Messages
Every message VecFlow can show, from bake errors to flow problems, with what each means and what to do.
VecFlow's messages show in a few places: the status bar for a moment (and Blender's Info log after), the status box under the Bake button, the flow's problems box, and notes in the panels. This page lists every one.
Paste a message from Blender into the box to find it: the names in it (your objects, events and numbers) don't need to match. Or type a few of its words. In the list, the coloured parts stand for names filled in when it shows.
- Error: something stopped. A bake that hits one stops (frames finished are kept); a flow problem marked as an error stops the flow baking until it's fixed.
- Warning: it went ahead, but not quite as you might expect.
- Info: what happened, or why a bake ran where it did.
- Status and Note: texts the panels show.
177 of 177 messages
Background bakes
Background bake failed: reason
Shown in: The bake's status box
The separate Blender stopped with an error. The reason is the error it gave; the frames it finished are kept. A bake here (In Background off) shows the same error with more detail in the bake's log.txt.
Could not start a background Blender: reason
Shown in: When baking (the panel and the status bar)
VecFlow couldn't run another copy of Blender. Check there's free memory and disk space, or turn In Background off and bake here.
Nothing was baked
Shown in: The bake's status box
The bake stopped, or failed, before its first frame was done. The old bake, if any, still plays.
Baked or Stopped after count frames in the background, count particles, in seconds s
Shown in: The bake's status box
Baking
'object' has no faces
Shown in: When baking (the panel and the status bar)
An object the bake needs as a surface (an emitter emitting from its surface or volume, a collider) has only vertices or edges. Give it faces, or pick another object.
'object' has no vertex group 'name'
Shown in: When baking (the panel and the status bar)
A setting names a vertex group the object doesn't have, perhaps since it was renamed. Pick one it has in the object's Data properties.
'object' is already baking
Shown in: Blender's status bar and Info log
Wait for the bake to finish, or stop it, before starting another of the same simulation.
'object' is already baking in the background
Shown in: Blender's status bar and Info log
Wait for the background bake to finish, or stop it, before starting another of the same simulation.
Bake failed: reason
Shown in: Blender's status bar and Info log
The bake stopped with an error. Frames finished before it are kept. The reason says what went wrong; the bake's log.txt, in its cache folder, has the detail.
Baking 'object' in the background
Shown in: Blender's status bar and Info log
Baking count particles object(s) in the background
Shown in: Blender's status bar and Info log
Collider 'object' has no faces to collide with
Shown in: When baking (the panel and the status bar)
Particles collide with faces. Give the collider faces (an edge loop or a curve has none), or convert a curve to a mesh.
Could not carry on from frame frame: reason
Shown in: When baking (the panel and the status bar)
Continue or Re-bake From couldn't read the state save. Bake from the start.
Emitter 'object' has no faces to emit from
Shown in: When baking (the panel and the status bar)
Emit From is Surface or Volume, and the emitter mesh has no faces. Give it faces, or set Emit From to the emitter's box.
Flow 'flow': problem
Shown in: When baking (the panel and the status bar)
The flow has a problem that stops the bake; the problem is one of the flow problems below. The flow's problems box in the sidebar lists them all.
Nothing more to bake: every particles object in the scene is baking or waiting
Shown in: Blender's status bar and Info log
Bake All found nothing new to start: every simulation is already baking or waiting its turn.
Nothing was baked
Shown in: Blender's status bar and Info log
The bake stopped, or failed, before its first frame was done. The old bake, if any, still plays.
Object 'name' was removed during the bake
Shown in: When baking (the panel and the status bar)
The particles object was deleted while it baked, so the bake stopped.
Pick a VecFlow particles object to bake
Shown in: Blender's status bar and Info log
Select a simulation (its particles object, or its emitter) before pressing Bake.
Saved file with count bake folder(s) in folder
Shown in: Blender's status bar and Info log
Saved file with count bake folder(s), but count baked frame(s) were missing
Shown in: Blender's status bar and Info log
Collect for Render couldn't find some frames on disk (deleted, or a bake that stopped short). The copy renders, but shows nothing on those frames. Bake again and collect again.
