When i try to render a file in my home directory, using MegaPOV 0.5a, I
get the following output:

Persistence of Vision(tm) Ray Tracer Version 3.1g.ump.0.5a (UniMegaPov
0.5a).u
<snip>
Creating vista buffer.
Creating light buffers...
File init error.
Error opening output file.
$

However, when I run it su, it renders.  Got any suggestions?

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David F wrote:
> 
> When i try to render a file in my home directory, using MegaPOV 0.5a, I
> get the following output:
[snip]
> However, when I run it su, it renders.  Got any suggestions?

Looks like POV tries to output the image someplace where you don't have write
permission as regular user. Perhaps you have set the default output directory
(with the Output_File_Name INI option) to such a location?

-- 
Margus Ramst

Personal e-mail: mar### [at] peakeduee
TAG (Team Assistance Group) e-mail: mar### [at] tagpovrayorg
Home page http://www.hot.ee/margusrt

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Margus Ramst wrote:

> David F wrote:
> >
> > When i try to render a file in my home directory, using MegaPOV 0.5a, I
> > get the following output:
> [snip]
> > However, when I run it su, it renders.  Got any suggestions?
>
> Looks like POV tries to output the image someplace where you don't have write
> permission as regular user. Perhaps you have set the default output directory
> (with the Output_File_Name INI option) to such a location?

There was no Output_File_Name INI option in my .povrayrc, should there be one?

>
> --
> Margus Ramst
>
> Personal e-mail: mar### [at] peakeduee
> TAG (Team Assistance Group) e-mail: mar### [at] tagpovrayorg
> Home page http://www.hot.ee/margusrt

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On Sun, 03 Dec 2000 21:52:57 -0600, David F wrote:
>
>> Looks like POV tries to output the image someplace where you don't have write
>> permission as regular user. Perhaps you have set the default output directory
>> (with the Output_File_Name INI option) to such a location?
>
>There was no Output_File_Name INI option in my .povrayrc, should there be one?

I don't have one in my file, and it works fine.  Try specifying the 
output path on the command line like:

x-povray -ilights.pov -o/home/sjlen/pov/lights.ppm -W800 -H600 -a

You probably want this stuff in a directory within your home directory
otherwise it'll get messy very quickly. 

Then try: 

$ touch somefile.test  

and see if you get a permission denied error. 

-- 
Cheers
Steve              email mailto:ste### [at] zeroppsuklinuxnet

%HAV-A-NICEDAY Error not enough coffee  0 pps. 

web http://www.zeropps.uklinux.net/

or  http://start.at/zero-pps

  4:20am  up 54 days,  6:44,  2 users,  load average: 1.10, 1.21, 1.33

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Let's make a couple of things clear:

  Povray always outputs to the directory where povray was run from (usually
you run it from the same directory as your .pov file is, so the image will
be created in that same directory). Unless, of course, specified otherwise
in some .ini file (although I don't see any reason for doing this).

  By default povray outputs to a file with the same name as the .pov file
only changing the extension to reflect the image format used.

  One reason for povray to fail creating the output file is that the user
doesn't have write permission in the current directory (pwd). It can also
be that the output file exists and the user doesn't have write permission
for that file (although this is a very rare case usually).
  There might, however, be other reasons as well.

  If you render something with povray, just make sure that you are in the
directory where the .pov file is, it's a directory owned by you (so that
you have write permissions) and that's it.
  A povray config file with some default settings wouldn't hurt either
(you can create it in your home directory with the name .povrayrc and
it's just an ini-file, ie. it's syntax is the same as in an ini file).
You'll probably want to put some +L commands in there, as well as specifying
your preferred image format and also things like: +v +d +p +x10 +b50


  Btw: Why everyone always suggest a HUGE command line for unix povray?
Short is beautiful.

-- 
main(i,_){for(_?--i,main(i+2,"FhhQHFIJD|FQTITFN]zRFHhhTBFHhhTBFysdB"[i]
):_;i&&_>1;printf("%s",_-70?_&1?"[]":" ":(_=0,"\n")),_/=2);} /*- Warp -*/

Post a reply to this message

Warp wrote:
> 
>   Btw: Why everyone always suggest a HUGE command line for unix povray?
> Short is beautiful.

	Precisely because you can't assume what anyone has in his own
ini files (either *.ini or $HOME/.povrayrc). Addind the relevant command-
line option will always supersede the default settings and are also the
fastest way to show how you manage the stuff by yourself. In some case it
can also make someone remember of an option that is "rarely" used.
	In principle I agree that "size does not matter" ;-)


*** Nicolas Calimet
*** http://pov4grasp.free.fr

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On Sun, 03 Dec 2000 21:06:16 -0600, David F wrote:
>When i try to render a file in my home directory, using MegaPOV 0.5a, I
>get the following output:
>
>Persistence of Vision(tm) Ray Tracer Version 3.1g.ump.0.5a (UniMegaPov
>0.5a).u
><snip>
>Creating vista buffer.
>Creating light buffers...
>File init error.
>Error opening output file.
>$
>
>However, when I run it su, it renders.  Got any suggestions?
>

Try the following patch to get a meaningful error message.

