Unreal Engine Issues

UE-52249

[CrashReport] UE4Editor_Engine!LoadSpecialMaterial() [unrealengine.cpp:1523]

[CrashReport] UE4Editor_Engine!LoadSpecialMaterial() [unrealengine.cpp:1523]

Description

This is a longstanding crash that has occurred for more than 200 users since at least 4.13. Based on user descriptions this appears to permanently corrupt a project.

User Descriptions

  • I just turned on the launcher and then BOOM crash...
  • I was exporting a video sequence, when suddenly it got blocked.
  • 10 times trying tu use UE4 and always crashing! I was just trying to open for 10 or 20 times!
  • I was just opening a project and when it loaded, I got the crash. It didn't even flash the game or anything.
  • Pretty much just trying to open up my project. It worked yesterday and I didn't make any system or software changes myself.
  • I just can't start project. Yesterday it was working fine, but now, I can't even open it.
  • Permacrash because of trying to generate mesh distance fields
  • Again. Project destroyed. Turning off static lighting and clearing out the material for "preview shadows" destroys project and there is no way to revert.
  • I turned off "static lighting" in project settings and I set "preview shadows material" to "clear". Project is completely broken and has crashed EVERY TIME since I made this change. Project is completely unretrievable and all assets are destroyed as a result. I have no way to fix this and no way to retrieve my work.
  • zipped project. closed editor, returned, crashes now.
  • Loading stops at 79% of loading
  • Im just trying to start up the editor and it keeps crashing even after i've restarted my pc twice
  • changed something in project settings, makes ue4 crash
  • Enabled DFAO, clicked "Restart Now" and have been unable to open the project ever since.
  • I booted up the engine and crashed.
  • cloned project. now its broken.
  • Change raytraced shadow option to off in the project settings. Was having issues with dynamic inset shadows not showing up correctly (Shadows dramatically faded even at cinematic)
Steps to Reproduce

repro steps currently unknown

Callstack
Fatal error: [File:D:\Build\++UE4+Release-4.16+Compile\Sync\Engine\Source\Runtime\Engine\Private\UnrealEngine.cpp] [Line: 1523] 
Failed to load special material ''

UE4Editor_Engine!LoadSpecialMaterial() [unrealengine.cpp:1523]
UE4Editor_Engine!UEngine::InitializeObjectReferences() [unrealengine.cpp:1631]
UE4Editor_UnrealEd!UEditorEngine::InitializeObjectReferences() [editorengine.cpp:793]
UE4Editor_Engine!UEngine::Init() [unrealengine.cpp:924]
UE4Editor_UnrealEd!UEditorEngine::InitEditor() [editorengine.cpp:559]
UE4Editor_UnrealEd!UEditorEngine::Init() [editorengine.cpp:847]
UE4Editor_UnrealEd!UUnrealEdEngine::Init() [unrealedengine.cpp:75]
UE4Editor!FEngineLoop::Init() [launchengineloop.cpp:2588]
UE4Editor_UnrealEd!EditorInit() [unrealedglobals.cpp:76]
UE4Editor!GuardedMain() [launch.cpp:150]
UE4Editor!GuardedMainWrapper() [launchwindows.cpp:134]
UE4Editor!WinMain() [launchwindows.cpp:210]
UE4Editor!__scrt_common_main_seh() [exe_common.inl:253]
kernel32!BaseThreadInitThunk()
ntdll!RtlUserThreadStart()

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Cannot Reproduce
ComponentUE - Graphics Features
Affects Versions4.13, 4.14, 4.15, 4.16, 4.17, 4.18
Target Fix4.23
CreatedNov 10, 2017
ResolvedMar 8, 2019
UpdatedFeb 7, 2020
Pull Requests
4214 - projectgheist