Chapter 3

Installing XSI

Installation Overview

  1. Start the Setup program—see Starting the Setup Programs.
  2. (Windows only) Choose whether you want to install XSI locally (Local Install) or install a server copy of setup and auto–configure all local installations (Server Install)—see Setting Up to Install from the Network (Windows).
  3. Enter your user name and company, and then enter information about your XSI reseller or dealer, if applicable.

    4. This info will appear in the About XSI box, so that it will be close at hand if you need it.

  4. Choose a destination folder for where you want XSI installed—see Setting the Installation Location.
  5. Choose a typical, custom or render slave setup. For more information, see Choosing a Setup Type.
  6. Specify the path for the user directory. At this step, you can also choose to migrate your preferences from earlier installations of XSI. See Setting the User Path and Migrating Preferences.
  7. Confirm your settings.

    8. The Setup program copies the files to the location you specify.

  8. Select a port for mental ray to use when communicating with other computers during rendering sessions—see Choosing a TCP/IP Port for mental ray.
  9. Enter the name of your license server—see Selecting the License Server.

Choosing a Local or Server Installation (Windows Only)

If you need to install XSI on many computers, you can simplify the process by using the network install feature to automate your setup procedure. You can install a server copy of setup and auto–configure all local installations.

Note  

It is recommended that you disable any antiviral programs before running the network install.

Once you have accepted the End User License Agreement (EULA), you are prompted to choose the type of installation you want to perform: Local Install or Server Install.

Setting the Installation Location

Once you have accepted the End User License Agreement (EULA) and you have entered information for your name, company, and Softimage reseller, you are prompted to choose a destination folder for the installation of XSI.

Installation Paths

Windows

Avoid using spaces as part of the install path name. These may cause the installation to fail. You will be prompted to choose a different installation path.

%SI_HOME% is the environment variable pointing to the directory in which SOFTIMAGE|XSI is installed. You must be working in the SOFTIMAGE|XSI Command Prompt for this variable to be recognized. To find the value of %SI_HOME%, in the SOFTIMAGE|XSI Command Prompt type: 

echo %SI_HOME%

IRIX and Linux

Avoid using non-alphanumeric characters such as !, @, or # as part of the install path name. These are reserved characters in the IRIX and Linux operating system and may cause the installation to fail.

$SI_HOME is the environment variable pointing to the directory in which XSI is installed. To find the value of $SI_HOME, type the following command in a winterm: 

echo $SI_HOME

Running XSI Remotely

You can set up a shared installation of XSI. The setup process is different depending on the platform you are running.

Linux and IRIX

In a Linux or IRIX environment, you can install XSI on a shared drive and users can run XSI remotely from their own workstations without requiring a local install of all the files.

Although the initial startup time is a bit slower when accessing XSI remotely, once XSI is up and running, it performs the same as if you were running locally.

To set up a shared installation

On the machine from which you want to run XSI, do the following:

  1. Change directories to the location of the shared drive.
  2. Source the .xsi_3.0 environment script from the shared location.
  3. Start XSI.

The first time you run XSI from the shared drive, your local registry is automatically updated and the necessary preference files and per-user data structure is created.

Note  

You can have a local install of XSI on a machine from which you also want to access a remote installation of XSI of the same version.

However, you will have to delete the registry file in the user account and source the .xsi_3.0 file again before starting XSI.

You will have to do this each time you switch between the local and remote installation from the same machine.

Windows

In a Windows environment, you can install XSI to a shared drive on the network and then run the XSI Client setup to install a “thin” XSI on local machines, without requiring a full installation of all the software files.

To set up a shared installation

On the machine from which you want to run XSI, do the following:

  1. Run the XSI Client Install program.
  2. Click Yes to accept the End User License Agreement (EULA).
  3. On the following screens, enter information for name, company, and reseller or dealer.
  4. Specify the location where XSI was installed.

