Message: Unable to Perform Photon Mapping.

Reference Number: KB-03093
Last Modified: July 19, 2024

The information in this article applies to:

Chief Architect Premier or Chief Architect Interiors



MESSAGE

When I attempt to start a CPU Ray Trace, or when a few ray trace passes have already completed, I receive the following message:  

  • "#272032344 - The following error occurred while ray tracing: Unable to Perform Photon Mapping."

What is causing this to occur?


CAUSE

Photon Mapping is an Advanced CPU Ray Trace setting that accurately calculates bounced lighting in a scene. If Photon Mapping is turned on, it may be unable to be performed due to one or more of the following reasons:

  • You have a very large terrain
  • There are fewer than two objects present in the plan
  • A rogue object that is far away from the main structure

Photon Mapping can be toggled ON/OFF within the Advanced panel of the Ray Trace Options dialog.

When disabled, CPU Ray Trace renderings have low quality lighting effects, but generate more quickly. It's recommended to keep Photon Mapping enabled for all interior scenes and disabled for most exterior scenes.


RESOLUTION

A large terrain perimeter that contains a varying amount of elevation data will prevent Photon Mapping from being utilized in many cases. Lessen the length and width of the terrain perimeter, rebuild the terrain by navigating to Terrain> Build Terrain ,  and attempt to start a ray trace once again.

A rogue object may also cause this error to occur. If creating a Perspective Full Overview causes your structure to appear small on screen, or the view generated appears to be blank, there is a likely chance that a rogue, stray object is present in the plan. To resolve this issue, please see KB-00021: Troubleshooting Small or Blank Camera Overviews. Once the rogue object is gone, start a CPU Ray Trace rendering.

Note: Ray tracing is designed to bounce light off 3D objects. If you attempt to ray trace just a single object you will likely receive this error because the photons will not have enough surfaces to complete a pass. 3D objects can include walls, cabinets, doors, windows, along with a variety of other symbols.  


ADVANCED TROUBLESHOOTING

If you're unable to resolve this error, please use the Backup Entire Plan/Layout tool to create a backup of the plan file and all the associated files. More information on creating a complete backup of your project and all of its contents can be found by accessing KB-00987: Using the Backup Entire Plan/Layout Tool to Send Files to Another User.

After a complete backup of the project is created, please send this to Chief Architect Technical Support using the Technical Support Center. More information on the Technical Support Center can be found by accessing KB-00717: Using the Technical Support Center.

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