Troubleshooting

Find the message you see, then its cause and fix. Errors stop the run; warnings let it continue, often with part of the model switched off, so read them. The deck-side causes (missing slices, &REAC yields) are explained on What your FDS case must provide.

Errors

MessageCauseFix
OSError: No simulations were found in the directory: DIR--fds-dir points at a directory without FDS output, for example one holding only the .fds deck.Point it at the directory with the .smv file of a finished FDS run.
ValueError: --inspect-fds requires --fds-dir--inspect-fds has nothing to inspect.Add --fds-dir.
ValueError: --vis-cache requires --enable-rerouting--vis-cache with --no-enable-rerouting.Drop one of the two; rerouting is on by default.
ValueError: --clear-air-visibility contradicts --fds-dir: …Clear-air sight on a deck with a fire.Drop --clear-air-visibility; with --fds-dir the smoke decides what agents see.
ValueError: --no-visibility and --clear-air-visibility conflictBoth flags given.Keep one.
ValueError: --heat-regime layer needs --heat-fed-method total-fluxThe layer regime is part of the total-flux method.Add --heat-fed-method total-flux.
ValueError: --heat-regime layer needs --heat-layer-height (or --heat-view-factor, --heat-layer-emissivity)These three have no default.Set all three; see Models › Heat.
ValueError: --heat-radiant-source integrated-intensity needs --heat-fed-method total-flux.As above, for the radiant source.Add --heat-fed-method total-flux.
ValueError: --heat-radiant-source integrated-intensity needs --heat-u-factor in [0.25, 1]; there is no default.f has no default.Set --heat-u-factor.
ValueError: DIR has no INTEGRATED INTENSITY slice. …The deck writes no INTEGRATED INTENSITY slice.Add &SLCF QUANTITY='INTEGRATED INTENSITY' at the slice height and rerun FDS.
run.py: error: argument --heat-u-factor: must be in [0.25, 1.0], got …f outside its range.Use a value in [0.25, 1].
IndexError: No slice with quantity '…' found in DIRA direct library call (FdsFedField.from_fds, ExtinctionField.from_fds, load_slice_sampler) on a case without that slice. run.py warns instead.Add the slice to the deck, or check the case with --inspect-fds first.

Warnings that change the result

Message starts withWhat happenedFix
FED is disabled for DIR: it has no CO slice …No gas FED: the result has no FED at all, not zero FED (#137).Add the CO, CO₂ and O₂ slices and the &REAC yields.
Heat FED is disabled for DIR: it has no TEMPERATURE slice.--enable-heat-fed on a case without temperature.Add &SLCF QUANTITY='TEMPERATURE'.
Smoke speed reduction is disabled for DIR: …No extinction slice; agents walk at clear-air speed.Add the SOOT EXTINCTION COEFFICIENT slice, or pass --constant-extinction.
Visibility falls back to clear air for DIR: …No extinction slice for sign legibility.As above.
Requested a '…' slice at z=… m but the nearest available … is at z=… mNo slice within 0.5 m of --smoke-slice-height; the run reads another height.Add slices at 1.6 m, or set --smoke-slice-height to a height the deck has. A slice within 0.5 m is used without a warning (#165).
--heat-… has no effect without --enable-heat-fed.A heat option without the heat dose.Add --enable-heat-fed, or drop the option.
--heat-fed-threshold … departs from ISO 13571:2012 …A separate heat threshold is set.Intended if you set it; the manifest records it.
Distribution '…' sets no pre-movement; using the FDS+Evac default, a constant 10 s.The spawn area has no pre-movement keys.Set use_premovement and the premovement_* keys (Scenario JSON).

Harmless log lines

  • WARNING:root:Module csv: [Errno 2] No such file or directory: …_hrr.csv (and …_steps.csv), followed by “The error can be safely ignored if not requiring the csv module”: fdsreader looks for CSV output the case does not have.
  • Reroute debug: … lines: a trace of the rerouting pass.
  • Heat FED is off; pass --enable-heat-fed to accumulate it.: the heat dose is off by default, as in FDS+Evac.

Known pitfalls

  • Tied routes and PYTHONHASHSEED. Set PYTHONHASHSEED to a fixed value for bit-identical reruns of discovery agents (why, #199).
  • The progress line counts planned agents. With flow spawning it can show more agents than the final summary (#279).
  • evacuation_time with incapacitated agents is the end of the run, not an exit time; see Outputs › Reading the results.
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