The feared "Unknown Error" message in RTI builder

[GOKConservator]

Everything up to final PTM fitting works. Highlight recognition works, cropping works. When we do final execute, about 5 minutes go by (on a PC) and then we get the "unknown error message". The PTM fitter log has the following in the dialog box:

 

"Polynomial Texture Map (PTM) Fitter

Copyright Hewlett-Packard Company 2001. All rights reserved.

See included readme and license files.

 

C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\My Documents\RTI - CHI\Software\Windows-software\PTMViewer-and-fitter-windows\PTMfitter.exe usage:

-i filename

Full filename for lp file specifing input files and light positions.

 

-PTM <path>/<file.ptm>

-o <path>/<file.ptm>

Output file name.

 

-RGB | -LRGB

-f format (format either 0 for RGB or 1 for LRGB

Create either an RGB or LRGB PTM. (Default: LRGB)

 

-BIVARIATE | -UNIVARIATE

-b basis (basis either 0 for biquadratic or 1 for univariate

Calculate a least squares fit of one independent variable: -UNIVARIATE

or two independent variables: -BIVARIATE

(Default: BIVARIATE)

 

-version

Prints software version

 

-h

List command line options"

 

Any ideas?

[cdschroer]

I have followed up with Dale and know that this turned out to be that his files were on the desktop on a Windows machine. You *can't have spaces in the filenames or anywhere in the total path to the files you process with RTiBuilder*. This issue accounts fo ~95% of all problems with RTiBuilder. On Windows the desktop is in a folder called "documents and settings" (note the spaces) So you can't work there on Windows machines. You need to put your files in a folder on a local hard drive where there are no spaces in the path.

 

We are working on some bug fixes to RTiBuilder this summer, and we intend to catch this error better and report something more useful to the user, so that users know when this problem occurs.

 

Carla

[ana]

Greetings from Peru!

I have been able to process .ptms without a problem, but for some reason I keep getting the "Unknown Error" message every time I try to use the HSH fitter. I have tried everything: I make sure there are no spaces, I tried reprocessing ptms, I've also started everything from scratch as a new project using the HSH fitter, I've downloaded the RTIbuilder again... and nothing seems to work. I wasn't having this problem before, though, so there must be something I'm missing... Any advice is more than welcome.

I hope you all are doing great!

Ana

[cdschroer]

Ana -

 

This seems like a different problem. I am trying to remember if you are on Mac or PC. I have seen some problems with HSHfitter not starting on PC. It might be a permission problem. For example if you installed as an administrator, but then are running without admin privileges, it may not have permission to write a temp file it needs during the processing. It isn't necessarily this, but if you can go check the permissions on the hshfitter file that might be a clue.

 

Also, you can look at the xml log file that was produced. It might have a more useful error statement in the log file than appears on screen. Look towards the end of the log file to see if there is anything that might be useful there. Post what you see.

 

Sorry you are having difficulty.

 

Carla

[ana]

Hi Carla,

Thanks! I'm actually using a Mac.

I was *finally* able to produce .rti's using the HSH fitter. I had to start over, though... I created a new project folder and used the original raw files (CR2 files, after deleting the xmp files). I was also able to reprocess it as a .ptm. Could the problem be that I moved my original project folders to a new location? (I re-organized my laptop and created a larger folder to place all my RTI projects. The project folders were intact, but in a new location.)

Thank you,

A

[ana]

Actually, when I moved the folders, I had one folder with a space in the name. It seems that was the problem all along... I can't believe I didn't catch it earlier.

THANKS!

A

[cdschroer]

Ana - so glad this problem is solved for you! We are working on some bug fixes for RTI BUilder, and there should be better error messages for this in the future!

