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[NX 8] Performance setting for big assembly

[NX 8] Performance setting for big assembly

[NX 8] Performance setting for big assembly

(OP)
Hi,
I tried to play with some assembly loaded options without any idea of the best solution.
With Windows Task Manager open I tried to understand the best option setting from :
1) only Partial Loading enabled
2) only Lightweight Representation enabled
3) Partial Loading enabled and Lightweight Representation enabled
4) Partial Loading enabled and Lightweight Representation enabled and Load Smart Lightweight Data enabled in the Customer Default

But NX remain with approximately the same amount of RAM with assembly files closed.

My requirement is open assembly faster, add components, add mates and open related components drawings.
We don't use interpart link expression or wave geometry link.

So, with my requirement, which is the best setting from 1,2,3 or 4 to have best open performance via network and Teamcenter integration ?

Thank you...

Using NX 8 and TC8.3

RE: [NX 8] Performance setting for big assembly

The best should be #3 in terms of memory usage, but #4 may provide the best productivity, particularly if you perform modeling operations, even if you're not creating associative (WAVE) links between Components, while working in the context of the Assembly (having the Work part set different than the Displayed part).

If speed of loading an Assembly is a concern, you should also go to...

Preferences -> Visualization Performance -> Large Model

...and in the Settings section of the dialog, toggle ON the 'Background Loading' option (note that if you don't have a multi-core system and you don't have the NX SMP option enabled, this will NOT deliver any benefit).

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA
http://www.siemens.com/plm
UG/NX Museum:   http://www.plmworld.org/p/cm/ld/fid=209

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
 

RE: [NX 8] Performance setting for big assembly

(OP)
Hi John,
the first option is set by default in our template.
All our workstation are 'One dual-core CPU in 1 socket', so you suggest anyway to set UGII_SMP_ENABLE=1 in our ugii_env.dat or better to leave Parasolid kernel to decide for us ?

Thank you for all and for suggest option 4).

Thank you...

Using NX 8 and TC8.3

RE: [NX 8] Performance setting for big assembly

No, you MUST set the SMP variable or NX will only run in a single thread.  Parasolid does NOT automatically control this behavior, the variable must be set.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA
http://www.siemens.com/plm
UG/NX Museum:   http://www.plmworld.org/p/cm/ld/fid=209

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
 

RE: [NX 8] Performance setting for big assembly

(OP)
Hi John,
are two days that I'm testing the SMP variable (UGII_SMP_ENABLE = 1 in ugii_env.dat), but I don't see any advantage.
So I decided to read about symmetric multiprocessing and Parasolid kernel.
Symmetric multiprocessing architecture are today integrated in the CPU and managed by OS.
Multi-thread is supported by Parasolid kernel from some years ago.
Other CAD system as SolidWorks support multi-thread without any user setting and it's the operating system that ultimately decides what Core each Thread runs on.
So I ask you:
NX uses multi-thread ? If yes, also the new NX 8 pattern ?
If symmetric multiprocessing is administrated by the OS, why NX need a variable to use this hardware architecture ?
Maybe this variable is not more necessary in the last NX version ?
Have you time and opportunity to clarify what NX take advantage of in the hardware technology, Parasolid kernel and Operating System ?

Thank you...

Using NX 8 and TC8.3

RE: [NX 8] Performance setting for big assembly

The variable was supplied at the request of both customers and our own people who wanted to proceed with caution when we first started to provide support for SMP and when some of the hardware had no yet fully matured.  Besides, there are situations and configurations which while they fully support SMP on paper, actually perform slower in that mode than when using only a single process thread.

Contrary to popular opinion, multi-core processing does NOT come for free.

There is additional overhead, at both the application and the OS level, on the system when running any single application utilizing multiple threads and so it was felt that allowing the application to control this, in the case of NX it's via an environment variable, was the proper approach to take.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA
http://www.siemens.com/plm
UG/NX Museum:   http://www.plmworld.org/p/cm/ld/fid=209

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
 

RE: [NX 8] Performance setting for big assembly

(OP)
John,
thank you for all.
So you suggest to enable SMP variable only with multi socket CPU.

Thank you...

Using NX 8 and TC8.3

RE: [NX 8] Performance setting for big assembly

Not necessarily, but testing has shown that all things being equal, that single socket multi-core configurations are generally not as efficient as having the same number of cores spread across multiple sockets.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA
http://www.siemens.com/plm
UG/NX Museum:   http://www.plmworld.org/p/cm/ld/fid=209

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
 

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