Getting SpriteKit texture from SKView returning nil after 104 calls - sprite-kit

Question

I am having some odd behavior in SpriteKit when creating a texture. The function below shows you what I am doing. In short, I'm in SceneKit and making a SCNNode out of an Array of colors (think pixel/voxels). It works like a charm. However, after exactly 104 calls the texture returned is nil. Afterwards, it is hit or miss whether the texture will be nil or not. I am also providing the exact color information. Thoughts?
func create2dModelSK(with colors: [String]) -> SCNNode? {
let geo = SCNBox(width: 1.0, height: 1.0, length: 0.1, chamferRadius: 0.0)
let base = SCNNode(geometry: geo)
let view = SKSpriteNode(color: .white, size: CGSize(width: 160, height: 160))
view.anchorPoint = CGPoint(x: 0, y: 1)
var xOffset = 0
var yOffset = 0
var count = 0
for _ in 0...15 {
for _ in 0...15 {
guard let newColor = UIColor(hexString: "#" + colors[count] + "ff") else { return base }
let n = SKSpriteNode(color: newColor, size: CGSize(width: 10, height: 10))
n.anchorPoint = CGPoint(x: 0, y: 1)
n.position = CGPoint(x: xOffset, y: yOffset)
view.addChild(n)
xOffset += 10
count += 1
}
xOffset = 0
yOffset -= 10
}
let skView = SKView(frame: CGRect(x: 0, y: 0, width: 160, height: 160))
let texture = skView.texture(from: view)
//AFTER being called 104 times, texture is nil.
let faceMaterial = SCNMaterial()
faceMaterial.diffuse.contents = texture
let sideMaterial = SCNMaterial()
sideMaterial.diffuse.contents = UIColor.white
let materialsForBox = [faceMaterial,sideMaterial,faceMaterial,sideMaterial,sideMaterial,sideMaterial]
base.geometry?.materials = materialsForBox
let scale = SCNVector3(x: 0.1, y: 0.1, z: 0.1)
base.scale = scale
return base
}

Answer 1

This is where autoreleasepool comes in handy, it allows you to release the memory when the autoreleasepool is finished so that you do not run out of space before using it again.
Of course this is not going to solve your main problem, where you are creating too many textures and running out of memory space, but it will allow you to at least make some more because it will release the temporary memory that view.texture(from:node) is holding on to.
func create2dModelSK(with colors: [String]) -> SCNNode? {
let geo = SCNBox(width: 1.0, height: 1.0, length: 0.1, chamferRadius: 0.0)
let base = SCNNode(geometry: geo)
let view = SKSpriteNode(color: .white, size: CGSize(width: 160, height: 160))
view.anchorPoint = CGPoint(x: 0, y: 1)
var xOffset = 0
var yOffset = 0
var count = 0
for _ in 0...15 {
for _ in 0...15 {
guard let newColor = UIColor(hexString: "#" + colors[count] + "ff") else { return base }
let n = SKSpriteNode(color: newColor, size: CGSize(width: 10, height: 10))
n.anchorPoint = CGPoint(x: 0, y: 1)
n.position = CGPoint(x: xOffset, y: yOffset)
view.addChild(n)
xOffset += 10
count += 1
}
xOffset = 0
yOffset -= 10
}
autoreleasepool{
let skView = SKView(frame: CGRect(x: 0, y: 0, width: 160, height: 160))
let texture = skView.texture(from: view)
//AFTER being called 104 times, texture is nil.
let faceMaterial = SCNMaterial()
faceMaterial.diffuse.contents = texture
let sideMaterial = SCNMaterial()
sideMaterial.diffuse.contents = UIColor.white
let materialsForBox = [faceMaterial,sideMaterial,faceMaterial,sideMaterial,sideMaterial,sideMaterial]
base.geometry?.materials = materialsForBox
}
let scale = SCNVector3(x: 0.1, y: 0.1, z: 0.1)
base.scale = scale
return base
}