Windows 8 Graphics Issue Inventor 2013

[elho2]

Hello,

I recently installed Autodesk Inventor 2013 on a freshly installed windows 8 box. Though the installation was successful, I am unable to enable Shadows, Reflections, Ray Tracing, or Inventor Studio. When I try to enable Shadows, for example, I am prompted with:

"One or more visual effects in use are not suported by the current system graphics hardware. We strongly recommend running the Diagonstics check in applications option for detailed information. Would you like to run hardware Diagnostics now?"

When I press "Yes" the Diagnostics page pops up and reports the log file below. I have tried running the program in Win7 and Vista compatibility mode. I am running the program as an Administrator. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

*Note: I have also tried compatiblity mode and software graphics; neither fix the issue.

This Direct3D graphics driver is Microsoft WHQL certified
Graphics Hardware Description:
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti

Direct3D 10
Hardware Renderer

Graphics driver file nvd3dumx.dll,nvwgf2umx.dll,nvwgf2umx.dll,nvd3dum,nvwgf2um,nvwgf2um is version 9.18.0013.1070
Using Full optimization (this is the recommended setting)
The display is using 32-bit color

Inventor Version:

Build: 176, Release: 2013 SP1.1 - Date: Tue 10/03/2012
64-Bit Edition - 8192.00 GB

Loaded Inventor Add-Ins:

Routed Systems: Tube & Pipe
Inventor Fusion Change Manager
Fusion Freeform Edit Launcher
Mold Design
Inventor Studio
Design Accelerator
Frame Generator
BIM Exchange
Routed Systems: Cable & Harness
Drag & Drop Interoperability
Simulation: Stress Analysis

System Information:

Operating System: 64-bit Windows 8 Pro 64-bit (6.2, Build 9200) (9200.win8_gdr.121119-1606)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.
System Model: GA-880GM-USB3
BIOS: Award Modular BIOS v6.00PG
Processor: AMD Phenom(tm) II X4 925 Processor (4 CPUs), ~2.8GHz
System Memory: 8192MB RAM
Dedicated System Memory: 0MB
Shared System Memory: 3071MB
Dedicated Video Memory: 977MB
Page File: 1572MB used, 14808MB available
DirectX Version: DirectX 11
DxDiag Version: 6.02.9200.16384

Graphics Device Information:

DirectX Version: 11.0
Renderer: HAL
Adapter Description: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti
DDI Version: 11
DDI Version Number: b
DxDiag WHQL Level: 0
Driver Signed Valid: True
Driver Signed: True
Manufacturer: NVIDIA
Chip Type: GeForce GTX 550 Ti
DAC Type: Integrated RAMDAC
Revision:
Vendor ID string: 0x000010de
Device ID string: 0x00001244
Graphics HW Memory: 4049 MB
Display Mode: 1920 x 1080 (32 bit) (60Hz)
VendorID: 10de
DeviceID: 1244
SubSystemID: 519419da
Revision: a1

Graphics driver file: nvd3dumx.dll,nvwgf2umx.dll,nvwgf2umx.dll,nvd3dum,nvwgf2um,nvwgf2um
Driver file version: 9.18.0013.1070
Driver Date: 12/3/2012 10:47:14
WHQL Level: 1

Inventor Graphics Device Information:

Graphics Hardware Description: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti
Hardware Library ID: Direct3D 10 \ 0x000010de \ 0x00001244
Direct3D Hardware ID: 10de \ 1244 \ 519419da \ a1

Inventor Options Information:

Options = 0x00000000
Warning Options = 0x00000000

Inventor Hardware Library Information:

HW Library Version = $Revision: #1 $
HW Library Date = $DateTime: 2012/01/16 14:29:46 $
HW Library OS Name = Windows 7 x64

Inventor Hardware Library Entry Information:

Autodesk Inventor Certification Status: Gold
Autodesk Inventor Tested Certification Status: Unknown
Graphics HW Vendor Supported for Autodesk Inventor: False
Hardware Library 2.0

Settings for optimized and conservative:
Workarounds: 0x00000000, 0x00000000
rating 4, optimization level 2
Texture Font Precision: 256

Display Information:

Back Buffer Format = DXGI_FORMAT_R8G8B8A8_UNORM
Depth Stencil Buffer Format = DXGI_FORMAT_D24_UNORM_S8_UINT
Monochrome Bitmap Format = DXGI_FORMAT_A8_UNORM

