Dragn Droppin's

[Dragneye]

abt computer - what would be helpful next round is I'm definitely adding something that can tell me the temperature the puter is running at all times so i maybe can avoid an impending crash. Right now... there's usually a lite double click i hear in its guts and then it fails a few seconds to a minute later. The last time there was an unusual slowing down of function right before it crashed.
The crash is, the puter goes black or totally freezes but it's still running. The screen says no signal. Hitting the Off button doesn't respond and I have to pull the plug and cut the power at the outlet. When I later put everything back on there is no problem... until it conks out again sometime later.
So... analysis. Originally I thought it was over-heating, but wouldn't that shut down the whole puter or does it stop working but still run? Any input anyone?
My best guess is...when the CPU is processing at 100% that's when it falls apart. Usually when in render mode, but i have rendered stuff that didn't reach 100% CPU usage, it finished the whole thing (1/2 hour) with no problems. Later on it crashed probably from something else. It also seems to crash when I'm moving or adjusting things quickly (it has to process fast).

AMD FX 8350 8 core 4 Ghz
16 gigs memory
Lepa G 700 W power supply I think
MSI

Bought my last 2 puters from iBuypower. Though have read some negative reviews (shoddy workmanship mostly) i have had no problems when their products arrived. Except... both systems have failed around 2 yrs later.

Any input appreciated cuz this has frozen my enthusiasm for animating.

abt animating - I am still refining the process but most times... I block in placement of rig in timeline every 20-30 frames or so, then adjust the rig going thru the list of body parts from core outwards (set extreme pose), then do it once or twice more while refining where i start to use the graph editor, then take care of intermediate frames using the same process,refining the details on all.


Basically, PLACE, REFINE, REFINE, REFINE, FINAL
F curves create their own extra process as I find once i change it anywhere, i have to key the whole animation for the changes, adding an extra layer of work. I avoid when i can.
I have been enamored with the Grease Pencil, to the point of making animations with it, but that to me is like starting to learn a new way of painting/animating, taking me away from what I'm trying to excel in now so maybe in time i will attack that. I might use it here and there in the layout stage (for correct placement arc) but need to study it more.
In short, I do Layout (placement of rig base in scene), then adjust body parts, starting with core items like hips, chest, with the final stage being almost exclusively Graph Editor.
That last clip I shared was mostly upto the Place, Refine, Refine process... I am working on a finished clip to share

How about you Draise? I love 'talking shop'. That's what made me better at using trueSpace back when.

PS: Draise, I may have mis-spoken. Am i right in thinking that when you say 'f curves' you're talking about adjusting keys in the Graph Editor? I may have mixed it up with something else. - Anyway, usually root/base i have as Linear, everything else is mostly Bezier interpolation, unless I have to change it.

[Finis]

Current system. Try re-seating everything that plugs into a slot. Memory too. Also power cables. Pull them out, blow some air in there, put them back. Be sure all the fans are running. Get and use software to monitor temps, control fans, and test memory. Do full virus scan and rootkit scan. That's just what I would try before taking it to a pro to be checked out. Power supply problem maybe? Test with one from another computer.

Clicking sounds. Sounds precede a slow down followed by on (fans going?) but unresponsive computer. I suspect hard drive trouble.

Heat. AMD cpu's are notorious for running hotter than Intel. I'd say an FX 8350 might need a water cooler if it is running hot. My system can protect itself by slowing down and it can power off (instantly not normal shutdown) if it got stellar. I think that is typical for newer systems. That hasn't happened though ... max speed and the fans spin up and it stays 55C to 60C which is probably not best for long life but ok short term. My new video card can slow down too but stays cool at max speed. So if your slow down is heat related it could be way too hot or it could be self protection.

My previous system was 8 plus years and still going fine. Lots of cpu rendering.

[Dragneye]

It shut down again last night. I wasn't doing anything serious but it just decided.
I was watching to see if the fans in front stopped and if it did it when using CPU but, it shouldn't have stopped and it happened too quick without warning.
It's liquid cooled, has excess power to spare almost always, and thelast 3 puters crapped out roughly every two years.
I think i have an issue

When it auto shuts against high temps, does it turn off or just black out but guts still running like I have? What's the norm?

