Problem with large RAM usage

[Anonymous]

Hi!
I have a problem with my AC. When switching to 3D-mode, AC uses too much RAM. For instance i have a small model 1,5mb and when i start moving around or rendering in 3D, AC ends up using 1,3Gb of RAM. Then it crashes of course.. How is this possible and does anyone have a solution to this?

thx

Mikael

[Anonymous]

Just curious if you are using open GL. Image menu / 3d engine and mode / open GL

[Dwight]

I suspect a faulty element in the file.

Trouble shoot by removing the Objects.

Because of calling GDL library elements, a file size when stored by ArchiCAD bears no relationship to the 3D model size. Even a tiny file can make a huge file making overbearing demands on RAM.

For example, a file with 10,000 high-polygon chairs will only be tiny, but when assembled by ArchiCAD for a 3D view, it will grow enormously because all of the imaging data must be maintained at the same time to solve the image.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for your replies. I use openGL mode and i'm almost 100% sure there's nothing wrong with my files, no faulty objects. I've tried many files with the same result and they all work fine on other machines.

I get the feeling there´s nothing wrong with AC, but with my machine. Could there be a setting somewhere which can cause a program to use this much RAM? Something wrong with openGL..? I don't know..i'm lost. =/

[Anonymous]

You should check the amount of Virtual Memory that windows is allowing your computer to use. We ran into this problem on one file with certain machines in our office. Sometimes this was the cause of the problems other times it wasn't. We ran tests using Single and Dual Core Pentium D's on XP and XP 64-bit, Xeon on XP and XP 64-bit, Single and Dual Core AMD' s on XP and XP 64-bit. Mostly these tests were run for speed and operability. The only sure fire solution we found to this problem was XP 64-bit. It allowed ArchiCAD to take advantage of more RAM as we had 4GB in all machines. The only glitch I would warn of would be that any teamwork files that are created in a 32 bit OS and are housed on a network server can not be opened in a 64 bit OS. The reverse is not true and the file can be saved on a 32 bit OS as long as it was not started there. Hope this helps.

[Dwight]

I heard that there was a utility you could get for windows when you think you might like to get more RAM, it fools the boss into thinking that you are running out of RAM.

RAMWaster tweaks the Activity Monitor into showing RAM completely allocated so the boss orders more.

[Anonymous]

There is really no need, ArchiCAD will use all the RAM anyway and if you are using a 32-bit OS then there is no way you could ever use more than 2GB of RAM in ArchiCAD.