Graphics driver log information:
Jan/19/2013-01:12:02: Fail to create D3D11 factory, We need to change it for current inventor session: D3D11 -> D3D10.
Jan/19/2013-01:12:29: User changes the graphics driver manually: D3D10 -> D3D11.
Jan/19/2013-01:19:24: Fail to create D3D11 factory, We need to change it for current inventor session: D3D11 -> D3D10.
Jan/19/2013-01:40:15: Fail to create D3D11 factory, We need to change it for current inventor session: D3D11 -> D3D10.
Jan/19/2013-01:40:51: User changes the graphics driver manually: D3D10 -> D3D11.
Jan/19/2013-01:55:06: Fail to create D3D11 factory, We need to change it for current inventor session: D3D11 -> D3D10.
Jan/19/2013-01:59:58: Fail to create D3D11 factory, We need to change it for current inventor session: D3D11 -> D3D10.
Jan/19/2013-02:03:15: Fail to create D3D11 factory, We need to change it for current inventor session: D3D11 -> D3D10.
Jan/19/2013-02:07:22: Fail to create D3D11 factory, We need to change it for current inventor session: D3D11 -> D3D10.
Jan/19/2013-03:26:29: Fail to create D3D11 factory, We need to change it for current inventor session: D3D11 -> D3D10.

[blair]

I wonder how much of it is hardware with trying to use "Quality" on a large assembly. We tend to forget that the system needs to calculate the "Z" to determine what is displayed and what is hidden in a 3D model.

[michael_marx]

Hi Leander,

i´m very interested if there is a fix or a driver which is working the right way. I´m fighting with the same problems on different Laptops. All with Nvidia Optimus technology. I´ve also seen problems with showcase. I´ve got two identical Laptops. On one side Showcase uses GPU correctly (i think) and on the other showcase is crashing all the time with gpu option and is only running with intel option. Please give me little info if you find a driver which works fine or a other workaround.

regards Michael

[L.van.Gorsel]

Hi Michael,

I'm sorry, but this problem isn't solved jet. The last thing I've heard about it was both Adesk and Nvidia found some errors in the driver, or addressing the right video card. But I never got the final answer from Adesk or from Nvidia this problem is solved...

Even now more laptops are coming with Optimus Technology,  I assume the problem will get bigger. I expect someday Adesk will give us an option to force the laptop / software to use the right video card.

Regards, Leander.

[sam_m]

Optius laptops are frustrating...

Sometimes they work well and othertimes not...  I got an XPS a couple years ago and out of the box it was a pain but after updating drivers it seemed to work well, swapping from the integrated gpu to the 3d correctly (for most applications).  But, with the wrong drivers it would just stick with the integrated gpu and/or cause stability issues...  I found I just needed to keep trying different Nvidia drivers until one worked (for my setup) and stick with it...

I think I've read that Nvidia blame Autodesk but in my oppinion the actual problem is with Nvidia and the way they've setup their hardware and as such, for gaming laptops, I don't think there's a way to disable it.

Luckily, it seems like the workstation laptops are configured differently to gaming ones and the Optius tech can apparently be disabled.  Dispite a massive demand for such a bios option for gaming laptops, afaik it's never happened, and their white-paper explaining the Optimus tech suggests it's not possible if the hardware is setup to the white-paper (which I'm guessing most/all gaming laptops are).  Basically the integrated gpu is used all the time, just the Nvidia 3d car is used (hopefully) when there is 3d content being processed - this then routes through the integrated card to be displayed.  As such, I don't think you can actually disable the integrated card completely.  It basically seems like the discreet gaming card isn't actually a full graphics card, just the 3D computational bit, so if the integrated card was disabled there would be no way for it to render/show the 3d data on the screen..  I can only guess that in workstation laptops the Quadro cards are complete and don't use the integrated cards at all, and thus can run independantly.

Nvidia's geeky white-paper about Optimus tech: http://www.nvidia.com/attach/3039887.html?type=support&primitive=0

As for the Autodesk solution to the problem...  In the 2014 readme there's this nugget: "For laptop computers with both an NVidia GeForce GPU and an Intel integrated GPU, change graphics from discrete GPU to Intel HD integrated graphics to ensure that Inventor 2014 works properly."

More info about it here:

http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/Autodesk-Inventor/Potential-gaming-card-issues-with-2014-or-is-it-just...

Long term solution, no idea...  hopefully AD can make use of the Nvidia drivers better to ensure the 3d card is used, but also, it's down to Nvidia to make sure their drivers force the 3d card to kick into life without any stability issues... so, who's going to spend time and money to develop fixes?!?