Flamingo Frequently Asked Questions

Summary: This FAQ page is set up to share common questions and answers Flamingo 2, 3, NXT and NXT 5.

• How do I use the Flamingo Render Farm?

• My Flamingo will not install on Rhino 5. Installation instructions.

• How to install Flamingo nXt 5 in a lab? Install Flamingo in a lab

• Would the existing flamingo V5 key we have also work with the Zoo? Zoo 6 is compatible with Flamingo.

• Why is my rendering slow? Click here for Flamingo performance tuning tips. A detailed article on tuning the speed performance of Flamingo.

• What does the 'source radius' do? The radius of the emitter of light, which creates soft shadows. – Jeff Taylor

• What are the settings for the best quality picture? If there were one group of best settings, there would be no need for controls to alter them.

• Where are the Flamingo NXT 5 Material libraries on my hard disk - Default materials Location

• Where is a gallery to post my best pics? You can submit your images to the Flamingo gallery.

• What are the differences between Flamingo, Brazil, and Penguin?

My Flamingo nXt gives an “Unable to Communicate with License Manager” error in Rhino 5 (32-bit and 64-bit).

See Item 2 on the Resolving "Unable to communicate with license manager" Errors page.

I upgraded to Rhino 3 from Rhino 2. Now my Flamingo 1.0 CD doesn't work. How do I get Flamingo running in Rhino V3?

You need Flamingo 1.1 for Rhino 3.0. If you browse your Rhino 3.0 installation CD you will find the Flamingo 1.1 installer in the Flamingo folder. Use your original Flamingo 1.0 CD-key to install it. Flamingo 1.1 is exactly the same as Flamingo 1.0 and it's free for Flamingo 1.0 owners. Remember to check for Flamingo service releases.

I upgraded to Rhino 4. My Flamingo 1.1 CD doesn't work. How do I get Flamingo running in Rhino 4?

Install Flamingo from the red Rhino 4.0 CD2 in the Rhino 4.0 DVD case, or from the a Flamingo 1.1 SR6 or newer CD.

Exception: If your red Rhino CD2 has RH40PRT-CD2 0107 or RH40PRT-CD2 0207 printed on the rim, the Flamingo 1.1 installer requires that you have Flamingo 1.0 (for Rhino 2) or 1.1 (for Rhino 3) installed. If you have that initial version of the red CD2, and no old Flamingo installed, you will need to request an updated red CD2 from McNeel Tech Support. tech@mcneel.com

I get an error and the Flamingo 2.0 install never completes.

See these instructions on how to generate a log file of the error and get Technical Support involved.

Does the Flamingo 2.0 installer support automated installations?

Three methods for automating the Flamingo 2.0 install process.

Does the Flamingo 1.1 installer support scripted installations?

Detailed description of automated deployment options.

Does the Flamingo 2 installer preserve my Flamingo 1.1 settings?

Description of settings and library migration, destinations for files, integration with Rhino, etc.

Where is the Flamingo 2.0 beta?

Flamingo 2.0 is now released. All the betas have expired. To purchase: http://www.flamingo3d.com/purchase.htm

I am using Vista and now the Flamingo 1.1 Help doesn't work.

Vista does not support old style WinHelp (.hlp), the format used for Flamingo 1.1. You can download a fix from Microsoft.

• Free Flamingo tutorials at www.rhino3d.tv! Go to Year = 2005, Month = January, to find the training videos.
• Free jewelry rendering techniques! If you are looking for help on getting realistic looking gemstones and polished gold, this tutorial is for you.
• Light - a free detailed tutorial!

Where are Flamingo 1.1 material and plant libraries installed?

C:\Program Files\RhinoCeros 3.0\Plug-ins\Flamingo\English\Libraries

Where are Flamingo 2.0 WIP/beta libraries installed?

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\McNeel\Flamingo\2.0\English\Libraries

Note: To see the Application Data folder, allow the display of “hidden files and folders”. To do this, start the Windows Explorer - Tools - Folder options - View tab. Change the control in Advanced settings.

How can I use my Flamingo 1.1 custom materials in Flamingo 2?

From Gordon Adams. Use the tool in the Flamingo 2 program group to switch to using Flamingo 1. Then figure out the names of the libraries that have your custom materials in them. Look for those libraries by searching for the material libraries (you can search your whole hard disk for *.mlib), then copy those files into the Flamingo 2.0 Resources folder (pointed to by the Base Folder button in FlamingoOptions). Switch back to Flamingo 2.0. Those libraries should be on your list.

How should I manage custom material definitions?

See Managing custom Flamingo materials.

Can I use a jump drive or removable disk for my material libraries?

How to use Flamingo 1.1 material libraries on removable media.

Flamingo users frequently ask how to keep their libraries on a removable disk. Often students are looking for a way to avoid losing the library in a machine reset or Deep Freeze restoration. Sometimes leaving the library on the hard drive may mean another user can alter it. Here is a way to keep user libraries on a removable and writeable Flash or network drive. This will not work for Flamingo 2.

How does Flamingo 2 search for and find material and plant libraries?

Flamingo 2.0 installs material and plant libraries in a specific location accessible and changeable by all users. The default libraries listed in the Materials tab of Flamingo browser are stored in:

• Windows Vista - C:\ProgramData\McNeel\Flamingo\2.0\<language>\<libraryfolder>
• Windows XP - C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\McNeel\Flamingo\2.0\<language>\<libraryfolder>

When Flamingo 2.0 starts, it reads the libraries to list here:

• System registry - HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\McNeel\Flamingo\2.0\<localeID> valuename=Libraries

If you move your libraries to a different location, you need to add that new location to the Library locations (show in browsers) list found in Tools > Options > Flamingo (Rhino options not Document properties) dialog.

The BaseFolder setting at the top of that dialog is used to search for bitmaps. In the default install, BaseFolder is pointing to:

• Windows Vista - C:\ProgramData\McNeel\Flamingo\2.0\Resources
• Windows XP - C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\McNeel\Flamingo\2.0\Resources
• System registry - HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\McNeel\Flamingo\2.0\Paths valuename=Support

Three more clues: Library search goes one level deep. Support search is recursive. And hidden libraries may be used.

• MLIB files in Library search folders are listed on the Materials tab of Flamingo's browser.
• MLIB files in folders in and below Support search folders are not listed in Materials tab of Flamingo's browser. Missing material definitions are searched for. This is how a German .3DM will render using standard German materials even when only English material libraries are showing in the Materials tab of Flamingo's browser.

How are Flamingo material assignments handled in block instances?

Flamingo materials can be assigned by layer or directly to objects.

• If the block's materials are assigned by object, and block materials are defined in the computer where the block is inserted, they render properly.
• If the block's materials are assigned by layer, and the layer name is different than any other layer in the target file, they render properly.
• If the block's materials are assigned by layer, and the layer name conflicts with another layer in the target file, then the block will render using the current file's material assignments, usually default white. The layer definition in the target file is not overwritten or changed by the block insertion.

Where is the Flamingo product home page? Flamingo product home page