topic !Restored: Is this multiprocessor support? in Visualization

!Restored: Is this multiprocessor support?

Anonymous — Thu, 11 May 2023 11:41:39 GMT

AC12 was advertised as the first BIM to support multiprocessoring!
So I gave it a try in rendering - LW with best for all settings!

Alas, it looks like AC11!

Re: Is this multiprocessor support?

Djordje — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:08:36 GMT

Did you try updating a layout with eight elevations?

Re: Is this multiprocessor support?

Anonymous — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:25:58 GMT

No, you still have to drop the anti-aliasing down one notch from best to get all cores working!

I've noticed it doesn't even use one core fully using 'best' anti-aliasing!

Thankfully, it doesn't make a huge difference to the rendering quality, but I agree, it is a strange feature not to include in the multicore update.

Re: Is this multiprocessor support?

Karl Ottenstein — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:49:28 GMT

Peter wrote:
No, you still have to drop the anti-aliasing down one notch from best to get all cores working!

I've noticed it doesn't even use one core fully using 'best' anti-aliasing!

Thankfully, it doesn't make a huge difference to the rendering quality, but I agree, it is a strange feature not to include in the multicore update.

Graphisoft is not the author of the Lightworks rendering engine. This behavior (single core when on 'best') has been reported numerous times in the forums. Whether Lightworks has a newer engine that GS could license is another story / question...

For details on what settings affect Lightworks, see:
http://www.archicadwiki.com/LightWorks

As Djordje says, if you want to see multiprocessor support from Graphisoft, generate some complex elevations, go into the 3D window, etc... 😉

Cheers,
Karl

Re: Is this multiprocessor support?

Dwight — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:49:31 GMT

With all due respect, "Best" anti-aliasing makes a significant difference in render quality.

Fine patterned surface textures in smaller renderings are better defined using "Best," altho it is not the "best" for defining edges. An example is a brick texture map. Or paisley. Less moire and less crumble. And "Best" eliminates "texture squirm" in animations.

Re: Is this multiprocessor support?

Anonymous — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 20:24:28 GMT

Dwight wrote:
With all due respect, "Best" anti-aliasing makes a significant difference in render quality...

I've clearly never bothered to wait long enough to notice the difference!

After a quick test I can see it does increase texture clarity and lessens moire significantly as you say, it's just horrendously slow!

Re: Is this multiprocessor support?

Dwight — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 21:07:51 GMT

Swell.
When not using the top quality anti-alias, I discovered that granite surfaces squirm like a pile of garter snakes during mating season when rendered in an animation.
Very creepy.

Re: Is this multiprocessor support?

Dwight — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 21:31:02 GMT

As for LightWorks licensing, the implementation problem is solely with Graphisoft.

This is what LightWorks might have been in Archicad:

http://www.lightwork.com/products/overview.htm

Re: Is this multiprocessor support?

__archiben — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 23:38:24 GMT

kliment wrote:
AC12 was advertised as the first BIM to support multiprocessoring!

the full details are here...
http://www.archicadwiki.com/Multiprocessing?highlight=%28%5C%5C+ArchiCAD%5C+12%29

incidentally, lightworks has always supported multi-processing, except on "Best" where only one processor can be used. this is has been known and discussed many times before.

cheers
~/archiben

Re: Is this multiprocessor support?

Dwight — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 23:56:09 GMT

Yes, as tedious as it seems, this IS an implementation problem for users looking to make passable animations because they will need the best anti-aliasing function to smooth surfaces and prevent mating snake attack as said below.

So, just when we need maximum productivity - to make numerous animation frames - it gets slow. AAAArgh!!!!

Re: Is this multiprocessor support?

Anonymous — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 08:16:34 GMT

Yes, Djordje, I have tried it! That is why I switched to AC12! But if AC boasts to have a good rendering engine users would expect that it should have been affected by this newly introduced feature too! Or am I wrong?

In my opinion renderings without best antialiashing in the 21 century are an insult to the architect and his design!

There are two new features in AC12 I have discovered by far - multiprocessoring and curtain wall too! The first one is not working 100% and the other I haven't tried yet. But I doubt very seriously if anyone would invest in AC12 just for curtain wall! It is multiprocessoring that will urge users to do it!

And Alpha channel is not working either! Again!

Re: Is this multiprocessor support?

Dwight — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 08:20:13 GMT

"kliment" wrote:

And Alpha channel is not working either! Again! [/quote

Get specific so i can check.

Re: Is this multiprocessor support?

Anonymous — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 08:36:32 GMT

It's the same old problem, Dwight! You can't separate the rendered object from the background. Since when do we have this (big) problem - AC10 or 9?

And I know the workaround with the Internal Engine!

Re: Is this multiprocessor support?

Dwight — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 08:47:00 GMT

Okay. Got it now.
That is a long standing problem.

Time for the Artlantis.

Re: !Restored: Is this multiprocessor support?

Ignacio Azpiazu — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:22:09 GMT

What about the 3D window? Does multiprocessor support in AC 12 change anything? I spend hours a week waiting rebuilding 3D windows in an 2xquad machine, with a single processor going crazy and the other 7 idle, on AC 11. And I can't do much with my time and the other processors because AC 11 likes to crash when generating large 3D models and you do as much as click anywhere else.

Re: !Restored: Is this multiprocessor support?

Karl Ottenstein — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 01:38:37 GMT

Ignacio wrote:
What about the 3D window? Does multiprocessor support in AC 12 change anything? I spend hours a week waiting rebuilding 3D windows in an 2xquad machine, with a single processor going crazy and the other 7 idle, on AC 11. And I can't do much with my time and the other processors because AC 11 likes to crash when generating large 3D models and you do as much as click anywhere else.

Yes, you can observe multiple cores active while the 3D window generates - at one (brief) point, all 8 cores on my machine go 'hot'.

I suggest that you download the free demo of 12 and try your file with it to see if you think the difference is worthwhile. 😉

Karl

Re: !Restored: Is this multiprocessor support?

Ignacio Azpiazu — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 06:53:18 GMT

Karl wrote:
I suggest that you download the free demo of 12 and try your file with it to see if you think the difference is worthwhile. 😉

I had put the whole upgrade plan on hold based on some other comment from you (heh), the one about 'there are also some known bugs in 12 related to hotlinks. Hopefully, a hotfix from Graphisoft will be released before too long to address this'. I am concerned about points of no return in projects with many linked files. I was not aware that the Demo was fully-functional for 30 days, so thanks for pointing that way.

On the other hand if I save the files to 'Trial', work a few days, come up against the bug only then, and need to wait for some who-knows-when-it's-coming hotfix for things to work again, oh the tragedy, I don't want to even imagine that.

Re: !Restored: Is this multiprocessor support?

Anonymous — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 08:53:21 GMT

Ignacio, I think moving to AC12 is the right move. Although it is now fully multiprocessor, there is a considerable improvement of speed. In fact, the most troubles I had on a single processor machine was zooming and panning - each action took a second to refresh. Once I tried AC12 a cannot go back to 11. Strange, there was no such problem with AC10 on the same project, so it was an A11 specific problem.

I also like to mention AC12 is not so full of bugs as 11 was. It performs very well!