moho 12 constantly crashes

Discuss Moho bugs (or suspected bugs) with other users. To report bugs to Smith Micro, please visit support.smithmicro.com

Moderators: Víctor Paredes, Belgarath, slowtiger

User avatar
strider2000
Posts: 506
Joined: Sat Mar 07, 2015 5:14 pm
Contact:

Re: moho 12 constantly crashes

Post by strider2000 »

Just adding a note that I'm having Moho crash a lot too :( 12.2 build 21774. I also have the issue that it cannot parse the JSON file and I agree that crashing was much more rare in the past and I've never had fail to read the JSON on the recovery file before.

I do have a complex anime file (lots of layers), because it's a composite character. But I'm not doing anything special when it crashes. I'm just doing things like drawing on a vector layer and it crashes when I switch to a different layer (that I've switched to lots of times).

My solution is to save after about every single little tweak. A royal pain.

I don't recall where or if there are log files I could look at (but if it crashes I don't know that I'll see much). If anyone has influence with the dev team, this would be a really high priority for a patch. I _hope_ that's obvious.

--------------
Edit. I think the note that it dies a lot in undo is true for me too. I just brought up the file cleanly, resized the pupil with the point tool, did undo, because I forgot to scale about the center and .... crash :(
User avatar
stealingfeathers
Posts: 88
Joined: Sun Feb 16, 2014 5:26 pm

Re: moho 12 constantly crashes

Post by stealingfeathers »

strider2000 wrote:Just adding a note that I'm having Moho crash a lot too :( 12.2 build 21774. I also have the issue that it cannot parse the JSON file and I agree that crashing was much more rare in the past and I've never had fail to read the JSON on the recovery file before.
Thanks for sharing. I assume that the devs are taking all of this info into account (as far as I can tell, most of the moderators are either Smith Micro employees or have close ties). My crashing problem has improved after I did an update to my video driver, but it's not cured.

Something else I forgot to mention in my original post is the ongoing problem with the text tool. This was the case with AS versions and now with Moho, as well. I have to be VERY CAREFUL while creating text. It wants to bring the program to its knees. I have to go slow and let the software "catch up" or else it will freeze and crash. It is as though the insert text is painful for the software to process (because of all the points it creates??).

I had hoped this would be resolved in M12, but it's just as bad as it was in AS versions. Also, this was a problem on all computers I've owned, so it is not just my current PC (which is far more powerful than systems I've owned in the past). It is also the case on the PC's at the college where I teach animation classes. Point is I know that the text tool issue it not just me or my imagination. LOL
User avatar
drumlug13
Posts: 537
Joined: Sun May 22, 2011 9:16 pm
Location: Beautiful St. Louis, MO

Re: moho 12 constantly crashes

Post by drumlug13 »

I'm back!

Well today is the first day that I have been able to log any real time with Moho in a few weeks. The crashes are still here and they are particularly brutal today. I can only make a few changes with the drawing tools before it crashes.

I've been trading email with customer support. John is asking for a DMP file but I'm not familiar with what they are, and what I have found online is confusing. I have not been unable to locate any on my pc, (which is a Windows 10 machine). But I was able to locate some .wer files that were created at the time the recent crashes. They were found in this path C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportArchive... Then the .wer's are stored individually in folders titled AppCrash_Mohox64.exe.

If a .wer file isn't the same thing as a DMP, where can I find the DMP file?
Adam
User avatar
Greenlaw
Posts: 9191
Joined: Mon Jun 19, 2006 5:45 pm
Location: Los Angeles
Contact:

Re: moho 12 constantly crashes

Post by Greenlaw »

During beta testing, we had to modify the registry before Windows could store a crash dump file. I don't know if that's the file they're asking for or if the registry mod is still necessary with the release version of Moho...you might want to ask tech support about that.

If that's the file they need, have them explain what you need to do to get that to them.

Hope this helps. Good luck!
User avatar
drumlug13
Posts: 537
Joined: Sun May 22, 2011 9:16 pm
Location: Beautiful St. Louis, MO

Re: moho 12 constantly crashes

Post by drumlug13 »

Well ... I just lost 2 days worth of work. I had been saving backup files at the start of each day but for whatever reason I didn't today. So I lost all of yesterday's work along with today's work.

I'll accept responsibility for not starting with a backup file today. The frustration is compounded by the fact that SM support has become non-responsive. Greenlaw I had actually contacted support the other day before I posted looking for any updated info here.

