Hardware acceleration for system windows?

[eidam655]

Hi all,

While working on a file with cca 1000 layers I recently noticed that AutoCAD uses a lot of CPU power (like a full 100% of one core) to redraw dialogs and windows. I have always thought that GPU, ie. hardware acceleration is being used for these.

Was I wrong in my assumption, or do I have something misconfigured?

We're using AutoCAD LT 2015.

[pendean]

LT2015 is not new by any stretch: so what changed today or recently? Or have you all been suffering in silence for 4+ years?

1000 layers is a lot of layers. File sizes are typically what in that instance?

Files are stored where? You connect to them how?
What else is running in the background?
Do you still have the now dead A360 Desktop app running?
Is LT2015 fully patched and updated?

Win7 or Win10?
32bit or 64bit?
PC specs are...?

[eidam655]

Specs:

Win7 64bit, Intel Xeon E5 1620 v3, 8GB RAM, nVidia Quadro K2200 4GB, 240GB SSD. My LT copy is updated to SP2.

Yes, mostly in silence I would say. To get even the basic OpenGL HW acceleration in autocad I had to manually restore the CertificationDB.xml (from here), and even then I only get the option of Smooth Lines On/Off.

Files are stored on a local server, mounted as disks on each PC, if that makes sense. (Like drive P:\ is actually the project folder on the server.) A working file has about 100 layers on its own, but there's typically 2-5 other files XREF'd (overlay) in there (up to about 8-9), each about 5MB big.

PS: Also, I should say, this is a machine in the office I work at, so I had no power over the installation, I'm just trying to fix issues as I discover them.

[pendean]

What else is running in the background?
Do you still have the now dead A360 Desktop app running? Uninstall it.
Do you have Desktop App running? Uninstall it.

Reboot your system, log back in. Now two tests to try:

- Copy a project folder to your PC, unplug from the network, and test.
- stay plugged into the network but turn off all background running apps, and test by working on files on the server.

Which test had the better results?

[eidam655]

There are none of the two apps installed.

Both tests had the same performance. (CPU/GPU utilization by panning in PS/MS, scrolling the layer window...)

[pendean]

Next thing to try https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/autocad-forum/chromium-host-executable-are-taking-so-much-cpu-power/t...

[eidam655]

No, this is also not the case.

Although I noticed, that the performance is better if I start autocad with networking disabled (and then I can reenable it), than in other cases.

[dgorsman]

K-series (Kepler) cards are pretty old at this point.  You might try updating the drivers if you can find something, but if you still have problems enabling hardware acceleration that's not going to get any better.  I wouldn't recommend upgrading, as you would be looking at P-series (Pascal) which again may not play nice with the older 2015 software.

First order of business would be to double that RAM.  8 GB is a pittance for today's requirements, even in 2D.

[eidam655]

Thanks for the reply. I know that the RAM could be doubled, but that would only bring a performance boost only in longer and heavier editing sessions. New GPU would be nice, but it for sure won't bring much to AutoCAD, since that is since 2009 a DirectX application, and Quadros excel (compared to GeForces) in OpenGL.

What I find funny is the usage statistics when having the hardware acceleration ON and OFF. In both cases the CPU gets a full 100% usage on 1 core, but when the acceleration is ON, the GPU is utilized only at 11%, while when it's off, it's at around 30%. (The test was continuous panning of the viewport in small circles.) Any ideas?

[pendean]

FWIW AutoCAD/LT is a single core software package, always has been, still is too.

There is something about your network connection that is spiking usage: is your server-based or PC based anti-virus software needlessly scanning AutoCAD and all of its files?