Help needed with this error

[Steve G]

I have created a new track and when I try to export it into rfactor I recieve this "Can't export Object reference not set to an instance of an object."
So what does this mean and what do I need to do to fix it.
The BTB version 0.8.9.1.

 

[Johannes Rojola]

When I had that error last time, it was because one vertex was accidentally moved to some astronomical location. Check out your terrain mesh for any anomalies.

 

[Steve G]

Its strange but all tracks even ones I have already exported before with out issues,now the last to tries have resulted in that error.
And to make it a bit more interesting the older version did the same thing.

 

[gwaldock]

This may indicate a problem with the ".scn" file. All mesh files (objects) must be defined within an "Instance=" statement; they cannot be listed in any other manner. It is possible that one or more "Instance=" statement became truncated and somehow orphaned an object; the Compiler would identify this as "Illegal" code and then abort the export process.

The following is an example of a very simple (but "Legal") Instance Statement; I have indicated the Statement itself in BOLD type, the mesh / object is UNDERLINED and the object's properties are in Italic type.

Instance=usa_flag
{
MeshFile=usa_flag.gmt CollTarget=False HATTarget=False ShadowCaster=(Static,Solid,256,256)
}

I suggest that you examine your ".scn" file (I use Notepad++ but any text editor will suffice) in order to verify that the basic structure of all statements constitutes legal code. You should also be certain that commenting characters ( // ) are not "commenting out" any necessary portion of a statement:

// THIS IS STILL A VALID STATEMENT BECAUSE THE TEXT YOU ARE READING NOW IS "INVISIBLE" TO THE COMPLIER
Instance=usa_flag
{
MeshFile=usa_flag.gmt CollTarget=False HATTarget=False ShadowCaster=(Static,Solid,256,256)
}

// THIS IS NOT A LEGAL STATEMENT BECAUSE THE "Instance=usa_flag" IS "INVISIBLE" TO THE COMPLIER
// Instance=usa_flag
{
MeshFile=usa_flag.gmt CollTarget=False HATTarget=False ShadowCaster=(Static,Solid,256,256)
}

Clear as mud, right?

 

[Kennett Ylitalo]

I just got that message too. Previously i have just made a backup project and then start to eliminate objects. First i removed all SObjects as they were the last imported objects. Then walls and objects, after that i deleted terrain, then all tracks one by one.. So i had 0 objects/meshes and still getting an error complaining about objects..

Then i found the culprit: AIW !!! It was the same AIW that was exported just moments before with success so i really couldn't think that it was that.. I've had previously the same with cams, one cam was thrown so far that btb crashed when i tried to center to it (don't remeber how i solved that, i think i just managed to delete the cam fast enough ... Never had this with AIW, not to mention i didn't even touch it and there was no change in terrain or roads.. Weird.. I still have one faulty copy of the project if i want to analyze it further. I do think that it was one of the XGates bugging as they are objects too..

I have resolved this issue many times by simply editing any part of terrain, save and restart BTB. BTB did something funny just before i had that bug: i had one invisible SObject, i have seen this one many times with walls and SObjects. It happens when opening a project without restarting and only when i have edited wall/sobject in the previous session but it usually vanishes by itself if i click any other wall/sobject. That invisible wall/sobj can also be moved or deleted, the latter i usually use. This time the invisible sobj was excatly in the same location than grandstand sobject so i didn't notice it first, just wondered why the grandstand sobj didn't move when i dragged it's nodes.

I had also a faulty XPack at one point causing debugger to start communicating with me: I did housecleaning on that new XPack and erroneusly deleted one material path that the project still used. I don't think it was that issue here bugging as the project did export after i solved that.