Speed up interaction in interface

[allanmcguire]

Okay, installed the new 2012 and now it is a bear to use.  The actual calculations seem to run well but the interface is so sluggish now.  For example, rotating a short meshed pipe is very jerky or changing from back and forth between Editor and Results is so slow, also switching between senarios (these last two have often resulted in crashes/lockups).

Furthermore the new ribbon bar assumes that it knows what my next move is but often I have click several times to do what I want to do (not counting the clicks, searching the menues to find the option I want).  Algor gave a set of default buttons at the top knowing that those were items an FEA engineer would need to do the job.  Many of those should be available with one click by default.  For example, I am looking at the results and need to see the mesh.  One click use to do it but now it takes three (plus the waiting for the menus to pop up).

So here is my need:

1)  Is there anyway to get rid of the intense graphic processing that is used by the new Autodesk interface.  Some way to reduce the intense graphic processing.  Though looks cool, I do not need my models to look "real".

2)  Is there an easy way to get the old menu back or start with the old menu to customize?

Thanks,

Allan

Just locked it up again by looking through the "menus" for the help (which is not obvious any more). Am wondering if Inventor and Simulation do not like running at the same time too.

[S.LI]

HI, AutodeskSimulation 2012 runs well on my laptop, 8 cores, 12G mem and Win7 on 64bit. Maybe your model is huge compared with mine.

[John_Holtz]

Hi Allan,

Sorry to hear about the graphic issues and lock-ups that you are experiencing. For starters, it may help us to know the following items about your system:

• What version of windows are you using?
• Is it 32-bit or 64-bit?
• How much RAM?
• What is the processor speed?
• Do you have multiple cores? Hyperthreading turned on? etc.
• Can you create an archive ("Application button > Archive > Create") of a sample model ("Model Only") and attach the resulting .ACH file here?

The Help is located on the "Getting Started" tab, "Help" panel, "In-product Help" or "Online Wiki Help", or from the Windows "Start > Programs > Autodesk > Autodesk Simulation 2012 > Tools > Help". Here are the answers to your other questions:

1. The only change to the graphics from previous releases that I am aware of is with the new pre-highlighting as the mouse passes over the model or over parts/surfaces/etc in the browser. So the first thing to try is to turn it off. This is done from "Tools > Application Options > Graphics > Highlight and Selection".

2. I think that everyone can sympathize with the annoyance of switching from a classic UI to a ribbon UI. Just ask anyone who has upgraded to Microsoft Office 2007! Not that it helps you too much, but the users in our usability studies said that they would be willing to "stick with the ribbon" after using it for 1.5 hours in our test. (One user even said that he would turn the ribbon on in AutoCAD based on the ribbon design he saw in Algor Autodesk Simulation!) Anyway, the answer to your question is to go to Help > "New Features" and see the first bullet under the section named "Other".

One advantage of the ribbon is its ability for the user to customize it.

• For example, tabs can be hidden if desired or displayed in a number of different ways.
• The panels can be "pulled" off of the tab and be floating.
• You can right-click on a command and choose to add it to the Quick Access Toolbar. (QAT, see attached image).

One of the “Essential Skills Videos” under the Online Wiki Help is about using the ribbon.

Lastly, we are planning some tweaks to the ribbon and QAT based on your feedback, so keep those suggestions coming. (Which reminds me, I think I need to do some redesign work for the ribbon.)

[allanmcguire]

John,

Thanks for being patient here.  I have spent the past two days dealing with Autodesk software issues and updating etc and a bit tired of it.

Sorry for forgetting to add my system information:

 XP Pro x64

4 GB Ram

2 x Dual Core (4 physical cores total)

3.20 GHz

Hyperthreading on

I will have to get you a model later today when I can gain access to the system again, but the model is just a 625 Inconel pipe with 5.5 in OD and 18 in long with a 0.415 wall thickness.  I have been trying to use this model to verify work of a third party.  I am not sure what all is in the ach file but I am doing basic linear analysis with six scenarios: pull (end to end), compression (end to end), torque, bend, collapse, and burst and then a 7th scenario with all six loads applied.

Thanks for pointing me to the help.  That is very helpful.  Will have to move it to the QAT menu since I use it a lot 🙂

In the past two months I have probably had to submit 20 or so issues from the popups when Algor crashed with no real response but to "please install the latest service pack" which tended to make it worse.  So I found the best operation was using Algor 2010 (earlier versions might have been even better but I did not have access to them).  Simulation  Multiphysics is even worse in that it just locks up and gives not option to report to Autodesk though I have found that if I "click" slower it is more stable.

I have noticed the graphic requirements for this tool have increased greatly over the past few years and I assume the actual FEA engine has not changed as much so I am thinking the GUI may be the culprit.  So I would love to configure the tool for the lowest graphics needs.

