Plant 3D 2014 Slow Performance

[James_C]

We just bought the Plant Design Suite 2014 and are new in using the Plant 3D. 

When we opened the sample drawing in the sample project from the welcome page, we're working fine a little while and became lagging for about 1~2 minutes for the Move/Copy commends.  Then it worked fine for another while and became lagging again. 

When we tried to Zoom In/Out, the computer became "Not Responding" and last for about another 1~2 minute.  It happened like that consistently.

The computer and hardware that we used are listed below:

Lenovo Thinkstation Xeon E3-1230 v2 3.3 GHz / 8G RAM / Navidia Quadro 600 1G video card / Win. 7 Pro. 64 bit

Any idea why is that happened? 

Should there be any setting that we need to address to in order to solve it?

Thx.

[Arun_Kumar_K]

We are using Dell Precision T series workstation, 16GB and Quadra 2000, not faced this issue.

[James_C]

Sorry, the model of the station should be E31 instead of E3.

[dgorsman]

What visual style are you using?  Hardware acceleration turned on?  Other applications (like the AutoDesk search index) running?

[James_C]

We're in Realistic and I think Wireframe may help a little bit.

I believe Hardware acceleration is turned on. How to check? 

Only Internet Explore, Word & Outlook are running. 

Not sure about other applications (like the AutoDesk search index). 

[dgorsman]

I recommend running in wireframe visual style for most of your work.  Realistic is more for rendering purposes than interactive design, and requires one of the very expensive high-end cards like the Quadro 4000 series to use in that manner (and probably more RAM as well). Its based on AutoCAD, and thats not designed from the ground-up to be a fully-rendered modeling application so there's a few limitations/trade-offs.  Since you have the suite, you can run Navisworks alongside with better performance to boot.

Hardware acceleration is found in the Options dialog, and there should be a little icon at the lower right of the application dialog as well.

[James_C]

What do you mean by "run Navisworks alongside with better performance to boot"?

Will the computer be even slower if open another application (Navisworks)?

[dgorsman]

We have users running AutoPLANT (a hefty program in its own right) alongside Navisworks Simulate with an entire plant loaded with little impact on performance, on computers with 8 GB RAM.  If the combined RAM useage starts to exceed the available amount things will slow down, but below that point all the rendering, hiding, etc. operations are in another process so they don't have to wait for the software used for modeling (and vice versa).

[James_C]

Thanks everyone's input.  I'll try and see how it works.

[James_C]

We've tried the suggetions but not much we could see for the improvement. 

Currently, the video card that we're using is Navidia Quadro 600 which is on the approved list from AutoDesk.  However, from the Performance Tuner Log (see attached) indicated that the video card is not certified. 

Any idea about that? 

Is it the cause for the slow performance?

[Arun_Kumar_K]

Your ram is the issue, if u have 16gb, it would be better than now. Also, change the graphics card to min quadra 2000

[dgorsman]

Ignore that bit (for now - the approval XML file isn't updated automatically and can be out of date).  Look at what the current driver is: software.  Its not using the video card, which means its working off your system RAM instead.  On top of the OS and the program, thats not going to leave much to work with.  Turn on the hardware acceleration and try again.

[Gabriel.N]

The problem is not the hardware, it is the software.

I read that the Quadro 4000 would have a better performance, definitely not.

I have two workstations with the Quadro 4000, and it works like "****", sorry about that, but it is the most complete truth.

AutoCAD almost does not use the video card, it uses most the CPU, and even then only one core.

AutoCAD is essentially a 2D software, the problem is conceptual, is trying to put a 3D software in a 2D platform.

When we speak about multi-core processing and GPU CUDA, Autodesk staff behaves as if it were something from another world. Take a look at 3dmax or Maya from the very Autodesk.

I can offer you a setting that helped me a bit:

1- in Display resolution

go to: Options -> Display tab:

    500  -  Arc and circle smoothness

    500  -  Segments in polyline curve

        5  -  Rendered objects smoothness

        0  -  Contour lines per surface

(Sometimes the performance back to fall inexplicably, do this return on this Window change the values to 400, 400, 4 hit OK, Restore Down the AutoCAD window them Maximize again, back to that window and change the values again to 500, 500, 5) [weirdest, but it works]

 2- Adaptive Degradation

go to: Option -> System tab -> Performance Settings:

    Degrade when FPS is below: value 4

Change the sequence of Degradation order to:

Anti-aliasing

Full Shadows

Lighting

Ground Shadows

Transparency Quality

Lighting Quality

Textures

Materials

Facet Edges

Discard Backfaces

Fas Silhouettes (not marked)

View-Dependent Objects (not marked)

Transparency (not marked)

Edge Syles

Backgrounds

Intersection Edges

Faceted Display (not marked)

Wireframe Display (not marked)

3- Manual Tune

go to: Option -> Sytem tab -> Performance Settings -> Manual Tune:

Check Enable hardware acceleration

Turn on Smooth display (some times you will have to Restore Down the AutoCAD window them Maximize again to this back to work)

Check Emulate unsupported ...

Check Discard back faces

Uncheck Smooth faces by default

Transparency quality Medium

Check Dynamic tessellation

Put Sufaces about 70%

Put Curves about 50%

Number of tessellations to cache: 15

4- Visual Style (very important)

I use a lot a variation of "Conceptual" style.

I have two variations:

Copy Conceptual style (on Visual Styles Manager) and paste then change the name.

Conceptual 2

Change the Silhoutte Edges Width to 1

Conceptual 3 (if you do not need to highlight the edges this will greatly increase the performance)

Change the Edges Settings Show to none

---------------------------------------------

If I were to spend money on hardware again, I'd buy the Quadro 2000, and would spend on a processor of a fewer cores and with the largest clock that may exist, and put SSD instead a common HD; memory no more than 16gb, but with the higher speed.

Please Autodesk, change the fundamentals of the AutoCAD so that be a native 3D.    Wish list 2007...

[James_C]

Thank you Gabriel for you information and we're still testing it.

Did you experience the situation that the Display Resolution setting will go back to the original and the New Created Visual Style will lost every time restarting the program?

[Gabriel.N]

The Display Resolution and the personal Visual Style are associated with the file, the best way is you set up your template with the this. But be careful to purge the file because if the Visual Style not active it will be purged. I've never tried, but I believe that if you put Visual Style in some view it will not be purged. You could create these views in own template, just to keep the Visual Style.

[Gabriel.N]

How it works for you?

[James_C]

IT guy is working on the computer.  I didn't have a chance to try it now.  Will let you know later.

[Gabriel.N]

Another thing that really helps is to divide the information into multiple files and not put everything in a single file. Civil a file, Structure another file,  equipment so, if the unit or area you are working is too large try to split it too. (search for XREF comand, this will allow you to load other files and connect the lines in other files)
Not ideal, but this performance requires us to this lame solution.

Another thing I remember now, if you need to move, rotate a lot of things at same time, do it using the Wireframe Visual Style, otherwise it will crash.

If you're not familiar with Navisworks, it worth learning, it will be your best friend.

[James_C]

I started from the sample drawing in the smaple project only for testing and haven't created a complicated one. 

Thanks for the suggetions and will follow accordingly.

[VinodBalasubramanian]

Hi,

Is there a possibility of us remoting to your machine to look into the problem in detail. If so, I will drop you a private message with the access details. You can provide me your contact details and convenient time for a call in the reply.

Looking forward to your inputs.