[vundergeist]

Hi. I'm a semi-advanced maya user, but I have a recurring problem which is happening on my SLI configured computer. It's happened to every one of my scenes eventually, and I just don't know what the problem is.


I texture my scenes, and all of a sudden when I go back to look at another scene, BOOM, all the detail textures is replaced with white phong. I'm not using any texturing networkd or PSD networks, just using simple lambert/phong shaders.

Can someone look at my scene and tell me what the problem is? Is there a corrupted setting? Or is the scene corrupt?

I don't see how the scenes themselves could be corrupt because this happens to all of them at once, and has happened on multiple computers, so it can't be a problem with my computer specifically, and it can't be a problem with the file specifically, but what could it be?

Please help!

I have an affected file as an attachment.

[vundergeist]

No one can help?

[optimus008]

Well i look at your scene and added my own lights and texture(new material) everything look fine.

Are all the texture files sourcing to the right location and what is your render setting and light
setup?

[vundergeist]

Hmm... sorry I'm kind of a noob at maya. I learned some, and I'm good at animation and modeling, but when it comes to shading groups, texture sourcing and other stuff like skeletons and other stuff I know next to nothing.

I don't have a source folder for specific textures. I save them in a folder in my pictures folder and then use lamber/phong and ad the texture from one of the files in the folder.

My render setting is always the same. I use maya hardware and I don't really know how to link lights or shadows yet, but I have lights in the scene.

I can't figure out what the problem is =X

It hasn't happened since though.

[optimus008]

Hmm lets see if I can help you out, you said you are using hardware render. Well Hardware render is best used for Hardware particles. The main issue with hardware render is that unless you set up the render option correct it wont cast shadow or show textures. Plus hardware wont cast reflection or soft shadows.

So in the Maya's render editor change hardware to software this will give you a nicer render.

Now for Shadow, shadows are controlled by your lights. There are two options with Maya's software Depth Map shadow and Raytraced Shadows. Depth map Shadows render fast but look so so, while Raytrace Shadwos look better render times increase.

So create a spot light, with it selected go to the spotlights Attributes (Crtl + A) to get to the Attribute editor. locate the shadow drop down layer and select depth map Shadows.
Give a render and see how your objects look.

[optimus008]

If i'm going to noob for you let me know, so I don't cover things you already know.


ok here are to simple scenes one with depth map and one using raytrace shadows.

Depth map will give you shadows but not reflections, while raytrace will give you both.

In the render settings there are to tabs on says Common and the other Software (make sure you in software render tab at the top of the render Attributes.) Depth Map will render with out any changes. But to use raytracing you need to have the option on the light selected and in the render settings. So under the Software tab no common scroll down to the bottom and find the raytrace layer open it and select it on. Know you can use raytrace shadows and see relfections.

[vundergeist]

Thanks works perfectly. Not too noob at all.