After the Hours

So I was completely frustrated by the long hours. I spent most of the time trying to cache my projects in Maya 2011. I'll get to that in a sec. So as I cached, I made sure that it was all saved in the project files, attached to both fluids and particles, and tested it in the hardware view. I scrub to a random frame in the middle of the simulation, render, and it all works. Cool. Now to batch render. NOTHING. So I try to reload the file, project, caches, and reconnect everything. Same test. Works. Batch render. NOTHING. I got some help from an instructor to help fake some lighting on one of the projects, but it turns out that when my effect ran, it broke the lighting. On another note, the torch's trail looks way better and renders with minor issues. Back to what I mentioned earlier about 2011. After working with an instructor just to see if I missed a basic setting for about an hour on all of the projects, it turns out that Maya 2011 sucks at reading caches. Use Hotfix. But on the Autodesk site for students, you're not really allowed to download a hotfix. You can from the commercial site, but need a new registration code. Anyway, I started to crash after hour 17 because I don't like to run on energy drinks... turning off final gather fixed ONE of the batch renders. It was the torch. It's running now so I'll get it later, but today was just crazy. Hopefully I have more luck with it later. Plus I still need to work on my other assets... Long road ahead.