 

Carla

[enkidu]

this may or may not be useful:

my canon post processing software (Digital Photo Professional) converts into jpegs using capital extension letters. RTI-fitting doesn't seem to have a problem with capital extensions, but PTM fitting sure does (at lest for me), resulting in "unknown error" in the fitting stage... i have made it part of my workflow to batch rename the files` extensions....to do this shift+rightclick on the jpeg-exports folder and select "open command window here" and enter "ren *.JPG *.jpg" (w.o. quotation marks)...took me a while to figure this out, thought i`d share it, if this is common knowledge please ignore this reply

 

best regards,

tom

[cdschroer]

This is a known bug with the ptmfitter on Windows. I think it is documented in the user guide - but I can't swear to that. The problem is not in the RTiBuilder itself, but in the ptmfitter, which the RTiBuilder hands things off to when building ptms. it is available as a binary from HP, so we can't fix the code. We can detect the problem and issue a more useful error message.

 

Carla

[NMNH-Imaging]

 

The problem I am having is with building my RTI via HSH.

It worked fine when the client was on set watching us do this specialized technique on a cast of a Rune Stone with carvings so she can see the results.

 

Now that the client is not involved in my post-production, I am having problems processing the file.

 

The version on the studio computer was downloaded from your website (ver 2.0.2).

This version was working fine on set with the original raw files/jpeg export files without any corrections, rotations, metadata applied.

 

In Adobe Bridge, images were rotated to the correct view for the client, renamed and metadata was applied.

In Adobe Camera Raw, everything was zeroed out, color balance was corrected via Gretag Color Checker and lens correction was applied (Canon 50mm macro lens was used).

 

I downloaded another version to my post production computer to do the final RTI building, with crops.

The file names have underscores, no spaces. (Rune_Stone_Front_01.jpg). I get the error message after RTI processes all the files. Everything is ok up to the final execute.

 

Jim

Smithsonian

Washington, DC

 

[cdschroer]

Underscores are fine. Note that spaces anywhere in the entire path name cause this error. For example on windows you cannot put the files on your desktop because the desktop is in a folder called "documents and settings" (with spaces)

 

Can you build a ptm but not an hsh? What platform are you using?

 

Carla

[JCGamble]

Carla,

 

I'm getting this error now and it has stymied my workflow on a pretty big project. I'm trying to identify if there is a pathway issue involving spaces that is causing the error. Strange thing is that I had an error, then was able to build an RTI successfully and now have had three errors since that success. Nothing has changed that I am aware of in my file structure or labeling.

 

I'm running OSX10.7.5 on an Intel 2.66GHZ Core Duo with 8GB of Ram and I'm using full frame D800 JPG files. These guys are monsters at high resolution so I'm wondering if file size might be an impediment? Just a thought.

 

One thing that I'm concerned may be causing an issue concerns file pathway and spacing. My hard drive is called (generically enough) Macintosh HD and there is a space there. Could that be the issue?

 

Any thoughts are appreciated. I'm going to try the files on my base station to see if I get a different result.

 

Thanks in advance,

Joseph Gamble

[cdschroer]

Joseph,

 

Go look at the .lp file that is saved for you in the "assembly-files" folder. That is the easiest way I have found for checking the full path that the system is using. Alternatively, open the log file (the.xml file) in the project directory.

 

My hard drive on my mac is called "Macintosh HD" as well, but I think that is a label, and not showing up in the actual path. Anyway, let me know what checking the path turns up.

 

Glad you have a big project! Post more about it in the projects area when you can!

 

Carla

[JCGamble]

Carla,

 

The pathways actually look fine for processing. Nothing in the LP file but the .xml is showing a few Level="WARNING USER=" but the final one says 255 or more specifically: "LEVEL="WARNING" USER="">Fitter returned an error ! Error : 255</"

 

Any ideas here? Let me know if you want me to send you the LP and XML files.

 

Thank you in advance.

Joseph

[cdschroer]

Joseph,

 

Yes, please send me the lp and .xml files. You can post them here, but if there is anything confidential in them, send to me directly.

 

Nothing is coming to me off the top of my head, but if I read it in context I may be able to figure it out.

