2 problems: "Warning: Is project... already open and?" and closing program

[Fraglessina]

Hello!

Today I've downloaded a trial version of Adobe Character Animator CC 2019 and I experienced two errors with whom I can't even start to work.

When I first opened the app everything was fine. I've watched sample video tutorial in "start" menu - I could move sample puppets and lip-syncing them. I could also opened  characterizer and some sample puppets.

When I open the program it’s not opening on „start menu” but I see 2 errors like this:

1. 1. „WARNING: is project: „[name of the project]” already open?

Opening a project on one computer at a time can corrupt the project. A crash can also leave a project open, in which case opening the project should be safe.

Open Anyway / Cancel”

I also realized that every time I try to open and I see this message, name of the project has different number (so it looks like every new opening creates a new project, and now I have 16 projects that I haven’t created).

1. 2. Sometimes I don’t see warning from 1, but  it opens on something which look like an empty project. I am clicking start and then:

- app is closing without any warning

- i can see start screen and I can choose sample puppet. When I click on any of them sometimes it works and sometimes app is closing again without any warning like: „program stopped working”.

I can’t also open sample files from classes that I took (program is closing them without any warning) or I can, but it looks broken.

Everything is unpredictable.

Last week I also downladed a trial version of an Adobe Illustrator and I haven’t had any problems with this program. I learned basic functions, everything was working fine, although I had to update Nvidia GeForce Expirience because I couldn’t open outline view. But after that it worked.

Next week I want to buy all Adobe apps, but I have to be sure, that everything will work fine without crashes. Now I can’t even start to open it properly…

Informations about my computer:

Windows 10

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060

16 GB RAM

Intel Core i7-7700HQ 2.8 GHz

64 bit

Acer Predator Helios 300 PH317-51

Things that I’ve already done and it didn’t work:

1. I restarted my computer
2. I logged out and logged in to Adobe
3. I updated NVIDIA Geforce Experience
4. One time I opened Adobe Character with pressed Shift and I didn’t see warning message, but without Shift it still pops up and I still had problems with closing program.
5. I deleted „temp.noindex” folder from Ch Data with temporary files I think, but I didn’t see any differnence. I read about it here: https://forums.adobe.com/thread/2458565?fbclid=IwAR0OLtfdfEBbkW1u_IeKpmLW_w8Z5GSY65dEn7FkowOgDAfDaHq... but I’m first day in Adobe Character and I don’t understand in 100% what they’re talking about.

Can anyone help me? I have no idea what could I do next…

Thank you in advance!

[DanTull]

Which version of the NVIDIA driver do you have installed? We've been investigating crashes when switching away from workspaces with a scene panel that might explain that part of what's happening (with new driver update 419.17).

If the app is crashing, that may explain why it is presenting the "is this project already open" warnings since when the app crashes, the project is left in a state that seems to a subsequent launch like it is still open.

Are you hitting cancel or open anyway? If you cancel, I think it will create a new empty project as you describe (also, yeah, that results in some clutter and probably isn't the best behavior).

DT

[Fraglessina]

Thank you for quick response!

I've got nvidia version 3.13.1 and nvidia drivers 419.35

When I click "open anyway" warning disappear and then I can click start and then app is closing. I forgot to add in my last post that after app closes I see a notification that camera is turned off (but in program it works), I am not sure if it is important, probably not, but I forgot to add it earlier.

When I click "cancel" - I can click on start and choose a sample puppet, open it etc. but sometimes after canceling warning app is also closing. I don't know what it depends on.

It's even hard to describe, because it's so unpredictable and hard to see tendencies of these errors.

I also thought that deleting one of those self-created project will protect me from "warning screen", but removing it worked similar to clicking cancel on warning - I could open start, choose puppet etc., but problems with unexpected closings didn't finish and problem with "warning" also come back when I wanted to open something.

I think (but I am not sure) those self-creating files after clicking "cancel" behaves different, than these projects from sample puppets that I save by myself in different location. I created one 1 -second project by myself from sample puppet to test errors again. I saved it. I could opened it for the first time, I saw "warning" so I clicked open anyways. It worked properly. So I closed it by myself and opened the same file again again for the 2nd time and it opened without "warning", but there were no puppet, just word "none".

Do you have any ideas how to solve it?

[Fraglessina]

Now I'm loosing days of my free trial version although I can't use it and I can't learn it... If it won't work, I can't buy it.... Do you recommand any other applications for 2d animation with face tracking, movable body parts and lip-syncing? I heard that Adobe Animate is more to create animations frame by frame, so it doesn't satisfy me... I learnt Illustrator and photoshop just to be able to create puppets for Adobe Character Animator, now I think it's useless because I will have to find another program to animation if Adobe Character won't work. I feel desperate, I lost so much time and put an effort to learn those programs and now I have to find something else, because I need to start working on my project immediately. If Adobe Character Animator would work on my computer everything would be great... now it's a huge problem to me...

I thought about backing to previous version of my nvidia drivers, maybe it would help but I can't do this, because "rollback to old drivers" is disabled on my computer.

I also thought about installing again Adobe Character Animator, but I realised that I would probably lost my last 6 from 7 days of trial so it wouldn't work anyways...

I'm slowly giving up and I feel desperate, today I can't even open sample puppets...

[russter]

I'm having the same problem.  Nvidia GeForce Game Ready driver version 419.35 (latest)

[Fraglessina]

Great that I am not the only one with this problem. @russter, if you find any solution, please write it here, I'll be really greatful for any help. If more people will try to solve it, maybe we will find any solution.

