Troubleshooting
Resolve common model, material, lighting, and image-output problems.
Updated
Use the symptoms below to find the relevant setting before rebuilding a scene.
The model is missing or hard to find
Select it in Scene and choose View > Frame Selected. Check Visible in the model's Item properties.
If the whole presentation needs resetting, use View > Instant Look. This also changes the studio, ground, and post setup.
A material preset has little or no effect
Check the active entry in Properties > Material Layers. Presets apply to the selected layer.
A Paint Layer may have no painted coverage. A mask may hide the layer, or its opacity or channels may limit the result. Use a Fill Layer when the preset should cover the surface.
Painted or textured detail looks coarse
The layer stack uses vertices. Sparse mesh geometry can limit painted coverage and layer texture detail. Increasing PNG resolution does not fix sparse geometry.
Prepare the required mesh density before painting. A later HardCuts handoff with changed topology can clear Paint Layer samples.
Reflections disappear near the edge of the image
Reflections (Screen Space) uses visible scene information. Reflected objects outside the camera view are not fully represented. Adjust the camera or lighting and use environment reflections as part of the look.
A light does not cast the expected shadow
Check Enabled and Cast Shadows, plus the positions of the light, model, and ground. Point lights currently do not have cubemap shadows.
If the PNG differs from a solo preview, remember that Solo Light does not change final output. Disable other lights explicitly for the final image.
The transparent image still has a floor
Transparent background affects the backdrop. Disable Ground > Visible to remove the ground surface from the image.
A large image fails to render
Try a smaller output size. Available GPU and system memory can limit the usable resolution even when the width and height values are accepted by the UI.
Changes are missing when reopening
Confirm that you saved a .hcrender project using File > Save Render Project. A rendered PNG cannot restore editable materials, lights, and camera settings.
Saving or rendering asks for a license
Saving projects, rendering images, and adding material layers require a valid HardCuts Render license. Use Import License File... or paste the license text and choose Activate Pasted License in the license dialog.