Scene 'scene' was removed during the bake
Shown in: When baking (the panel and the status bar)
The scene was deleted while it baked, so the bake stopped.
The GPU failed (reason), so the bake started again on the CPU
Shown in: Blender's status bar and Info log
Compute is Auto, and the GPU failed partway. The bake started over on the CPU and gives the same result, more slowly. See Compute: CPU and GPU.
The scene ends before frame frame
Shown in: When baking (the panel and the status bar)
Bake to Frame or Re-bake From asked for a frame past the scene's end. Move to a frame inside the range.
The VecFlow engine is not available for this system (reason)
Shown in: When baking (the panel and the status bar)
The extension has no engine for this system: an Intel Mac, a 32-bit system, or a part of the zip missing. Install the zip again; see Requirements.
There is no image called 'name'
Shown in: When baking (the panel and the status bar)
There is no state saved at frame frame to carry on from
Shown in: When baking (the panel and the status bar)
Continue and Re-bake From need a state save. Bake from the start, or save states more often (Save State Every).
VecFlow could not read its settings: reason
Shown in: When baking (the panel and the status bar)
The add-on and its engine don't match, most often after an update without restarting Blender. Restart Blender; if it stays, install the zip again.
Wait for the bakes to finish
Shown in: A button's tooltip, while it can't be used
Collect for Render waits until no background bake is running.
Baked or Stopped after count frames, count particles, in seconds s
Shown in: Blender's status bar and Info log
count particles were in events the flow no longer has
Shown in: Blender's status bar and Info log
A bake that carried on from a state save had particles in an event that's since been deleted. They're dropped. Bake from the start to have the flow as it is now from frame 1.
object: frame frame of frame
Shown in: Blender's status bar, while it bakes
Collect for Render
Pick another folder: this one holds the open file
Shown in: When baking (the panel and the status bar)
Collect for Render saves a copy of the file: pick an empty folder, not the one the open file is in.
Compute
'event' has more than count grounds, too many for the GPU
Shown in: Bake Settings, under Compute; or as the reason in a bake's status or error
One event has more than 8 Collide operators with Ground on. It bakes on the CPU instead (on Auto). Use fewer.
A liquid's colliders, more than count of them, are too many for the GPU
Shown in: Bake Settings, under Compute; or as the reason in a bake's status or error
A liquid collides with more than 32 objects. Join some colliders into one object, or bake on the CPU.
GPU baking needs an NVIDIA card, on Windows or Linux: a Mac bakes on the CPU
Shown in: Bake Settings, under Compute; or as the reason in a bake's status or error
This computer bakes on the CPU, which gives the same result.
No NVIDIA driver found
Shown in: Bake Settings, under Compute; or as the reason in a bake's status or error
There's no NVIDIA driver installed. If the computer has an NVIDIA card, install its driver (the 580 series or newer).
Ran on the CPU: the GPU failed (reason), so the bake started again there
Shown in: The bake's status box
The GPU failed partway through; on Auto the bake started over on the CPU. The result is the same.
The GPU failed earlier (reason)
Shown in: Bake Settings, under Compute; or as the reason in a bake's status or error
The GPU failed earlier in this bake, so the bake can't go on there. On Auto, it starts again on the CPU.
The GPU failed in call (reason)
Shown in: Bake Settings, under Compute; or as the reason in a bake's status or error
The GPU picked for this flow isn't in this computer: pick another, or set Compute to Auto
Shown in: When baking (the panel and the status bar)
The file names a card this computer doesn't have (it was set up on another one). Pick a card in Bake Settings ▸ GPU, or set Compute to Auto.
The GPU ran out of memory (count MB more wanted)
Shown in: Bake Settings, under Compute; or as the reason in a bake's status or error
The simulation doesn't fit on the card. Spread it over more cards (Cards), mesh the liquid's surface on another card (Surface On), lower the detail, or bake on the CPU.
The NVIDIA driver didn't start (reason)
Shown in: Bake Settings, under Compute; or as the reason in a bake's status or error
The driver is installed but didn't answer. Restart the computer; if it keeps happening, reinstall the driver.
