How To Fix Maya

How to fix maya - reset Maya, rescue disappearing objects, and more.
1/6/15, 11:17 AM
TUTORIALS
HOW TO FIX MAYA

GALLERY | DECEMBER 31, 2013 | JAMES TAYLOR | 13 COMMENTS
Now we know where to find our crash save files. But chances are good that whatever caused that
file to crash once, will make Maya crash again. What causes these problems, and how do we deal
with them? Read on to learn how to fix Maya when it breaks.
Like all hugely complicated software programs, Maya has lots of problems! The first step in learning to fix Maya is to start understanding how Maya thinks.
As I lay out each technique, I will explain the thinking behind it as well. When the next new problem
pops up, youll be better equipped to try to diagnose and fix it!
Fixing the magical disappearing object

When a magician makes something disappear, its fun! When Maya makes something disappear, its
infuriating.
This technique will deal with any problem specific to an object not just disappearances. If your
http://methodj.com/how-to-fix-maya/
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object is behaving strangely, follow these steps!
Mesh Combine technique

1. We start with our object. This guy is angry at Maya.
2. Create an ordinary polygonal cube (or any polygon object) and move it off to the side, somewhere that you can see it.
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3. Select the cube first, then shift-click the broken model. The order you choose the models in is important! The cube must be selected first.
Both are now selected, so go to the Mesh menu and Combine them.
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4. Now our two meshes are one, with a new name like PolySurface60.
5.Go to Face mode, and delete the faces of the cube!
6. Your original mesh is the only thing left standing.
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7. Last, do a Delete by Type > History.
How does it work?

What weve done here is tried to make Maya forget whatever was causing the problem.
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We create a brand new poly object, which we know works fine.

Then we combine the objects. We are trying to trick Maya into forgetting whatever was causing
the problem with our original object, and instead replace that with the good history of the new
polygon object.
Then we get rid of the poly faces and delete our history. Hopefully Maya has forgotten the issue!
If it didnt, then try the next step!
Exporting to FBX
The FBX file format is a pretty robust one. It is the shared file format that lets us move objects and
scenes from one Autodesk package to another. Used to be, getting something from Maya to Max
was near impossible!
1. Select the object in question and in the File menu, choose Export Selection.
2. This window will pop up. At the very bottom, switch the file format to FBX export. Then save it
where ever.
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3. Create a new file, and then do a File > Import. Our object should pop up, and hopefully our problems are fixed!
How does it work?

Again, were trying to make Maya forget whatever issue it has with our object. The FBX format carries a lot of data, but hopefully whatever glitch is stopping Maya isnt transferred.
But what if that doesnt fix it? Time to go caveman.
Exporting to OBJ
Were going to try exporting again, but this time with a different file format The old
Wavefront OBJ format.
1. Same as before File menu, choose Export Selection.
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2. However, in this window, where we switched to FBX format, well see that there is no OBJ format.
By default it isnt enabled!
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3. We need to open the Window menu, then go to Settings/Preferences. Then, go to the very bottom of the Settings/Prefs menu and open the Plug-in Manager.
This window will pop up. Find objExport.mll and check the box next to Loaded. You can also
check Auto load, if you want to load the OBJ plug-in every time Maya starts.
4. Repeat step 2, but this time choose OBJ and export.

5. Create a new Maya file, and import the OBJ file. Hopefully the problem is fixed!
How does it work?

Whereas FBX is a robust modern format, OBJ is an old format that doesnt support many features.
Thats why its our last resort OBJ will save our mesh and our UVs, and usually our materials, but
thats it. Complex shaders or skin nodes will be left behind.
What if that doesnt do it? Time for the big guns.
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Nuke the site from orbit: Reset Maya

We are going to reset Maya back to factory specs. It will be exactly like the first time we ever
opened the package!
1. CLOSE MAYA! Maya must be shut down for this to work!
2. YOU CLOSED MAYA, RIGHT? Are you sure? There should be no instances of Maya running.
When Maya closes, it saves the pref files, so if you delete the prefs before closing Maya, youre
wasting time.
3. Go to the Maya prefs folder.
For Windows, its in \Documents\Maya\[version number, like 2013-x64]\prefs
For Mac, its in /users/[username]/Library/Preferences/Autodesk/maya/en_US/[version number, like
2013-x64]/prefs
4. Select all the files in that folder and delete them.

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5. Restart Maya. If it worked, well see the welcome screen, the annoying movies pop-up, etc.
We will see that Maya is back to its default user interface. Any custom menus, shelves, marking
menus, or hotkeys are gone! If you want to keep those, copy the appropriate files from that prefs
folder before you delete. You can reinstate them afterwards.
How does it work?

At this point, Maya has been reset to its default state. And weird glitches it picked up should be
gone. The thinking is that somewhere in one of our preference files, something was causing Maya
to act flaky. By getting rid of those preferences outside of Maya, we remove the detrimental behavior.
BONUS: HELP why is my object green???

If your object turns this particular shade of green:
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That means that the material that was assigned to that object has been deleted. Assign a new material to the object!
Like a soap opera

You may have picked up on the theme of making Maya forget things. Thats how I think about it. If
there was a way to induce permanent amnesia in Maya I am convinced it would work better.
Working as an instructor, Ive seen more than my fair share of Maya problems. If you run across
any problems that you cant solve this way, just drop me a comment!
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Where does Maya save crash files?

