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darthyoga
2007-08-29, 08:32 PM
We can't get Autocad to function well in 3d mode. It freezes, crashes and stops responding.
We need some help. Any advice? Are we missing drivers, or other hardware?
I looked up 3dconfig and we have very little showing up as "not available".
If you have any suggestions, variables, hardware or otherwise that I can try It would be appreciated.
Other people here don't seem to be having a problem.

BrenBren
2007-08-29, 08:32 PM
We can't get Autocad to function well in 3d mode. It freezes, crashes and stops responding.
We need some help. Any advice? Are we missing drivers, or other hardware?
I looked up 3dconfig and we have very little showing up as "not available".
If you have any suggestions, variables, hardware or otherwise that I can try It would be appreciated.
Other people here don't seem to be having a problem.

Can you provide the specs on your system?

darthyoga
2007-08-29, 09:37 PM
No.
I don't know what I have or don't have. If there is something that Im required to have to operate 3d please tell me all of it so I can email to the IT guy. I am ignorant of hardware and most things related to 3D on Vanilla cad

BrenBren
2007-08-30, 01:26 PM
No.
I don't know what I have or don't have. If there is something that Im required to have to operate 3d please tell me all of it so I can email to the IT guy. I am ignorant of hardware and most things related to 3D on Vanilla cad

Without knowing what you have, it's hard to make recommendations. It could be a memory issue - maybe you don't have enough. It could be your graphics card. Heck, it could just be that your processor is too slow, but without having that information, it's hard to tell what the problem is.

Your IT guy should be able to give you the specs of your system if you can't find them yourself.

darthyoga
2007-08-30, 05:59 PM
We have everything we need to use 3d. Our machines are up to date and we have all the RAM and GIG we need.
Autocad just can't handle what we need it too.
Is there a plug in or some sort of add on that will make our current system capable of handling 3d site layouts? ( small cities ) Or do we need to switch to an entirely diffierent program?

margaretl
2007-08-30, 06:35 PM
Most of the current 3D Autodesk programs require 2GB RAM, a faster hard drive 10,000 rpm or higher has been recommended by many, dualcore or dual processors (the bigger the better) will improve regen speed and such based on WHIPTHREAD value, mine is set to 3. Also, a good Video Card 256 a minimum cross checked with Autodesk approved video card list.

Software items to try within the drawing:
purge
setting MAXACTVP lower - this will turn off some of your viewports.
Anti Virus Programs and other miscellaneous items running in the background can drain the processor.
Swapping space - let windows manage this automatically.
Hard drive space - If there is not enough room for the software to swap, this can bog things down and even cause crashing of software.

Keep in mind, too, some functions of ACAD do not clean up after themselves. If you find the length of time you work in a CAD session is proportionate with the slowing down of the drawing, close ACAD and start again.

It is difficult to pinpoint what your specific problem might be without the details of your system and setup. If there are others in your office without the problem, compare with them to find out why.

Brian Myers
2007-08-30, 07:08 PM
Technically you can do what you want in AutoCAD which is why you are getting these curious questions.

1.) First we need to know the size of the typical file you are using with AutoCAD. A small city doesn't sound so small in terms of file size.

2.) The amount of RAM, processor speed, and type of Graphics Card are fairly vital questions. I understand you don't currently know, but these are the top 3 causes for the problems you mention.

3.) Drivers, etc could be an issue if you don't have the latest drivers available...but once again without knowing what your system has we can't really diagnose that.

Ultimately I doubt AutoCAD can't handle what you do as it is very good at handling models, I would make the hypothesis that your current hardware setup can't handle what you are asking AutoCAD to do. This could be an issue of your hardware not being powerful enough or not having the correct drivers to talk to your hardware or even AutoCAD not supporting specific hardware on your current system. The more information you can provide the more we'll be able to narrow our diagnosis down. :beer:

darthyoga
2007-08-30, 09:23 PM
Intel® 3.0 GHz or greater
2 GB RAM or greater
2 GB free hard disk available
1280 x 1024 32-bit color video display adapter (True Color) 128 MB or greater, OpenGL®, or Direct3D® capable workstation class graphics card.
All of these are what we have. The file sizes are around 2000-5000 KB but are made up of 3D and 50 plus xrefs.
We are working with site plans that include machine details down to the nuts and bolts ( in 3d) as well as xrefs referencing survey and building layouts. We suspect the drawings were made in revit or solid edge or some other program.
The site plans would be like looking at a plan of a world exposition down to the smallest detail. I just don't think it can handle it.
Everybody in the office has this problem. Our 3d drafter works well up to a certain point ( drawing a transformer ) but as soon as the drawing gets complicated ( Putting a transformer into a site plan ) things start crashing. I can barely open the drawings, let alone plot, or look at them.

