[Solved!] Krane.exe not working.

[Astralite]

searched a LOT for a solution for this, I've seen others having this problem for years, but no one ever responds to it...it's as if it's just supposed to work but isn't.

The files are there...I'm typing the line right, trying different methods...doesn't believe the files are there. 

Edited June 27, 2021 by Astralite

[Garamonde]

This post I made a few days ago includes details for a much better and easier way to get Krane to work.

[Astralite]

I read it. You explained how it works when it works. It is not working for me. You can see I have a .bat file in the folder. The batch file is no different than actually typing the contents out, which I've done 3+ different ways.

One person says use "krane folder folder folder", another says "krane anim build output" works. Another says full paths: "E:\Ktools\krane.exe E:\Ktools\anim.bin E:\Ktools\build.bin E:\Ktools\output". None of these work. Krane doesn't believe the bin files exist, even though as you can see from my screenshot of the folder, they are certainly in there.

 

[Garamonde]

Alright, upon closer inspection, I see the (potential) problem. There is no .TEX file to go with the anim and build files. Krane needs a corresponding .TEX in order to extract any graphics (this includes the .SCML file). Can you tell me what exactly you're trying to extract?

Edited June 27, 2021 by Garamonde

[Astralite]

there is an atlas-0.tex file in the folder.

currently testing with atlas-0.tex and build.bin from the webber.zip (Don't Starve Together\data\anim\webber.zip) and the anim.bin from player_idles.zip in the same folder

Edited June 27, 2021 by Astralite

[Garamonde]

2 minutes ago, Astralite said:

there is an atlas-0.tex file in the folder

Okay, but what is it you're trying to extract? I may be able to help better if I can see it for myself.

Also, could I see what your folder directory looks like and the contents of your .bat file? I know, you said you did everything correctly, but I want to see if I can find any potential problems by ruling out any source of them.

[Astralite]

Building Webber's scml, basically. Just as KTools says Krane can do.

[Garamonde]

So I just tried extracting Webber's DST files (I assume that's what you meant) and this is what my folder structure looks like:

Are you sure you used the anim.bin file from "player_idles" along with Webber's .tex and build.bin files? "output_dir" also successfully extracts everything for me:

...And, your .bat file contains this exact string, right?

krane anim.bin build.bin output_dir

Also, you're running Krane by double-clicking the .bat file, not trying to run Krane through command prompt while you have the .bat file in there, correct? Sorry, just trying to cover all the bases.

Edited June 27, 2021 by Garamonde

[Astralite]

100% sure I'm doing everything right, and then some. I've read the tutorials, I've watched the video, my folder looks exactly like yours.

If you'd like a video of me downloading it from the KTools page linked in every tutorial, I can do that too. The page says it's 4.4.0, but the download is 4.4.4. from 6 months after the page says it is.

[Garamonde]

Hmm, I doubt this would matter but maybe try deleting the backup and input folders and make sure the output folder is called "output_dir" (at least, the .bat file should name it that from its code) as well as deleting the extra .bat files if they are the same.

Another idea I had was maybe it has to do with your stuff being on E: drive? But again that probably doesn't matter and I'm just grasping for straws.

I'm not sure what else could be the problem. I totally believe you know what you're doing, I'm just not sure what the problem could be.

Sorry if I'm wasting your time.

(If you'd like, I could send you Webber's extracted files if you need them via DM. I could also send you my version of ktools with my setup with webber's files in it, if you want to try it yourself to see if it's an issue on your end or not)

EDIT: This is probably a dumb question, but you also made sure to download the Microsoft Redistributable Package linked on KTools' page, right?

Edited June 27, 2021 by Garamonde

[Astralite]

I don't think any of that should matter. It's self-contained program in it's own folder with all its DLLs included. It's not installed. I moved it to G: drive, still didn't work. If location of the program mattered, it should've been mentioned on the page. No one else seems to have a location-based error. The name of the output folder doesn't matter because whatever you choose, it will create if it doesn't exist (or so it says). And yes I do have the redistributable, installed it yesterday just in case (32 and 64bit versions). 

Someone had the same problem in March 2018. 

I don't expect it expect it to get fixed, the programmer has abandoned it (half a decade ago, so understandable). Maybe it has something to do with it being a 32-bit and I'm using 64-bit, but that shouldn't be it either.

but anyway, I just happen to have a second computer in my room that still has Windows 7 on it, I transferred the exact folder I've been using to a USB, ran extract.bat (E:\ktools\krane.exe E:\ktools\anim.bin E:\ktools\build.bin E:\ktools\output), and the usb drive just happened to be the E: drive and it worked. Not the solution I'd like, but I guess I'll have to live with it. Something works on that computer that isn't working on mine.

Okay, so how is this for crazy? Using the USB back on my computer, I ran the bat file again and it worked.

[Astralite]

(over an hour later, in case this reply is merged with the other)

So, here's the thing...the bin files in the zips have no modified dates when I pulled them out. Compare the screenshot of my folder to yours (if checked my files are dated 1601, which is epoch year for NTFS or something, if a file has no date, that's what's used or whatever). Putting the files onto the USB gave them today's date as a modified. It made them valid to krane. I even took the files off of the USB and put them back into my Ktools folder and it all worked. Krane saw the files.

None of the files I've checked in the zips in DST\data\anim folder have modified dates inside when I drag them out into the folder (using WinRar).

Extracting the zip into my Ktools folder, the files still don't have dates. But transferring the zip to the USB and unzipping it there, it creates them as if they were born today). Huh. The USB is a FAT32 (which means I never reformatted it, which I usually do...)

Now, testing on an xFat USB...that worked (again, because the files got modified dates because they were moved?)

Copying the files to a USB with NFTS didn't give them modified dates and they didn't work. So, it seems of the 3 formats, NTFS doesn't care to give the files today's date.

But then I had a hunch, and tired 7-Zip instead of WinRar and it actually extracts a file with their original date modified!

So, that was the problem. WinRar not seeing their correct dates and so not giving them one when extracted.

Problem [Solved]. I can actually feel the +15 sanity for the science...

[Garamonde]

That is... really, really interesting. I'll be sure to link to this thread in my new tutorial I just wrote today in case anyone else has this problem!

(But also, what? I'm using WinRAR and the files still work for me? That is truly bizarre )

[Astralite]

well...my WinRar is 3.90 (evaluation copy) from over a decade ago (I don't know how...)...they're up to 6.02 now! So that might be something...