I definitely agree that the ribbon method can be very helpful.  But usually they are pretty good with default settings.  However, I have never gotten over the massive use of the mouse and love logical keyboard shortcuts so increasing clicks to a basic function to 300% was quite an irritant 🙂  Interestingly you mention AutoCAD.  At least in the older versions I would switch OFF all menu buttons since they just got in the way of viewing and keyboarding was way faster (though I have not used Autodesk software for years until just recently)

So next time I do some intense modeling with Algor I will be tracking my key "clicks" to determine what changes I will need to make to the ribbon.

Thank you for the graphic you attached.  It is quite helpful along with your summary.  However, I have found "floating" stuff gets in the way as I am moving around a lot (which often causes crashes).

Thanks again.  I will send the file this afternoon and check out the Ribbon Menu video.

BTW, I have some other thoughts on potential improvements to the new Simulation.  Where can I submit those?  I have had suggestions for Inventor (my first design, switching to Inventor last year, took "help" a month to determine it could not be done and told me to suggest and enhancement - found a workaround but takes forever to do)  and "help" says to submit them to Autodesk but never tells me where to do that.

Allan

[Joey.X]

Allan,

If you like the old style UI, there is an option in V2012 to switch back.

- Click "MP" icon on top-left corner, and click the "options"  button

- Turn off the check box of "Ribbon Style"

It's a personal preference for different styles of UI. I always switch to the fastest UI in Windows UI by turning off all fancy effects (not necessary to me).  And I prefer to old UI in Algor simulation as well in my personal usage since it has more icons in one screen for easy to access, I didn't feel much slowdown in the new Ribbon UI but it needs more clicks to get the wanted operations.

[allanmcguire]

Joey,

Thanks.  I think I will see what I "need" when I go through my next set of models.  I have found some softwares that are able to use Ribbons very effectively but in Algor it has currently created a lot more clicks.

I also get rid of all the "fancy" stuff in windows.  I still use classic in XP.  However, I do use some fancy stuff, which is actually useful, in my primary OS, Linux, which does not seem to slow down its speed.

Any other suggestions to reduce the processing needed for graphics in Algor?  After I submit my modeling and evaluation report today I will be focusing on this.

Thanks,

Allan

[Joey.X]

If you have limited computer resource such as physical memory and CPUs, close UI window and run FEA computation in command line prompt.

There are many FEA processor .exe programs in Algor installation folder, find the console programs only  which typically named as ?run??.exe. In command prompt window, type name.exe /? will show the usages.

E.g,

C:\test>srunx  /? <rtn>

[allanmcguire]

Thanks Joey.  Actually have a machine in the budget just to do this.  But unfortunately the actual analysis is not the problem it is the setting up and viewing, etc that causes me headaches.

Again, thank you for these notes.  I have not had a chance to look into running simulations from command line yet and your notes just saved me a lot of time looking through the help files 🙂

Cheers!

Allan

[SaMurgie]

 Hi Allan,

Not explicitly related to your intitial question here but you posted here that you have HyperThreading turned on.  HT can actually slow down compute-intensive applications such as Adsk Mech/MP.  Large models of any analysis type will slow down with HT turned on.  Note however, small time-dependent (eg MES, unsteady fluid flow) analyses may run faster with HT on.

Cheers

Sam

[allanmcguire]

John,

Sorry for not getting this to you sooner.  I was checking the model to archive it and it crashed last night so I went home 🙂

It seems that I can not post it since it is too large.

Thanks,

Allan

[allanmcguire]

Hi Sam,

Thanks.  I check and HT is turned off.  I must have been thinking 2 processors -> 4 processors shown = HT but forgot the dual core part which would show 4 processors in the Device Manager.

Thanks.

[SaMurgie]

Cool!  4 real cores is much better!!

[John_Holtz]

Hi Allan,

A couple of other ideas came to mind regarding your speed issues.

Can you try the following to see if this helps?

1. "Tools > Application Options > Graphics > Hardware"

2. Is "Enable OpenGL hardware acceleration" checked or unchecked?

3. Toggle the checkmark, turning it off or on.

4. Exit Simulation.

5. Restart Simulation. Is it any better?

How new (or old) is the driver for your graphics card? While on that subject, why type of graphics card is it?

Also, did you try turning the prehighlight off?  "Tools > Application Options > Graphics > Highlight and Selection" and uncheck the checkmark next to "Highlight".

Since your original post, I am aware of one other person who is experiencing "graphics" problems. I have no idea whether you could have something similar, and I do not yet know the solution for the other person, but he gets a message about the display driver stopping and recovering. See the attached image "Display Driver.png".