[cpp] 64 bit Visual C++ Express

[Hirazi Blue]

A neat little trick I googled some days ago...
If you want to use the free "Visual C++ Express Edition" to compile 64-bit plug-ins for Softimage, you should definitely look at "jens' blog"
http://jenshuebel.wordpress.com/2009/02 ... t-targets/
Before you start however, there are two things to note:
1) You are going to need the Windows SDK for it includes the necessary 64-bit tools...
Find it here (http://blogs.msdn.com/windowssdk/archiv ... -rtms.aspx)
Configure Visual C++ Express to work with the SDK using these instructions...
(http://blogs.msdn.com/windowssdk/archiv ... rsion.aspx)
2) All the registry-changes that are needed have been "compiled" into one easy batch-file, which you can download from the link given by "Xia Wei" in response 13 to the "jens' blog" item mentioned above, so you don't have to manually do it yourself any more

edit: added [cpp] in the subject title as "c++" isn't accepted as a searchable phrase :roll:

Added this "valuable" info to the XSI-Wiki too...

[Mootzoid]

God, I wish you had posted that a few weeks ago... would have saved me lots of annoying work ;-)
Thanks!

[ThomasHelzle]

Hirazi Blue:
This link is brilliant - thank you very much.
I always created my configurations by hand so far which worked but was tedious and I never got it right the first time.
Now it's the click of one bat file.

Fantastic!

Thank you very much!!!

Thomas Helzle

[ThomasHelzle]

Today I installed VC++ Express on Windows 7, then the latest SDK (Windows 7 and Dotnet 3.5 SP1) and the scripts from Xia Wei are working for this as well - just make sure you run them as Administrator!!!

Brilliant!

Cheers,

Thomas Helzle

[rray]

Just tried Win7/C++ Express 2010 but it seems to require the next SDK version (7.1), due Mid June. Will be going for C++ Express 2008 meanwhile.

[rray]

Hurray got it working!

But, I didn't get XSI to start from the debugger, I get this logged, then it hangs:

'XSI.exe': Loaded 'C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Softimage 2011\Addons\Unfold3D\Application\Plugins\Unfold3D.64.dll', Binary was not built with debug information.
'XSI.exe': Unloaded 'C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Softimage 2011\Addons\Unfold3D\Application\Plugins\Unfold3D.64.dll'
The thread 'Win64 Thread' (0xd48) has exited with code 0 (0x0).
The thread 'Win64 Thread' (0xd3c) has exited with code 0 (0x0).
The thread 'Win64 Thread' (0xc2c) has exited with code 0 (0x0).

Attaching to the already running XSI works.

[ThomasHelzle]

Hi Reinhard,

did you need to do anything specific or did it work for you with the latest download from Jens Hübels Site?

Cheers,

Thomas

[rray]

Oh I just re-read my post an realized I made a false impression. I only got VC++ 2008 running, not 2010.

I tried some modifications to XIAs batch files, like I changed paths, copied files everywhere but to no avail.

[ThomasHelzle]

Ah - I see

Cheers!

[Leo]

So has anyone got 2010 express to work?
On Jens's blog "sheponian" wrote:

Using x64-Compiler in Visual C++ 2010 Express is easy:

"1. Install “Visual C++ 2010 Express”
2. Install “Windows SDK for Windows 7 and .NET Framework 4″
3. Open your VC++ Project, go to “Properties” > “Configuration Properties” > “General” and change “Platform Toolset” from the default “v100″ to “Windows7.1SDK”

Thats it!"

Now while I can follow that, I seem to have a problem having 2010 recognize the XSISDK.

I can only correctly format the .bat file to configure my Visual C++ Express up to the last line.
@echo off

call "C:\Softimage\Softimage_2011_x64\Application\bin\Setenv.bat"
call "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\VC\vcvarsall.bat" amd64

set PATH
set XSISDK_ROOT="C:\Softimage\Softimage_2011_x64\XSISDK"

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\Common7\IDE\devenv.exe" /useenv

echo on

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\Common7\IDE\devenv.exe" /useenv <--- is the problem

devenv.exe isn't a file 2010 creates upon installation.


Am I on the totally wrong path here? Do I have to do at least some of the steps from Jens's blog to get this to work? If so which ones?

I know, if I can't even figure this out, I probably shouldn't even start to get into plugin development, but after scripting a lot it's something I'm interested in and everyone has to start somewhere right?

Any pointers would be appreciated.

[Leo]

I've now tried getting 2008 to work, but unfortunately to no avail too. I'm pretty sure I've followed the instructions to the letter, but since it isn't working I've probably made a mistake...

"
The following error has occurred during XML parsing:

File: D:\3D\SI 2012\Installation\Softimage 2012\XSISDK\examples\workgroup\Addons\CustomICENodes\cppsrc_custom_passthrough\CustomPassThrough.vcproj
Line: 32
Column: 4
Error Message:
Property sheet file '$(XSISDK_ROOT)\mkfiles\Debug-x86.vsprops' was not found or failed to load.
The file 'D:\3D\SI 2012\Installation\Softimage 2012\XSISDK\examples\workgroup\Addons\CustomICENodes\cppsrc_custom_passthrough\CustomPassThrough.vcproj' has failed to load.

"

I'm sure I'm just missing something here/being an idiot, but it's really not easy to figure this out. The information I need is probably there to get this to work, but it's simply all over the place. Scattered over dozens of posts, comments on those posts on xsi-wiki articles.
Why is there no concise write-up on this?
I'm just a student and probably make about as much difference to the community as the average ant, but I'm willing to spend my time within Autodesk's ecosystem to learn from and maybe even improve it. An ecosystem THEY are making a profit off. It is in their own interest to improve the accessibility of their c++ api, so that there are more people building tools for the software they sell and thereby improve it and the value of what they are selling!

I'm sorry for this rant guys, just a little frustrated...
As I've said, any help would be appreciated.

[Hirazi Blue]

Concerning the 2008 problem:
Not sure, but it might have something to do with the apparent spaces in your path.
I encountered something similar here, but apart from reinstalling Softimage to a location
without spaces in its path, I haven't got a clue why this happens
or how you can fix it elegantly...

[Leo]

I've actually gotten 2010 to work now, so 2008 doesn't concern me much.
Thanks for the reply though, I totally didn't think of that and now remember your post from back then...

I've tried a lot of different things now, and am not 100% sure which steps actually lead to successfully compiling from 2010, so I can't really provide a concise explanation right now. If I feel crazy in the next few days I might uninstall everything and try to reproduce the current state with the steps that I think did it and then maybe do a quick write-up on that for anyone else interested.

[SreckoM]

That would be very helpful for many of us!
Thank you.

[Leo]

Ask you shall receive.
viewtopic.php?f=22&t=1706

It's a little bit long, but it goes over the whole process of setting up Visual Studio C++ Express 2010 for compiling 64bit-plugins and then shows how to compile and use a custom ICE-Node.

Moderator edit: please use the URL tags - HB