    5. Enter a Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path to a shared folder on the local computer or on the network, such as \\buzz\infinity\. Click Next.

  5. Specify a destination folder for the XSI client. Click Next to copy a small number of .dlls and update the registry of the client.

Choosing a Setup Type

Choose a Typical Install, Custom Install, or Render Slave setup type (see description of each below). When you choose an option the software components are installed first. After the installation you are prompted to define your licensing environment (if you have not already done so).

Note  

To install the SOFTIMAGE|XSI SDK components, you must choose the Custom Install option.

Typical Installation

If you select Typical Install, the Setup program prompts you for the directory in which to install XSI and then automatically starts installing components that have already been selected to represent a “typical” installation.

When the installation of all the files is finished, you have to choose a port for mental ray—see Choosing a TCP/IP Port for mental ray.

Custom Installation

If you select Custom Install, the Setup program prompts you for the directory in which to install XSI, then allows you to choose the XSI components you would like to install. Use this option if you know exactly which components you want to install or if you want to save disk space.

You can also use Custom Install to add components which were not installed previously.

When the installation of all the files is finished, you must choose a port for mental ray as described in Choosing a TCP/IP Port for mental ray.

Render Slave Installation

Choose the Render Slave option to install the mental ray software on the machines you want to use for distributed rendering only.

When the installation of all the files is finished, you must choose a port for mental ray as described in Choosing a TCP/IP Port for mental ray.

Also refer to Chapter 6: Distributed Rendering for complete details on how to set up a distributed rendering environment.

Setting the User Path and Migrating Preferences

During setup, you can specify the user path as well as migrate your preferences and customizations from previous installations of XSI.

Setting the User Path

The user path is the location where your preferences are stored, together with customizations such as toolbars, presets, commands, and so on.

Note  

On Linux and IRIX, the default user path is your home directory. We do not recommend that you change this.

To change the user path

Migrating Preferences

The User’s preferences migration dialog box automates the copy and registration of your preferences from a previous version of XSI providing you with an easy way to maintain your custom toolbars, add-ons, etc. from version to version.

The XSI Setup program detects any user preferences available from previous installations of SOFTIMAGE|XSI and gives you the option to automatically migrate these preferences to the current running installation of XSI.

All preferences that are saved and stored in your users folder are migrated. These preferences include your custom toolbars, layouts, commands, events, presets, scripts, and SPDL files.

To migrate your preferences
  1. Activate the Migrate check box.
  2. In the path selection box, select a path from where you want to migrate your preferences. All preferences are migrated from this path to the currently running installation of XSI.

    3. If a preferences path does not display in the selection box, click Browse and locate the path in the browser that appears.

  3. Click Next to continue the installation process.
To migrate your preferences at the command line

If your migration fails or you choose to skip the migration of your preferences during the Setup process, you can migrate preferences later using command line options.

For information on how to migrate preferences from the command line, see XSI Startup Options in Chapter 2 of the Fundamentals guide or type xsi -h at the command line to display all startup options and switches.

Choosing a TCP/IP Port for mental ray

If this is the first time you are installing XSI on your computer, the Port Selection dialog box will appear. You must select a port for mental ray to use when communicating with other computers during rendering sessions.

By default, the Setup program automatically selects port 7003 for use with XSI. If you need to specify a different port, select Edit Port Number and either enter a new port number or click Next Free Port to find the next available port.

Note  

All computers in a distributed rendering network must run the same version of the mental ray software and use the same TCP/IP port number.

It is particularly important to use the same TCP/IP port number if you are distributed rendering across different platforms. Any port number greater than 1024 is recommended.

See Chapter 6: Distributed Rendering for complete details on how to set up a distributed rendering environment.

Note  

(IRIX and Linux systems) After you have selected the port for the mental ray service, you are notified that the /etc/inetd.conf file will be modified for mental ray.

After the port is selected, you must select a license server—see the next section, Selecting the License Server.

