Why doesn’t it work?!?
This page is aimed at students who are encountering technical problems.
Below are some common technical problems plus some possible solutions: Remember that when troubleshooting technical problems there are several basic steps to try first of all:
- Google it. You are very very unlikely to be the first user to experience the problem. Someone, somewhere on the web, will most likely have a solution.
- Quit Maya (or any piece of software that is malfunctioning) and start again. Maya is temperamental; sometimes you need to shut it down and re-start it.
- Re-start your computer. 50% of technical problems can be solved with a re-start.
- Close your computer down and start it up again. Sometimes this works even where a re-start has failed.
- Ask other Apprentices. Our Facebook Classroom is a friendly forum to post problems and queries. Don’t be shy to ask for help!
I managed to download the videos but I can’t open them. What should I do?
A: This is most likely to be a problem for Mac users. Make sure you have the latest version of QuickTime (we recommend buying QuickTime Pro) installed on your computer. If that fails, try using a different movie player, such as VLC, Real Player, Windows Media Player, or MPlayerX. If that doesn’t work, try this Mac troubleshooting page. If you are having Codec problems, try downloading the k-lite codec pack.
I managed to download the video file but I can only play audio, not video
A: See answer above. Most likely this is a codec problem that can be fixed by updating your software.
I have done all that and I still can’t open the videos!
A: Try opening up the video in Quick Time, then trim the first couple of frames off it, then save it as a new file. Now try opening the saved file in Quick Time, VLC, Real Player, or Windows Media Player.
My Maya file is too big to send as an email attachment – what should I do?
Most maya files are small enough to send via email, but on occasion you will find that you have a larger file size. In this case it is better to use a file sending service. We recommend wetransfer ; it is free to sign up and very simple to use.
Maya just crashed! What can I do?
Maya is like any piece of sophisticated software – it can be unstable, and it crashes often. You should save your work every ten minutes as a precaution – this is good industry practice. If you are experiencing a lot of crashes, try re-booting your machine, or turning it off and then on again. Check the message boards – there are a lot of threads on this subject.
I just tried to install the Parent Master plugin on my Mac, and it doesn’t work. What can I do?
Many plugins for Maya are harder to install on a Mac. This includes the Parent Master plugin. Try this blog post here for a solution: http://animationapprentice.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-parentmaster-great-free-plugin-for.html