Troubleshooting a corrupted scenario in STK

How do I trouble shoot a potentially corrupted scenario in STK?

Try to identify the specific problem within the scenario. Generally, there is a root cause with multiple things failing then STK crashes, but all issues can be traced back to one cause.  Sometimes STK is looking for a file, that now doesn’t exist. Sometimes, two scenarios are writing to the same file. Sometimes, STK topped out the machine when running analysis and caused a crash, which caused corruption in a file it was writing at the time of the crash. Sometimes, STK simply crashes for some other reason and now the scenario is corrupt. We have luck in recovering a corrupted scenario but there is no guarantee that we can fix a problem. Check the Tips using STK below.

Here are things to check about your scenario that crashes STK 

• Identify when does the crash occurs.
  • Does the crash happen at startup? 
    • This could indicate a graphics issue, as crashing at start up can mean that STK could not render the scenario, so it crashes.
  • Does the crash happen when running analysis right after startup? 
    • This could indicate a problem with an object like a satellite, aircraft or vehicle. STK will repropagate objects first, before doing anything else. So if there was an error in the propagator, which causes a crash, then an object is the issue.  
    • This could indicate a problem with an object like coverage, comm systems or volumetric, which generally recalculate right after start up? 
  • Does this crash happen when recalculating an analysis object? 
    • This is a problem with the analysis object like coverage or comm systems. Check what objects are used in that analysis and if those objects are valid, which could be the root cause. Remove or recreate the analysis. 
  • Figure out if there is a specific time when the error occurs, does this correspond with an object being added or a change being made? 
• Check if you were saving a scenario to the same folder, Scenario1_v1 Scenario2_v2… 
  • This has caused corruption in the past because STK saves the scenario to that folder but the first and second version CAN modify the other files like Satellite1.sa. STK does not save copies of Scenario2_v2_Satellite1.sa, it only saves Satellite1.sa. 
  • Instead of saving the scenario with a different name, simply Save the Scenario like normal, then use Windows Explorer, create a copy of the FULL Folder, and call it *_backup. This way you backup your scenarios AND all of your objects.

• Confirm STK is using the right graphics card, and that your drivers are up to date.
  • First, check your graphics card drivers are up to date. If not, update your graphics card drivers.
  • Once you've confirmed your drivers are up to date, in STK, navigate to Help -> Graphics Card Info 
  • Under OpenGL Information, you should see the brand name of your graphics card shown to indicate that the graphics card is being used.
  • For example, in the image below, the Graphics Card Info report shows that there is a NVIDIA graphics card available, but instead, STK is using the Intel XE Graphics. This is not correct.
  • If STK is not using the correct graphics card, such as in the image above, follow the instructions in the following blog to configure STK to use your graphics card: AGI: Make STK Look Beautiful Using Your Fancy Graphics Card

• Check the Error Messages from C:\Users\{UserNameORUsername\OneDrive}\Documents\STK 12\Config\Logs
  • There are some nominal warnings, so be sure to review any errors or messages that may have been sent right before the crash. 
  • Error Messages could indicate a problem with a specific object or analysis. Please see if it says where the problem lies. 
  • Missing External Files, for STK Scenarios, there are many things that can be added to your scenario. STK pulls in data from many different places, and you can also tell STK to pull in data from other sources. STK has features to look for moved files upon scenario load. Moving files that STK relies on is not a good practice.
• Try on another machine. If the error occurs on both machines, then the scenario has issues. 
• Retrieve the minidump diagnostic file (When all other items are checked)
  • Set the environment variable AGI_GENERATE_MINIDUMP = 1.

  • Reproduce the crash.

  • A dump file will be created in %TEMP% in a subfolder called AGI-STK12Application.

  • The %TEMP% directory is usually C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Temp. If yours is not located there, you can paste %TEMP% into your browser file path to find it.

How to uncorrupt a corrupted scenario?

• Create a copy of your full scenario folder and save in a new place. Use that for the following troubleshooting steps. 
  • VDFs should not be used as they are fully packed scenarios and cannot be broken apart. 
• First see if there is an issue with the objects in your scenario. 
  • Create a new scenario and import an object file, one at a time. 
  • Each time you load an object, see if there is an error in the message viewer.
  • Each time, see if the object loads as you expect. 
  • IF you are back to a fully built scenario, forget about your old scenario and carry on with this one. 
• If all of the objects load in the new scenario but you still want your original scenario.
  • You can compare a default scenario vs. the corrupted scenario file, *.sc. 
  • Create a default scenario, then save it. 
  • Open a tool like ExamDiff. 
    • ExamDiff compares to files. 
    • If you cannot install another program, open two Notepad++ or open two Notepads, side by side. Visually inspect these. 
  • Compare the potentially corrupted scenario file and the default scenario. 
    • The scenario properties should be similar. 
    • Check for any setting in the bad scenario that could be causing a problem. 
    • *Not recommended, but if you identify a problem in the scenario file, you can copy sections from the default scenario and add them into your scenario file. Then try to re-load into STK.  
• If all else fails, please send the full scenario folder to support@lsas-tec.com and we can help troubleshoot further. 

If you have any further questions or need assistance, we are here to help! Our dedicated Tec-Support team is ready to provide prompt and personalized assistance tailored to your needs. Please don't hesitate to reach out by submitting a ticket by going to https://lsas-tec.freshdesk.com/support/tickets/new. We look forward to assisting you and ensuring a positive experience. 

Thanks,

LSAS Tec-Support Team