How to get ImageMagick to read output from Arnold

[Anonymous]

I am using Maya to render frames out of Arnold via MEL commandline. This works.

However, the next step in my code is to get ImageMagick to process the output frames. I have run into a problem where it appears that none of the image formats rendered by Arnold seem to conform to their standard as I get errors when reading the files.

For example:

• If I use PNG, I get: ImproperImageHeader 'path/to/file' @ error/png.c/ReadPNGImage/4255
• If I use TIF, I get: Not a TIFF file, bad magic number 20294 (0x4f46). 'path/to/file' @ error/tiff.c/TIFFErrors/652.
• If I use EXR, I get: UnableToOpenBlob 'Cannot read image file "path/to/file". File is not an image file.': No error @ error/exr.c/ReadEXRImage/206.
• If I use JPG, I get: Not a JPEG file: starts with 0x46 0x4f 'path/to/file' @ error/jpeg.c/JPEGErrorHandler/332.

None of the above formats have problems with ImageMagick if I use the Maya software renderer. They are only unreadable by ImageMagick if I render them with Arnold. Another tell that they don't conform is that Windows is not able to make thumbnails for the jpeg's or the png's, nor am I able to open the png/tif/jpg with Photoshop. (XnView is able to open them, interestingly.)

Unfortunately, the remaining formats that Arnold can output are not formats that I would expect ImageMagick to be able to read, so I am stuck!

I have also tried using different bit depths and compression to no avail.

Am I doing something wrong?

Side note: I am using ImageMagick's montage.exe to do the processing.

[Stephen.Blair]

works for me

magick convert D:\maya\projects\default\images\tmp\denoise\merged.png -resize 50% test.png

[Anonymous]

Would you try running a similar command line using montage?
For example:

montage.exe -mode Concatenate image1.png image2.png

If it works, it likely points to a problem in my own setup... thank you so much for your reply and help.

[Anonymous]

I get the same errors even if I try your exact commandline...
That means there is either a difference in the way our files are generated, or a difference in our ImageMagicks.

[Stephen.Blair]

the montage command works

Windows 7, Maya 2018 Update 3, MtoA 3.0.1

latest image magick (I just installed it for this)

[Anonymous]

I'm still getting the same errors with different types of ImageMagicks... which one exactly did you install?
Also, would it be a lot to ask if you screen capped your render settings? (I am also using MtoA 3.0.1)
Thank you so much!

[Anonymous]

If you could email me the file you rendered with Arnold, that would help to isolate the issue as well: dez at lookingglassfactory
All your help is super appreciated!

[Stephen.Blair]

ImageMagick-7.0.8-0-Q16-x64-dll.exe

untitled0004.png

[Anonymous]

This image is a normal png. Did you save it using the render view > save as... ? If so, I think that just uses Maya's native image saving algo's.
Would you try again using MEL? use:
render -x 300 -y 200
If it renders a normal png again for you, that means that something must be wrong with my arnold...

[Stephen.Blair]

render -x 300 -y 200 does not render with Arnold

For the rendered file, oiiotool gives me this:

oiiotool.exe -v --info D:\maya\projects\default\images\tmp\untitled.0044.png <br>Reading D:\maya\projects\default\images\tmp\untitled.0044.png
D:\maya\projects\default\images\tmp\untitled.0044.png :  300 x  200, 4 channel, uint8 iff <br>   channel list: R, G, B, A <br>   tile size: 64 x 64 <br>   compression: "rle" <br>   Artist: "blairs on REMFDXQFB2"
    DateTime: "Fri Jun 15 15:36:37 2018"

[Stephen.Blair]

arnoldRender -cam "perspShape" -w 960 -h 540

will render with Arnold

[Anonymous]

The command line solved the issue! Thanks a lot!

I am not sure what Maya was trying to do with the other command line then, I guess it was still using the native renderer.. but in a broken way?

[Anonymous]

If you post your last comment again as an answer I will accept it.

[Stephen.Blair · Accepted solution]

arnoldRender -cam "perspShape" -w 960 -h 540

will render with Arnold, and those png files work with magick

render seems to be the Maya Software Render

[Stephen.Blair]

done ,thanks

[Anonymous]

Thank you so much for your patience and help!