Revit 2011 & 2012 Crash when launching the Materials or Render Appearance Dialogs

The typical behavior for this issue is an Autodesk Revit has stopped working error when you attempt to open the Materials or Render Appearance Library dialogs:

Revit 2012 Release

This issue should be improved with the Revit 2012 update 1 release; links are available below to download:

Revit Architecture 2012 UR1

Revit Structure 2012 UR1

Revit MEP 2012 UR1

Revit 2011 Release

For Revit 2011 utilizing the following troubleshooting process should resolve or reduce the occurrence of this behavior.

1.  Windows Tablet PC Input Service

Verify if there are any Services (Local) running called Tablet PC Input Service.  If so stop the service, launch Revit, and see if the crash persists.

2.  Wacom Tablet Drivers \ Service

Verify if there are any Services (Local) running similar to Wacom Consumer Touch Service.  If so stop the service, launch Revit, and see if the crash persists.  

If Revit still crashes, verify if the workstation has Wacom Tablet drivers.  Uninstall the driver if present in the Windows Control Panel to see if the crash persists.

3.  Windows Temp Folder

Close Revit 2011; then empty the contents of the Windows Temp folder at: 

%Temp%

You can copy \ paste the address above into a Windows Explorer path.

4.  Windows Accessibility

Verify if the workstation has any of the Microsoft Control Panel > Appearance and Personalization > Ease of Access Center tools enabled.

For example, with On-Screen Keyboard or Magnifier enabled Revit can crash at the Materials dialog in a similar manner.  If so, test disabling the access tools temporarily to see if the crash persists.

5.  Run as Admin

Right-click on the Revit 2011 shortcut > Run as Administrator.  See if the crash persists. 

6.  Simplified Startup

Restart Windows with Microsoft MSCONFIG > General, and do either a Diagnostic Startup or Selective Startup.  Verify if the crash occurs in a simplified environment.

If the issue persists, the following process will help us better understand if we are dealing with the same scenario.  If you are on Autodesk Subscription, I would recommend creating a support case with all of the information from this post.  If you are not on Subscription, please create a post on the Autodesk Revit Discussion Groups here referencing this information for additional assistance.

1.  If you log onto another workstation, and do the same process, does the crash occur?  Or is it simply isolated to this 1 workstation?

2.  Does the crash occur in a new project file, or is this isolated to a specific project file?

3.  What exact steps are you taking to cause the crash in the Materials Editor?

4.  Does the crash occur if you navigate to the materials dialog via different routes as follows:

[A]  Manage > Materials > Render Appearance > Replace
[B]  Select a wall > Edit Type > Structure Edit > Material > … > Render Appearance > Replace
[C]  Manage > Materials > Select “Wood” material > Render Appearance > Click down arrow next to Image > Edit Image

Image Example

Please include the following documents if creating a case:

• Latest Revit journal file from after the crash.  Journal locations here
• System Information .NFO file

Comments

[Karen Maxon]

Thanks so much for the tip -- it was the first on the list, the Wacom driver.

I run Windows 7 in Parallels on an iMac. I had the Wacom driver installed in Windows. I uninstalled it, and the Revit materials worked fine. And now I run the Wacom through the Mac OS. So I still have my trusty tablet AND functioning materials!

Much appreciated,
Karen

[pierpaolo]

I had the same problem, Windows 7 Wacom Tablet driver installed. Now unistalled drivers Wacom, Revit works fine when launching the Materials or Render Appearance Dialogs. Now i work with driver default windows on Tablet Wacom Intuos XL, so i don't optimaze the tablet with his specific drivers, how can i do to resolve it?
Thank you
Pierpaolo

[Weston Tanner]

We were also experiencing this problem on a Windows 7 pc with the Wacom driver installed. We were able to figure out that if you disable the Windows Tablet PC Input Service from the System Configuration there is no more crashing, even with the TabletServiceWacom service running.