out of memory

[Anonymous]

hi,
i am on my way to my maiden presentation on ac11. i have a huge site area which comprises of contours and around 60 detailed buildings. now when i finally render the whole site at high resolution for a big a0 size print it says 'not enough memory'. it doesnt even renders it at 800x600.

also the file gives an error 'Divide by zero at line 3 in the master script of file dp_int_door_panels.gsm' o n opening. that too an irritating 48 times .

moreover when i tried to put trees on the site (on a seperate contour model without buildings) - some 2000 trees - the file doesnt shows preview in the perspective window. it gives an estimated time of 1 hr and then crashes. i dont think it will ever render.

what seems to be the problem?. do i need to upgrade my comp. and how can i get rid of those error messages. file size is around 10 mb.

system configuration -
. Windows XP
. P IV 2.8 Ghz
. 1.5 Gb ram
. Geforce 7800 256 Mb

cheers
vishwas

p.s. i have previously worked extensively on autocad (both 2d 3d), 3d max, revitt, Autocad Architectural Desktop, Rhino on the same system. This is my first experience with Archicad and i must say right now i'm not amused, my one month's work is not reaping results.

[Anonymous]

Hi vishwas,

I think the main problem is the number of polygons.

Which tree library parts are you using? The detailed trees in AC11 have quite a large number of polygons in each and would bring even a powerful system grinding to a halt with less than 50. If you need 2000 trees try seriously reducing the complexity of the trees furthest away.

To get an indication of the polycount download the polygon counting tool goodie from the GS website. This will list all the elements in the file and how many polygons they each have. I guess 50000 would be considered fairly complex.

Don't be too harsh on ArchiCAD yet, I don't think many programs could easily handle 2000 trees!

The error message regarding the door library part may be to do with a setting that is set to zero or some other figure that AC cant handle. Check the specific door for any obvious inputted mistakes.

Best of luck with the presentation!!

[Anonymous]

@ peter clark. thanks for replying. i think too that polygons are the culprit. i have dropped the idea of trees, will do it in photoshop. but the contoured site base of this 70 acres area itself is a very dense and a complex mesh. that too is draining pc resources like anything. can anything be done about it?
cheers
vishwas

p.s. it has started rendering with overclocking the processor and graphic card and upgrading memory to 2 gb and placing the comp opposite an airconditioner

[Anonymous]

Hi again,

To reduce the complexity of the contours, adjust the settings of the magic wand tool before clicking the splines.

Try a longer linear segment length of 40 - 100 meters if the ground is a very long way away from your viewpoint, or smaller if accuracy is important closer up.

You will have to redo the contours again though. There is no way to reduce the complexity of the contours on an existing mesh, annoyingly.

Hope that helps!