Receiving Messages
 
 
 

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The mental ray rendering software can provide detailed messages as it reads and renders a scene. You can use these messages to help you fine–tune for quality and performance. For example, keeping track of triangle count, etc.

You can choose to output any combination of the following message types by checking the corresponding checkbox:

When rendering from the command line, use the -verbose argument.

NoteTo write the verbose messages to a file, you must set command–logging to file in the Scripting Preferences.

Displaying Messages

Verbose messages are logged to the script editor, and/or the log file. To see the verbose output, simply open the script editor by choosing View Scripting Script Editor from the main menu.

Reading Messages

The following table will help you understand logged messages:

Message Code

Meaning

API

Construction elements in the scene database

DB

Storage management of elements in the scene database

DISP

Communication with real-time image views

ECHO

Print the scene database in .mi2 format to stdout

GAP

Geometry Approximation (tessellation into triangles)

GAPS

GAP scheduler that routes approximation requests

GEOM

Geometry modeling operations

GEOT

Geometry conversion for tessalation, a submodule of GAP

IMG

Image file access, disk read/write/map, and conversion

JOB

Job control

LIB

Library of mathematical (and other) functions

LINK

Dynamic linking of shaders and shader libraries

MAIN

Start-up and interpretation of the command line

MEM

Unstructured memory management

MI

MI scene file parser, converts text file into API calls

MSG

Low-level message passing and thread management

PAR

High-level parallel message routing

PHEN

Phenomenon (shader) management and evaluation

RC

Rendering component, front-end management module

RCB

RC submodule handling triangle boxes

RCC

RC submodule handling contours

RCGI

RC submodule handling caustics and global illumination

RCI

RC submodule handling scanline rendering and raytracing

RCS

RC scheduler that routes rendering requests

SCENE

Structured memory management

TASK

Parallel task management and loading

INVENTOR

Silicon Graphics Inventor real-time scene previewer (optional)

A

These letters correspond to the mental ray module that is supplying the verbose message. Modules are listed in the table above.

B

Two numbers separated by a period represent the number of the machine on the network (if distributed rendering) and the number of processors used during rendering.

C

This word defines the message level. Levels are: fatal; error; warn; info; progress (progr); debug; or verbose debug (vdebug).

D

These seven numbers correspond to the code number of the warning, error or fatal error.

E

The remainder of the verbose message is in English and specifies a warning or error.