Computer for AC 11 and Artlantis

[Anonymous]

we would like to update to a really robust system that can both render in Artlantis 2.0 and handle PLN files that often exceed 30MB in size without issue. I've been reading your forums, which are very informative, and doing internet searches on gaming computer systems. I found the following and would like to know if anyone thinks this is overkill, and why:

Intel Core i7-965 Extreme Edition CPU w/ Factory Overclock to 4.0 GHz
Intel x58 Mainboard
12GB PC1333 DDR3 RAM
2x 128GB Solid State HDD RAID
2x 1 TB 7200 RPM SATA-II HDD
2x NVIDIA GTX295 X2 1GB Video

By the way, our current system is:

Intel Core 2 CPU
6300 @ 1.86 GHz
3.25 GB RAM
NVIDIA GE Force 7600GS

We run a version of Archicad 11 that is packaged with other estimating and scheduling software. As our files reach about 15 MB we can see a definite slowdown in processing time. Often, our 3D refresh time is up to 20 minutes.

Any advice would be great.

[Dwight]

Overkill at what cost? Did you include a fire extinguisher in your budget, Mr. Overclocker person? I think this is an expensive system


As for Artlantis, the sky is the limit, but even with ordinary systems, huge jobs can be done overnight so the bulk of the work is manipulating the model, not actually rendering. Since the Artlantis preview is quite small, the graphic demand is not gigantic.

IDEA FOR SPEED: GO lateral: Spend the extra money on a second Artlantis license for use on a second machine. idea.....

The Archicad PLN size is irrelevant to the challenge of manipulating the model in 3D. Instead: How many polygons are in the model ?? [get polygon counter goodie

http://www.graphisoft.com/support/archicad/downloads/goodies12/USA.html

to learn about your actual 3D model size]

And, to conserve graphic power,
how detailed do you need to see that model as you manipulate it?

See OpenGL options to reduce the rendering radius....

[henrypootel]

Yes, that system is overkill on almost every component. The Intel Extreme chips are a good way to burn money, as are SSDs and the GTX295s.
Only get them if you know you need them, and given that you are asking here, i would say that you don't know for certain that you need them.

For slightly less than half the price you could get the next i7 down(2.9Ghz) which will be plenty.
The other factor here is that you are using ArchiCAD 11, which will only ever use one of your CPU cores, so unless you are planning to upgrade versions soon, or are using Artlantis a lot, you are going to be getting terrible value for the huge pile of money you will have to put down for this thing.
Also, who is putting this together and overclocking it? Are you aware of the impact this will have on the lifespan of your system, not to mention that Intel won't give you any warranty on it?

The SSDs will make your system boot really fast, but will most likely not make any difference to ArchiCAD or Artlantis performance.

The GTX295s will make 3D games really fast, but will not speed up 3D generation times in ArchiCAD or Artlantis(although they will make OpenGL navigation nice and smooth).

Also, remember to only use Vista x64 Business or Ultimate.

[Anonymous]

the system is priced at about $4K (US) which is under our budget though we'd hate to spend this money and see minimal performance improvements. As for going lateral, we've already gone that road and it helped a lot; only that animations require thousands of renderings.

I was looking into the polycount of several of our projects and observed that some files, even if smaller and with less of a polycount, take longer to refresh in 3D than do others with larger file size and greater polycount. What could then be the source of drag in 3d refresh in these smaller files? The polygon sizes we typically deal with are in the range of 100K to 200K; is this high?

I agree that much detail is not needed during manipulation; we just need a system that will not be hindered if file size or polygon count is over 200 or even 400K.

Thanks.

[Dwight]

GS thinks 200k is large.


As projects grow and systems lag, we must revert to simplified navigation.

You'll be aware of the 2D representation tricks and the limiting of layer visibility issues..... ie: turn off layers for faster everything.

But in your case, get the upgrade to 12 for dramatic improvements.

I believe that your solution is in software, and not being obsessed with the largest and fastest unless you need to have the good gaming. Everybody here understands that.