Performance issues - multiple computers

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I'm not a CAD user but work in the IT dept for a multinational PLC. We have noted a problem with multiple CAD users in this particular office and upon further investigation, it seems to be affecting other offices within our group also. The users in question (10+ affected in this office alone) have reported generally slow performance when working on models in Civil 3D 2016.

Rather than write multiple paragraphs which you have to wade through, I'll quickly list the possible reasons we've ruled out :

1) Machine specs. All machines are quite new, high-spec and running SSDs and copious amounts of RAM, and more than meet Autodesk's published requirements for the products. The issue can affect a user on a £4k machine with a high-end graphics card, but not affect their colleague on a very plain £1k machine - so the actual machine spec seems to have no bearing on it. 

2) Model size/complexity. The issue has affected users working on models which are tiny with very few Xrefs, to much larger and more detailed ones. 

3) Resources. Resource monitor isn't showing any over usages of resources and Task Manager does not appear to show any abnormal load on the processor or memory when the issue occurs.

4) Service Packs & patches - affected machines are up to date.

5) Network performance - All our switches were replaced last year and we are running a full Cat6 network with no performance issues noted in any other products. Server pings are stable, consistent and fast. 

The only common feature we've found between affected users is that they appear to have multiple Autodesk products installed on their machines, though not necessarily open at any one time. Most are running full IDSP suites but may also have other Autocad applications and utilities installed. Colleagues who aren't affected by the issue tend to be running either a single product (like vanilla Autocad itself) or a very small selection. 

This makes me wonder if the issue is due to a file or process which is being used by multiple products simultaneously.

Has anyone else come across a performance issue like this affecting multiple Civil users in different locations? 

[AllenJessup]

Have you tried the Performance Enhancement Tool?

[rkmcswain]

AllenJessup wrote:

Have you tried the Performance Enhancement Tool?

Or, as more commonly known on the street as... a massive bug that was finally fixed, 3+ years later.  

They have some nerve calling this a "Performance Enhancement".

[Anonymous]

As means of testing and comparing, one of the affected users is on SP3 which has the enhancement tool, and another is on SP2 currently. The issue affects both.

[AllenJessup]

If you're data is on a network. Have you tested if you get an improvement moving to a local drive?

[Anonymous]

Tried that, no difference

[rl_jackson]

I would have to ask what the size of the files are, are there data references and xref's in use, or is everything in one file.

I have seen far to often even in large firms, that users are still trying to treat C3D like LDD with respects to what exist within a drawing.

[Anonymous]

See my original post, it affects all types of files - from the smallest simplest ones with no XRefs which can be knocked up in 2 mins, to large and very detailed models. 

[rkmcswain]

@Anonymous - Just for grins, what is the version of AeccNetwork.dbx in the root of the AutoCAD install folder?

10.5.1132.14 ?
Dated 12-27-16 ?

FWIW - file sizes have nothing to do with the aforementioned bug. I've got some huge files (80MB+) with several xrefs and data shortcut files, and after this fix was applied, it fixed the slow opening and saving of DWG files. You didn't say that slow i/o was a major complaint, but if not, then what exactly do you mean by "generally slow performance"?

Are you talking about cursor movement inside the drawing. Slow reaction when picking menu items or typing in commands? Something else?

[Anonymous]

Yes that's the Aeccnetwork.dbx version and date

To clarify on the performance, when using basic commands there is no problem. However reloading xrefs, attaching xrefs, opening drawings, purging, batch plots are all slow.

Printing a single drawing while its open is fine.

[rkmcswain]

Just to clarify, DWG files edited in non-patched versions of C3D (any version 2014 and later) will contain the DWG bloat, slowing down the things you mentioned.

Only after being saved with a patched version, does the DWG bloat go away. And this applies for the parent drawing and each xref and each DWG referenced in via data shortcut.

So it's possible to have a fully patched version of C3D, but still experience slow i/o due to even just ONE single DWG that has not yet been cleaned (if it's being referenced in...).

Another scenario we've seen is where every PC gets the patch installed, except one. Each drawing that the non-patched version touches, "infects" that DWG again.

Best of luck.

[Anonymous]

That's very interesting thanks, I'll look into that and report back. I had assumed once a machine was patched it was effectively immune, but your post explains how it could still be affected. 

[AllenJessup]

Are your AutoCAD temp files pathed to your SSD? That can make a difference. AutoCAD spends a lot of time writing undo and autosave files.