[Technical] power_point entities not rendered

KuBaN

I want to open Tram in the Editor to try and fiddle with the Power Grid. I started the Editor, opened ns2_tram.level, made visible the layers that contain the power_point and location entities, and...

The entities aren't rendered.

I know they are there; if I click into the empty space where a power_point it should be, the Edit window is populated with the power_point information.
I've tried:
Rebooting the Editor
Rebooting the System
Changing the Viewport to Wireframe, Rendered Unlit, Rendered Lit
Various combinations of the Show Edges/Shadows/Traingulation/Color Grading options within that same context menu.
Toggling all layer visibility on/off
Toggling the selection filters on the bottom bar
Placing a new power_point entity
Downloading the black thumbnail quickfix, although it was probably entirely unrelated

Additionally, any time I change a view out of or to Perspective, it no longer renders, just gives me a completely black view. Have to restart after that. Annoying, but I can at least work around that.

The only thing I haven't done yet is reinstall the client, which I intend to do next if I can't find a solution. Hopefully someone here knows more than I do and can shed some light on the subject. Here are my system specs:

Windows 7 Pro 32-bit
Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.00 GHz
2 GB RAM
GeForce 8600M GT (~1GB)
DirectX 11

I DO NOT have this problem on the other system in the house (girlfriend's rig):
Windows 7 64-bit
Intel Core 2 Quad @ 2.40 GHz
4GB RAM
GeForce 8800 GTS (~2GB)
DirectX 11

EDIT: I've reinstalled the client. No changes.

Thaldarin

Get rid of all layers but the location one, you should be left with some crap and the location entities.

If you have the minimap selected, it probably dwarfs the location ones so they appear as one?

KuBaN

What minimap?

I should clarify that all geometry and most other entities are being rendered properly.

Also, it renders everything just fine if I start a new map place a power_point entity, so maybe it's a memory usage issue?

Thaldarin

Have every layer unticked except for "Power triggers". If you can't see them after a zoom in/out, I'd upload a screenshot and getsatisfaction it.

Also if that black screen bug is the bug I'm thinking of, it's because it's rendering too much information in "unlit mode". Switch to wireframe or textured lit and it seems to over come that problem for me, as much or as little on screen as I want without any bugging out.

KuBaN

I've tried wireframe as well with no change in results. I'll post it in GS; I appreciate the effort :)

Insane

This sounds like a video memory issue. Can you open the "output" window and post what's in there?

KuBaN

It's too long to post (it won't allow me), and I'm having trouble attaching the file. It's saying, "Upload failed. The file was larger than the available space." and Attachment space used 459.89K of 30K (although Max single upload size is 2MB?). The file is less than 900 kilobytes. I'll post what I can, omitting the repeating/redundant lines with "...".


Direct3DDevice::Vertex buffer initialization failed- 1748988bytes (static)
Direct3DDevice::Index buffer initialization failed- 140490bytes (static)
Direct3DDevice::Vertex buffer initialization failed- 12800bytes (dynamic)

^ similar outputs repeat ad nauseum, then...

Direct3DDevice::Texture create/initialize failed [dds].
IDirect3DDevice9::CreateTexture(2048, 1024, 0, D3DFMT_A8R8G8B8) failed (Out of video memory)
Direct3DDevice::Texture initialize failed- A8R8G8B8, xSize=2048, ySize=1024)
Invalid format for resource 'models/props/refinery/refinery_ventfloors_diff.dds'
IDirect3DDevice9::CreateTexture(128, 128, 1, D3DFMT_A8R8G8B8) failed (Out of video memory)
Direct3DDevice::Texture initialize failed- A8R8G8B8, xSize=128, ySize=128)
Direct3DDevice::Texture create/initialize failed [dds].
IDirect3DDevice9::CreateTexture(2048, 1024, 0, D3DFMT_A8R8G8B8) failed (Out of video memory)
Direct3DDevice::Texture initialize failed- A8R8G8B8, xSize=2048, ySize=1024)
Invalid format for resource 'models/props/refinery/refinery_ventfloors_norm.dds'
IDirect3DDevice9::CreateTexture(128, 128, 1, D3DFMT_A8R8G8B8) failed (Out of video memory)
Direct3DDevice::Texture initialize failed- A8R8G8B8, xSize=128, ySize=128)
Direct3DDevice::Texture create/initialize failed [dds].
IDirect3DDevice9::CreateTexture(2048, 1024, 0, D3DFMT_A8R8G8B8) failed (Out of video memory)
Direct3DDevice::Texture initialize failed- A8R8G8B8, xSize=2048, ySize=1024)
Invalid format for resource 'models/props/refinery/refinery_ventfloors_spec.dds'
IDirect3DDevice9::CreateTexture(128, 128, 1, D3DFMT_A8R8G8B8) failed (Out of video memory)
Direct3DDevice::Texture initialize failed- A8R8G8B8, xSize=128, ySize=128)
Direct3DDevice::Index buffer initialization failed- 2352bytes (static)
Direct3DDevice::Vertex buffer initialization failed- 22952bytes (static)
Direct3DDevice::Vertex buffer initialization failed- 12800bytes (dynamic)