The NVIDIA driver is too old for VecFlow's GPU code: it supports CUDA version, the kernels need CUDA version (driver series). Update the driver, or bake on the CPU
Shown in: Bake Settings, under Compute; or as the reason in a bake's status or error
Install NVIDIA's current driver, the 580 series or newer, and restart Blender.
There is no GPU to bake on: reason. Set Compute to Auto or CPU to bake on the CPU
Shown in: When baking (the panel and the status bar)
Compute is GPU Only and there's no card to use. The reason says why.
This build of VecFlow has no GPU code
Shown in: Bake Settings, under Compute; or as the reason in a bake's status or error
This system's engine bakes on the CPU only (macOS).
This flow can't run on the GPU (reason). Set Compute to Auto or CPU to bake it on the CPU
Shown in: When baking (the panel and the status bar)
Compute is GPU Only, and the reason stops this flow running on a card.
This machine has no NVIDIA GPU
Shown in: Bake Settings, under Compute; or as the reason in a bake's status or error
There's no NVIDIA card. The bake runs on the CPU.
Too many particles for the GPU
Shown in: Bake Settings, under Compute; or as the reason in a bake's status or error
The simulation is too big for the GPU's counters. Lower the birth rate or the lifespan, or bake on the CPU.
GPU is older than the RTX 20 series, which VecFlow's GPU code needs
Shown in: Bake Settings, under Compute; or as the reason in a bake's status or error
VecFlow's GPU code needs an RTX 20 or GTX 16 series card or newer. This one bakes on the CPU.
operator (in 'event') isn't on the GPU yet
Shown in: Bake Settings, under Compute; or as the reason in a bake's status or error
Flow editor
No particles object uses this flow
Shown in: The panel
No simulation has this flow in its Flow field yet, so nothing bakes it.
Pick it in a particles object's Flow field
Shown in: The panel
Select an event first
Shown in: Blender's status bar and Info log
Click an event in the flow editor, then try again.
Value Test, Influence and shaders
Shown in: The panel
Values each particle carries, for Set Value,
Shown in: The panel
Written to the text block 'VecFlow Flow'. Open it in a Text Editor
Shown in: Blender's status bar and Info log
Show Flow Description wrote the flow out as text. Switch an area to the Text Editor and pick 'VecFlow Flow' to read it.
Flow problems
Nothing is born: add a Birth operator to an event
Shown in: The problems box
A flow needs at least one Birth to make particles.
Rigid bodies float in a Liquid only with the engine's own solver: with this build the liquid flows through them
Shown in: The problems box
This engine build can't make rigid bodies float. Install the current VecFlow zip.
Smoke: 'collection' has nothing for the gas to go round
Shown in: The problems box
The Smoke and Fire panel's Colliders collection has no mesh objects in it.
Smoke: reason. Set Solver to VecFlow
Shown in: The problems box
NVIDIA Flow can't run this smoke. The VecFlow solver can.
The flow has no events. Add one in the node editor with Shift A
Shown in: The problems box
Open the flow (Edit Flow), and add an event with Shift A.
Two values are called 'name' (a vector's numbers are name_x, name_y and name_z)
Shown in: The problems box
Value 'value': a name is a letter, then letters, digits or _
Shown in: The problems box
Value 'value': that name is the particles' own: choose another
Shown in: The problems box
Names such as position, velocity and speed are taken. Pick another name for the value.
event: a Liquid flows on its own, so it can't take operator as well
Shown in: The problems box
A Liquid moves its particles itself; an operator that moves them too can't share its event. Move the operator to another event.
event: a Rigid Body moves on its own, so it can't take operator as well
Shown in: The problems box
A Rigid Body moves its particles itself; an operator that moves them too can't share its event.
event: a Struck Test is for rigid bodies: add a Rigid Body
Shown in: The problems box
event: no particles are born or sent here
Shown in: The problems box
Nothing reaches this event: add a Birth, or wire another event's output to it.
event: Speed below Position replaces its speed. Move Speed up
Shown in: The problems box
Position gives particles a speed of its own here (Speed Out, or Inherit Motion), and the Speed operator below it replaces that speed. Move Speed above Position.
event: operator along a curve needs a Birth above it in this event
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator comes from the event's liquid: add a Liquid
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator ends before it starts
Shown in: The problems box
Its end frame is before its start frame.