Today I came up with idea to scan discs. I scanned my both discs looking for any errors to fix them, but computer didn't find any errors, so nothing has changed

I also installed again nvidia drivers 419.35 again, but it also didn't work

[Fraglessina]

@russter one of other users of this program told me also that he had similar issues about 1 year ago and he had to wait on Adobe Character update - and update solved all problems. But he also said that updates are every 3-6 months so nobody knows how long we have to wait if it isn't fault of our computers, but an error in Adobe Character 😕 Have you got any ideas?

[russter]

Yeah it has worked previously on my computer, but I'm not sure which version of animator I was using at that time.

I'm guessing our options right now are

• wait for an update either to graphics driver (we both have nvidia on the same version) or an update to fix character animator
• downgrade character animator or nvidia driver (yuck)
• maybe some other system tweak... I don't know.

Good luck, I'll let you know if I find anything

[Fraglessina]

@russter do you have both problems aka warning and closing or just one of them? Tell me if downgrading will work. I don't know how to downgrade nvidia (in properties it is disabled, and I also don't see in nvidia app any option for downgrading). I also have trial version of Adobe Character from Friday so I think I can't downgrade it (and I don't know where could I find older versions). I don't have much time to fix it because my trial ends around Thursday / Friday. I am trying to switch to Adobe Animate which wasn't my dream, but I think it works on my computer so now I'm learning it. If I will learn it (although I am not willing to draw frame by frame, but maybe I will survive) I will try to buy all Adobe apps all this situation ruined me so much plans

[DanTull]

It would be very interesting to confirm whether downgrading the NVIDIA driver to an earlier version helps as well as which graphics card you have if not no already indicated. (in our internal bug report it fails in 419.17 but is fine in 416.34, 417.71, and 418.91 with GeForce GTX 960M).

Thanks -- DT

[ArtOfDestiny]

How would I downgrade the graphics card to an earlier version?

[DanTull]

I haven't tried it this way but found  and Driver Rollback|NVIDIA and How to Roll Back Nvidia Graphics Driver in Windows 10 - YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkF6U...

DT

[russter]

I rolled back using the method in DanTull's link.  It put me on 417.71 and it seems to work fine without crashes!

Not ideal to be on an old version of a driver but a good workaround for now

[DanTull]

Good to get confirmation on that. Thanks for trying it and for reporting back!

DT

[Fraglessina]

DanTull​ russter​ @ArtOfDestiny

I think that won't work on my computer.

Driver Rollback|NVIDIA - there's no instruction for windows 10 and I don't have previous driver. I don't know where can I download an old drivers to eventually uninstall my current one... And even if it would be possible how will I know to which version it will put me in (if this will be still too new one it won't work either). Second of all I would like to recall that I upgraded nvidia drivers last week, because outline view and pixel view were crashing program - when I did it, it was fixed. How will I know if putting old drivers won't cause it again? It's a risk

How to Roll Back Nvidia Graphics Driver in Windows 10 - YouTube  I tried it, but as I said before, this button is grey on my computer - probably because an older version doesn't exist on my computer yet.

Another question important to me what will happen with my computer screen when I uninstall the only one existing graphic card driver? Will my computer stop work or it will switch me on the 2nd graphic card (Intel card) or not? I heard that this Intel card can't do almost anything (like it is able to open just light things like MS Word and desktop) so will my computer be able then using this 2nd card to open a window to install drivers?

* And I am also still on trial version yet (I want to buy all adobe apps next week)

[russter]

I wouldn't recommend uninstalling your nvidia graphic driver, seems like things could get messy on your system.  However you could try changing your Nvidia settings to use your intel card for running Character Animator, I haven't tried that but might be worth a shot...

[DanTull]

That idea of using the integrated graphics for Character Animator seems like an interesting stopgap. I have a "budget" home machine that has only an integrated GPU and it can run Character Animator (and even games). It is definitely not as performant, but might avoid the crashes while we try to get that sorted out with NVIDIA and would let you avoid the risks of doing a manual graphics driver rollback to get an earlier version which, from your description, may cause more problems than it solves.

DT

[ArtOfDestiny]

I literally am having the exact same problem. I've owned creative cloud apps for a awhile but I just downloaded Character animator a few days ago and it kept saying the same thing. When I try to click edit the original photoshop file or just click the rig tab it will crash to desktop without showing any error. I also have the same computer specs and graphics card.

[Fraglessina]

@ArtOfDestiny great that more of us talk about this problem! Please write here if you have any idea how to solve it!

[ArtOfDestiny]

I tried rolling mine back and but it is still crashing for me. It only took me back to 419.17 so maybe that is still too new?

[DanTull]

Yes, in our bug, 419.17 already has the incompatibility. Will it let you roll back further? Otherwise, maybe there's a way to download an older version directly to install it specifically.

DT

[ArtOfDestiny]

No, that as far as it lets me go after that the roll back button is greyed-out.  I tried downloading the older driver but it said the 417.71 was not compatible with my computer. Maybe I just did the wrong download but all the specs were correct so I am a bit confused.

[Fraglessina]

Okay thanks, I will try if switching cards will help...

[Fraglessina]

Now it works. I have some doubts if I can create on weak graphic card 6 minutes of movie, but I will try. DanTull​ do you know how long I have to wait on any Update of Adobe Character fixing problems with nvidia drivers? Month? Few months? Few days? Few weeks? All in all I would like to work on nvidia...

[DanTull]

Oh, good. Not ideal, of course, but hopefully buys us some time and gets you unblocked for a bit.

I'm checking on status to see what I can find out. I haven't been the through process with NVIDIA before, so I'm not sure how long it might take, but I added this forum thread to the bug report on our side so I can try to post back as we know more.

Thanks -- DT