Render Layer: "source Node Will Not Allow The Connection"

[user_deleted]

Working with Render Layers here and have had this problem for several days:

I create a Render layer, and assign a different shader to an object. When I return to my defaultLayer, that object either
a.) has no shader (becomes invisible)
b.) has the Lambert default shader.

I get an error message that says something along the lines of "cannot assign shader" and "source node will not allow the connection".

I've tried cleaning up the geometry, making sure there are no shader assignments on a component level, and making sure I'm not using instancing, as I gather all 3 of those things can cause issues with render layers. But still no go.

Anyone know what this is?

[gmask]

are you trying to assign a surface shader?

[user_deleted]

No, why?

It's a blinn.

[user_deleted]

Here is the script editor's output when I switch over to that render layer...

QUOTE
Warning: file: C:/Program Files (x86)/Alias/Maya7.0/scripts/startup/layerEditor.mel line 878: Node 'WingThrust_LShape2.instObjGroups[0].objectGroups[0]': cannot make assignment to 'set1' shader. //
// Error: file: C:/Program Files (x86)/Alias/Maya7.0/scripts/startup/layerEditor.mel line 878: Connection not made: 'WingThrust_LShape2.instObjGroups[0].objectGroups[0]' -> 'set1.dagSetMembers[-1]'. Source node will not allow the connection. //
// Warning: file: C:/Program Files (x86)/Alias/Maya7.0/scripts/startup/layerEditor.mel line 878: Node 'WingThrust_LShape2.instObjGroups[0].objectGroups[0]': cannot make assignment to 'set1' shader. //
// Error: file: C:/Program Files (x86)/Alias/Maya7.0/scripts/startup/layerEditor.mel line 878: Connection not made: 'WingThrust_LShape2.instObjGroups[0].objectGroups[0]' -> 'set1.dagSetMembers[-1]'. Source node will not allow the connection. //
// Warning: file: C:/Program Files (x86)/Alias/Maya7.0/scripts/startup/layerEditor.mel line 878: Node 'Wing_FinC_LShape2.instObjGroups[0].objectGroups[0]': cannot make assignment to 'set1' shader. //
// Error: file: C:/Program Files (x86)/Alias/Maya7.0/scripts/startup/layerEditor.mel line 878: Connection not made: 'Wing_FinC_LShape2.instObjGroups[0].objectGroups[0]' -> 'set1.dagSetMembers[-1]'. Source node will not allow the connection. //
// Warning: file: C:/Program Files (x86)/Alias/Maya7.0/scripts/startup/layerEditor.mel line 878: Node 'Wing_FinC_LShape2.instObjGroups[0].objectGroups[0]': cannot make assignment to 'set1' shader. //
// Error: file: C:/Program Files (x86)/Alias/Maya7.0/scripts/startup/layerEditor.mel line 878: Connection not made: 'Wing_FinC_LShape2.instObjGroups[0].objectGroups[0]' -> 'set1.dagSetMembers[-1]'. Source node will not allow the connection. //

[gmask]

surface shaders tend to break render layers

do you have contruction history on the objects? if you don't need it then delete it ..that can cause problems too

[user_deleted]

No, no history.

This bit of the error message

QUOTE
WingThrust_LShape2.instObjGroups[0].objectGroups[0]'

makes me think there are instances involved, but I've checked and re-checked, and it doesn't seem like it...

And I tried deleting shading groups too and reassigning the shaders, so new shading groups would be created. Didn't change anything.

This bit makes me wonder, what is the "set1" shader...
QUOTE
cannot make assignment to 'set1' shader

[gmask]

could you explain more about what is in the scene file..

have you tried selecting WingThrust_LShape2.instObjGroups[0].objectGroups[0]

[user_deleted]

Weeel, it's a (relatively) complex scene, so I wouldn't know where to begin.

But, I've just found some instances, I will track them down and re-post in a few minutes.

[user_deleted]

Ok. I removed all instances. In one of my scenes that fixed it, but in another the problem is still happening.

Is there any way to select ALL instances in a scene? It's difficult to hunt them down in a big scene file.

Right now I get this error:

CODE
// Warning: file: C:/Program Files (x86)/Alias/Maya7.0/scripts/startup/layerEditor.mel line 878: Node 'Fuselage_L0Shape.instObjGroups[0].objectGroups[32]': cannot make assignment to 'set2' shader. //
// Error: file: C:/Program Files (x86)/Alias/Maya7.0/scripts/startup/layerEditor.mel line 878: Connection not made: 'Fuselage_L0Shape.instObjGroups[0].objectGroups[32]' -> 'set2.dagSetMembers[-1]'.  Source node will not allow the connection. //

So I try to select, say, "Fuselage_L0Shape.instObjGroups[0].objectGroups[32]".
It lets me.
But nothing seems highlighted in the outliner, or in the viewport. Even with DAG object only turned off.
So I figure, it's a useless node, and I type "delete Fuselage_L0Shape.instObjGroups[0].objectGroups[32];"

and I get this error:
CODE
// Error: line 1: Cannot delete selection Item 'Fuselage_L0Shape.instObjGroups.objectGroups[32]' as attribute is selected. To delete the node, select the node. //

I'm confused. What the hell is an InstObjGroups.objectGroup[xx] anyway? Never seen that...
Please help!

