Xgen error, Part of path doesn't exist wool04.ptx

[Anonymous]

im getting this error in xgen  Maya 2018 or 2017 . There is a similar post but none of the solutions apply here

Error: line 1: XGen: Failed to find description0004a/groom/region/wool04.ptx
(Part of path doesn't exist)

If I create a sphere and generate a new description works OK, and with more of the geometry. But when the model has skin or in other cases appear this error.
I don't have spaces in paths and I created multiple new project folder test starting from scratch with simple files. 

This is only a example but tried with numerous files and project folders with similar error

Wool04 is the name of the mesh. That path doesnt really exist, I would guess it should be generated automatically by Maya. Even if I create manually some of the paths and place a dummy ptx in that path doesn't work

// Error: line 1: XGen:  Failed to find description0004a/groom/width/wool04.ptx  //

// Error: line 1: XGen:  Searched path includes:

                 C:/Users/Bia/Documents/maya/projects/default/xgen/collections/collection0004/description0004a/groom/width/wool04.ptx (Part of path doesn't exist)

                 C:/Users/Bia/Documents/xgen/description0004a/groom/width/wool04.ptx (Part of path doesn't exist)

                 C:/Program Files/Autodesk/Maya2017/plug-ins/xgen/presets/description0004a/groom/width/wool04.ptx (Part of path doesn't exist)  //

// Error: line 1: XGen:  Failed to find description0004a/groom/region/wool04.ptx  //

// Error: line 1: XGen:  Searched path includes:

                 C:/Users/Bia/Documents/maya/projects/default/xgen/collections/collection0004/description0004a/groom/region/wool04.ptx (Part of path doesn't exist)

                 C:/Users/Bia/Documents/xgen/description0004a/groom/region/wool04.ptx (Part of path doesn't exist)

                 C:/Program Files/Autodesk/Maya2017/plug-ins/xgen/presets/description0004a/groom/region/wool04.ptx (Part of path doesn't exist)  //

[Anonymous]

I have included a example file. It is a FBX with a skin and a small geometry. When adding  xgen the errors start

If Instead the create Xgen description>groomable splines I use "create interactive groom splines" the error doesn't appear, but the polygons of the hair appear briefly and disappear and it is not possible to get them back.

[Anonymous]

I have noticed that sometimes the file and path are created but the errors continue

[Anonymous]

Added the Maya project and two scenes, with and without fur Xgen groomable splines
The mesh is quite small as it is a fragment of the initial file, but it has the same problems.

[Michael_Todd · Accepted solution]

OK...

Couple of things to note, in your scene XGen is not showing because you have turned off Plugin Shapes (XGen is a plugin) and locators. The groom splines are a custom locator draw shape, so you need to have locators visible to see them:

Second, and this is not a problem, per se, but something to note. The scene is very small. This will affect you in a couple of ways. You'll need to set a very high density to generate a viable number of hairs (Density is primitives per cm and this is irrespective of Maya's unit setting)

You will also have to set a high map resolution, or TPU (Texels per Unit [cm]) to get good results from the groom brushes. You'll also see that the default width and length of .1 and 1 will be quite large for this scale so you'll have to dial them down. The Brush size will also have to be reduced a lot as the default radius will be too large

You'll not that the density is 25000, this is the max density for the groomable splines, but the XGen primitive density can be higher:

Note that the density setting of 64000 primitives per cm only generates 2757 hairs.

I'd recommend grooming a larger scale mesh. I'd make a copy, scale it up by 10, freeze the transforms then create XGen grooms on this larger version, then use a blend shape to scale it back to the original size. This way you can avoid the the problems above and set more reasonable density values and get greater control of the look of the groom.

Cheers

[Anonymous]

Thanks! That was a great help. I was checking the hair after your feedback and it is quite difficult to work at that scale.

Specially I was fighting with the clump modifier for interactive groom editor. I was unable to find how to avoid huge clumps. In fact I can not find anything in that modifier that can make the clumps smaller, probably I'm missing something. I know that in part is a problem from the scale but tried in other larger objects and the scale of the clumps  seems fixed as I miss where it can be changed.

[Anonymous]

I found it, it is the density.

[Anonymous]

But it doesn't work always, not sure what is going on.