Pret-A-3D

I get an error with CS4.

it happens with running the jsx in AE.

I get

After effects error: Unable to call “replaceWithSequence” because of par…h is notvalid. Path: C:\User\Josh\Desktop\testing blender exporter\mpf

Then it highlights this line. Line 29:
combinedPH.replaceWithSequence(new File(“C:\tmp\renders\testing_001.png”),true);

Hi Josh. I believe that you need to save the Blender file before you run the exporter. Otherwise AEE doesn’t know what name to give to your comp.

I dont get this error when using your example so this leads me to think that I’m not rendering my blender file correctly before I try to import it in after effects.

How do I get the full error report with the javascrip editor when it pops up?

I’m still getting an error. I’m sure I could figure it out if I knew what the error is. I see a truncated error at the bottom of the page which I posted above.

I don’t think that you need to render anything but you do need to save the .blend file before you invoke the AEE. After you create your scene, press Ctr-W, give it a name and then run AEE.
For the JavaScript debugger in AE, you need to go to the AE Prerences and in the General page select “Enable Javascript Debugger”

Here is the steps that I have done to get this error.

1: open blender and select all objects and add to the end of it’s name by pressing n and add “.MGX”

2: save file.

3: set filepath to //renders/test_###.png

4: set file out put to PNG.

5: animate

6: save file again.

7 run exporter and save as default name.

8: open AE and run file=>scripts=>run script file. and point to jsx file.

9:Javascript debugger opens and points to line 29:
“combinedPH.replaceWithSequence(new File(“C:\Users\Josh\Desktop\temp\renders\testing_001.png”),true);”

Java debugger states at the bottom
“After Effects error: Unable to call”replaceWithSequence” because of parameter 1 path is not valid. Path: C:\Users\Josh\Desktop\temp\UsersJoshDesktopemp

Now since I cant read the whole error at the bottom of the debugger I’m not sure, but it would look as if it’s tying to look in a faulty path.

FYI:
I’m on windows 7 64 bit. I run CS4 and Blender 2.49b
here is the files that I’m using. http://gfxcomplex.com/temp.zip

It took me a bit to get it since I don’t use Windows. It’s the damn backslash in the file path. The inventor of DOS should be severely punished for choosing that character as a file separator. The Backslash is used in C/C++/JavaScript/Perl and pretty much every language as an escape character. For example, “\n” is the code for “newline.”
Let me see what I can do to fix that issue.

BTW, in the meantime you can edit the .jsx file and double all the backslashes in the file path. For example “C:\\Users\\Josh\\…” That will make the script runnable. It should take me 1/2 hour to fix the program.

Nice, very good. That did the trick.

Josh, can you send me the .jsx file generated by the exporter? My email is phciccone at gmail dot com
thanks.

Josh, I have a new version of the exporter, can you give it a try? It’s at
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3701566/export_ae.py

there is a problem downloading the new file. not sure why but the new export_ae.py has no bytes after it’s been downloaded. When opened in note pad there is no data.

Transfer didn’t work. It’s fixed now but I mailed it to you as well.

if this works as well as it sounds, you may have completely changed the after effects world. Thank you!!

* runs home to try this *

Hi gautch. I don’t know about “completely changing” the AE world , but the program works as described. If you are on Windows you will need the patch described in the comments but I’m in the process of updating the files on Creative COW. I’ll be curious to know how it works for you.

Hi, first off thank you for this it looks great. I am having a problem running the script tho on the Blender side of things. I am using 2.5b on a mac PPC OSX 10.4.11 and am getting the following error:

Python script error: please check console

In the console there is the following:

Traceback (most recent call last):
File “/Applications/blender-2.49.2-darwin-7.9.0-powerpc-py2.3/Blender.app/Contents/MacOS/.blender/scripts/export_ae.py”, line 491, in main
animationData = getBlenderData()
File “/Applications/blender-2.49.2-darwin-7.9.0-powerpc-py2.3/Blender.app/Contents/MacOS/.blender/scripts/export_ae.py”, line 136, in getBlenderData
objs = findExportables(scn)
File “/Applications/blender-2.49.2-darwin-7.9.0-powerpc-py2.3/Blender.app/Contents/MacOS/.blender/scripts/export_ae.py”, line 100, in findExportables
objList = [obj for obj in scene.objects if obj.name.endswith(MGX_TAGS)]
TypeError: expected a character buffer object

Do you have any idea what could be going wrong?
Thank you

Hi Ryan.
You’re very welcome.
The AEE does not work yet with Blender 2.5, you need to use 2.49. Most Blender scripts don’t work in 2.5 because the API has been changed dramatically and it’s still, AFAIK, incomplete. I will port AEE to 2.5 once 2.5 gets at the same level of 2.49 and the Python API is stable enough. I saw a couple of days ago that Tpn Rosendaal has asked for a “feature freeze” of 2.5 and that should help in that direction.

Best.

@Pret-A-3D

I apologize, I am using 2.49b. I must have just hit the wrong key.. But what I said above is what is happening when I run the script.

Thanks

@Ryan, seems like there is an issue with the name of one of your objects. Would it be possible for you to send me your .blend file? My email is phciccone at gmail dot com.

–
Paolo

Hi Paolo, Is your program running in Windows Vista?
Thanks David!

The AEE is platform-neutral. If you have a running copy of Blender for Vista then it will run. It depends on Pythin 2.5 so your only concern is to have a Blender 2.49 with Python 2.5.

Hi, Paolo Thanks for your reply! I was doing the first tutorial, but the animation is not in the downloaded files. I manage to get the script in AE and rendered the animation my self, but I don’t know the exact way you have rendered it or the amount of frames you used. Don’t blame me for stupid questions!
Greetings David

@David, the animation parameters are saved in the scene file that I included. I didn’t now incldue the animation as it would make the archive huge and it can be recreated by hitting the “Animate” button.

Hope this helps.

Hallo Paolo, Thanks again! I did what you suggest, but get a very large amount of animation files. I’m new to Blender and AE. In the tutorial I see you picking only one animation file. When I hit the Animate button It go’s on and on. The animation is running in a loop when you open your project. Is that how it supposed to work?
David

@David, the animation generates a sequence of PNG files, that’s how I render all my 3D animations, I almost never generate a movie clip. I’ll make it the subject of another tutorial but for now trust me that there are good reasons for doing that. Render the animation first and then use the AEE to export it. The AEE will detect the rendered footage, sequence of images, and it will add a command for After Effects to load it as a single clip. It happens automatically.
If you want to do it manually, in AE use File/Import and the click on the first file of the sequence and be sure that you have the “Sequence of PNG” option checkmarked.