United3dArtists Archive

In the 7.6 Beta8 version, are there some buttons that don't work and never will?

Reason I ask is that I've noticed some of my buttons have the tiny arrow in the corner, but when you click and hold on them, they don't open up into more options.

Specifically, the button that sets the display to show background or colour has a tiny arrow but when I click on it, it doesn't expand.

When I right click on it, a little box comes up with a gray bar. When I click on that, I get the Textures images.

Now, interestingly, among those images there is a jpg of a forest scene. When I click on that, voila, the scene appears as a fixed background - just what I wanted.

However ....... since I uninstalled the program and then reinstalled it, that forest no longer appears, no matter what I do!

Also, I've copied and pasted other jpg images into that folder, but I can't make any of them appear either.

Dang! Just when I was going good!

Query: Are background images supposed to be kept in that Textures folder? And if not, where are they supposed to be kept?

Thanks, guys.

Cheers,
Kurt

Right click on the gray bar instead of left, you'll get to browse for the files, left click opens up thumbnail viewing, right click opens up your typical "open file" layout, I'm assuming you use the modelside texture editor though, I wasn't too sure what you were talking about

But just as a note shouldn't this be in another forum or your WIP thread?

Hi Kurt,

I don't know if trueBlue's "unofficial update" has any bearing on the display button specifically, but it does fix a number of buttons with problems. trueBlue is a long-time trueSpace expert and senior member of the Caligari trueSpace forums. His "unofficial updates" fix a number or "bugs" that were discovered in the 7.61 beta releases. The details are provided at the Caligari forums at the links below:

trueBlue's Unofficial Update for trueSpace 7.61
trueBlue's Unofficial Update for trueSpace 7.61 Standard (without the Model Side)

You'll see installation instructions and the links to the downloads at the end of each post.

Installing these updates is highly recommended for all trueSpace 7.61 and 7.61 Standard users. Hopefully trueBlue will copy the above posts from the Caligari forum to this one.

Best regards, First Light

First Light,
I am pretty sure Standard is the Full version with the Modeler
and StandAlone is workSpace only.

Stop reinstalling trueSpace, whenever you are satisfied with the install backup
the "default.ctx" file to a safe place. If you run into problems in the future just copying the original default.ctx
back will fix trueSpace again.

Are you the owner of trueSpace 7.0 or 7.1? It could be possible some of the textures are not in 7.61. I am not positive about that.
When you reinstalled did you delete everything and start fresh?

Steinie wrote:... I am pretty sure Standard is the Full version with the Modeler and StandAlone is workSpace only. ...

Hi Steinie,

If this is true, then I'll need to change the trueSpace FAQs and other posts. But I'm fairly sure that the Workspace-only version is the "Standard" version. Here is why:

• trueSpace 7.61 with the Model Side, Workspace Side and Bridge
  • download installer file: tS761B8.exe
  • installs to folder: trueSpace761
  • trueSpace executable file: tS7.exe

• trueSpace 7.61 with Workspace Side only
  • download installer file: tS761B8Std.exe
  • installs to folder: trueSpace761Std
  • trueSpace executable file: Rosetta.exe

The "Std" in both the file name and installation folder name for the 7.61 Workspace Side-only edition seems to identify it as the "Standard" edition.

Personally, I think the "Standard" label doesn't make sense. Caligari's internal code name for the Workspace Side-only version was "Rosetta" (presumably a reference to the "Rosetta stone" that enabled archeologists and linquists to first translate Egyptian hieroglyphs). In fact, "Rosetta Beta 7.61" appears in the titlebar of the program. But this label seems too obscure for most folks. So I wish that Caligari had simply labeled it "trueSpace 7.61wo" for "Workspace Only".

Unfortunately we're stuck with both "Rosetta" and "Std" (Standard) because both appear with the Workspace Side-only version---unless someone can hack the program and change the name in the titlebar and hack the setup program and change the default installation folder name. Without these mods what are we to do?

Best regards, First Light

weevil wrote:Right click on the gray bar instead of left, you'll get to browse for the files, left click opens up thumbnail viewing, right click opens up your typical "open file" layout, I'm assuming you use the modelside texture editor though, I wasn't too sure what you were talking about

But just as a note shouldn't this be in another forum or your WIP thread?

I've clicked on everything, Weevil, even text!!!! Single clicked, double clicked, triple clicked, clicked and dragged, clicked left then right, as nauseum!

You're right, I didn't intend to post this here. I was just browsing this forum and had a rush of blood to the head! Sorry.

Steinie wrote:First Light,
I am pretty sure Standard is the Full version with the Modeler
and StandAlone is workSpace only.

Stop reinstalling trueSpace, whenever you are satisfied with the install backup
the "default.ctx" file to a safe place. If you run into problems in the future just copying the original default.ctx back will fix trueSpace again.

Are the owner of trueSpace 7.0 or 7.1? It could be possible some of the textures are not in 7.61. I am not positive about that.
When you reinstalled did you delete everything and start fresh?

I hoped that reinstalling might fix problems, it often does with other Apps. I even went so far as to download the App again and reinstall, just in case the .exe file had become corrupted. I also downloaded a graphics driver update. I did delete everything. I even had Windows do a search for all files related to Truespace, and deleted them. No dice.

I didn't know about the "default.ctx" file, Stienie, I'll make sure to save it if I ever get the App working properly.

I don't own any other versions of Truespace, so it's not a program conflict.

Sehr frustrating.

Thanks, First Light, I'll get those updates and try that.

The thing is, I installed the same downloaded App on two computers - this one which I have dedicated to the Net, and another one which has no Net connection. The program works perfectly on this one, which has lesser specs than the other!

