Holli Rausch

I know it seems like I only post when I’m angry or frustrated. But those are the only times I have something “interesting” to say.

My previous post showcased some of my 3D models for my exterior environment assignment. I have a sad announcement. Most of those files have been lost forever.

It began on Friday. I was going to start merging my buildings (because I had finished them all) into my landmass, but needed to see what the sizes were for each one; so I started opening up each .max file. To my horror, the Post Office failed to open. Then, the church. Fortunately, I had saved sequentially (postoffice-01, postoffice-02, etc), so I was able to open up the second to last most recent file. Unfortunately, I didn’t save sequentially as often as I should have (I saved every hour, at best). On the Post Office, I lost about 45 minutes. On the church, about two to three hours (needless to say, I ended up remaking it). I tried to remap these objects, but the png files I had mapped on the object were not working.

I went into Photoshop and tried to open the .psd file of the .png. It failed to open. So did the .png. So three related files failed to open. But these files should not affect each other. I mean, the .psd file isn’t linked in any way to the .max file. The .png is kind of linked, but still should not be affected. I know it isn’t coincidence that these particular files don’t work, but it just doesn’t make any sense because they’re not connected to each other. I remade the Photoshop file and the png and once the .max file was done, I remapped it to these files. Annoying.

Today I worked on it a little during another class (with the same professor) because I was done with my project in that class. I tried to open the pharmacy, negative. I tried the Rausch TV Shop, rejected. The only common denominator for all of these .max files is that they have an “unwrap UVW” modifier on them. But that shouldn’t cause the problem. To remake the Pharmacy and TV Shop would take about 30 minutes because of their simplicity.

Then, the unthinkable happened. My brown house (the one with curtains and lamp in the windows) failed to open. There isn’t even an “unwrap UVW” modifier on this file, so now there is no common denominator. I immediately went to Photoshop. Every single .psd and .png failed to open. I went back to Max and opened the second-most-recent file. It worked, but it’s far behind. You don’t want to know how many hours “catching up” on the house will set me back, so don’t read the next sentence. Six.

I went to the green house. (Last Wednesday when Miles, David, and Dan went to 300, I worked on this house. I added curtains and a couch in the windows.) The file opens, and it looks the same as the picture I have of it in my previous post…no curtains and couches! I go to Photoshop, and those files don’t have curtains or couches in them! But they work, at least. Remaking them will set me back another three hours.

So, I have at least nine hours of work ahead of me, just to get to the point I thought I was at last Friday. I know none of you know anything about 3Ds Max and can’t offer any help for recovering these files so that I don’t have to remake them. But I’m hoping on the very very very slim off-chance that someone runs across this blog by tomorrow morning and knows how to fix it.