Crashing with sampleImage Expression once adding > 30 layers

[Volition74au]

AE 23.1.0 (build 83)

OS Windows 11

Processor    Intel I9-11900K

Ram 64GB 3200hz

GPU Nvidia RTX2060 6gb

My Composition - animates shapes in a wave like fashion altering rotation and scale on thhe Scale X property. Here is an image which works fine with the 30 shape layers included.

Now the moment I try and add more shapes AE crashes. (See below for the setup and expressions)

I worked out the 30+ number as I added 5 extra at a time till it crashed. So it's really somewhere between 30 and 35 it crashes but thats not super important as i am a long way off where I need to get to. I want at least 144 more would be nice but i'd settle with that I think. I did find if I changed the project setting to Mercury GPU rather then software I could get more layers without crashing. Mind you I also get crashing with the 30 Layers if I duplicate and try to do other things. But I can get it to render if Open it up fresh and I don't do anything else.

to me it feels like a RAM problem. I tried turning off multi frame rendering in prefs and interestingly i got this error "After Effects Warning: Unable to set clip. GDi Status: Generic Error" Mind you I had to close AE as the error kept coming up & I couldn't do anyhting else but I did manage to increase layers and get a preview going. I got up to like 49 layers before crashing with Muti-Frame turned off.

I am hoping someone can help. And importantly I hope that Adobe devs address this error and my issue. I am happy to provide more info to the devs etc to get these problems looked at. I am not holding my breath though. Hoping to be proved wrong.

Anyone know how I can prevent the crashing with this comp and get my layers up to 144. TIA. 

Comp Setup - 

Null Layer -> Control  w various Expression Controls

Shape layer(s) -> rectangle expressions on Rotation & Scale

Pre Comp with a turb noise 

rotation expression

sampleLayer = thisComp.layer("Control").effect("Sample Layer")("Layer");
sampleSize = thisComp.layer("Control").effect("Sample Size (pixels square)")("Slider");
sampleSize = [sampleSize,sampleSize];
samplePosition = transform.position;

/*
use if wanting to control time offset and/or post effects on sample layer
sampleEffects = parseInt(thisComp.layer("Control").effect("Dropdown Menu Control")("Menu"));
sampleEffects == 1 ? postEffect = 0 : postEffect =1;
sampleTimeOffset = thisComp.layer("Control").effect("Sample TIme Offset (s)")("Slider");
sampleTime = time-sampleTimeOffset;
samplePosition = samplePosition + thisComp.layer("Control").effect("Sample position Offset")("Point");
*/

displaceMin = thisComp.layer("Control").effect("Rotation Min")("Angle");
displaceMax = thisComp.layer("Control").effect("Rotation Max")("Angle");

a = sampleLayer.sampleImage(samplePosition,sampleSize)

/*
use if wanting to control time offset and/or post effects on sample layer
a = sampleLayer.sampleImage(samplePosition,sampleSize,postEffect,sampleTime) 
*/

// b = (a[0]+a[1]+a[2])/3;
b = a[0];
c = linear(b,0,1,displaceMin,displaceMax)
value + c

Scale Expression

sampleLayer = thisComp.layer("Control").effect("Sample Layer")("Layer");
sampleSize = thisComp.layer("Control").effect("Sample Size (pixels square)")("Slider");
sampleSize = [sampleSize,sampleSize];
samplePosition = transform.position;

/*
use if wanting to control time offset and/or post effects on sample layer
sampleEffects = parseInt(thisComp.layer("Control").effect("Dropdown Menu Control")("Menu"));
sampleEffects == 1 ? postEffect = 0 : postEffect =1;
sampleTimeOffset = thisComp.layer("Control").effect("Sample TIme Offset (s)")("Slider");
sampleTime = time-sampleTimeOffset;
samplePosition = samplePosition + thisComp.layer("Control").effect("Sample position Offset")("Point");
*/

displaceMin = thisComp.layer("Control").effect("Scale Min")("Slider");
displaceMax = thisComp.layer("Control").effect("Scale Max")("Slider");

a = sampleLayer.sampleImage(samplePosition,sampleSize)

/*
use if wanting to control time offset and/or post effects on sample layer
a = sampleLayer.sampleImage(samplePosition,sampleSize,postEffect,sampleTime) 
*/

// b = (a[0]+a[1]+a[2])/3;
b = a[0]
c = linear(b,0,1,displaceMin,displaceMax)
value + [c,0]

[Mylenium]

Check your hardware acceleration settings and graphics driver. You may need to upgrade or downgrade it. People have suggested that the 517.xx Studio driver works best with AE.

Mylenium

[Volition74au]

Thanks, I am on the latest. Lol !527!

I'll try and downgrade my drivers and see if that helps thanks. I really appreciate it. Fingers crossed.

now @adobe can you look at this problem, do you follow any of these? Is it worth logging a ticket. Thise crash reports eems like a waste. I have filled in so many and never been contacted.

We shouldnt have to jump through rings for what is reasonable simple animations. Mind you I do understand witrh Windows millions of hardware configurations, Millions of software states, etc. I genuinely think with the money they would be making. They need a ground up rewrite. They will need to stay in front or they could end up like many no longer big name software that no longer dominate or even exist. Ah I am just venting. Such a frustrating ride is AE.

[tristansummers]

hI

I have a project crashing with sampleimage.

I have also found expressions really slow my machine down now that didn't before.

ThreadripperPro3955WX/Nvidia4090/128GB RAM

Been thinking I should have stuck to Intel

But I think something is very wrong with expressions now, possibly clashing with multi-frame rendering?

this is the group expression:

x = thisComp.layer("GRADIENT").sampleImage(transform.position, [.5,.5]/2, true, time)[0];
100*[x,x]

though the shapes before it are also expression linked:

thisLayer.effect("RECTANGLE SIZE")(1).value; 

or

temp = effect("6 DIAMETER")("Slider");
[temp, temp]

and those effects are looping

loopOut("cycle")

and it is ONLY when I duplicate the comp

grrrrrrrr