Moho Forum

OK, Anime 5.5 just crashed on me twice within a minute.

What was I doing you ask?

Importing an anime object during the first crash. Moving a layer up on the second crash.

There is absolutely no pattern as to why Anime crashes. The file I am working on is not very big - 1 mg.

Here is Vista's wonderful error message:
----------------------------------------------------
Anime Studio 5.5 has stopped working
- Check online for a solution and close the program
- Close the program

Here is Vista's wonderful details as to the second crash:

Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
Application Name: Anime Studio Pro.exe
Application Version: 5.4.0.1
Application Timestamp: 465fc572
Fault Module Name: Anime Studio Pro.exe
Fault Module Version: 5.4.0.1
Fault Module Timestamp: 465fc572
Exception Code: c0000005
Exception Offset: 000f5f27
OS Version: 6.0.6000.2.0.0.768.3
Locale ID: 1033
Additional Information 1: 8d13
Additional Information 2: cdca9b1d21d12b77d84f02df48e34311
Additional Information 3: 8d13
Additional Information 4: cdca9b1d21d12b77d84f02df48e34311

Read our privacy statement:
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid= ... cid=0x0409

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I had Vista do it's voodoo that it doesn't do so well, and let it check online for a solution -- go figure there wasn't one! (OK I lost my head for a second).

Looks like it's time to send the error messages to Efrontier. As I stated before, I am running Vista (clean install), 2.3 ghz, dual core Intel chip, 2 gig RAM, 256mg video card, 320 gig HD. I have had the same Anime crashes on two separate computers running Windows XP, with different hardware/software configs.

I swear, I am beginning to think I am cursed, as it seems no one else has the same crashing problems. I unistalled a video editing program that I thought was interferring -- didn't solve the problem.

Perhaps Anime just doesn't work very well on Windows, especially if you push it too hard.

Do others here use a lot of nested layers in their animation? I think it is a layer issue. But then again, it once crashed on me when all I did was open the program, and didn't touch any layer or timeline.

Ugh!!!! I guess I will reboot, and hope I can get another hour or so crash free.

areyouguystwins wrote:Perhaps Anime just doesn't work very well on Windows...

Nuts!! I can understand your frustration. And I wish I had an answer. All I can tell you is that I have ASP at work on an XP box, and a version at home on Win2K and I've rarely had them crash.

Are you using a tablet? Not that that should make a difference. I only bring it up because I don't use a tablet. Which might explain why I've had so few crashes. ?? I dunno, I'm just spitballing.

It is probably Vista.

Keep in mind that MS has extended the sale and support of XP for another 6 months due to "issues" with Vista and user and vendor concerns.

-vern

heyvern wrote:It is probably Vista.

Keep in mind that MS has extended the sale and support of XP for another 6 months due to "issues" with Vista and user and vendor concerns.

-vern

Yeah, I know Vista is basically Windows XP SP3 with large icons, see-through menus and NO driver support. But you can't lay the Anime crash problem all on Vista.

As I stated numerous times, I have the same Anime crashes on two separate computers that run Windows XP SP2. Both of those computers have different hardware and software configs.

Looks like there is no place on Efrontier's web site to send technical problems regarding Anime. If I had Poser, I could send a technical "problem" email to the techie guys.

I still think it has something to do with nested layers. It seems if you have lots of nested layers, Anime freaks out when you start moving them around or if you import more layers from other Anime studio objects into a switch layer that has lots of nested layers.

Nothing I can do about it, if *that* is the problem, other than stop nesting layers -- which defeats the purpose of anime animation.

Right now I save every minute and also save a back up file every five minutes. CTRL S is beginning to be a reflex action while I use Anime. I think I will reboot my computer every hour or so after using Anime, maybe that will help. After I rebooted (after the last two crashes this evening) I got about two hours of crashless animation time -- thank God for small favors I guess.

I sure would be interested to know if others on this board use a lot of nested layers in their animation. For example on average my layout looks like this:

main switch layer
-- group layers
--- switch layer
---- group layers
----- bone layer
------ switch layer (mouths)
------ vector layers
------ image layers

Most of my files are around 1-2 minutes long, with an imported wav file. Lots of pngs for the image layers. Each file is averages 3-8 meg in size.

Perhaps I am pushing Anime too hard? I have animated 20 "scenes" (files) over the past four months in between the daily crashes. I guess I can deal with it, but it sure is frustrating to know I seem to be the only one having the crashing problem.

To answer another question, I do not use a tablet, just my old fashion mouse.

The best test would be to post the file.

If the file doesn't crash other people's installations than it must be system or application related.

If the file does crash other installations then it is probably a problem with the file.

If you seriously want to find a solution please post the file. I would gladly open it in both Mac and PC versions of ASP and play around to see if it crashes.

Contact me with a private message if you don't want to post the file for public access. Having more people testing it would be better though.

My files average between 5 to 8 mb. I don't use images but I do have many nested layers and sound files.

-vern

I use Vista and it works just fine.

I recently experienced constant crashes whan I did lip-syncing in Anime Pro 5.5. As soon as I moved or did anything it just crashed. I then noticet that the .wav file I imported was the problem. I converted it to a .aif file and the crashes stopped.