Selecting the License Server

After the Setup program has installed all the files to your hard drive, you must specify the name of your license server. This name is added to the SPM_HOST variable (in the setenv.bat file located in Softimage/XSI_3.0/Application/bin folder for Windows or the .xsi_3.0 file on IRIX and Linux).

Regardless of whether you are installing as a license server or client, you must enter the exact name of the SPM server.

  1. After you install the software, the following dialog box appears:



  2. By default, SPM’s TCP/IP service is defined at port 7050 and the server name is blank. Enter the name of the server in the License Server text box. For example, if you type buzz, Setup tries to connect to the license server called buzz on port 7050.
  3. Click Test to check the server. This validates the server name, verifies that you can connect to the server and ensures that you can perform a license check-out. A message appears stating if the server was reached.

    4. You can leave the server name text box blank if you don’t want to set the SPM_HOST variable yet. To edit the SPM_HOST environment variable in the setenv.bat (Windows) or .xsi_3.0 (IRIX and Linux) file, see Modifying Configuration Files with User Tools.

    An error message appears if you click Test without an installed SPM license server. This is normal if you have not yet configured your server because the Setup program cannot check out a license as part of the test.

  4. If the server was successfully reached, click Add. This adds the server name that you specified to your SPM_HOST variable.
  5. To add more than one server to the list, enter another computer name and click Add again. Click the Next button to cycle through the server names you have set.
  6. Click Done when you’re finished. The Setup program displays the settings to which the SPM_HOST variable will be set. Click Done to confirm.

Setting Up to Install from the Network (Windows)

You can install a copy of the XSI Setup program on your server and run the setup from any workstation (even remotely if you want through a telnet window), installing it to a default location with the predefined setup options.

To do this, run the XSI Setup and select the Server Install option, along with the other installation options to log them to a profile.

Clients can update XSI automatically by launching a silent install from their machines. The install runs based on the profile file that contains all the options chosen during the initial network setup.

Creating a Profile for Network Installation

  1. Run the XSI Setup program.
  2. Click Yes to accept the End User License Agreement (EULA).
  3. You are prompted to choose the type of installation you want to perform: Local Install or Server Install. Click Server Install.



  4. On the following screens, enter information for name, company, and reseller or dealer.
  5. The Setup program prompts you for the directory where all the setup files are to be copied.

    6. Enter a Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path to a shared folder on the local computer or on the network, such as \\buzz\infinity\. Click Next to copy the setup files to the specified location.



  6. Select a Setup type: Typical Install, Custom Install, or Render Slave (see Choosing a Setup Type for a description of each) and click Next.
  7. Enter a name for the profile and click Next.



    8. The profile is a configuration file (*.ini) that contains the information you provide during the setup process such as company name, type of installation (typical, custom, render slave), Port number for mental ray, update of the ray service, SPM port number, SPM Server name, etc. This is the file that clients run to install XSI on their machines and it sets all the appropriate options.

  8. Specify a path for the index file and click Next. This is the directory in which you want the index file to be created.



    9. The index is a configuration file (*.ini) that contains information about where the XSI setup files are located and the version of XSI that will be installed. The default path is the same location as the profile and setup files.

    The profile and index are created and copied to the specified location, along with the setup files.

  9. You are then prompted to choose a TCP\IP port number for mental ray. See Choosing a TCP/IP Port for mental ray and follow the remaining instructions as described. At the last installation screen, click Finish.

Installing XSI on the Client

Clients can run setup and install XSI using the - profile option for a silent install. The command and its options must be run from the location where the server setup files are located.

Modifying a Profile

The profile is a configuration file (*.ini) that contains the information you provide during the setup process such as company name, type of installation (typical, custom, render slave), Port number for mental ray, update of the ray service, SPM port number, SPM Server name, etc. This is the file that clients run to install XSI on their machines and it sets all the appropriate options.

