How To
Fix Bugs & Crashes
If you download the demonstration of Presenter 3D from their web site, it will run in "Demo Mode" which limits the model size to 200K.
If you purchase the software, you will receive a software protection key (affectionately known as The Dongle) to plug into the Macintosh ADB port with the keyboard and mouse. This is a sad - but necessary - precaution on VIDI's part because their program has been widely copied. After the dongle is installed, the 200K limitation is removed.
Unfortunately, the protection scheme goes wrong occasionally, and a paying customer will be back in Demo Mode.
If you've had Demo Mode problems (that is, you've purchased Presenter, installed the protection key, but the program reverted back to Demo Mode), please send some information about how it happened, and how you fixed it. The solution for this problem needs to be documented.
Presenter uses a file called "Pug Anchor" to determine the location of the plug-in files, such as Rendering modules, Animator modules, PICT textures, Sound files and Translator modules. Presenter assumes that all plug-in files will be contained in the same folder as Pug Anchor, or a subfolder. If Pug Anchor is missing, out of date or damaged, several program features will be disabled.
Pug Anchor problems can occur when updating existing software. If you have more than one copy of Pug Anchor, or more than one Presenter application, the software may get confused about the location of the plug-in files.
To remedy this, you can reset Presenter's pointer to Pug Anchor. In the Finder, press and hold the Option key while double-clicking on the Presenter 3D icon. Keep holding the Option key down until the window opens asking you to locate the current Pug Anchor. If Pug Anchor doesn't exist at all, you can press the New button to create one in the appropriate folder (where the plug-ins are kept).
There is also a "Pug Prefs" file that is located in the Preferences folder, in the System Folder. It contains general application settings, the list of shaders, etc. Apparently, it stores the pointer to Pug Anchor. If this file is missing or damaged, the applications may switch to "Demo" mode.
Presenter has a "Rescan for Plug-Ins" command under the File menu. If you've installed new PICT files or Renderman shaders, but they are not available in the Attributes window, try this command.
Rescan for Plug-Ins has a problem: Apparently, it checks the Finder modification date for each file and folder, and may skip it if it thinks it has already made an entry for it. You can "tickle" a folder by creating a new Empty Folder inside the first folder, then throwing the Empty Folder away. This will change the modification date of the first folder, and Presenter will then look inside it.