Getting an error in an MSE file/script

[Anonymous]

Hey, all!

I'm new at maxscript (bear this in mind), although I've been a developer for decades, so I've got at least a paw up. 🙂

In the absence of the Max Asset Browser, I found one called the HCG Asset Browser. Looks like it'd be nice, and I learned a lot about Max and maxscript troubleshooting why it didn't initially want to run.

Got those problems solved. Now, though, when I run the thing, I get this:

-- Runtime error: fileIn: can't open file - "C:\Program Files\Autodesk\3ds Max-- Error occurred in anonymous codeblock; filename: C:\Program Files\Autodesk\3ds Max 2016\Scripts\HCGAB\hcgabPRO.mse; position: 625; line: 21
--  Defined in encrypted script
-- Error occurred during fileIn in "C:\Program Files\Autodesk\3ds Max 2016\Scripts\HCGAB\hcgabPRO.mse"; line number: 21
-- Runtime error: dotNet runtime exception: Invalid directory on URL.
\Scripts\HCGAB\hcgabPRO.mse"

That whole defined in encrypted script has me concerned.

I tried looking at Line 21 in the MSE file, but it's compiled (or encrypted). Went back to the website in question, but there's no visible way to contact the developer(s).

Is there any way for me to see/fix the offending line/problem ("Invalid directory on URL" which sounds like out-of-date hard-coding)? Or is that kind of file specifically out-of-my-reach?

I'd really like to make this run if possible, but if I can't see what's causing the offense it's almost impossible to fix it.

Thanks

Davey

[spacefrog_]

Is the install structure correct and complete ?

Looking at the script package ( free at scriptspot.com ) i can see that it's a collection of code, dll's and what not

Addionally the author put some warnings about how to install

If nothing helps, i would simply fire up sysinternals Process monitor and look where the filein's in the script are failing and what it is trying to load ...

[Anonymous]

*sigh* Yup. The install structure is complete, both in the somewhat-useless default listed on the page at Scriptspot, and where I moved it into Max' own plugin folder. Tried it in both places. Followed all the author's instructions as well as seeing if I could straighten things out.

Looked at all the files in the ZIP. Alas that the only file that seems to be throwing an error is one that I can find no way of decrypting or decompiling to look at and/or fix.

Usually only use Process Monitor as a Task Manager replacement; I can figure out how to monitor that particular module's operation if it's at all possible, but without the ability to correct whatever mistake's throwing the error, it may be a moot point. (Might be able to fake an entry in hosts, but since almost everything in Windows now ignores hosts--thanks a lot, microsoft--that might be a forlorn hope as well.)

Still, the notion of monitoring wth Process Monitor is an interesting one; thanks.

Davey

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

Well... I guess it pays to not only be an ADHD programmer-slash-award-winning-tech guy (*blush*) but one who has a few frustrated minutes around home-schooling his equally-ADHD son in graphing math (guaranteed headache, no waiting). That and it kinda ticked me that someone'd writing something this neat and then drop it without letting anyone else maintain it. (It is his, not disputing... it's just irritating.)

Did a lot of looking around. A couple of people have written scripts that will (allegedly) decrypt a .MSE file; didn't have to use them (although one jackhole took those scripts and set up a $14-a-decryption business online) because I found [edited for courtesy], along with a[edited for courtesy] to decript (ta-dah) MSE files. Ran that; it decrypted the badly-behaved HCGabPro mse file to plain-old ms. I've got it up in UltraEdit right now, but where it was going wrong already leaps out; it was asking for a way to load three .DLL files, and using an environment variable (HCGABPath) that wasn't defined the same way on my system as it wanted it to be. (Yeah, we can call this my mistake; I'm big enough to accept the blame).

Once I had the base script running I noticed that, although the viewer window'd run--and run nicely, if the customization is clumsy; no wonder he quit selling it--the thumbnails wouldn't generate. While looking for some means into an MSE file, I'd found where a Chinese fellow had indicated that a sure way to see source in an MSE file was to crash the script and open the Listener window. Tried that; didn't really work all that well.

The crashes that I managed to track back indicated that this script app is looking for Max 9 render dlls to generate the thumbnails. Just for the fun of it, I hauled the DLLs that come with the app into[edited for courtesy], and hey presto! I had the offending source code in front of me. I have to vacate the computer here in a few to let the small humanlike object up here to do his math work, but I'm going to see about recompiling those DLLs to look for the 2016-equivalent DLLs. (If there's a way of just asking the environment to supply those names, so the script could technically work for any version of Max, please, enlighten me. As said way above, I'm new at maxscript.)

Did I say frustrated? Having a lot of fun (I was a hacker, in the true sense of the word, back in the day) is more like it 🙂

Since the source ain't mine, I can't put the fix up; the original developer just released the app as free, not as open-source. (And I think I found another script while perusing really-good tutes--Neil Blevins' site, don't fail to visit it--so I've got to try that as well. May wind up being less trouble.) But if you need to get into it because it's erroring out, google

*[edited for courtesy]

*[edited for courtesy] - to get the source for the DLLs that accompany the app (.NET - the easiest-decompiled programming language on the face of the Earth) - you can view the code in VB (my choice) or C# (no one's perfect) or IL (not really useful in this case).

So. Probably not anyone's perfect solution to such a question, but one that I consider now worth the time. 🙂

Davey