Today's latest crash happened during a save so like Diana, I'm left with the empty file. I always keep Auto save enabled but the C:\Users\<user name>\AppData\Roaming\Smith Micro\Moho Pro\12 folder is somehow empty. (Does anybody have an answer for that one yet?)

If anybody is currently working on trying to figure out what is causing these crashes and if there's anything I can do to help please let me know. I'd be happy to provide the .wer files that are created in the AppCrash_Moho folder. (I have no idea if that's the same thing as a DMP file, support hasn't answered back yet)

Also if anybody knows where Auto saved files might be located on a Windows 10 computer, please let me know.
Adam
User avatar
synthsin75
Posts: 9934
Joined: Mon Jan 14, 2008 11:20 pm
Location: Oklahoma
Contact:

Re: moho 12 constantly crashes

Post by synthsin75 »

Enabling Crash Dumps

1. Download the following Windows Registry script to enable the creation of crash dumps. This registry script turns on local crash dumps for the user's computer. (http://my.smithmicro.com/downloads/file ... iDumps.zip)

2. Once downloaded, expand the .zip file and double click on the .reg file. You should get a warning from the Registry Editor about "changing" or "deleting" entries can cause components to stop working. Click Yes to Continue.

3. Click OK on the next window that says "The keys and values have been successfully added to the registry".

Reporting Crashes To Smith Micro

1. If a crash occurs in the application and Windows offers to send a report, choose "Send Error Report" or "Check online for a solution and close the program"

2. Open Windows Explorer. In the top address bar, type in the following: %LOCALAPPDATA%\CrashDumps

3. This should take you to a folder that looks something like this: C:\Users\\AppData\Local\CrashDumps. Crash dumps in this folder should have a "dmp" or "mdmp" extension.

4. Anime Studio crash dumps should be named something like Anime Studio Pro x64.exe.1960.dmp or Anime Studio Pro Win32.exe.1960.dmp. (NOTE: The number '1960' will be unique to your crash).

5. Find the most recent crash dump file for the application. In the Windows Explorer Details view you can sort by Date Modified field. If you are using a different Windows explorer view, you can select a single crash dump file. The Explorer status bar should have a Date Modified field that specifies the time stamp.

6. Once you find the newest crash, right click on the crash dump file in Windows Explorer and choose Send to->Compressed (zip) folder on the context menu. This should create a .zip file with a file name similar to Anime Studio Pro x64.1960.exe.zip. It is important to compress this dump file since they can sometimes be quite large.
User avatar
drumlug13
Posts: 537
Joined: Sun May 22, 2011 9:16 pm
Location: Beautiful St. Louis, MO

Re: moho 12 constantly crashes

Post by drumlug13 »

Thanks Wes... Will do.

I guess the other big question is, What happens to the Auto save files? I did a little experiment.
- I just created a new file and drew a circle.
- Then I opened the Auto save folder for Moho.
- Sure enough, there was a new Autosave1 file in there.
- I waited a minute or so, and it automatically updated itself.
-Then I opened a new file and drew another shape.
- That automatically created another file, Autosave2

So we know Auto save works. Any ideas of why that folder would empty itself out? Also, can you think of any other location those files could possibly go on a Windows PC ?
Adam
User avatar
Greenlaw
Posts: 9191
Joined: Mon Jun 19, 2006 5:45 pm
Location: Los Angeles
Contact:

Re: moho 12 constantly crashes

Post by Greenlaw »

My guess is that the autosave was lost if the crash occurred while it was being rewritten. Probably bad luck and timing. :(

We've had a couple of occasions where the auto-saved file did get overwritten but because of the crash, the file contained zero data.

FWIW, Moho's autosave system usually works, but I wouldn't depend on it as the sole 'safety net' when I'm working on something important.

Some tips:

When I'm working, I'm always making incremental saves of my scene files (i.e., s001_chars_01, s001_chars_02, etc.,) and I probably a save a version about two or three times an hour, sometimes more. This way, I never lose more than 15 or 20 minutes of work if a scene becomes corrupted, lost, or I just seriously goof something up.

It's not uncommon for me to create many dozens of versions of a scene, so if my scene directory gets too cluttered, I'll drag a batch of the oldest versions into an 'old' folder. I don't like to delete these files while the project is active. Once the project is done, then I'll search for those 'old' directories and delete them.

I do this whether I'm working on a personal project at home or on a TV production at work. At work, we also use Window's Previous Versions (mentioned earlier,) but I found you can't really count on that system to save you every time either.

