LuxBlend25: Download, installation instructions, issues

[jensverwiebe]

Noticed that too since a while.
I guess it`s since the preview is updated again all the time by colourfield for example.
To verify just change a colour input very fast --> panel crash.
We need a additional check here.


Jens

[artao]

OK, look, seriously ... If you want people to use LuxRender with Blender, you need to make the installation as idiot proof as possible. I'm no idiot, and have not been able to get LuxRender to show up in Blender 2.59.
Win XP home SP3. Athlon XP 1800+. Blender 2.59. ATI Radeon X700 256Mb. Anything else?
So I grabbed the installer from the main website. I'm not interested in downloading a Graphicall build. I'm sick of constantly downloading Graphicall builds for various features, and ending up with 5+ versions of Blender on my computer. LAME! and irritating. Besides, to most end users, this is beyond the realm of "simple".
So I ran the installer. It asked me to point the installer to the Blender scripts directory, yet gave me NO indication of where that might be or what it's looking for. So I directed it (as referenced on some LuxRender howto page on this site) to the primary Blender/scrips/addons directory. LuxRender complained that this does not appear to be a primary scripts directory?? Huh!?!? It's the MAIN fricken scripts directory!!! I also tried the userprefs directory and got the same complaint.
OK, the installer SHOULD tell me which fricken scripts directory LuxRender is looking for. Even if Blender is installed in a non-standard place, the scripts directory structure is the same. PLEASE have the installer tell us WHERE the scripts want to be located within that structure.
As you may guess by this point, I can now find LuxRender NOWHERE within Blender. It is NOT an un-activated script either. It's just not there, anywhere.
SO!! Where the heck am I SUPPOSED to put the LuxRender scripts please? There should really be a constantly updated sticky regarding this, and, as I said, the installer itself SHOULD tell one where the scripts want to be installed. Not even remotely difficult to add those couple lines of text into the installer.
I'm rather a computer power user, and have been trying to turn some architect friends on to LuxRender. If I can't figure out how to get LuxRender to work, how the heck are THEY ever gonna figure it out when they really only know how to use their programs??
Sorry if I sound irritated, but I figured this would be pretty darn straight forward by now. Installing LuxRender to work with Blender has always been kinda a PITA, which I forgave since Blender itself was still not a stable release. Now that the python implementation has been 'frozen', since v2.57 even, I'da thought the LuxRender installation would be easy. Guess not.

EDIT: by the way, IF the solution to my problem is somewhere in this thread, forgive me for not reading thru 29 pages of posts. The solution SHOULD be always updated in the very first post of the thread. Searching through almost 30 pages of thread is an unacceptable "solution" ...

[Lord Crc]

Now that the python implementation has been 'frozen', since v2.57 even, I'da thought the LuxRender installation would be easy. Guess not.

While they've frozen a lot since 2.57 days, they have not frozen how they deal with user preferences/scripts. If you had installed 2.57 using the official installer it will pick up the location from the registry automatically. The reason it cannot pick up the correct scripts directory for later versions is because they have changed how they store crucial information in the registry since 2.57.

Unfortunately I've not had time to update the installer since then, and to be frank I'm not sure how to best deal with the rapid release schedule of Blender, given that they still break things between releases.

I've just done a manual install of 2.59 and the correct path to use is "C:\Documents and Settings\<UserName>\Application Data\Blender Foundation\Blender\2.59\scripts" (replace <UserName> with your user name).

The installer will complain that this may not be the correct directory, press Yes to accept it still (another one of the things they've changed since 2.57). After installing, launch blender and activate the add-on as usual. I have verified that this works on a clean XP install.

Hope this helps.

[artao]

Yep, doing a manual search of the Blender install (I use the zip version, as I prefer that) I found that there was an addons folder within the addons folder, in which was the LuxRender folder. Upon moving that out to the scripts/addons (instead of scripts/addons/addons) it works. You may want to update the "how to install" page as such, because it told me to point the installer to the scripts/addons directory .. which, as I discovered, created another addons directory in that one.
Please just addd a line to the installer that the CORRECT directory to point the installer to is "scripts" and NOT "scripts/addons". thanks

[Lord Crc]

Please just addd a line to the installer that the CORRECT directory to point the installer to is "scripts" and NOT "scripts/addons". thanks

Ah yes, the reason that it wants "scripts" is that it also installs the presets. I'll see if the installer can be a bit more intelligent regarding this.

[artao]

... apologies if i was a bit acerbic in my initial post been fighting cigarettes you see, tho that's no excuse. thanks for the responses

[Lord Crc]

... apologies if i was a bit acerbic in my initial post been fighting cigarettes you see, tho that's no excuse. thanks for the responses

No worries

It's a bit frustrating for us too that Blender changes so much so fast. I managed to get some time today to update the installers, they should now default to the correct script directory, at least for some time... I also added the clarification you mentioned, regarding "scripts" and not "addons", on the relevant page in the installer.

The down-side is that it can't really detect if you picked a bad one (like the current warning). Oh well... for most people it will be the good choice.

[art dekko]

I have just attempted to install Luxblend25 with a "simple" version of Blender 2.59. By simple, I mean no add-ons. I downloaded LuxBlend25 and followed the installation instructions in the wiki. Luxrender 0.8 is already installed. When I run Blender I see Luxrender checked under user preferences, but Luxrender does not show up as a choice in the title bar with Blender game engine or Blender render engine. Since I can't choose Luxrender, I obviously can't set the default path. This is what the system console is telling me:

found bundled python: C:\Program Files\Blender 2.59\2.59\python
[Lux 2011-Sep-12 17:22:43] Using pylux version 0.8
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "C:\Program Files\Blender 2.59\2.59\scripts\modules\addon_utils.py", line
256, in enable
mod.register()
File "C:\Program Files\Blender 2.59\2.59\scripts\addons\modules\extensions_fra
mework\__init__.py", line 350, in register
bpy.utils.register_class(cls)
TypeError: validating class:, Panel.bl_options expected a set, not a str
<!> event has invalid window

Any thoughts or ideas as to why Luxrender does not appear in the drop down, and how can I fix it?
Thanks

[J the Ninja]

2.59 meaning official 2.59 or latest svn? IIRC, 0.8 lb25 doesn't work with the Blender svn.

[art dekko]

2.59 meaning official 2.59 or latest svn? IIRC, 0.8 lb25 doesn't work with the Blender svn.

It is Blender 2.59.2, r40020, downloaded from graphicall.org.