Message "...Object 'commonTabColumn' not found."

[BenediZ]

I often get this message:

// Error: file: C:/Program Files/Autodesk/Maya2018/scripts/others/createMayaSoftwareCommonGlobalsTab.mel line 36: setParent: Object 'commonTabColumn' not found. //

What should I do?

Thanks!

[sean.heasley]

Hi @BenediZ

I've only really seen this message when you have Maya Software set as your renderer.

If you change to something like Maya Hardware or Arnold does this go away?

Also, is this affecting your Maya at all or how you work?

[sean.heasley]

Hi @BenediZ

Just wanted to check in to see how things were going. Are you still having this issue?

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

[BenediZ · Accepted solution]

Hi Sean,

thanks for asking, at the moment it is better again... I also have installed new Maya (which is of course no solution, but mixed things up again).

One small explanation I have: I am working with two monitors and exchanged one and some panels were outside the monitor space. It could be that this had something to do with it?

I mean some strange warnings often pop-up, but it's nothing that seems to harm the workflow.

For some warnings it would be nice, if you could tell Maya not to warn again.

In Photoshop there is "don't show this message again" as an option for warnings and you can reset that setting in the preferences.

Thanks, Ben

[laomusic_arts]

This is no solution !

I am having this issue in Maya 2018.5 :

/ Error: file: C:/Program Files/Autodesk/Maya2018/scripts/others/createMayaSoftwareCommonGlobalsTab.mel line 36: setParent: Object 'commonTabColumn' not found. //

[paulliamkerr]

Yes, reinstalling Maya isn't a solution - it's far too extreme. I'm also having this error and it's preventing my legacy render layers from working properly or showing up in the Render Layer Editor at all. Highly frustrating as a bit of Googling reveals that this issue has been around for years / many releases of Maya, yet left unfixed.

[adenne]

Why is this marked as solved? Its not.

[BenediZ]

you were right, it only was for me a „solution“, not a common solution. 

maybe you open a new thread.

try if it has to do somehow with two monitors and if it reoccurs when you take the preferences out (of course copying them before as backup). 

[laomusic_arts]

Here it is something that solved the question for me:

- Windows/Modelling Editors/Modeling Toolkit

All icons are back again!

Notice that this happened when change the render to VRay!
Examining closer the code itself, my error message was:

// Error: file: C:/Program Files/Autodesk/Maya2018/scripts/others/createMayaSoftwareCommonGlobalsTab.mel line 36: setParent: Object 'commonTabColumn' not found. //

Open the script in question, I have:

global proc setParentToCommonTab()
{
	// First set the parent to the correct tab layout.
	// Account for the special "all renderers" master layer layout
	// when we are using render layers
	global string $gMasterLayerRendererName;
	string $renderer = isDisplayingAllRendererTabs() ? $gMasterLayerRendererName : `currentRenderer`;
	string $tabLayout = rendererTabLayoutName($renderer);
	if (`layout -exists $tabLayout`)
	{
		setParent $tabLayout;

		// Now set the parent to the correct column layout
		setParent commonTabColumn;
	}
}

One may try to setParent to any like in here:

		// Now set the parent to the correct column layout
		setParent ..;
	}

 or even:

		// Now set the parent to the correct column layout
		setParent $commonTabColumn;
	}

Hope this help others !

Have fun!

[danielRTDU3]

Sorry my ignorance, but where do I find this script to alter it?

[BenediZ]

As far as I understand, the error message you see is telling you obviously the path. 

Go to the mentioned script there. 

I did not test this, I‘m not having currently that error anymore (using maya 2020 and two 4k displays). 

[danielRTDU3]

Doing some search, this error is related of having Vray set as default render engine, after moving back to Maya software, the error is gone.

[dietmarLA7UB]

Hi everyone!

I've just found a solution on how to get rid of this error in case you are using VRay. The simplest way for me was creating a custom MEL script, which gets sourced, when I initialize VRay (happens on Maya startup in our Pipline).

The solution was to globaly override 3 MEL functions which are used in createMayaSoftwareCommonGlobalsTab.mel script, adding a "return", if current render engine is VRay.

My script file is attached. Feel free to use it or diff it if you are suspicious about the script 😉

The script is for Maya2020. Maya2018 version of createMayaSoftwareCommonGlobalsTab.mel is slightly different, so be patient about what you are patching.

[xxinss7]

Thanks very much youre my god

[laomusic_arts]

Hi!
You are welcome!

I am on Artstation;

https://www.artstation.com/laomusicarts