...

<!--coloro:#FFA500--><span style="color:#FFA500"><!--/coloro-->snip!<!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc-->

...

Auto backed up to 'D:/Users/Nick/AppData/Roaming/Natural Selection 2/Editor/autobackup/autobackup0.level'
Auto backed up to 'D:/Users/Nick/AppData/Roaming/Natural Selection 2/Editor/autobackup/autobackup1.level'
IDirect3DDevice9::CreateTexture(434, 489, 1, D3DFMT_A8R8G8B8) failed (Out of video memory)
Direct3DDevice::Texture initialize failed- A8R8G8B8, xSize=434, ySize=489)

Insane

Yeah, this is an issue the editor currently has when levels that go past a certain size and complexity are loaded. I chopped away most of what you posted, because it was basically the same message, just referring to different objects, just to make it a bit less of a wall of text.

By my limited understanding of things, the editor runs out of video memory at a certain point, dependent on your hardware, and stops being able to draw textures on props. What with no textures being drawn, the props are selectable but invisible. I took a look through the big list, and I saw the error occurring for the power_point models. This isn't something most people will have seen because, perhaps with a few exceptions, it's only in-house levels that have reached that level of complexity (I was getting loads of issues related to this until I upgraded).

Naturally this is an issue that will be dealt with when the editor is optimised, but with the game itself coming first for the moment, that will be a little way off yet.

Tig

<!--quoteo(post=1840414:date=Apr 9 2011, 05:22 PM:name=Insane)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Insane @ Apr 9 2011, 05:22 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1840414"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Yeah, this is an issue the editor currently has when levels that go past a certain size and complexity are loaded. I chopped away most of what you posted, because it was basically the same message, just referring to different objects, just to make it a bit less of a wall of text.

By my limited understanding of things, the editor runs out of video memory at a certain point, dependent on your hardware, and stops being able to draw textures on props. What with no textures being drawn, the props are selectable but invisible. I took a look through the big list, and I saw the error occurring for the power_point models. This isn't something most people will have seen because, perhaps with a few exceptions, it's only in-house levels that have reached that level of complexity (I was getting loads of issues related to this until I upgraded).

Naturally this is an issue that will be dealt with when the editor is optimised, but with the game itself coming first for the moment, that will be a little way off yet.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

is this why i seem to be missing random geometry at times?

it happens when i show too many of my rooms at once, faces are the first to go. i rebuilt a bunch of it before i learned to hide more layers while i was working.

Thaldarin

Heh, really strange that if I set Lit Mode (shadowed or unshadowed) it never affects me. Yet when I use unlit mode it affects me. That's on my own map and running through rockdown and tram.

TheLord

Interesting, I didn't know the editor uses that much memory.

Once the process reaches a size of 2gb it will no longer be able to allocate more memory on a 32bit system, that's probably why you don't see the problem on your other system with win 7 64bit.




So no, there is no fix for this except to hide large portions of your level while working on other parts. Or get a 64bit operating systen.

KuBaN

<!--quoteo(post=1840446:date=Apr 10 2011, 10:29 AM:name=TheLord)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (TheLord @ Apr 10 2011, 10:29 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1840446"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Interesting, I didn't know the editor uses that much memory.

Once the process reaches a size of 2gb it will no longer be able to allocate more memory on a 32bit system, that's probably why you don't see the problem on your other system with win 7 64bit.

So no, there is no fix for this except to hide large portions of your level while working on other parts. Or get a 64bit operating systen.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Except that hiding large portions of the level doesn't fix this issue currently.

SN.Wolf

I noticed my editor chugs mostly with the lighting, Try and take all your lights and put them in a layer to be hidden. I have 3 layers for my lights at this point and that seemed to have worked for me on my dual core 32 bit system, but like stated above on my 64 bit system i don't seem to have any issues with it.