You can modify and create multiple profiles for specific situations (for example, a computer where XSI will be installed on a different drive). It is recommended that you make a copy of the profile file before making any modifications.

When you install using a profile, there is no user interface so the installation can be run via telnet and no user interaction is necessary.

Usage 

setup.exe -help
setup.exe [-installpath:<path_name>] [-noreboot]
setup.exe [-profile:<filepath_name>] [-installpath:<path_name>] [-noreboot]
setup.exe [-uninstall] [-noreboot]

Options

-noreboot
Prevents the client machine from rebooting at the end of the installation.
-profile:filepath_name
Specifies the profile file to use for the silent install.
-installpath:path_name
Specifies the path to where the application is to be installed.
-uninstall
Forces an uninstall of the application without prompting the user.
-help
Displays help.

Adding and Removing XSI Components

After you’ve installed the XSI software, you can run the Setup program to add or remove any or all of the XSI components. For example, you may want to remove some files that are not essential to operating XSI, such as databases, flipbooks, custom effects, and demos, to free up space on your hard disk.

You may also want to add a file that you did not install during the initial setup or that you had previously removed. Any time you start the Setup program after XSI is installed, it automatically opens in maintenance mode.

You must exit XSI before running the Setup program. Make sure to back up any personal or Softimage user-configurable files (such as the DatabaseSys.rsrc file) before you remove all of the software.

  1. From the Start Menu (Windows) or the Toolchest (IRIX), choose Softimage Products > SOFTIMAGE XSI 3.0> Setup.

    2. On Linux, run the setup from the /usr/Softimage/XSI_3.0/ folder. A Setup dialog box in which you can select maintenance options appears.



  2. From the dialog box, select one of the following options:
    • Modify opens a dialog box in which you can select the product components that you want to either add or remove.
    • Repair reinstalls all components installed by the previous setup.
    • Remove removes all previously installed components and returns you to the Program Manager window.

Installation Troubleshooting

Installation Setup Log

The installation setup log lets you view information about options set and events that occurred during the installation of XSI. The installation setup log file is called install.log and can be viewed by clicking the View Log button in the SOFTIMAGE|XSI User Tools program window.

You can also open this file in a text editor. The install.log file is saved in the /Softimage/XSI_3.0/Setup directory. For more information, see Viewing the Installation Log.

Common Installation Problems

No splash screen or poor refresh and slow interaction in XSI (Windows)

When you try to open XSI, you do not get the splash screen or the interface. You may also be experiencing poor window refresh, inaccurate wireframe colors, and slower interaction.

In this case, you have the wrong graphics card driver installed. To run your Softimage product effectively on Windows, you need to have a graphics accelerator card that is Windows Hardware Quality (WHQL) certified and supports OpenGL.

Refer to the Softimage web site at softimage.com for a list of the latest supported graphics cards. Contact your hardware vendor or hardware manufacturer for the correct driver.

Display performance is poor with multiple OpenGL views open

Symptom

Shaded mode display, the animation mixer, the animation editor, and other OGL views seem sluggish or exhibit poor performance.

Cause

It is possible you have not turned off the Vertical Sync option for your graphics card.

If this option is not disabled, then your maximum refresh rate will be the vertical retrace frequency divided by the number of OpenGL views open. For example, if you have a refresh rate of 85Hz and five OGL views are open, the best refresh rate you could get would be 17Hz.

Solution

In the Advanced Display settings for your graphics card, turn off the option to synchronize buffer swap to the Vertical Sync. It should be set to something like Always off or Off by default. You will have to restart XSI.

Not running a supported video mode (Windows)

You see an XSI command prompt and a Fatal Error message telling you that you are not running a supported video mode.

From the Control Panel reset the Display settings to 1280 × 1024. Set the Color Depth to True Color.

Cannot connect to any SPM license server

This means that SPM_HOST environment variable is not set correctly. Make sure that it points to a valid SPM license server. SPM_HOST is set in the environment script called setenv.bat (on Windows) and .xsi_3.0 (on IRIX and Linux).