My guess is the hard drive too. Dunno
Any insight appreciated.

PS: In my previous post I was talking abt having to key for more things, I was talking abt FK/IK. But we were talking about F curves. My mistake Draise.

[spacekdet]

For what it's worth, I had some weird freezes/crashes like that.
I'd added a new HD.
Turns out I'd plugged my SATA cables in incorrectly- they were labeled in order but I'd skipped a slot because it was tricky to get the cable plugged in and I didn't think it would matter. It seems like it did, because after I noticed it and rearranged the cables it hasn't (knock on chipboard faux wood) frozen since. *Note I also had to go into BIOS on startup and make sure by boot order reflected the new SATA cable setup.

[Finis]

So it is a zombie not powered off when the thing happens. Overheating would probably happen in a predictable amount of time after starting the machine or beginning a heavy cpu load since with flawed cooling the cpu would heat steadily. If it is heat could be the pump on your liquid cooler (envy ) isn't working well.
Zombie mode suspects:
- Hard Disk
- Memory (use test program)
- Loose connections (unplug blow replug everything one-at-a-time, boards, wires ...)
- Bad or malevolent software (scan)
- Overheating without self protection (unlikely due to randomness)

Zombie vs. power off from heat:
Self Protection: fans spin up, not cool enough so cpu slowed down, approaches dangerous heat anyway so power off. Nothing running.
Unprotected: fans spin up, still heating, zombie mode since the cpu has malfunctioned but other things are good. Very hot physical damage could happen. Could slow down first.

Use programs to monitor temps and test memory to confirm or eliminate them as a culprits. Your mobo manufacturer probably has monitor/control programs to download or on the cd/dvd that came with it. Gamers know what 3rd party monitor/controllers are good.

Still messing up? Time to take your computer to a professional. Cost money but gets it done right. Maybe get a pro now and avoid the do-it-yourself trouble. Back up your stuff.

@Spacekdet, "chipboard faux wood" ha ha ha.

[Dragneye]

Dat's what I thought; if heat issue it totally shuts off.

The few times I caught it, the CPU was maxxed out.
I just came from Best Buy. Saw the GTX 1070 in a brand new box... I wiped a lil drool. I wish I knew more to just change this stuff myself, but still mixing up what is CPU (that's like the 'hard drive'? 'Drive C' for example... right?) and GPU (that always means 'video card', right?) so... don't want to do more harm than good. I did open it up after the first two crashes and dusted what I could... it still crashed later. I reverted to an older Blender version but no better.

Been avoiding d... it sucks when ya gotta sweat if your rig, file, puter is gonna burp.
Been avoiding doing any real rendering (CPU maxxed) just so I can get Sumtin done.
I get the feeling it max's out when lighting is added to the scene.

Anyway, with my previous post in mind I picked the last clip from the vid I shared to go thru the process of what the result of each stage looks like. I recorded 'Refine 1'. More to come.

[Finis]

Since your aren't a hardware fiddling guy just take it to a pro. Back up your files.

However, diy, try maxing the CPU with other software.

Your system is plenty powerful. Healthy it should have no problem with long renders or other heavy work. Yeah 1070, drool! I got a 1060 for rendering (I mean it, I don't have games installed). It is great. Though I'm a beginner with Blender I did find out how to get cycles to use it. Fast.

CPU = central processing unit = computer's brain = your FX 8350
Drive/Disk = where your files are stored, C: etc.
GPU = graphic processing unit = video card's brain(s)

[Dragneye]

Hey, big hug Finis for the info.
Is not Drive 'C' (which most of us have it as) the same part as the CPU? Are they different parts in the computer?

[Steinie]

CPU = Central Processing Unit ---->The Brain or Main processor chip
Drive C would be a partition on your HardDrive platter. Each partition you might have on the harddrive has a letter.

[Saul]

Perhaps you already solved this but we had similar sounding problem on an Intel computer that turned out to be an Adobe flash player thang!
Uninstalling flash and turning off Adobe auto update, cured it.