Performance of CAD/CAM Software very slow

[c0cllc]

Hi,

just want to add this and ask for a reason. Software like AutoCAD and 3ds Max, all recent versions, are only about 30% as fast in Windows Vista or 7 RC, than in Windows XP. I'm talking about viewport performance. It's really very sad! Even when disabling ALL visual effekts, the speed in Vista or 7 RC is abou twice as slow (in frames per second) as in Windows XP.

I know Windows 7 is still not finished- but i don't think this is the reason because the problem is since VISTA.

I'm a very advanced user and i'm not asking for help with settings, i have it all checked out already: it's just DirectX and OpenGL which are much slower in professional graphics applications with these new OSes. Anybody knows WHY?

Why should i buy me Vista or 7, when i get only 15fps in my scenes, while with Windows XP i get 45fps? I would loose much time. On the other side, Vista and 7 offer many other advantages which i can't use with my old XP. Very sad!

 

[Webadict]

Hi, and welcome to the W7 forums.

Interesting. Im running Autocad 2009 and have a decent frame rate (about 40fps) and with your system specs, would expect much better performance then 15fps.

What build of Windows 7 are you running?

I assume you have the latest BIOS update and video drivers as well?

What version of AutoCAD and 3ds MAX are you running?

Scott

 

[c0cllc]

Hi and thanks for the fast reply!
Well your 40fps is just valid for your specific scene- depending on the scene, you can get more or less than that. The point is, that if you get 40fps in Windows 7, then expect about 120fps for the same scene in XP.

I tested with 3ds Max and AutoCAD both in 2009 and 2010 versions. (For testing in 3ds Max the bmark4 benchmark is very good for comparison.)

I have the latest drivers, yes...Oh- i forgot to say, my observations are only with the 64 bit OSes of XP, VISTA and 7.

 

[Webadict]

What flavor of Vista were you running? . . Autodesk recommends Vista Business for the best performance in both AutoCAD and 3ds MAX.

Hope this helps

Scott

 

[c0cllc]

I'm running Ultimate...Could this really make such huge difference?

 

[Webadict]

You know, the way Vista and now 7 are designed / coded, it just may surprise you.

Hope this helps

Scott

P.s. I believe if you download the latest build of 7 (any of the 7600's), you can choose your flavor upon install.

 

[Webadict]

One more thing, when running apps like these, I found it is best to turn off Aero, and go with the Basic or even windows classic theme. Remove that overhead from your video card. Something Xp didnt have to deal with.

Scott

 

[saverio]

For true CAD/CAM functionality it's best if you have a workstation quality card such as Nvidia Quadro or ATI Fire GL, these cards have subroutines written in them for specific applications, and their firmware is very different to cope with the needs of the 3d modeller rather than the gamer.

Remember that Vista abandoned Open GL natively in favour of Direct X, and so it was up to NVIDIA and ATI to include this in their drivers. Autocad and Max both thrive on Open GL, and I know that NVIDIA actually have optimised drivers for both of these apps.

I use CATIA and ALIAS Studio, and I can tell when i'm not using a workstation card.
A midrange quadro or fire GL doesn't cost much on ebay, and if you're serious about modelling you'll notice the benefits very quickly over a gamer card, which is optimised to move textures and low to medium polygon models around quickly.

 

[Webadict]

I agree with Saverio on all but one point. According to Autodesk, AutoCAD has not supported OpenGL since 2008, Read here, Answer #24.

Autodesk - AutoCAD Services & Support - Frequently Asked Questions

As far as 3ds MAX, Direct3D is recommended, OpenGL is optional, but not recommened.

Hope this helps

Scott

 

[saverio]

I actually wasn't aware of this, but thanks for the info! :shock:

Very intersting Scott, i've been out of mainstream 3d for so long, really only being involved with engineering cad - wow times have changed. DIrect3d is a great step forward as it brings the functionality to the masses.

 

[c0cllc]

I have a FireGL (v.7700) and a Quadro (FX4600) and they are fast, yes- with the optimized drivers they beat my game cards by far!But the point was, that they are much faster in XP, compared to Vista or W7.

I feel like back in the year 2001- that's the last time i got such slow viewport performance. Those were the times, when i modded my first Geforce@Quadro.

 

[pcboy]

how do u guyz manage to install AutoCAD 2009 on W7? .. i tried but here's what it says below. Any trick/tweak to make it successful?. TIA. very much appreciated!

 

[saverio]

pcboy you probably already have, but in the properties of the installer you might want to 'unblock' the program and also change compatibility to Vista SP2 - there is a tutorial in the er... tutorials section.

Hope this helps.

 

[Generator]

Hi,

just want to add this and ask for a reason. Software like AutoCAD and 3ds Max, all recent versions, are only about 30% as fast in Windows Vista or 7 RC, than in Windows XP. I'm talking about viewport performance. It's really very sad! Even when disabling ALL visual effekts, the speed in Vista or 7 RC is abou twice as slow (in frames per second) as in Windows XP.

I know Windows 7 is still not finished- but i don't think this is the reason because the problem is since VISTA.

I'm a very advanced user and i'm not asking for help with settings, i have it all checked out already: it's just DirectX and OpenGL which are much slower in professional graphics applications with these new OSes. Anybody knows WHY?

Why should i buy me Vista or 7, when i get only 15fps in my scenes, while with Windows XP i get 45fps? I would loose much time. On the other side, Vista and 7 offer many other advantages which i can't use with my old XP. Very sad!

I can't comment on Autocad but for 3ds Max Design 2009, make sure you have all of the updates installed. Also, make sure your running the 64bit version if you can, the 32bit one is really slow in comparison for some reason.

I can't really say too much on 3ds Max because I'm a relative noob with it, but I noticed a big difference upon clicking the 32bit shortcut by accident.

 

[designer515]

This seems like the best place in the Win7 forums for me to pose a question about my issue. Not to hijack your thread, but threads about 3D cad are so few and far between I had to do it.

I am running Win7 Pro 64bit,
Quadro FX 4600,
12gb ram, etc etc, its in my system specs.

I am trying to run SketchBook Pro in Win7 and I am not having any luck.
I plan to tackle Rhino 3,4 or Solidworks, but one thing at a time.
Its been two days of 8-8 digging and all I am is dirty.

Wish I had a version of Catia, but hey, back on subject.

I have tried installing SBPro in XPM, but it is terribly slow.
I tried to upate the drivers, but it is a no go.

After two days of signing into boards all over the net so I can post my questions,
and trying all different approaches I haven't come across a successful fix yet.

Questions:
How can I update the Display Adapter driver (within XPM) from 3S Trio32/64 to something newer? The driver is fine in Win7 Pro 64bit.

Anyone else had this issue?

How about Solidworks 2009 or 2010?
Or Adobe Design Premium CS4? - Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, etc?

I am not really interested in using an excellent card to get slow and horrible results.

I am ready to get a XP Pro on a new HD and call it a day. But I love Win7 so far, other than.. you know.. that I cant use my bread and buter programs on it!

I appreciate your help.

Thanks

Jonathan C. Smith
designer515 (at) hot mail dot com
www dot jonathancsmith dot com

 

[designer515]

After some digging I finally found the right drivers for the GPU.
All looks great now.. Knock knock.

Thanks.

 

[renatoasmelo]

I just changed the resolution from 1366x768 to 1360x768.... seems to work much faster....

Try it and let me know if this helped.

Regards,
Renato. Renato Melo | Arquitetura Renato Melo | Arquitetura