Error loading type library/DLL

During setup initialization you may get the following error message:

Setup failed to launch installation engine: Error loading type library/DLL.

Cause

The most likely cause of this error is deleting the stdole32.tlb file from the machine, such as by removing some other application. The stdole32.tlb file is part of all 32-bit Windows versions and should never be removed. This problem is caused by a corrupted Windows installation (missing core file).

Solution

Reinstall the stdole32.tlb file and make sure it stays put!

The following error is displayed during the SOFTIMAGE|XSI software installation: 

comcat was unable to register itself in the system registry

Any attempt to start XSI then fails, displaying this error message: 

Incomplete installation. Due to an installation 
problem, not all the dlls registered properly.
Cause

This problem is caused by a mismatch between the Comcat.dll and Ole32.dll files on your system.

Comcat.dll is used to register .dll and .ocx files during installation and must match the Ole32.dll version (Ole32.dll being one of the system32 DLLS required by XSI).

Solution
  1. Locate the files in the WINNT\System32 folder, then right-click them and choose Properties.
  2. On the Version page, ensure that the version numbers for both the comcat.dll and ole32.dll files are identical.
  3. If the version numbers do not match, rename the comcat.dll file to comcat.old and copy an appropriate version of comcat.dll, either from another machine on your network or from your Operating Systems Installation CD.

    4. Your Windows OS sales representative can also provide you with the required file.

How do I install TCP/IP on a standalone Windows system (with no network card)?

To install TCP/IP on a machine that doesn’t have a network card, you have to install the Microsoft Loopback Adapter. The loopback adapter is used for those machines with no network card but need network protocols and other network related items. XSI cannot run if the TCP/IP protocol is not installed.

On Windows 2000
  1. Choose Start > Settings > Control Panel > Add/Remove Hardware. Click Next.
  2. Select Add/Troubleshoot a device and click Next.
  3. Select Add a new device and click Next.
  4. Select No, I want to select the hardware from a list. Click Next.
  5. Select Network adapters and click Next.
  6. In the Manufacturers box, click Microsoft. In the Network Adapter box, click Microsoft Loopback Adapter and click Next.
  7. Click Finish.

You should then configure the device with an IP address, etc. If you select DHCP, it uses an address 169.254.x.x/16 (subnet mask 255.255.0.0): as no DHCP server can be contacted, there is no actual network connectivity.

On Windows NT
  1. Right-click Network Neighborhood and choose Properties.
  2. From the Adapters tab, click Add and select MS Loopback Adapter from the list. Click OK.
  3. On the MS Loopback Adapter Card Setup screen, click OK to accept the default of 802.3.
  4. You are prompted for the path to the NT Setup files. Click Continue when the path is correct.
  5. Click Close.

Now you can configure the MS Loopback Adapter.

  1. Choose Start > Settings > Control Panel > Network.
  2. On the Protocols page, select TCP/IP and click the Properties button. The Microsoft TCP/IP Properties dialog box opens.
  3. Make sure the MS Loopback Adapter is the Adapter selected and enter 127.0.0.1 for the IP address. The Subnet should already be 255.255.0.0 — change it to this if it isn’t. Click Apply.
  4. When prompted to restart the computer, choose Yes.

Uninstalling XSI from the command line leaves files and directories behind (Windows)

Cause

A currently running process cannot delete itself.

Solution

To solve this problem, Windows provides an executable which, when running, allows other executables to delete themselves. The shortcut in the Windows Start menu uses this to uninstall XSI properly.

To uninstall XSI properly from the command line, type the following (assuming you installed to C:\Softimage): 

C:\WINNT\System32\RunDll32.exe 
C:\PROGRA~1\COMMON~1\INSTAL~1\engine\6\INTEL3~1\
ctor.dll,LaunchSetup 
"C:\Softimage\XSI_3.0\Setup\setup.exe"