For me, getting in the habit of creating incremental saves is the best security there is. And I don't do this for just Moho, I do this with any program I'm working in. Accidents happen and you can't prevent that.

I kinda wish Moho did incremental saves automatically. The 3D animation program I use does that and it's saved my butt a few times. I know some users like that to be an option though because autosaving large scenes can slow things down on some networks.

Anyway, I know this info doesn't help you get your work back but maybe it will help prevent a disaster in the future.
User avatar
drumlug13
Posts: 537
Joined: Sun May 22, 2011 9:16 pm
Location: Beautiful St. Louis, MO

Re: moho 12 constantly crashes

Post by drumlug13 »

Just thought I would post an update from my situation.

After my last round of crashes and lost work from last month I had given up on working on anything in Moho. I just planned to wait for an update hoping that would fix whatever was going on. Long story short, I started having other issues with my computer. It shows a lot of failed updates going back to mid December 2016.

A few days ago I installed the new Windows 10 Creators update and I've probably been working with Moho for about 20+ hours since then without a crash. Just to be extra cautious, I've had Auto-Save turned off and I've been using a backup system like the one Greenlaw described earlier in earlier posts.

Sorry Wes, I don't have any Crash Dumps to share. Until the other day I had stopped using Mono after that post.

So if anyone using Windows is still fighting the crashes, check your update history to see if maybe you have something similar going on. If you haven't installed the Creators update you may want to give it a try.
Adam
User avatar
stealingfeathers
Posts: 88
Joined: Sun Feb 16, 2014 5:26 pm

Re: moho 12 constantly crashes

Post by stealingfeathers »

Your post is timely because I was having pretty good luck with Moho 12 until this weekend. I also use Windows (8.1).

Last time I posted in this forum, I was reminded to check video driver updates and such. I updated and Moho settled down for the most part. Then, this weekend I was doing an experiment with an old project and experienced crash after crash.

I was trying to render with a transparent background so that I could import an animation clip into other software. Moho refused to let me render with the settings that are required to export a MOV format w a transparent BG. It didn't crash if I rendered to MP4 but that's not what I wanted.

I think I've also mentioned in this thread that I teach animation classes using Moho. My students complained all semester about the software lagging and crashing. They are just beginners and their projects are relatively simple (not a ton of layers, particles, etc.) and their animations are pretty short.

I think AS 10 and 11 were more stable - at least with Windows machines. Maybe it is a very different situation for Mac users. I just know that I used AS 11 on this PC with few crashing issues and now Moho 12 with many crashing issues.
belvinc
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Aug 29, 2018 9:24 pm

Re: moho 12 constantly crashes

Post by belvinc »

I'm using 12.4 and it constantly crashed when trying to use switch layers for lip sync. I turned the display quality down to LOW and it hasn't crashed since.
wr3yth
Posts: 48
Joined: Sun Dec 03, 2017 11:39 pm

Re: moho 12 constantly crashes

Post by wr3yth »

i'm using 12.5 and it crashes when i open a project or create one
I
User avatar
strider2000
Posts: 506
Joined: Sat Mar 07, 2015 5:14 pm
Contact:

Re: moho 12 constantly crashes

Post by strider2000 »

:(
I have a project, 7 seconds long. I'm getting a crash in both 12.5 and 13 when I simply scrub my timeline past the end of the video. I just tried to submit to Tech Support, but I can't because the "Word Verification" image doesn't load :( I've checked in Chrome and Edge, and enabled Flash, just in case that might have something to do with it. I at least did get a crash dump if I have get to the point where I can submit.

For a while, I haven't had too many Moho crashes. I guess I've learned to tiptoe pretty well. Have no idea what the cause is here though.
User avatar
strider2000
Posts: 506
Joined: Sat Mar 07, 2015 5:14 pm
Contact:

Re: moho 12 constantly crashes

Post by strider2000 »

In case others come across this, the good news on my latest crash is that it has something to do with the video I imported. The video played fine, the project exported properly, but for some reason I don't know, Moho crashed when I scrubbed past the end of the video.

I brought the video into Corel Video Studio (love that program!) and rerendered it video. Now things are golden.
User avatar
jeremiahbabers
Posts: 35
Joined: Thu Feb 17, 2022 1:29 am

Re: moho 12 constantly crashes

Post by jeremiahbabers »

When i add text to an already existing project, it crashes. it only works when i add text inside any group layer
is also crashes when i add text as a shape

im using a moho pro 13.5.5

and my computer is a gaming one
processor:Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-10750H CPU @ 2.60GHz 2.59 GHz
ram: 16
Post Reply