It did work perfectly on the other one for a short time, but then it started crashing the computer all the time, and even brought up the "Blue Screen of Death" one time. Now, the natural assumption is that there is something basically wrong with that computer. But it's a faster CPU and much bigger RAM, plus the graphics card is faster and meets the program's requirements.

I've done a system restore to two weeks ago, but it didn't help. I've downloaded and installed a driver update for the graphics card, but that didn't help.

I just now opened the App on this computer and clicked to show a background image, and yes, it appeared! Trouble is, this computer is not convenient for doing long projects... wife can't sleep for all the keyboard clacking...

So I'm going to check out all the settings in this installation and see how they differ from those of the other computer.

Maybe it'll show something, I don't know. I don't want to give up entirely on this software.

Thanks for your help.

(I posted this here sort of by mistake. I know it should be in the WIP forum.)

Hi Kurt,

Regarding the computer having trouble, I would get a good diagnostic program and test your computer---especially its memory. I use CheckIt by Smith Micro. It used to be bundled as a part of Norton SystemWorks. What you want to do is test your CPU and your memory for errors.

It's easy to be fooled: Your computer appears to operate fine for most applications because they don't use as much memory, system resources, etc. Then you run a 3D graphics program that can scarf up 2 GB of RAM like its candy and if some of you upper memory is a little flakey you'll begin to see problems.

It's easy to blame the application without realizing that the application is fine---it's using larger amounts of memory and/or pushing the CPU harder and this is causing hardware problems to become visible.

Some of these errors can be intermittent. Good memory testing programs (like CheckIt) will repeatedly read and write to all bytes of your memory in an effort to discover any intermittent problems. For this reason, the tests can sometimes take a while.

HTH

First Light

I'll see if I can get Checkit, try it and see what happens.

I have Norton 360, which allows installation on up to three computers. Unfortunately, the computer I use for TS isn't connected to the Net, because I wanted at least one of my computers to be totally safe from viruses etc. I tried to instal Norton on it so that I could at least use its Registry cleaner facility. However, to activate Norton, you need to be connected to the Net, there's no other way, they advise me.

I hope Checkit is available as a transportable App.

It's really baffling and not a little annoying. The one thing I mostly want Truespace to be able to do is the one thing it won't do!

Heck, I might be looking at a complete hard drive erasure and reinstallation of everything. I've had to do that before today.

Or maybe I'll call my local man and see if they can do it for me. It's a real pain in the neck.

Thanks again, First Light.

Hi Kurt,

I'd recommend to make a few tests before deleting your harddisk, which might not help at all, except of getting a fresh setup and a clean system and thus having a lot of work.

As First Light already stated a diagnostics tool could help to locate the troubles. The few symptoms you described before, make me think you ran into some hardware defect. But there can be numerous faults or combinations of several faults in your machine. Frequent crashes could be caused as already been said by faulty Ram, but also a faulty cooling system (loosened cooler), a faulty part on your motherboard or even a faulty power supply unit could be the source of your troubles.

So it's very important to narrow down the causes by trying to name the effects. Are the crashes reproduceable in doing a certain thing, or is it happening occasionally in different situations?
What did happen just the moment before the crash, does the machine restart on its own (without hands on), or does it hang, so you've got to do a cold reset and so on. The more concrete you can tell whats happening there, the easier we can analyse it and perhaps give you some tipps.

In the following link you can download quite an overwhelming mass of analysing tools, e.g. ct' Helper 1.25 (a set of 22 tools with ramtest included). I highly recommend these, the tools can be downloaded and decompressed with a helper program directly to HD or usb-stick. Or take the complete Diagnosissystem Sandra Lite 2009. This gives lots of informations if windows is running stable so far. Most of the available tools are free:

http://www.heise.de/software/download/cdd_78"

Good luck

Regards
-BM.
.

Kurt can you show us a screenshot of where exactly you're getting stuck? Can you not find the files or can you not click the buttons at all? that might help us, TS kann manchmal sehr frustrierend sein

Steve

Good idea, Booxie. I'll go get those utilities and see what turns up.

I really should have done all that before. It's my usual MO when I get one of these computer hiccups. But I guess this time it was so dang frustrating...! That computer has been a gem from Day One, and it was perfectly suited to TS. The fact that it started letting me down just after I installed an Application that is the most useful and creative App I own, was too much. Against all logic and common sense, I didn't want to believe the computer was at fault.

But life's not fair, and nothing's easy. Or, to put it more colloquially, sh*t happens.

Anyway, at least one good thing has happened. Last night I actually managed to get a background image to appear. Yes, really!

I accidentally stumbled on a hidden "fold-out" menu that I hadn't found before. It allowed me to set a clear, sharp background jpg image in the Model side, amd to animate objects in front of it.

This is all I want it to do. I'm not a professional illustrator or graphics artist, and all I want a 3D App for is to create scenes for my amateur films that would be inconvenient to film in the real world.

Speaking of hidden menus, I'm now wondering how many more there are lurking around. Is there any way to make all available menus stay on screen all the time? There are a lot there already, all the default ones, but I'm wondering if there are more hidden ones, (I don't mean the submenus), that I might need.

Anyway, I'm off to see Sandra about Helper.

Thanks a lot,
Kurt

weevil wrote:Kurt can you show us a screenshot of where exactly you're getting stuck? Can you not find the files or can you not click the buttons at all? that might help us, TS kann manchmal sehr frustrierend sein

Steve

Thanks very much for that offer, Steve. First, though, I'll try doing a complete diagnostic on the computer, to see if maybe it's not the software but the hardware that's causing all my problems. If that turns anything up, and it's repairable, I won't have to keep pestering you guys.

"TS kann manchmal sehr frustrierend sein". You can say that again, Steve!!