Thursday, January 8, 2015

That CUDA error on AE

You know that error that keeps popping up on AE? Something about CUDA 5.0 and Raytraced GPU?

Use this:
http://www.nvidia.com/object/mac-driver-archive.html

And download the latest driver. Should fix the problem. The latest driver is the one on top.

Yes, I know. I love you too.

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Setting up my new MBP

So today I received my new, souped-up Macbook pro in the mail. Slick, streamlined, fast as a bat out of hell, and missing TONS of stuff I'm used to.

Like:
-Firewire (an adapter at B&H)
-Ethernet (buy an adapter)
-A DVD drive! (buy an external)

But buying all this stuff takes time and a trip to the store, so I had to think fast...

First, I had to make a disc copy of each installer DVD I needed, from my old Mac.
http://www.cnet.com/news/need-a-copy-of-your-dvd-mac-os-x-does-that/

And uploaded to Dropbox online, also from my old Mac:
www.dropbox.com

And then copy back to my new MBP and run the installer. And then error! Because of my Security prefs:

How to fix:

And in this last window, click the button marked "Open Anyway."



Now what about my data? It says 10 hours on WiFi. And no Ethernet–remember, I have to buy an adapter for that.

Well if I really need to speed data transfer up between my 2 macs, I'll need a Thunderbolt-to-Thunderbolt adapter. Plug old laptop into the new & use Target Disk to transfer. (NOTE: if you're working on a dinosaur machine, you may need to plug into Ethernet on both, or prepare for 1 long night...)

Target disk?

Long-winded explanation here, or simply put, have new machine ON. Have old machine OFF. Plug both using Thunderbolt cable. On OLD machine, hold T and turn on Power button. After that a cool thunderbolt icon in a circle will float around on its screen, while it will turn into a hard-drive on your new machine. On the NEW machine, run the app "Migration Assistant." And just choose the files or apps you want to transfer from the Old Mac's icon.

Since my old Mac was a hot mess of files, I only used Migration Assistant to transfer my Apps (which transferred beautifully). Then I manually copied only the files I needed onto my new mac from Finder, while both machines were hooked into each other using Target Disk and good old Thunderbolt-to-Thunderbolt adapter.

So after already spending a boatload of money on the MBP, I have to spend MORE...about $130 more. But the speed of this thing may make these extra $$ worth it.

Installing a new printer:
http://superuser.com/questions/678095/why-dont-i-have-any-canon-printer-drivers-on-mac-os-x-10-9-mavericks

Also, if your Wacom tablet ceases to work, you may need to re-install the drivers:
http://us.wacom.com/en/support/drivers/

Or if you have a dinosaur Wacom:
http://us.wacom.com/en/support/legacy-drivers/

If you miss OS Mavericks, here's how to downgrade:
http://www.macworld.co.uk/how-to/mac-software/revert-back-mavericks-from-yosemite-3581872/

Monday, January 5, 2015

FAQ: AE error, RAM preview requires 2 or more frames, etc...

Oh man if I had a nickel for every time a student asked me about this error, I'd have a heck of a lot of nickels.

Check a couple things first:
-How long is your work area? To re-set it, go to the start of where you want to render. Hit B. Go to the end of where you want to render. Hit N.

-What's up with Preview window? That's the VCR controls–make sure it's set to play all frames.

If it's still freaking out, quit your Browsers. What? Yeah, I mean Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Explorer, Netscape, whatever whatever. Seems irrelevant but it's a Known Bug in AE that hasn't been fixed in about 2 versions. Quit your browser, and RAM preview already.

Make your AE work better/faster/stronger

Optimize your AE performance! Bam!

http://www.toolfarm.com/blog/entry/in_depth_optimizing_after_effects_for_the_best_performance#now
-Great tips on simple stuff you can do NOW to make your AE work better. Not too technical.

http://modio.tv/how-to-make-after-effects-render-faster/
-What is a disk cache? How can you make it work for you?

And from the guys at Adobe: good old help. Gotta love it.
http://helpx.adobe.com/after-effects/using/improve-performance.html