Performance mode possible? Yes! keep it simple. Overcomplicated sketching causes problems

[wagnuts]

I have a reasonably decent computer, and for some reason my part workspace is super sluggish. When I check my task manager, it says that Alibre is using lots of ram,(obscene amounts TBH: 4 GB on a 1.1MB file) but only up to 5% of the CPU resources available. Also Zero GPU resources.
It takes 15-20 seconds in some cases to select a node. My drawing is a template set of refrence figures and nodes that I use to make combinable plates.
Is it possible to modify the resource allocation to the design engine?

 

[bigseb]

Selecting nodes? I assume you are talking about sketches, right? As a rule sketches should be kept as simple as possible. If they get too complicated then AD bogs right down. Mind sharing your part?

 

[wagnuts]

This would make sense I suppose.
heres an image of the part.

 

[bigseb]

This would make sense I suppose. View attachment 33356
heres an image of the part.

There's your problem.

 

[DavidJ]

Also note that on a multi-core CPU, most Alibre processes can only utilise one core. So on an 8 core hyper-threading CPU (16 virtual cores), you shouldn't ever expect to see Alibre use more than a little over 6% CPU.

If you have a recent Win10 build, and your graphics card supports it, enable 'hardware accelerated GPU scheduling' in Windows - you may notice some boost to smoothness, but that won't help with such horribly complex sketches in your designs.

Try to split your designs into much simpler sketches - then use mirror and/or pattern to repeat 3D features.

 

[Max]

We are looking into some sketch performance improvements in v24, but it's not going to address this - fundamentally there are way too many things happening in this sketch. Keep in mind the constraint solver has to resolve all constraints simultaneously every time anything happens. You may have a thousand inferred constraints in this sketch, and every time you do anything it has to solve all of those.

The other fundamental reason you need to break this out into smaller sketches is what are you going to do if you need to edit it? Can you make meaningful, fundamental changes to this easily if required? Making this in 5 operations instead of one is actually going to be faster to do, easier to edit in the long run, and it will compute faster.

I think we will consider making some kind of UI notification that says something like "you've added X figures to the sketch - don't do that" sometime soon. Occasionally it's unavoidable, but most often is not.

 

[wagnuts]

You should see me with a pair of stilts on and a set of blueprints for a luxury hirise! those sketches are busy too.. hahaha
Thanks for all the feedback everyone. I have definitely turned a corner over the last week. Having Alibre since 2008, Its served its purposes in the past, there are a lot of subtle nuances to get familiar with. The constraint solver is one of them. It seems to behave in slightly different ways than I would expect, or tell me to rethink my approach at the very least.

The geometry in the sketch is over the top for sure. There's a number of parts it guides and I use the refrence overlay to think out the physical build I intend to do. All in all, what I picked up over the last few days (THANKS DAVID) is comparable to the last 10 years. That's either sad, or very exciting. I'm choosing the latter.

Learning to use the tools as they are intended to be used is a good idea. the old adage: use a hammer all the time and everything starts to look like a nail.

 

[wagnuts]

Anyway, I wonder about some things I'd like to do with the work I'm doing, and being a novice with the software leaves me guessing a lot. I have a habit of learning things the hard way.

I am interested in developing a few scripts for my processes. At the rate I'm learning how to do anything simple with the software, my next question is who and how much?

Quite honestly, id love to learn how to do everything myself. That's not a realistic goal to fit into my process though. Where would I start?
before I look at writing scripts or my own ad-ons, even taking the information I have set in the "busy sketch" and creating a GP system to handle a variety of stock material options... MAYBE?

Id sooner link up with a tutor than claw my way through that one in the dark... lol organizing the ifs and thens is the kind of thing that needs its own flowchart.
Software development is amazing to me. Its a major mile stone for me that I find it easier to use cad than graph paper,

I would appreciate any feedback,
Thanks for getting me this far!

 

[sbeamers]

This is one of those threads I'm glad I read! I definitely do not think about making fewer sketch elements nor about using mirrors. I know Alibre has been pushing this on Vimeo ... I'm just slow to catch on.

Not to add to a thousand other requests, but are there plans to be able to reduce or toggle the auto-application of constraint types in sketch mode? For example, when forming up prototype sketches, the parallel, equal, and tangent constraints quickly entrap elements forcing me to Ctrl-Shift them out of existance. Is there already a means to disable all or specific types of constraints while sketching?

 

[HaroldL]

Not to add to a thousand other requests, but are there plans to be able to reduce or toggle the auto-application of constraint types in sketch mode? For example, when forming up prototype sketches, the parallel, equal, and tangent constraints quickly entrap elements forcing me to Ctrl-Shift them out of existance. Is there already a means to disable all or specific types of constraints while sketching?

Yup, there is something for that. A check in the Help Manual and find:

 

[DavidJ]

and creating a GP system to handle a variety of stock material options

Look at Catalog features for that.

 

[sbeamers]

Yup, there is something for that. A check in the Help Manual and find:

Thanks!

 

[sbeamers]

Ok, so after making modifications to the Snap & Constraint settings, I notice that the software is still calculating all the possible constraints while in sketch mode, and only applying those Checked in the dialog box. Definitely some improvement in terms of reducing confusion in the sketch.

 

[KeithH]

I have a reasonably decent computer, and for some reason my part workspace is super sluggish. When I check my task manager, it says that Alibre is using lots of ram,(obscene amounts TBH: 4 GB on a 1.1MB file) but only up to 5% of the CPU resources available. Also Zero GPU resources.
It takes 15-20 seconds in some cases to select a node. My drawing is a template set of refrence figures and nodes that I use to make combinable plates.
Is it possible to modify the resource allocation to the design engine?

Do u have google chrome or another browser open somewhere? Even Firefox is sucking resources. Control alt delete and open the task manager and you will see where the resources are being sucked up. Bet it’s the internet browser affecting the program

 

[KeithH]

I have a reasonably decent computer, and for some reason my part workspace is super sluggish. When I check my task manager, it says that Alibre is using lots of ram,(obscene amounts TBH: 4 GB on a 1.1MB file) but only up to 5% of the CPU resources available. Also Zero GPU resources.
It takes 15-20 seconds in some cases to select a node. My drawing is a template set of refrence figures and nodes that I use to make combinable plates.
Is it possible to modify the resource allocation to the design engine?

Also if you want to allocate windows to prioritize Alibre then in task manager right click Alibre design under the Processes Tab and click “go to Details” and then find Alibre design.exe (it should take you to the details tab with Alibre Design highlighted, then right click and choose “set priority” and change it to “high”. This will make windows prioritize resources to Alibre above other programs running

video editors do this a lot. That’s where I learned it from

 

[KeithH]

View attachment 33496 View attachment 33497
Also if you want to allocate windows to prioritize Alibre then in task manager right click Alibre design under the Processes Tab and click “go to Details” and then find Alibre design.exe (it should take you to the details tab with Alibre Design highlighted, then right click and choose “set priority” and change it to “high”. This will make windows prioritize resources to Alibre above other programs running

video editors do this a lot. That’s where I learned it from

My windows thing above should help a little. But also like others said there’s a lot going on in the sketch. So think through designing it like in layered sketches. You can choose “project to sketch” for the things important to make the next sketch and so on and just choose reference. This will bring the underlying sketch in to the current sketch. Click the maintain association so if the underlying sketch changes it will update the other one.(I honestly don’t know if projecting your sketch with reference lines to a new sketch is any better than making it all in one sketch. Maybe someone would shed light on this.
hope this helps