Maya 2017 xGen on keeps crashing my pc with a Fatal Error

[Anonymous]

I'm new to this program that I'm using for my class. I wasn't having any trouble using the 2017 Maya, until now when I use the Xgen for grass, hair , or fur XGen on Maya keeps crashing , giving an error pop up warning window (Fatal Error. Attempting to save in C:/Users/owner/AppData/Local/Temp/owner.20171008.1957.ma )  Ive used this  program for almost 2 months  with no issues til now....

I have to completely taken the 2017 Maya program off my PC, and re-install with the hopes that this will fix the problem, I'm now taking the 2017 Maya program off my PC  and replacing it with 2016, with the hopes that this will fix my problem.....Any advice on fixing this issues?

I'm running on a pc

Edition: windows 10

system 64 bits

processor : AMD A8-5545 APU with Radeo (tm) HD graphics 1.70 GHz

Hi @Anonymous your title 'xGen on Maya keeps crashing my pc :Fatal Error. Attempting to save in C:/Users/o' was edited for clarity by @sean.heasley

[sean.heasley]

Hi @Anonymous and welcome to the community!

There's many things that can cause a crash like the one you are seeing. In order to help figure out what is causing it I need a little more information.

When the crash occurs, before closing Maya can you check the script editor and the Output Window to see what they say?

The output window is the second window that opens when you launch Maya and the script editor is here:

Also, are there steps to reproduce the error? Can you please explain what you are doing with xGen right before the crash happens?

Please update me when get a chance with this information and anything else that may change or happen!

[Michael_Todd]

I suspect an issue with your video card, either it's an issue with the drivers or it's running out of RAM on the card. 

Is there a reason your not setting a higher initial density and working with that rather than setting such a high density multiplier?

Cheers

[Anonymous]

 Hello,

 Thank you for the help

When the crash occurs, before closing Maya can you check the script editor and the Output Window to see what they say?

  When I start to use Xgen to create hair,fur or grass. or hair.

Are there steps to reproduce the error? Can you please explain what you are doing with xGen right before the crash happens?

 It  take place right  around the time I start to play around and  adjust the  scale or  when I need to cut down the grass or hair. Everything was working fine before  my class started working with Xgen.

I was working with Maya2017, I've  tried to repair it, uninstall it, and  now I'm switching to a lower version Maya 2016

[Anonymous]

I really don't know  what would be the reason for this....if it is this ...... if possible how do I set a higher initial density? vs  a high density multiplier?

Thank you for your help

[sean.heasley]

Hi @Anonymous

You can set the density in the settings tab when you initially create the groomable splines.

Like @Michael_Todd said this could be happening because you're multiplier is so high that its increasing the amount of splines and could be maxing out the ram on your gpu.

To start you should lower the multiplier, which in your screenshot is set to 41.304, down to a much lower number.

You can also try updating your gpu drivers to make sure there isn't an issue on that end.

Steps to update your GPU can be found here!

Let me know if this helps solve your issue or if you need more assistance!

If one or more of these posts helped answer your question, please click Accept as Solution on the posts that helped you so others in the community can find them easily.

Kudos are greatly appreciated. Everyone likes a thumbs up!

[Michael_Todd]

There is a counter that gives you an approximation of the number of splines to be generated for a given density when creating a description:

There is also a HUD for the grooming system that will tell you how many splines there are in total, along with the number of splines in the currently selected description and the overall memory usage

If you turn on the HUD in your current scene, you'll see how many splines you have using the multiplier. If you then delete this and make a new one, you can set the density that gives you an approximate count matching the old one then you would not need to set such a high multiplier, which does have a higher computational cost than just using a higher base density. 

Remember that density is dependent on surface area as well, and a given density will result in different numbers of splines for objects with different surface area.

Cheers

[sean.heasley]

Hi @Anonymous

I'm just checking in to see if you need more help with this Xgen issue. Did the suggestions that @Michael_Todd and I provided yesterday help you resolve your issue?

If so, please click Accept as Solution on the posts that helped you so others in the community can find them easily.