.chad
2007-08-30, 10:06 PM
2gb free HD space is recomended for basic CAD usage. based on your file descriptions you need 2 - 3 times that free usable as swap space for memory. 2gb ram is ok for files like that, but if you could go higher it wouldnt hurt. anything in your drawing that can be converted to a block and repeated should be. if you have doing several city blocks worth of a model and are going into detail on the level of nuts and bolts you have an insane amount of information in the file that the computer is trying to process all at once and it just cant physically handle the information.

unload (not detatch) any xref's that arent immediately required for work you are doing. that will free up a big chunk of resources to apply to other things. freeze layers instead of turning them off.

darthyoga
2007-08-30, 10:16 PM
2gb free HD space is recomended for basic CAD usage. based on your file descriptions you need 2 - 3 times that free usable as swap space for memory. 2gb ram is ok for files like that, but if you could go higher it wouldnt hurt. anything in your drawing that can be converted to a block and repeated should be. if you have doing several city blocks worth of a model and are going into detail on the level of nuts and bolts you have an insane amount of information in the file that the computer is trying to process all at once and it just cant physically handle the information.

unload (not detatch) any xref's that arent immediately required for work you are doing. that will free up a big chunk of resources to apply to other things. freeze layers instead of turning them off.

Which is a great idea but these are client drawings that we are using. It's a matter of being able to manipulate these drawings ie, create backgrounds, xref, and use them as references. The time it takes to purge, flatten, or create blocks is tantamount to the time wasted trying to open and use them. Purge and flatten usually copp out afte half an hour if the machine doesn't entirely freeze up.I think we need to go 3D. I don't think the program was meant to take that kind of abuse. There have been talks but I really don't think Inventor will cut it.
Any other suggestions?

jaberwok
2007-08-31, 12:39 PM
Your swapfile/pagefile should be set to approx twice the physical memory size for both max and min values and should be defragmented. Do NOT allow Windows to control the swapfile size.
I wouldn't try to open a 5Gbyte file without at least 20Gbytes of free disc space.
If there are non-continuous linetypes in the file (there's no real need for them in 3d), set LTSCALE to a very large number until you get the view that you want.

darthyoga
2007-08-31, 02:28 PM
[QUOTE=jaberwok;750712]Your swapfile/pagefile should be set to approx twice the physical memory size for both max and min values and should be defragmented. Do NOT allow Windows to control the swapfile size.QUOTE]

Can you tell me how to do this? I'm unfamiliar withswapfil/pagefile. Is this in Windows or autocadd?

fhoffnar
2007-08-31, 04:06 PM
Perhaps you're having a LoD (level of detail) problem. For example if you're building a home in CAD and your client files include every screw and bolt thread, then you're going to have massive problems. 3D screw threads take up huge amounts of file space and once you put a couple into a drawing you're quickly getting into massive file sizes and performance problems.

Make sure the files you're inserting are simplified to the scale that you need to use them at. Delete and/or fill screw threads, etc. Make the 3d model nice and efficient and small in file size. Then insert it into something much larger.

Also try going to the AutoCad website and making sure your graphics drivers are up to date with what AutoCad certifies. Install them and them make sure you're running in OpenGL hardware mode. That should help a lot.

darthyoga
2007-08-31, 05:02 PM
I have some specs from our IT guru

We want to build the perfect AutoCAD workstation. The specs we have chosen are:

CPU Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 Quad Core Processor Kentsfield 2.66GHZ 1066FSB 8MB

MB Intel D975XBX2 ATX LGA775 Conroe 975X DDR2

HDD HDD SATA2 500 GB

RAM RAM - 4 GB

Video EVGA E-GEFORCE 8800GTS 500MHZ 320MB 1.6GHZ GDDR3

AutoCAD 2008

OS Windows XP 64 bit or Windows Vista



Can you comment on this hardware. Do you think XP 64 bit will have any advantage for 3D drawings in CAD over the 32 bit version? How about Vista?

fhoffnar
2007-08-31, 05:24 PM
Then install the Nvidia 6.14.00.10.9778, which is the closest match for your card (I think the Quadro FX 4600 is equivalent to the 8800 GTS consumer card). Then run 3DCONFIG to insure it all checks out. Remember to set for OpenGL & hardware.