[joojaa]

QUOTE(holographix @ 06/18/08, 01:01 AM) [snapback]287192[/snapback]
I'm confused. What the hell is an InstObjGroups.objectGroup[xx] anyway? Never seen that...
Please help!

Its the shape.

[luc-petitot]

Hi,

I have had the same problem with referenced file and render layers. It seems that when you assign different materials in different render layers, you get this really painfull message "can not connect blalblabla...". And whe get sort of blue wireframe material on the object. The frustrating part is that sometimes the render layer works, somtime not !!!

And that, even when you are not using Surface Shader, you get that what else kind of material you are using.

We made the scene simpler and decided only to use the presets propose for render layers and until now everything looks good.

An issue also is when you use reference, I have heard that it is better to create the render layers in the file itself rather that in the referenced file which is of course much less interessting in the case of a big production.

Hope it helps,

Luc Petitot
PS : We would greatly appreciate that this kind of "bugs" (can we call that like that ? I think so) would be solve in a later version of Maya

[joojaa]

QUOTE(luc.petitot @ 06/18/08, 04:05 PM) [snapback]287218[/snapback]
PS : We would greatly appreciate that this kind of "bugs" (can we call that like that ? I think so) would be solve in a later version of Maya

The redner layers thing as it is now is probably going to die out once they get their new implementation for mr multi output rendering done. However on rumor i picked said theyd implement this on render layers itself, in that case its probably going to be fixed. (some significant fixing for this went into 2008 but apparently it wanst entirely successful, off course anybody not running latest pathced version have nothing to complain in form of bugs unless they have a support contract. Because bug fixes com in form of next version)

The problem with these things are its hard to keep track on what is just coincidentally the same name and what is on purpose same name. Personally i havent used the render layers thing since foever, its not nearly as flexibe as it could be and its very easy to implement a system that is WAY better then the current one. Also it doesnt really utilize the modern renderers at all.

Its a sort of work flow straight form the 1989-1991. Personally id like them to implement passes like prman does, and also outputs. So the render layers implementation was from my point of view obsolete on conception.

I mean using any of the presets just makes you render extra long for something you could get form one render, mostly for free too.

[luc-petitot]

QUOTE(Joojaa @ 06/18/08, 05:20 AM) [snapback]287221[/snapback]
Its a sort of work flow straight form the 1989-1991. Personally id like them to implement passes like prman does, and also outputs. So the render layers implementation was from my point of view obsolete on conception.

Well, the things are so confusing with mentalray and rendering in layers...

I thing that render layers is a great idea, but it doesn't work properly!!!

We have lose a lot of time tying to get it working properly and we are for now really angry!

[joojaa]

QUOTE
Well, the things are so confusing with mentalray and rendering in layers...

its not confusing, autodesk is just not shipping the one node you will need to do this properly (because they are still working on making it user firendly, hoever thet was the first mr shader i ever deviced). You can get one form at east 15 places with sources. Puppet has one pretty decent one but its not the kind i wanted to use so i made one of my own. What i basically do is select just the channels i need to be outputted in my shaders and they will all be generated into layers by name automatically by their alias name (this way i could output same named chanels to different channels)
QUOTE(luc.petitot @ 06/18/08, 04:39 PM) [snapback]287223[/snapback]
I thing that render layers is a great idea, but it doesn't work propery!!!

it would have been had it been in maya 1, the way i see it time has passed the entire idea.

PS: whats worng with actually hiring a person to fix yoru biggest problems gfor you i mean one months worth of consultation can buy you a 100% production boost, thats pretty cheap. Thing is theres allways going to be popel who can do what you cant because theres no time to do everything. And this is irrespectively to wether or not the sytem you use is bugfree or not.

[user_deleted]

This might be helpful:

I ended up going in the hypergraph to find and delete the stupid nodes. Turns out they were shape nodes that were not "connected" to anything. Historically, these were instances I had duplicated to make them into normal copies. But some garbage was kept.

Instancing and render layers = death.

Instancing = death, period, if you ask me.

Render layers = death, but I just don't know how to do without them for now - although I see why it's not optimal at all, even if it did work.