3DPI - Known Issues:
  • Changes will not be saved? (fixed with Director 11)
  • NEW (MX 2004): minimum size of window
  • NEW (MX 2004): Mac - F4 closes 3DPI
  • About Speed
  • Dark fields - Properties cannot be set?
  • Problem with editable fields
  • Problem with rotation
  • Problem with cloned lights
  • Problem with modifier #toon and #inker
  • Error after deleting a texture, which is used for a Shader or Overlay
  • About Havok´s member function "initialize"
     
  • Error with TextureCoordinateList of a mesh (fixed in version 4.1)
  • MX & OSX: Mac shortcut command-M stops working (fixed with Director MX 2004)
  • Script error: Handler not defined #clearCache (fixed in version 3.9.3)
  • Tip how to stop endless errors (fixed in version 3.9)
  • Error with scaling (fixed in version 3.7)
  • Havok: Mass of RigidBodies (fixed in version 3.7)
    • Changes will not be saved? (fixed with Director 11) top
    All properties (except member properties) that are changed by Lingo will not be saved into the w3d file. This is how Director 8.5 works. 
    Because the 3DPI communicates with your movie also with simple lingo, the changes done with the 3DPI will not be saved too. 

    To keep changes one has to write scripts. Thats the fun and the strength of Director. The 3DPI only can help you writing the correct script lines:
     

    With the help of the Trace Button, which is placed in the right upper corner of the window, you can get several scriptlines, which will appear in the message window.

    Also see: Trace Button and Creating Scripts with the 3DPI.

    Please note that Director 11 - and in connection the version 5.0 of the 3DPI - offer new ways to save the shockwave3d world.
    NEW (MX 2004): minimum size of window top

    Since version 4.0 you can resize the 3DPI window. (If you work with a Director version previous than MX 2004, the window is only resizable, if you switch 'floating' in the Preferences off.)
    Resizable Miaws are great, the only thing is, Director does not yet offer a possibility to define a minimum size. All Miaws can be shrinked down to 70 x 70 Pixels.

    But because the minimum size of the 3DPI should be 320 x 300 Pixels, I try the following workaround: if the user has finished resizing the window, which I recognize because the resizeWindow handler is called, I resize once again if necessary by changing the window.rect.
    The real problem now is, that resizing a window by Lingo is not at all possible, if the windowType dockingEnabled is switched On.
     

    If you work with Director MX 2004 and you have 'dockable' switched ON, you can resize the window smaller than it should be.

    You have to enlarge the window by hand to see all elements completely.
    NEW (MX 2004): Mac - F4 closes 3DPI top

    If you are working with the 3DPI.

    + on a Mac,
    + with Director MX 2004,
    + the window Property 'floating' (3DPI Preferences) switched ON,
    + the window Property 'dockable' (3DPI Preferences) switched OFF,

    and you select the commands 'Hide Panels' (key F4), the 3DPI will disappear like all other floating windows do. If you then select the command 'Show Panels' (key F4) the 3DPI sadly does not appear again.

    Bug is submitted (handler 'closeWindow' should not be called in this situation).
    About Speed top
    Because the 3DPI is checking the properties of your #shockwave 3D-member constantly to offer live informations, it slows down the performance.
    Especially when doing speed-tests, switch the "Pause when deactive" option in the 3DPI Preferences on, or simply close the 3DPI.
    Dark fields - Properties cannot be set? top
    Editable fields within the 3DPI are always displayed white,
    and fields that are not editable have a darker background.

    Please note that a non-editable field does NOT always mean, that the Property itself cannot be changed by Lingo! Sometimes I had to simplify the situation within the 3DPI, because sometimes the restrictions to change a property are complicated.
    Problem with editable fields top
    Sometimes (mainly on PC) the keys are not working within editable fields. So the TAB-key does not switch to next field, the arrow-keys are not working to move the pointer within the text, and so on. 
    Well, I dont know yet what´s going on, but I will find it out. Hopefully ;-)
    Problem with rotation top
    The main problem with the Wheel (endless Slider) at the transform.rotation.y Property is fixed in version 3.7.

    Nevertheless it might appear strange, how the rotation values - especially the y-rotation value - behave in general. The reason is that different rotations can result in the same orientation, and there isn´t a position, rotation, or scale property within Director, but a 4x4 matrix, which is responsible for all transform sequences.

    Generally it is highly recommended to use the rotate() function instead of working with the rotation vector.