event: operator fills with the event's liquid: add a Liquid
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator holds particles born as a soft body lattice in this event; it has no Birth Soft Body
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator in a box needs a Birth above it in this event
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator must send its new particles to another event
Shown in: The problems box
Its wire goes back into its own event. Wire it to another event.
event: operator needs a direction
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator needs a value to set
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator needs a value to transfer
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator needs a vertex group
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator needs a wire from Spray, Foam or Bubbles to an event
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator needs a wire to the event its new particles go to
Shown in: The problems box
Wire the operator's output to the event its new particles start in.
event: operator needs an object
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator needs an object at its middle
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator needs an object or a collection to look for
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator needs an object to look toward
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator needs an object to measure to
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator needs an object with a surface to read
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator needs an object, a collection or the ground
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator needs the attribute to read
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator needs the event whose particles they go to
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator needs the other event to hear
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator sends to other events than its liquid's
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator takes its shapes from the Shapes collection's objects; 'object' has no mesh to make one from
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator takes particles where they go: this event's forces don't move them
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator: 'collection' has nothing for rays to hit
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator: 'collection' has nothing to collide with
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator: 'name' must be a number value
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator: 'name' must be a … value
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator: 'object' has no mesh to fill
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator: 'object' has no mesh to go to
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator: 'object' has no surface
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator: 'object' has no surface for rays to hit
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator: 'object' has no surface to collide with
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator: 'object' has no vertex group 'group'
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator: 'object' has no vertices
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator: 'object' is not a curve: pick a curve, text or hair curves object
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator: 'value' is a kind of value … can't take
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator: 'value' is a vector: pick a Part of it to test
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator: 'value' is a vector: weigh it by a number
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator: 'value' is one number: pick a Part of the vector
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator: 'value' is yes or no: set it by Chance
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator: a bake can't follow drivers or NLA strips: setting stays as it is when it starts
Shown in: The problems box
The bake reads keyframes, not drivers or NLA strips. Keyframe the setting instead.
event: operator: a soft body is held by a Soft Body operator in this event: add one
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator: a Sweep runs along the curve as the births go from their first frame to their last: the Birth above must Stop
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator: a value can't weigh it, so its Influence does nothing
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator: along a curve, it places all of the births above it, so its Influence does nothing
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator: along a curve, its setting stays as at frame frame
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator: an event takes one Follow Curve or Goal
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator: an event takes one Soft Body or Bind
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator: an event takes only one
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator: an image needs the UV map it's on
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator: Bank leans them into turns only with Keep Doing It on
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator: Blender can put shapes named 'name' and 'name' in either order, so bodies might not get the shapes they show. Name the Shapes collection's objects alike, such as Rock.001, Rock.002
Shown in: The problems box
Rigid bodies take their shape by its place in the Shapes collection. Name the objects in a numbered series so the order holds.
event: operator: Break Stretch must be above 1, or 0 never to break
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator: Break Stretch must be above 1, or 0 never to tear
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator: Distance must be above 0
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator: in a box, it places all of the births above it, so its Influence does nothing
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator: its Clamp Low is above its High
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator: its Lower limit is above its Upper
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator: Mesh Edges binds particles born on vertices in this event; it has no Birth On Vertices
Shown in: The problems box
Bind with Make Mesh Edges ties particles born by Birth On Vertices. Add one, or pick another Make.
event: operator: mist comes from spray: wire Spray too
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator: nothing is above number and below number
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator: Pieces binds particles born as pieces of a mesh in this event; it has no Birth On Pieces
Shown in: The problems box
Bind with Make Pieces glues pieces born by Birth On Pieces. Add one, or pick another Make.
event: operator: Remap needs two different numbers to map From
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator: the sheets' region '…' has no surface
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator: there is no value called 'name'. Add it under Values
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator: there is no value called 'value' to weigh it by
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator: there is no value called 'value'. Add it under Values
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator: name holds its particles, so it can't steer them
Shown in: The problems box
event: operator: setting is keyframed, but can't change through a bake: it stays as at frame frame
Shown in: The problems box
This setting can't change while a bake runs. Its keyframes are ignored: it keeps its value at that frame.