 

Carla

[JCGamble]

Sending to you offline. THANKS Carla!

[cdschroer]

OK, I looked at this, and you are right that the problem does not appear to be the spaces in the filename. There is this error code 255, but I don't know what it means. I'll see if I can get the developer to take a look at it.

 

We have been running on computers with OSX 10.5.x and 10.6.x, but some of our other users are on 10.7, so I don't think that's it.

 

Carla

[JCGamble]

Carla,

 

I did a complete reinstall of RTI Builder in the hopes that this might solve the issue but it did not. I am now going back to an earlier version of the builder to try and assemble one as a test.

 

Please let me know when you hear anything.

 

Thank you in advance,

Joseph

[JCGamble]

Carla,

 

Quick update. Just attempted to process an RTI with a separate data set on a different Apple computer running 10.6.8 with 2.4 GHz Intel Core Duo. Same result.

 

Hoping to try on a PC very soon.

 

Joseph

[Testae]

[...] to do this shift+rightclick on the jpeg-exports folder and select "open command window here" and enter "ren *.JPG *.jpg" (w.o. quotation marks)...took me a while to figure this out, thought i`d share it, if this is common knowledge please ignore this reply

 

best regards,

tom

 

Tom, 

thank you so much for this info! I was not able to get the PTM Fitter running (even manually changing every file name did not work for some reason). But with your solution creating the files became a breeze! So thank you once again!

Best,

Alex

[Martina]

Hi everybody!

 

I've come across the unknown error as well and also figured out what is causing it on my machine (Windows 7, 64 bit, 16 GB RAM): it is the PTM Fitter which gives the Error (-1). When I start the fitter from the command line with the command in XML-file of RTIbuilder the error becomes clear: Memory Allocation error. When monitoring the RAM usage of the PTM Fitter it always stops at about 2GB.

 

The only workaround for this problem is to process smaller images, e.g. resizing the images to something with the longest side about 6000 pixel wide.

 

Is there somehow a method to allow the PTM Fitter to grab more RAM?

 

Cheers,

Martina

[cdschroer]

Martina,

 

I don't know a way to fix this.  The ptmfitter is a piece of code from HP, and we don't have the source for it.  It was written in 2001 when a 3 megapixel camera was an exciting revolution in imaging.  It's kind of amazing it works on as large of files as it does...

 

Have you tried hshfitter?  I think it can handle bigger files.

 

However, the RTIViewer may not be able to open bigger files, unless you have a very beefy machine with lots of RAM.  So you might want to resize to a smaller resolution anyway.

 

Carla

[archer124]

Hi 

I have the same problem "Unknown Error" at the crop process, i check all the files for spaces and there aren't. I tried the different options and still does not work. 

I am using a Pc w/ Windows 10.

xml error lines:

 

 <xc:event COMPID="6aedb78a-0985-4100-8c0e-e9574f4e5d97" DATEF="" DATES="" LEVEL="WARNING" USER="">Fitter returned an error ! Error : 1</xc:event>

 

<xc:event COMPID="041151d0-3971-4265-9241-0ed5f4f60feb" DATEF="" DATES="" LEVEL="WARNING" USER="">Fitter returned an error ! Error : 1</xc:event>

 

Please help me.

 

Jorge Archer

Teotihuacan, Mexico

 

 

rueba2.xml

[cdschroer]

Dear Jorge - 

 

I looked at your attached .xml file and you do have a space in your path name:

 

 

 

There is a space between Jorge and Archer.  The PTM and HSHFitter software do not accept spaces anywhere in the path name (not just the filename)  If you move your project folder to a new location with no spaces - you should be able to build it. Note that you should be able to open this xml file as an existing project, and go to the last page where you build RTIs.  It will ask if you want to reset your path, because the files have moved.  Click "yes"

 

Carla

[aarslan]

Hi,

 

I keep getting a Color Correction error. It says that I do not have the necessary Color Correction file. How can I fix this? Thank you.