This article provides guidelines on how to properly prepare error reports.
Overview
As with any piece of software, it is possible that users occasionally face bugs like artifacts, crashes, errors, or others. In such cases, we highly recommend contacting the Chaos Support team.
The Chaos Support team will investigate the report, determine the cause and where possible - provide a suitable workaround, so that you may continue working on your project, while our teams resolve the issue.
To make the process as smooth and efficient as possible, it is greatly appreciated when sufficient information is provided. This guide provides tips and instructions on how to report a bug to our team so that we can best assist you.
Submitting a Report
Make research prior to reporting: the issue might’ve already been discussed and fixed. A
simple research in the Chaos Forums or a quick Google search can help you find a solution or
a workaround.
1. Describe the issue in detail
Keep it brief, but clear. A shortlist of steps to reproduce the issue is always helpful, and feel free to provide any additional information. Be precise - make sure to report the exact names of features, functionalities, UI element states, and options.
2. Provide information about the environment
V-Ray version and Build number
To find a detailed guide on where to find the exact V-Ray version information for each host platform, please visit: How to Find Chaos Product Version
Example - V-Ray 5 (5.00.05 build 00001)
The exact software build version helps identify the state of the code in which a potential bug is located.
Host platform
Be specific about the host platform version you are using, e.g. 3ds Max 2021.3, SketchUp Pro 2018, Rhino 6, etc.
3. Provide reproduction steps
Provide an extensive list of steps to reproduce the issue. Let us know if the issue is only reproducible with a specific existing scene, or on any scene, for example in a fresh new scene. Make sure to try the steps yourself after describing them to make sure Chaos Support is going to get the same result. Explain what the expected outcome should be after following the steps if there was no issue. For example, the rendered result should be less bright, or there should not be an error at step 5, or similar.
4. Provide a screenshot or record a video/gif
A picture is worth a thousand words. Attaching a screenshot that clearly illustrates how the issue looks like when it is reproduced will help ensure that Chaos Support is on the right track.
Recording a video of the screen showing each step is just as easy and is quite helpful. There are a number of free and easy-to-use screen-capturing tools on the internet.
5. Provide log files and/or Crash Dump files
These steps should supply the Chaos Support team with sufficient information to work with. If a bug is reproduced, it is added to the internal bug tracking system, from where the developers pick up the case. Otherwise, the Support team will request additional information.
The V-Ray log files are usually located in the workstation’s Temp folder.
- Windows: C:\Users\<Username>\AppData\Local\Temp (or type %temp% in the file explorer’s address bar) and look for the latest .log files by checking the time of their creation. For example:
- Linux: /tmp/
- macOS Example - Users/***/.ChaosGroup/V-Ray\ for\ SketchUp/VRayForSketchUp.log
Providing files
Any file that can help identify and replicate the problem is useful. It ensures that the report is well understood by the Support team and sets a focus point when working on the issue’s reproduction. For example, when having trouble with animation flickering, provide a few rendered frames where the flickering is visible.
There are a few key files that you should always attach:
- Render output
- Project files
Providing the project files is essential for reproducing the problem. They act as a foundation when working on an issue’s fix. Make sure to include all external assets that are crucial to replicating the issue - such as proxy files, textures, or simulation caches.
Include any assets used by Third-party plugins such as ForestPack, MultiScatter, Yeti, etc. in the scene if they are relevant for the reproducing of the issue.
Submitting the data
A few tips on how to forward the data to Chaos Support:
- Package the data - use any convenient archive type such as .zip, .7z, etc.
- Provide the means of accessing it (e.g. sharing permissions, login and password, when required);
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- Sending files via email: make sure the data is packed and send the file directly through the mail attachments.
- Sending files via a file-sharing platform: any platform of your choice (such as WeTransfer, DropBox, Google Drive, OneDrive, iCloud, etc.) is acceptable, simply send us the download link.
- In cases where the project files are large and cannot be sent through any of the above-mentioned methods, the Chaos Support team will provide access to secure servers, where the data may be uploaded