xGen Error -- No Locations Have Been Created

[Anonymous]

I've used xGen in Maya 2015 a little in the past and things have worked pretty well. But suddenly today I'm getting an error message and the splines I create do not render any hair. This is the error message in full: "// Warning: XGen(Tip):  No Preview Visible. The Description is set to use locations, but no locations have been created. "

I'm not sure how I associate locations with descriptions. I create a description through the xGen window. I'm selecting splines, at points I specify, with placing and shaping guides. I'm able to attach the splines to the model. And the collection and description show up in my Outliner window as well as in the project file's xgen folder. Yet, when I press the "Update the xGen Preview" button, no hair is generated. And if I just do a traditional render, no hair is rendered.

Does anyone know what this error message means and why I can't get xgen to create hair?

Thank you in advance.

[pshwayka · Accepted solution]

Hi geoTho,

With the options you've chosen, you would need to first need to place your splines with the "add or move guides" tool, and then use the "Specify Points" in the Generator Attributes section so that the generated primitives show up exactly where you want them to. However, I've never been able to get that workflow to work with any kind of consistency.  In the initial XGen setup, I prefer to use the Splines/Randomly across the surface/Placing and shaping guides option...which may have been how you did it before when you had success.

[Anonymous]

Thank you. That seemed to fix it. I must have used "Randomly across surface" option in the past without realizing it.

[pshwayka]

I had a feeling that was the case.

Glad you're back on track.