    Problem with cloned lights top
    Cloned lights are not really new lights, than a reference to the original light. After deleting the original light, one should never go on working with the cloned light, otherwise errors can happen.
    For the 3DPI it´s the same: don´t select a light that was created by the "clone" function, after the original one is deleted.
    Problem with modifier #toon and #inker top
    When adding the #toon or #inker modifier to a model, all other models, which are using the same ModelResource, will list the modifier as well. I believe this is an incorrect behavior of Director. (Bug already submitted.) The correct result should be that all other models, which are using the same shader should list this modifier.
    Because of this circumstance it can happen, that the 3DPI runs into errors. The only chance to avoid these errors is, not to navigate to the #toon or #inker modifier part within the 3DPI, as long as one is not absolutely sure, if the modifier really exists at this model.
    Error after deleting a texture, which is used for a Shader or Overlay top

    After deleting a texture that was used for a Shader or for an Overlay, Director can react with a Script error.

    When the texture was used for a Shader and asking for the shader.textureList: "Operation Disabled".
    When the texture was used for an Overlay and asking for the overlay´s source: "Value out of range".

    Within the 3DPI the shader.textureList will be checked all the time while a Shader of type #standard is selected, and an overlay´s source will be checked all the time while a camera is selected which has at least one overlay.

    So after the texture was deleted, the 3DPI can run into an error.

    About Havok´s member function "initialize" top

    The lingo function for initializing a Havok cast member depends on the way the member was created: either if it is an imported .hke file, or if it is a blank member, created by using the Insert > Media Element > Havok Physic Scene menu. (As far as I understand.)

    To initialize a member with the 3DPI and its "initialze" button (Havok-Tab), it is necessary to specify this type. It can be defined within the dialog, which opens after clicking on the "initialize" button. (included in version 3.8)

    If selecting the wrong specification, nothing will happen after clicking on the "OK" button. The dialog will stay open until the correct type is choosen or the "Cancel" button is pressed.
    FIXED
    Error with TextureCoordinateList of a mesh (fixed in version 4.1) top
    If one asks for any information about the TextureCoordinateList of a mesh ModelResource, but no TextureCoordinateList was defined, Director reacts with a Script error.
    If no TextureCoordinateList exists, clicking on the "PUT" Button within the 3DPI results in an error as well.

    I don´t know how to avoid this error, because I cannot check the existence of the TextureCoordinateList, as long as I am not allowed to ask for it. (But a change request was sent to Macromedia.)

     MX & OSX: Mac shortcut command-M stops working (fixed with Director MX 2004) top

    Among other known issues the Director MX Release Notes list for Mac OSX the following:
    'The shortcut CMD+M stops working on the Macintosh if a Miaw of windowType 49 is open (i.e. a floating window).'
    Sadly this also happens if the 3DPI is open, but in the 3DPI preferences you can switch the 3DPI window type to a standard window instead of a floating palette.
    Script error: Handler not defined #clearCache (fixed in version 3.9.3) top

    A few users reported an error "Script error: Handler not defined #clearCache" after starting the 3DPI. The real problem seems to be the new NetLingo Xtra update, that can be downloaded at Macromedia to adress security issues (technote 16636). It looks like, Macromedias technote is missing one important step: you also need to copy both the IML and DP/Dirapi libraries into your Director folder (varies depending upon auth, projectors and Shockwave).

    However, because the 3DPI does not need the line 'clearcache' anymore since a long time, in version 3.9.3 this line is now finally deleted, and you can continue to work with the 3DPI, even if netLingo does not work correctly.
    Tip how to stop endless errors (fixed in version 3.9) top

    Since version 3.9 it should not happen anymore that the 3DPI runs into endless errors.
    In older versions it can happen under certain circumstances, that the 3DPI causes one error after the other, but there is still a chance to stop it:

    - Move the mouse exactly above the Close Box of the 3DPI window
    - Close the alert with a Keyboard shortcut (e.g. escape)
    - then very quickly click to close the window before the next error appears.

    Error with scaling (fixed in version 3.7) top
    If a transform.scale value is set to 0.0001, errors can happen when trying to change the transform again. (Director Bug)

    Workaround 1: Click on the Scale-Button and scale by vector(2, 2, 2) or bigger.

    Workaround 2: Select another object, click on the "Copy Transform" Button, select the object with the scale problems again, and click on "Paste Transform".

    Havok: Mass of RigidBodies (fixed in version 3.7) top
    Within the Havok-Tab at the part "RigidBody" the Property #mass produces an error when trying to change it while a FixedRigidBody is selected. (There is no problem when changing the mass of a MoveableRigidBody.)

    Additional it is not visible yet, if a RigidBody was defined as Fixed or Moveable. But one can recognize the difference on the #mass Property: if it is 0, the RigidBody is fixed, and if it is bigger than 0, it is a moveable RigidBody.

    So after all, please don´t change the mass of a RigidBody when it is 0.