimes <!– s:( –><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_e_sad.gif" alt="" title="Sad" /><!– s:( –>

However, something very odd: The model railway carriages etc displayed in 3DC from my projects do not show any interior parts, even when retextured. Also, as said, some of the other textures are wrong and also their materials (solid or transparent)are wrong. I exported the model to msts to see what else had happened and the exported model is totally correct … so the data is still there and being read properly by the export function.

Mike.

Ah,ha! I just realised after reading my last message .. its not 3DC thats the problem. A reformat, a new installation of Windows, new NVidea driver …. I forgot that we had to use an older driver .. duh!

Old driver reinstalled and everything seems back to normal ..

Sorry I caused all the bother but at least this article may help others later on who may do the same thing.

Thanks for the help, Mike.