In "Tutorials"
FEATURED
MAYA PROBLEM
1/6/15, 11:17 AM
Maya Character Modeling Tutorial

In "Tutorials"
MAYA TUTORIAL
Maya UV Unwrapping tutorial

In "Tutorials"
TROUBLESHOOTING
13 THOUGHTS ON HOW TO FIX MAYA

Shannon Stevenson
JUNE 27, 2014 AT 7:23 PM
James,
Id like to thank you for helping me NOT throw my computer (Maya) out the window!
Disappearing objects luckily since Im still learning I havent had to deal with this too much.
But the info I could find about it was: If the object is showing up in the Outliner but the vert
count is zero Guess what, toots? Youre outta luck!
Magically, I found your How To Fix Maya tutorial and it works like a charm! Instead of re-doing
all of todays work at 5pm on a Friday, now I can call it a day and have a margarita instead. The
first ones dedicated to YOU!
Cheers,
Shannon
P.S. Your artwork is amazing! Wow. Intimidating. It makes me feel like I should keep working
through the weekend.
James Taylor
JUNE 28, 2014 AT 11:42 AM
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Ha ha, glad I could help!
lucifer
AUGUST 7, 2014 AT 4:19 PM
None of that worked! Thats the best character Ive ever modeled.
James Taylor
AUGUST 7, 2014 AT 6:42 PM
What is the exact problem you are having with your file?
lucifer
AUGUST 8, 2014 AT 12:55 AM
Uh oh The admin chopped my comment and now it looks meaningless because it didnt
convey the mood I posted with Arrrggghh!
Anyway, I made a mistake and was undoing for several times (I guess I overworked maya,
plus my laptop is not a good device for 3D anim) all of a sudden the mesh just disappeared.
It shows in the outliner but when I selected it, it shows (on the viewport) as if I selected an
empty group and then I stupidly saved the file on the one I was working on thinking if I
restarted maya the problem would be fixed. Obviously not.
Anyway, Ive spent another painful 3-4hrs to model another character but, you could provide a solution, incase of next time.
Thank you
James Taylor
AUGUST 8, 2014 AT 10:29 AM
In the outliner, select the character node and try assigning a new material to it. Sometimes the material disappears, but the object is ok.
If that doesnt work, and you saved on top of your file, there isnt much you can do without a backup. Turn on Incremental Save in the Save option box, it automatically creates
backups for cases like this.
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Without seeing the file Im guessing, but I suspect you had a history node that broke
when you did an undo. In the future, regularly delete history on your object and Maya
should have less issues.
lucifer
AUGUST 8, 2014 AT 10:50 AM
Assigning new material was the second thing I tried but, thank you so much for your
time, I really appreciate. Ill turn on the incemental save and probably just create an
icon on the shelf for delete history
Cheers
James Taylor
AUGUST 8, 2014 AT 11:45 AM
Sorry! I know how frustrating it is to lose work. Thats how Ive discovered these
tricks over the years. The only thing I can say is that redoing your work means it is
usually much better than the first time through!
lucifer
AUGUST 8, 2014 AT 12:27 PM
Yeah, its true. I get better with every new thing I model, even if it is an eye ball. The
new model was better than the old one for sure I cant wait to animate.
jyaasa
SEPTEMBER 18, 2014 AT 6:10 PM
Hi James,
I have its not too late to ask for help/suggestion for a problem I am trying to solve.
So I am on a Mac OSX using Maya 13 (Student version) My problem is Batch Render. I am trying to do a Batch Render using MR, the Script Editor says, Rendering with Mental Ray
Doesnt do anything for a while, and give a dialog box saying there was an error. Later the
Script Editor also says Rendering Completed. Se console of more information. But nothing is
rendered.
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I can perform a render in the viewport using MR. And Batch Render works when Im using
Maya Software. I have tried batch rendering a very simple scene as well, nothing is rendered.
Please let me know what I need to do go move forward. I am stuck because of this issue.
Thanks.
James Taylor
jyaasa can you email/dropbox the file to me take a look at it? Assuming it isnt too huge, or
contains proprietary info. I started going down a checklist of things to check, it seemed easier this way. My email is at the top of the page, or you could share it via google plus
(https://plus.google.com/+MethodJTV)
computergraphmuseum
JANUARY 5, 2015 AT 7:22 PM
delete prefs
jyaasa
I also want to add that I tried deleting the files you mentioned above. That didnt work either.
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How to fix maya - reset Maya, rescue disappearing objects, and more.

Fixing the magical disappearing object

object is behaving strangely, follow these steps!

Mesh Combine technique

5.Go to Face mode, and delete the faces of the cube!

6. Your original mesh is the only thing left standing.

7. Last, do a Delete by Type > History.

How does it work?

We create a brand new poly object, which we know works fine.

How does it work?

Download Cleaner for Mac

4. Repeat step 2, but this time choose OBJ and export.

How does it work?

Nuke the site from orbit: Reset Maya

4. Select all the files in that folder and delete them.

How does it work?

BONUS: HELP why is my object green???

Like a soap opera

Where does Maya save crash files?

Maya Character Modeling Tutorial

Maya UV Unwrapping tutorial

13 THOUGHTS ON HOW TO FIX MAYA

Ha ha, glad I could help!

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