More info here (http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=6711848&linkID=9240618), to insure you have the right drivers.

jaberwok
2007-08-31, 07:35 PM
I have some specs from our IT guru

We want to build the perfect AutoCAD workstation. The specs we have chosen are:

CPU Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 Quad Core Processor Kentsfield 2.66GHZ 1066FSB 8MB

MB Intel D975XBX2 ATX LGA775 Conroe 975X DDR2

HDD HDD SATA2 500 GB

RAM RAM - 4 GB

Video EVGA E-GEFORCE 8800GTS 500MHZ 320MB 1.6GHZ GDDR3

AutoCAD 2008

OS Windows XP 64 bit or Windows Vista



Can you comment on this hardware. Do you think XP 64 bit will have any advantage for 3D drawings in CAD over the 32 bit version? How about Vista?

I don't think 64-bit is going to help you - but time will tell.
I certainly would NOT use Vista until it reaches SP2.
The 8800GTS is not claimed to be a CAD card but reviews and comments I've seen are pleasing. (I'm getting one of these cards for home).

jaberwok
2007-08-31, 08:00 PM
[QUOTE=jaberwok;750712]Your swapfile/pagefile should be set to approx twice the physical memory size for both max and min values and should be defragmented. Do NOT allow Windows to control the swapfile size.QUOTE]

Can you tell me how to do this? I'm unfamiliar withswapfil/pagefile. Is this in Windows or autocadd?

Okay.
It's a Windows thing.
Right-click "my computer". Click "properties". Click "advanced".
Click "settings" in the "performance" area.
[Click "for best performance" under "visual effects - (that's an extra)]
Click "advanced".
[In the first 2 areas select "programs" - (more extras)]
Under "virtual memory", pick "change" then pick "custom size" and enter a value that is (approx) twice your physical RAM - the same value in "initial" and "max" boxes.
Click "set" and "okay" all the way out.
Reboot (not strictly necessary).
Defrag your hard drive (better to do it first though).
If the pagefile is fragmented and can't be defragged, set the pagefile to "no paging file" defrag then do as above.
Shout here again if necessary.

kleenhippie
2007-09-21, 02:36 PM
I have some specs from our IT guru

We want to build the perfect AutoCAD workstation. The specs we have chosen are:

CPU Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700 Quad Core Processor Kentsfield 2.66GHZ 1066FSB 8MB

MB Intel D975XBX2 ATX LGA775 Conroe 975X DDR2

HDD HDD SATA2 500 GB

RAM RAM - 4 GB

Video EVGA E-GEFORCE 8800GTS 500MHZ 320MB 1.6GHZ GDDR3

AutoCAD 2008

OS Windows XP 64 bit or Windows Vista



Can you comment on this hardware. Do you think XP 64 bit will have any advantage for 3D drawings in CAD over the 32 bit version? How about Vista?

Gotta tell ya, I wish I had your machine.

JD Mather
2007-09-25, 11:25 PM
>We suspect the drawings were made in revit or solid edge or some other program.
> There have been talks but I really don't think Inventor will cut it.


Why don't you know where the files came from? That should be easy to obtain information.

Without knowing your data source and type it is difficult to make any suggestion, but it does sound like the problem is once you insert your work into the non-native work.
My first idea was going to be to turn off solidhist, but without any data I'm not so sure on that one now.

Modern CAD programs like Inventor mimic the real world - that is a part is a part, an assembly is a collection of parts (but as far as the file is concerned it is only links to those part files and their position in the assembly) and drawings are 2D on sheets of paper. You can do something similar with xrefs in AutoCAD but it wasn't really designed from the ground up with this workflow optimized.
In a modern CAD program you can have different Levels of Detail (LOD) active at any one time to reduce the memory footprint.

When you describe your work as a "city" and then talk about "nuts and bolts" I'm not sure what software would best suit your needs.
I think you should call you VAR to come in and look at your sourced files and workflow to suggest a viable solution. You should also call the source of those files and find out what the originating software was and the different file formats available.