Troubleshooting & FAQ

Troubleshooting & FAQ

Encountering an issue? Check this list of common questions and solutions first.

My playblast finished, but there’s no audio. What’s wrong?

Cause: The most common reason is that no audio track is set as “active” on Maya’s timeline. CineBlast specifically looks for the active track to export.

Solution:

  1. In Maya, right-click on the Time Slider, open the Audio menu, and click on the audio track you want.
  2. A checkmark should appear next to the active track.
  3. Rerun the playblast with “Include Scene Audio” enabled.

The video encoding fails with an “FFmpeg Error”. What should I do?

Step 1 – Check the Script Editor: Look at Maya’s Script Editor for any immediate messages.
Step 2 – Check the Log Files: Navigate to your project’s movies folder. CineBlast saves two logs when FFmpeg fails:

  • ffmpeg_error.log – technical details about the error.
  • ffmpeg_debug.log – the full command CineBlast tried to execute.

Common Causes:

  • Unsupported codec/resolution combination (e.g., DNxHD with resolution below 720p).
  • Attempting to use a custom resolution with odd values (e.g., 1921×1081). Many codecs require even width/height.
  • Permissions issues preventing CineBlast from writing to the movies folder.
  • A corrupted source frame in the temporary image sequence.

Why can’t I select the “HD 540” resolution?

Cause: The DNxHD codec standard only supports resolutions of 720p or higher.

Solution: Select another codec (e.g., H.264) if you want to use HD 540.

On macOS, I get a warning that says "[file_name].so" cannot be opened because the developer cannot be verified. Why?

Cause: This is a standard macOS security feature called Gatekeeper. Since CineBlast is not distributed through the Mac App Store, macOS requires you to manually approve its components after installation.

Solution (one-time setup):

  1. Install CineBlast as usual.
  2. Open the Terminal app (Applications → Utilities → Terminal).
  3. Copy and paste the following command, replacing {username} with your Mac’s short username and YYYY with your Maya version (e.g., 2023, 2024):
    sudo xattr -r -d com.apple.quarantine "/Users/{username}/Library/Preferences/Autodesk/maya/YYYY/scripts/CineBlast_plugin/"
  4. Press Enter.
  5. When prompted, type your Mac password and press Enter again (note: you will not see characters while typing).
  6. Restart Maya. CineBlast will now load without Gatekeeper warnings.

The plugin says my license is invalid, expired, or for another machine. What do I do?

Solution:
Click “Manage License” in the dialog footer. From there you can:

  • Enter a new license key.
  • Renew your license or subscription.
  • Resolve activation or machine-binding issues.

Support & Contact

If your issue is not covered in the Troubleshooting section, or if you’d like to report a bug or request a feature, please get in touch.

To help us resolve your issue as quickly as possible, please include the following information in your email:

  • Your Operating System (e.g., Windows 10, macOS 12.4).
  • Your version of Autodesk Maya.
  • The CineBlast version number (found in the “About” menu).
  • A clear description of the problem.
  • If you are reporting an encoding error, please attach the ffmpeg_error.log file mentioned in the troubleshooting section.

Contact Email:

cineblast_support@filippodattola.net