event: operator: shape takes each particle's shape, and there is no Shapes collection or Birth On Pieces
Shown in: The problems box
… reads the flow's gas: add a Smoke Source to make it
Shown in: The problems box
… reads VecFlow's own gas: with NVIDIA Flow it reads none
Shown in: The problems box
Fracture
Couldn't cut 'object': reason
Shown in: Blender's status bar and Info log
Cut 'object' into count pieces
Shown in: Blender's status bar and Info log
Cut 'object' into count pieces, but some aren't closed, so they may be hollow: give it thickness first (Solidify), or try Exact (slow)
Shown in: Blender's status bar and Info log
Some pieces came out open, so they may be shells. Undo, add a Solidify modifier and apply it, or close the mesh's holes, then cut again; or cut with Exact, slower but closed.
Exact (slow) cuts only Even and Impact: use Fast for the other patterns
Shown in: Blender's status bar and Info log
NVIDIA Flow
NVIDIA Flow can't find the NVIDIA graphics card among the count it sees
Shown in: When baking (the panel and the status bar)
NVIDIA Flow didn't find the card VecFlow uses. Update the driver, or set Solver to VecFlow.
NVIDIA Flow can't run here: reason
Shown in: When baking (the panel and the status bar)
NVIDIA Flow runs only on Windows and Linux with an NVIDIA card. Set Solver to VecFlow, which runs anywhere.
Smoke and fire looks
Could not remove the look: reason
Shown in: Blender's status bar and Info log
VecFlow couldn't write its saved looks file. Check that Blender may write to its user folder.
Could not save the look: reason
Shown in: Blender's status bar and Info log
VecFlow couldn't write its saved looks file. Check that Blender may write to its user folder.
Give the look a name of its own
Shown in: Blender's status bar and Info log
A saved look can't be empty or take a built-in look's name.
Saved the look 'name'
Shown in: Blender's status bar and Info log
There is no look called 'name'
Shown in: Blender's status bar and Info log
The look was removed, perhaps in another Blender. Open the looks menu again.
Starters
'object' has nothing inside to cut: it needs a closed mesh
Shown in: When baking (the panel and the status bar)
Shatter cuts a mesh's inside. Close its holes, or add a Solidify modifier and apply it, then try again.
Select a mesh first
Shown in: When baking (the panel and the status bar)
The starters made from a mesh need a mesh selected and active.
The panel
Change this material in the Shader Editor
Shown in: The panel
Changed since the bake
Shown in: The bake's status box
Something the bake depends on changed. The old bake still plays; bake again to see the change.
Changes here need no new bake
Shown in: The panel
Extra copies made at render: no physics
Shown in: The panel
Frame frame of frame · time left
Shown in: The Bake button, while it bakes
Frame frame of frame · time on this frame
Shown in: The Bake button, while it bakes
Not baked yet
Shown in: The bake's status box
NVIDIA Flow has no gas colour
Shown in: The panel
NVIDIA Flow has no turbulence
Shown in: The panel
Persistent Data is turned off while rendering: it can draw pieces where they were
Shown in: The panel
VecFlow turns Cycles' Persistent Data off while a render runs, and back on after: with it on, Cycles can now and then draw a piece where it was some frames before.
Results depend on the graphics card, and a bake can't carry on from a state save
Shown in: The panel
Shown when Solver is NVIDIA Flow. Use the VecFlow solver for the same result on any computer, and to carry on from state saves.
Select a simulation, or its emitter, to see its settings here. Click on empty space to come back here
Shown in: The panel
Starting…
Shown in: The Bake button, while it bakes
These show once it's baked
Shown in: The panel
This frame isn't baked
Shown in: The panel
Waiting its turn to bake
Shown in: The panel
Bake All queued this simulation: it starts when a GPU (or the CPU) is free.
Baked or Draft baked to frame frame of frame
Shown in: The bake's status box
Baked or Draft baked, frames frame–frame
Shown in: The bake's status box