Slow paste

[R Reynolds]

I've been using v18.0p for a month or so now and I've noticed that pasting even small chunks of patches takes what seems to be an unusually long time. For instance, a copy of the side window on this fare box:

It's only four patches but when you hit Cntl-V it takes more than 15 sec. of the rotating "working" icon before it actually pastes a copy of those four patches. In v17 this same process takes less than a second. Is there a v18 switch I'm unaware of that is creating extra "bookkeeping" to go on in the background?

[robcat2075]

How many patches in the model?

[robcat2075]

I did a quick test with a vase copied until I had about 12000 patches and I get about a 2-second delay when i copy and paste a 4-patch section.

[robcat2075]

Possibilities to try...

 

-Copy the whole model into a new model window

 

-Save PRJ, restart A:M and reload

 

-Save PRJ, do Help>Reset Settings, restart A:M and reload

[John Bigboote]

That model does not look too dense... usually very dense models lag on paste. 15 seconds is long. Can you use another program that has a 'purge memory' function like Photoshop or After Effects to dump your physical memory? Rob's ideas might do it too... I would do a save as to the project, close AM and reopen the new project... maybe even restart the computer.

[pixelplucker]

If you can copy paste the model into a new model window and save that model out. Re-launch AM and open the new model and see if it has the same issue.

 

If that doesn't fix it then see if other programs lag too.

If so the look and see what background tasks are running such as what anti virus and perhaps unknown tasks eating up cpu usage.

Control+Shift+Escape and look at the performance monitor and watch cpu, network and hard drive usage when nothing is being done. Try to ID which tasks are running if any of them exhibit high use. I almost returned a laptop because of McAffee.

 

Other possibility is maybe a failing mem stick in which you could run a mem test on it.

[Elm]

You may have an open choreography window in your workbook with that model you're working on. Please double-check that. Even if that choreography window is not active (just in the background), any modelling significantly lags. So - close that window. It's best anyway to have just that particular window opened in which you're actually working, be it modelling, action, relationship, or whatever.

[John Bigboote]

You may have an open choreography window in your workbook with that model you're working on. Please double-check that. Even if that choreography window is not active (just in the background), any modelling significantly lags. So - close that window. It's best anyway to have just that particular window opened in which you're actually working, be it modelling, action, relationship, or whatever.

Great point. When working in workbook mode I tend to open windows and just leave them tabbed for easy navigation... when working with dynamic HAIR an open instance of the file in the background will KILL tacticity!

[Guest]

Thanks for the suggestions but it was none of the usual suspects. v18 has a problem with materials that have SimbiontAM using a tweaked DSTS file. A problem that previous versions of AM did not have.

As proof I have built two spheres each with 39 groups; sphere_groups_darksim_default.mdl and sphere_groups_darksim_tweaked.mdl.

 

I have also built two materials:

 

-The first is surface_dirty_basic_with_darksim.mat which uses the default SimbiontAM file, rusty_metal.dsts and is the basis for most of my metal surfaces.

-The second is surface_dirty_basic_with_darksim_tweaks.mat which has all of the DSTS file's "Tweaks" values changed.

 

Each group in the default sphere gets assigned the default material while each group in the tweaked sphere gets the tweaked material.

 

All of these models, material files and darksim_tweak_test.prj are included in the attached zip file darksim_tweaked.zip.darksim_tweaked.zip



On my machine (Core i7-2600K @ 3.4GHz) I get the following performance:

Opening the project in v17 takes about 4 sec. Opening the project in v18 takes about 19 sec. and for most of that time the project window is black.

 

In v17, select the top third of the default sphere and make a copy. Hit paste and it takes about 4 seconds for the copy to be ready to move.
In v17, select the top third of the tweaked sphere and make a copy. Hit paste and it takes about 4 seconds for the copy to be ready to move.
In v18, select the top third of the default sphere and make a copy. Hit paste and it takes about 4 seconds for the copy to be ready to move.
In v18, select the top third of the tweaked sphere and make a copy. Hit paste and it takes about 53 seconds for the copy to be ready to move.

I have no idea what changed in v18 to cause this but it's annoying since I use tweaked SimbiontAM materials a lot. I'd appreciate it, if someone would confirm this issue.

[itsjustme]

Using an i7-4720HQ I got:

 

Opening the project in v18.0p takes about 14 sec. and for most of that time the project window is black.

In v18.0p, select the top third of the default sphere and make a copy. Hit paste and it takes about 3 seconds for the copy to be ready to move.

In v18.0p, select the top third of the tweaked sphere and make a copy. Hit paste and it takes about 38 seconds for the copy to be ready to move.

 

Hope that helps.

[robcat2075]

I gave it a try in the v19 alpha and the tweaked version does take longer.

[Rodney]

This problem appeared in the past but I can't recall what the solution was.

[robcat2075]

Rodger, I will submit your test case to AMReports for v19.

 

I've made a few formatting adjustments to your post for clarity for Steffen to read.

[pixelplucker]

Ahh I didn't realize you used darksim. As much as I like them I always had stability issue. You could bake the texture and try that.

[Guest]

I will submit your test case to AMReports for v19.

Thanks Robert.

As much as I like them I always had stability issue

You mean like crashing when you render a model using them? I've never had that experience with them. Before this issue in v18, the only price I've ever paid with them (and one I'm willing to pay) is they take longer to render.

You could bake the texture

I hadn't thought of that, probably since I've never baked anything because I've never seen the advantage to it. Thanks for the suggestion.

[robcat2075]

Ahh I didn't realize you used darksim. As much as I like them I always had stability issue.

 

If you have a case that crashes that's good material for an AMReport.