Iray renders now black (No light source error)

Joltrast

Well everything has been going pretty peachy for months with 4.8 and now when I go to render anything in Iray it renders black (even with the default camera in the scene). Anyone know what's happened and how I can fix it please? Thanks in advance! (I don't have GPU render capabilties at the moment).

Error:

Iray INFO - module:category(IRAY:RENDER):   1.0   IRAY   rend info : Device statistics:
Iray INFO - module:category(IRAY:RENDER):   1.0   IRAY   rend info :     CPU (8 threads): 38 iterations, 0.399s init, 15.392s render
Iray INFO - module:category(IRAY:RENDER):   1.0   IRAY   rend info : Updating geometry.
Iray INFO - module:category(IRAY:RENDER):   1.0   IRAY   rend info : Using built-in ray tracing.
Iray INFO - module:category(IRAY:RENDER):   1.0   IRAY   rend info : Geometry import (1 object with 136K triangles, 1 instance yielding 136K triangles) took 0.029792
Iray INFO - module:category(IRAY:RENDER):   1.0   IRAY   rend info : Updating materials.
Iray INFO - module:category(MATCNV:RENDER):   1.0   MATCNV rend info : found 115 textures, 0 lambdas
Iray INFO - module:category(IRAY:RENDER):   1.0   IRAY   rend info : Updating lights.
Iray INFO - module:category(IRAY:RENDER):   1.0   IRAY   rend info : Updating object flags.
Iray INFO - module:category(IRAY:RENDER):   1.0   IRAY   rend info : Updating caustic portals.
Iray INFO - module:category(IRAY:RENDER):   1.0   IRAY   rend info : Updating decals.
Iray INFO - module:category(IRAY:RENDER):   1.0   IRAY   rend info : Using interactive scheduling, architectural sampler unavailable, caustic sampler disabled
Iray INFO - module:category(IRAY:RENDER):   1.0   IRAY   rend info : Rendering with 1 device(s):
Iray INFO - module:category(IRAY:RENDER):   1.0   IRAY   rend info :     CPU (8 threads)
Iray INFO - module:category(IRAY:RENDER):   1.0   IRAY   rend info : Rendering...
WARNING: dzneuraymgr.cpp(261): Iray WARNING - module:category(IRAY:RENDER):   1.9   IRAY   rend warn : CPU (8 threads): no light sources / environment shaders contributing to lighting
Iray INFO - module:category(IRAY:RENDER):   1.8   IRAY   rend info : CPU (8 threads): Scene processed in 0.137s
Iray INFO - module:category(IRAY:RENDER):   1.9   IRAY   rend info : CPU (8 threads): Allocated 12 MB for frame buffer
Iray INFO - module:category(IRAY:RENDER):   1.0   IRAY   rend info : Received update to 00001 iterations after 0.428s.
Iray INFO - module:category(IRAY:RENDER):   1.0   IRAY   rend info : Rendering...
WARNING: dzneuraymgr.cpp(261): Iray WARNING - module:category(IRAY:RENDER):   1.9   IRAY   rend warn : CPU (8 threads): no light sources / environment shaders contributing to lighting
Iray INFO - module:category(IRAY:RENDER):   1.8   IRAY   rend info : CPU (8 threads): Scene processed in 0.000s
Iray INFO - module:category(IRAY:RENDER):   1.0   IRAY   rend info : Received update to 00002 iterations after 0.873s.
Iray INFO - module:category(IRAY:RENDER):   1.0   IRAY   rend info : Using interactive scheduling, architectural sampler unavailable, caustic sampler disabled
Iray INFO - module:category(IRAY:RENDER):   1.0   IRAY   rend info : Rendering with 1 device(s):
Iray INFO - module:category(IRAY:RENDER):   1.0   IRAY   rend info :     CPU (8 threads)
Iray INFO - module:category(IRAY:RENDER):   1.0   IRAY   rend info : Rendering...
WARNING: dzneuraymgr.cpp(261): Iray WARNING - module:category(IRAY:RENDER):   1.9   IRAY   rend warn : CPU (8 threads): no light sources / environment shaders contributing to lighting
Iray INFO - module:category(IRAY:RENDER):   1.8   IRAY   rend info : CPU (8 threads): Scene processed in 0.000s
Iray INFO - module:category(IRAY:RENDER):   1.9   IRAY   rend info : CPU (8 threads): Allocated 12 MB for frame buffer
Iray INFO - module:category(IRAY:RENDER):   1.0   IRAY   rend info : Received update to 00001 iterations after 0.288s.
Iray INFO - module:category(IRAY:RENDER):   1.0   IRAY   rend info : Rendering...
WARNING: dzneuraymgr.cpp(261): Iray WARNING - module:category(IRAY:RENDER):   1.9   IRAY   rend warn : CPU (8 threads): no light sources / environment shaders contributing to lighting

BeeMKay

What are your render settings and environment settings?

Tobor

When odd things like this happen, be sure to exit D|S and restart your PC. Often, the problem goes away on its own, but if it doesn't, the next step is to create a new scene (not load an old scene). Click the Defaults button in the Iray render panel to return everything to factory settings, add a character, and try again. If it's still not rendering and you're getting those errors, you may wish to review your content directories to be sure everything can be located by D|S.

 

Joltrast

Well here's an update. I tried rendering more new scenes this morning. Gen, Gen2, Gen3. No light source, just the default camera. Scene set at 800x1000. All rendered black with similar error messages. Last night the Material ball wouldn't render either. I closed down DS this morning started a new scene and DS has reverted the render setting 1:1 512 x 512, the Material Ball rendered and so did all my figures. I changed my render settings back to 800x1000 and everything seems to be working again.

Now I would have been pointing the finger at RAM or some kind of memory leak had it not produced the same problem when I opened it up for the first time this morning. So, I'm stumped. As I side note, will a nVidia card play nicely alongside an AMD or do I need 2 nVidias? After this problem I intend to max out my RAM and buy at least one nVidia card.

SpottedKitty

Joltrast said:

Well here's an update. I tried rendering more new scenes this morning. Gen, Gen2, Gen3. No light source, just the default camera.

This means your scene should be lit by the default Headlamp on your camera, and the default Environment light. Could you have switched these off? Select the camera, go to the Parameters tab, and click on Headlamp to see the controls. There's also a general scene setting in Render Settings>General that can turn off this automatic Headlamp. For the Environment light, look at the Render Settings tab and click on Environment.

Note that there's also a Preview light, toggled on and off by <ctrl>-L — this works similarly to the Headlamp, but it does not render, it only lights up the Viewport.

Tobor

Well, you should get into the habit of restarting your machine now and then, no matter what programs you use, as it helps with all kinds of transitory problems. Life is too short as it is to worry about where a memory leak might be coming from.

SpottedKitty is correct in that if you have things set to intentionally have no lights (primitive or geometry), headlamps, or environment lighting, then you will indeed get a black render, because you've effectively told Iray to render inside a dark cave. Here's at least one way that could happen:

A) No scene lights

B) Scene Only (no environment map HDRi and no Sun/Sky will result)

C) Auto Headlamp set to Never.

When I suggested hitting the Defaults button, that resets B and C so you now have some sources of light. 

mark_010bcbe4

You coulod be rendering under the ground plane...  try setting draw ground plane to off