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LayerManager Issue
Hi Answer Day folks,
we are currently trying to switch a number of projects from ACA 2013 to ACA 2016 and, as expected, a number of users feel that the old version was better, faster etc...
We'll be benchmarking performance over the next few weeks - but one issue does seem to be problematic. If a number of files are open simultaneously and the LayerManager palette is open - after a while the palette becomes 'sticky' - clicking on a layer item takes a noticeable amount of time. When ACA is restarted, the LayerManager reacts quickly again.
Any ideas?
Thanks
Peter
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Hi,
>> after a while the palette becomes 'sticky' - clicking on a layer item takes a noticeable amount of time
Verify the setting of SHOWLAYERUSAGE, if active try to disable it, restart AutoCAD and compare the performance.
- alfred -
Alfred NESWADBA
ISH-Solutions GmbH / Ingenieur Studio HOLLAUS
www.ish-solutions.at ... blog.ish-solutions.at ... LinkedIn ... CDay 2025
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(not an Autodesk consultant)
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Thanks -
yes, I did turn off that variable (I've searched these newsgroups for solutions and came across that as a potential culprit).
The fact that this happens after a while (and - it seems - with a number of files open) suggests that there's some kind of cache that is filling up. If this is the case, I wonder if there's some way to 'flush' it...
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Hi @Anonymous,
Thank you for joining us for Answer Day!
I understand that after moving from AutoCAD Architecture 2013 to ACA 2016, users across your office have noticed degraded performance in the Layer Properties Manager when multiple files have been open for a period of time.
I hope I can help ease your transition by narrowing down the cause of the problem.
I'd like to know:
- Is the issue noticeable on all machines, after the same period of time? Or is it worse for certain users?
- Is it worse with certain files?
- How many layers, on average, are in the files that exhibit the behavior?
- Do all of the machines you're testing meet or exceed the system requirements for ACA 2016? (Typically, ACA works best on machines that also meet the additional 3D requirements at the bottom.)
- Do they all have certified graphics cards and driver versions installed?

Victoria Studley
Principal Experience Designer - Fusion Configurations
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Hi Victoria,
thanks for looking at this:
- Is the issue noticeable on all machines, after the same period of time? Or is it worse for certain users?
- so far - two PCs (we're starting with just a few smaller projects) - as far as I can tell, if there is a difference it's based on the speed of the machine - but the stickyness is present in both
- Is it worse with certain files?
- no - once this begins to occur - it happens in all open files
- How many layers, on average, are in the files that exhibit the behavior?
- from ca. 50 up to 500 (including xrefs)
- Do all of the machines you're testing meet or exceed the system requirements for ACA 2016? (Typically, ACA works best on machines that also meet the additional 3D requirements at the bottom.)
- should be - see these specs (sorry about the German...):
Prozessor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2600 CPU @ 3.40GHz 7,6 5,3 Ergibt sich aus der niedrigsten Teilbewertung Arbeitsspeicher (RAM) 12,0 GB 7,6 Grafik ATI FirePro V3800 (FireGL V) Graphics Adapter 5,3 Grafik (Spiele) 6370 MB insgesamt verfügbarer Grafikspeicher 6,4 Primäre Festplatte 247GB frei (466GB gesamt) 5,9 Windows 7 Professional System Hersteller FUJITSU Modell CELSIUS W410 Gesamter Systemspeicher 12,0 GB RAM Systemtyp 64 Bit-Betriebssystem Anzahl der Prozessorkerne 4 Speicher Gesamtgröße der Festplatte(n) 466 GB Datenträgerpartition (C:) 247 GB frei (466 GB gesamt) Medienlaufwerk (D:) CD/DVD Grafik Grafikkartentyp ATI FirePro V3800 (FireGL V) Graphics Adapter Insgesamt verfügbarer Grafikspeicher 6370 MB Dedizierter Grafikspeicher 512 MB Dedizierter Systemarbeitsspeicher 0 MB Gemeinsam genutzter Systemspeicher 5858 MB Grafikkarten-Treiberversion 9.3.3.0 Auflösung des primären Monitors 1920x1080 DirectX-Version DirectX 10
- should be - see these specs (sorry about the German...):
- Do they all have certified graphics cards and driver versions installed?
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Hi @Anonymous,
Thank you for providing these details about your experience and the system specs.
It looks like you're running with DirectX 10 and an older graphics driver for the ATI FirePro V3800 (9.3.3.0).
I looked this up on our certified graphics site, and found two certified driver versions for this card on Windows 7 systems (13.352.1019 and 15.201.2401.0).
If you're working in Windows 8 or 10, the site also allows you to search on those operating systems as well.
If you updated the graphics drivers to the certified versions and upgrade to DirectX 11, does the performance improve? If you end users are dissatisfied with other performance/graphical features, updating to the certified driver should also help with in this regard.

Victoria Studley
Principal Experience Designer - Fusion Configurations
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I'll try a new driver - but won't be able to get around to it today - will you still be monitoring this thread after Answer Day?
I do wonder, thought, why a graphic driver would make a difference for the LayerManager palette - wouldn't it affect all UI forms? As I stated above, the gradual degradation of reaction time responding to user clicks makes me wonder whether there is some kind of cache that is being maintained by the manager. Closing the layer manager palette doesn't remove it from memory - it just hides it (I assume). Is there some way to re-start / re-boot the manager without restarting ACA?
thanks
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Hi @Anonymous,
I've subscribed to the thread, so you can come back whenever it's convenient for you. We'll be here.
I'll ask a few of my colleagues if they've seen any similar or known issues with the Layer Properties Manager caching or leaking memory over time.

Victoria Studley
Principal Experience Designer - Fusion Configurations
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Hello @Anonymous;
A graphics driver can make a huge difference in performance. That is why the card manufacturers continually update those drivers, making them more efficient and more compatible with newer software and operating systems.
I have translated the system specs and they seem to indicate that there is some shared memory that may be gumming up the works for the user's system:
Type of graphics card ATI FirePro V3800 ( FireGL V ) Graphics Adapter
Total Available Graphics Memory 6370 MB
Discrete graphics memory 512 MB
Dedicated system memory 0 MB
Shared system memory 5858 MB
Graphics card driver version 9.3.3.0
The "Discrete graphics memory 512 MB" and the "Shared system memory 5858 MB" would seem to indicate that there was an onboard video card that is still sucking up system resources, even though you may have (probably) turned it off.
I would recommend you have IT look at the BIOS settings to make sure that shared video settings are zeroed out. Those things are notoriously hard to turn off, especially in laptops.
Just my 2c worth.

Steve Tamplen
Technical Support Specialist
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You didn't mention your OS, so I took the liberty of getting the link for the Windows 8.1 certified driver:
ATI FirePro V3800 (FireGL V)

Steve Tamplen
Technical Support Specialist