"What does this error mean?" - The 3DMM Tech Help FAQ

[HMC]

1. Where can I download 3DMM/find utilities to edit 3DMM, etc?

A: If you need this question answered, you frankly didn't look hard enough. Consult this topic to find any utilities you may need.

2. When I download an expansion all I get are a bunch of files (.3cn, .3th, .cfg) What are these? Should I just drop them in one of the 3DMM directory folders?

A: No, you should never, ever do that. Adding additional expansions that way will make any movies made with them unwatchable by anyone else. When you download a V3DMM expansion, it should be a single .VXP file. The problem is, .VXP files are essentially zipped 3DMM datafiles (which have the extensions .3cn, 3th, etc.), so a problem may arise with people's unzipping programs trying to read the file as a .ZIP or .RAR file. Just remember that VXPs are merely renamed ZIP files.

3. I tried to watch someone's movie in v3dmm today and it stopped on several scenes. What the hell?

A: It means that you had an expansion with the same shortname already installed as one of the expansions the director used, and v3dmm can't resolve the two. So any time that expansion appears, v3dmm stops before it can load that scene. You can help prevent this from occurring by naming your expansions carefully and avoiding the possibility that anyone will EVER use your expansion shortname again.

There is a temporary solution: Go into your C:\Program Files\Microsoft Kids\Virtual 3DMM directory and rename the folder called "Expansions" to "Expansions2" or anything else. Now create a new, empty folder called "Expansions". This will keep all your installed vxp files, but stop v3dmm from knowing where they are, stopping v3dmm conflicts for the afflicted movie. You can delete your new "Expansions" directory afterwards, and rename your old one back to "Expansions."

(Important notice: This is a last-ditch fix, and an annoying one. If you have already used a generic shortname in your movie, there's little that can be done, but don't consider this a license to stop worrying about them. Always make your shortnames in 7gen as unique as possible, to avoid us having to do this constantly in the future.

4. I'm having trouble renaming a .zip to a .vxp. It's not changing from a .zip format. What's the deal?

A: Usually this means that you're not configured to be able to change certain file types merely by renaming them. To remedy this, go to any folder on your computer, navigate to Tools > Folder Options > View > and make sure 'Hide extensions for known filetypes' is unchecked.


5. I loaded a ton of vxps into my movie and now the filesize is huge. Can I remove some?

A: Yes, but you need to be careful about it. If the expansion has been used (by loading it into a scene) at all, removing it will stop the movie from playing when it encounters the spot where the expansion should be. Before doing anything, make a copy of your .vmm file. I'm serious, don't skip this step.

Now:

1. Open the copy of the .vmm in the v3dmm manager. Do not launch 3dmm.
2. In the right-hand window (Active Expansions), select the expansions that you want to remove and press the left-arrow button to take them out of the movie file.
3. "File > Save" or "File > Save As" to update the movie with these changes.
4. Launch 3DMM. If you removed something that was used, the movie will stop before the frame where it was supposed to appear. You'll have to play the movie to be sure it works all the way through.

For safety's sake, don't remove the expansions from your harddrive, especially if you made them for the movie. If they're expansions hosted on the site, you can repair your movie by redownloading them, but if they were unique ones made by you and not shared with anyone else, they're gone for good and so is your movie. Just don't delete them unless you're absolutely sure.

6. I keep getting an error saying "Oops, we can't get information from a file" or some nonsense like that. What do I do?

A: The most likely problem is that you have a copy of the Ogg Vorbis codec that is preventing 3DMM from reading PCM audio data correctly. To remedy this, download the Ogg Vorbis Codec Remover. If you have a 64-bit system, download this and follow these instructions.

7. How do I use 7gen?

A: Currently there are multiple tutorials by Darth Fyer describing how to use 7gen.

8. I'm getting this weird error in 7gen when I try to convert a model that says "Failed: Bad ID!" something. What's going on?

This problem has been known to happen on occasion. Currently, the only known cause for this problem is that there are faces on your model that aren't textured.

9. I tried to convert a model that I made in Blender, but it's not converting. What's going on?

A: Download the updated OBJTOOLS. These are updated versions of some of 7gen's datafiles that may allow you to convert using programs like Blender.

10. The textures on my model aren't showing up!

A: Any textures used on a 3D model you convert with OBJ2VXP must be in the 7gen folder.

11. I tried to save my movie today but kept getting a 'Technical Difficulties' error. I closed out and my movie was corrupted! What'd I do?

A: The good news is that this problem has been fixed with the release of the latest version of V3DMM. If you're a victim of this problem and you've closed out of 3DMM, I'm afraid there's nothing you can do. If you're a victim and you haven't closed out of 3DMM, there is still hope. Consult this thread.

12. I'm still an idiot. How do I _______ in 3DMM?

A: The first thing you always do is perform a search and try to find threads where your questions may have already been answered. If that doesn't work, consult the 3DMM Tutorials forum and/or the Tutorials Mega Thread. If worst comes to worst, make a thread about it in the proper forum.

13. You've been a great help. Is there anything else I need to know?

A: Yes, READ THIS THREAD BEFORE CREATING ANY EXPANSIONS.

If you see any errors in this FAQ, please notify me via Private Messaging. Also, if you're a moderator, feel free to correct or add anything yourself.