BTW, for those who run public render farms: I just noticed that the
Error function uses sprintf on a fixed size buffer. It may be possible
to overflow this buffer and run arbitrary programs. Make sure the user
running povray doesn't have more than the rights he absolutely needs!

	hp


--- povray.c.orig	Thu Jun  1 14:43:52 2000
+++ povray.c	Mon Dec  4 20:03:46 2000
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@
 *****************************************************************************/
 
 #include <ctype.h>
+#include <errno.h>
 #include <time.h>     /* BP */
 #include "frame.h"    /* common to ALL modules in this program */
 #include "povproto.h"
@@ -1445,7 +1446,8 @@
               &Frame.Screen_Width, &Frame.Screen_Height, Buffer_Size,
               WRITE_MODE) != 1)
         {
-          Error ("Error opening output file.");
+          Error ("Error opening output file `%s': %s\n",
+		 Actual_Output_Name, strerror(errno));
         }
         CHANGEFILETYPE
       }
@@ -1456,7 +1458,8 @@
             &Frame.Screen_Width, &Frame.Screen_Height, Buffer_Size,
             WRITE_MODE) != 1)
       {
-        Error ("Error opening output file.");
+        Error ("Error opening output file `%s': %s\n",
+	       Actual_Output_Name, strerror(errno));
       }
     	 CHANGEFILETYPE
         
--- render.c.orig	Fri Sep  8 22:18:40 2000
+++ render.c	Mon Dec  4 20:00:51 2000
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@
 *
 ******************************************************************************/
 
+#include <errno.h>
 #include <time.h>
 #include "frame.h"
 #include "vector.h"
@@ -857,7 +858,8 @@
         &Frame.Screen_Width, &Frame.Screen_Height, opts.File_Buffer_Size,
         APPEND_MODE) != 1)
     {
-      Error("Error opening output file.\n");
+      Error("Error opening output file `%s': %s.\n",
+            New_Fname, strerror(errno));
     }
 
     return;




-- 
   _  | Peter J. Holzer    | Es war nicht Gegenstand der Abstimmung zu

| |   | hjp### [at] wsracat      | Zahlen neu festzulegen.
__/   | http://www.hjp.at/ |	-- Johannes Schwenke <jby### [at] ginkode>

Post a reply to this message

I'm really showing my newbie status, but what am I supposed to do with this?

"Peter J. Holzer" wrote:

> On Sun, 03 Dec 2000 21:06:16 -0600, David F wrote:
> >When i try to render a file in my home directory, using MegaPOV 0.5a, I
> >get the following output:
> >
> >Persistence of Vision(tm) Ray Tracer Version 3.1g.ump.0.5a (UniMegaPov
> >0.5a).u
> ><snip>
> >Creating vista buffer.
> >Creating light buffers...
> >File init error.
> >Error opening output file.
> >$
> >
> >However, when I run it su, it renders.  Got any suggestions?
> >
>
> Try the following patch to get a meaningful error message.
>
> BTW, for those who run public render farms: I just noticed that the
> Error function uses sprintf on a fixed size buffer. It may be possible
> to overflow this buffer and run arbitrary programs. Make sure the user
> running povray doesn't have more than the rights he absolutely needs!
>
>         hp
>
> --- povray.c.orig       Thu Jun  1 14:43:52 2000
> +++ povray.c    Mon Dec  4 20:03:46 2000
> @@ -32,6 +32,7 @@
>  <snip>

Post a reply to this message

Nicolas Calimet <pov### [at] freefr> wrote:
: 	Precisely because you can't assume what anyone has in his own
: ini files (either *.ini or $HOME/.povrayrc).

  Yes, of course, but if you give them only the huge command line, they may
learn a bad habit that will only make their life harder (ie they will always
write the huge command line... then they will make an alias... then they
will make several aliases for different renderings...).

  IMO, the best way is to teach the shortest command line needed for rendering
and that all the default settings should be put in $HOME/.povrayrc.
  For example, when I make quick test renders, I just type:

xmegapov -i test +sp8

  I have a default image size of 320x240, which is a good compromise between
image size and rendering speed.
  If I'm making a final image, I write something like:

xmegapov -i test -w800 -h600 +a0.1


  Tip:
  There's an easy way of creating a full ini file with all possible setting
in an easy-to-read form:

povray +GIyour.ini

  Then you can edit 'your.ini' and put your preferred default values (and then
perhaps copy it to $HOME/.povrayrc).

-- 
main(i,_){for(_?--i,main(i+2,"FhhQHFIJD|FQTITFN]zRFHhhTBFHhhTBFysdB"[i]
):_;i&&_>1;printf("%s",_-70?_&1?"[]":" ":(_=0,"\n")),_/=2);} /*- Warp -*/

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On Mon, 04 Dec 2000 22:49:42 -0600, David F wrote:
>I'm really showing my newbie status, but what am I supposed to do with this?

Save the message with the patch to a file (e.g., "/tmp/errmsg.patch")

Get the povray sources, if you don't have them already, and unpack them.

Go to the source directory (cd povray31/source)

Invoke the patch command:

    patch < /tmp/errmsg.patch

It should mumble a bit about successfully applying some hunks, and if
you look into povray.c and render.c afterwards, you should see the new
error messages there.

Recompile povray as explained in the file CMPL_Unix.doc.

	hp


-- 
   _  | Peter J. Holzer    | Es war nicht Gegenstand der Abstimmung zu

| |   | hjp### [at] wsracat      | Zahlen neu festzulegen.
__/   | http://www.hjp.at/ |	-- Johannes Schwenke <jby### [at] ginkode>

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