I am not sure that is your problem, but that is the only time it has crashed for me in Vista (Except for when trying to export quicktimes).

Cheers!

areyouguystwins wrote: Right now I save every minute and also save a back up file every five minutes.

That's what I do all the time. It's just professional behaviour.

areyouguystwins wrote: I think I will reboot my computer every hour or so after using Anime, maybe that will help.

I do that once a week (Mac). This isn't AS-specific, but just seems to help the OS.

areyouguystwins wrote: I sure would be interested to know if others on this board use a lot of nested layers in their animation.

Nothing special there. My scenes right now consist of up to 8 characters, a character can have 3 or 4 views, each view is a complete setup with body rig, a switch layer with 4 head views, each head a folder holding several layers, a switch folder for moth shapes, another folder for the eyes containing masks and everything and another switch folder for lid movements ... you get the idea. I haven't ever counted all layers, but estimate each character being about at least 200 layers big.

Kankuran wrote:I use Vista and it works just fine.

I recently experienced constant crashes whan I did lip-syncing in Anime Pro 5.5. As soon as I moved or did anything it just crashed. I then noticet that the .wav file I imported was the problem. I converted it to a .aif file and the crashes stopped.

I am not sure that is your problem, but that is the only time it has crashed for me in Vista (Except for when trying to export quicktimes).

Cheers!

Hmmm...something to look at. I also do lip synching. I use Papagayo to generate the dat files from the wavs, and then link the dats to the individual mouth switch layers in Anime. Papagayo works fine in both XP and Vista, never had a crash [knock on wood].

I noticed that yesterday before the crashes, I was working on an Anime background file for a few hours (no switch layers, no wavs) and I had no crashes. Then I imported the background file into a new Anime project and placed it under a main switch layer. I then imported the wav to begin working on the animation and within minutes I experienced the two crashes when I was importing and moving around layers.

Noticed after the crash I had to re-import the wav file. Perhaps it is the wav files that are causing the intermittent crashes. I use Audacity to create the wavs, perhaps I should look at converting the wavs to aif files and test it out? Anime audio is not that strong, the whole issue with the wav file graph disappearing after 40 seconds, and having to continually re-import it is "flakey" in my opinion.

Also, you can't import mp3s (at least I can't find out how to do that). Right now the only audio option Anime allows me to import are wav files.

Anyway, I'll look into the possible wav issue causing the crashes, I'll do some more testing and let the board know.

Thanks all for your help and ideas.

(BTW, I have had no problems exporting out of Anime [knock on wood]. That part of the program seems to be somewhat "solid" -- at least for me.)

areyouguystwins wrote:
Anyway, I'll look into the possible wav issue causing the crashes, I'll do some more testing and let the board know.

Well, the wav issues weren't the problem. I converted a wav to aif and imported that sound file into my project. Worked fine for a day (no crashes). Yesterday the file with the aif sound file crashed as I was trying to create a new vector layer.

I still think the crashing has something to do with the layers.

Oh well, it is what it is.

I have learned to work around the daily crashes. I have animated 22 files (16 minutes of animation) over the past four months in between crashes, I guess I can continue on with the rest of the 48 minutes needed to finish my project.

BTW, I was successful with my second attempt at masking last night. Still makes no sense, but if you click enough masking options, it is bound to work eventually. I think it is the strange wording used on the masking screen that is tripping me up.

Joy.

Well, back to animating...

Don't forget that masking looks incorrect in the preview when you use it with nested layers. It must be rendered to see it properly.

This is what made me think that it was confusing. If you don't trust the preview and only look at a render than masking makes sense.

Remember that a mask is just like an alpha channel in Photoshop. Adding isn't the same as... "adding" as you think of it. A mask is a black or white "alpha channel".

The really confusing bit is Reveal all and Hide all. These are opposites. The mask behave differently.

Think of it this way:

Black hides
white shows

Adding creates white, subtracting creates black. It isn't really like taking away or adding to a mask at all... it is based on black or white pixels. Subtracting only adds black. Adding only "adds" white.

Reveal all
is a totally "white" mask revealing everything. It is as if there is no mask. Adding a layer to it is adding "white" to "white" which means nothing happens... unless you use "clear the mask and add to it". This "erases" the mask and "starts over".

Subtracting from Reveal all creates a "blank" spot. A black hole through the mask. remember black hides white shows or reveals. The mask is all white so subtracting creates a black or hidden spot.

Hide All
Now the mask is "turned on" or completely black and hides everything. Adding to the mask will create a "white hole" through the black. remember when you "add" you are creating a white spot that makes things visible. If you use subtract this is just "adding black" to the black mask... nothing happens.

This is the idea you start with. It will get very complicated when you start to add multiple group layers with different masking to this setup. You can create a complex masking situation in a group layer with multiple layers all doing different things, then set the masking of the GROUP layer itself to mask layers in it's parent layer which has DIFFERENT masking set.

You can create amazing stuff if you get the hang of it.

EDIT:

Oops! Forgot to mention that the ORDER of the masking layer is also a factor. Layers higher in the stacking order take precedence over layers below it.

This is critical for making complex masks. Making a mask layer invisible will also turn off its effect on the mask... obviously.

-vern