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Solidworks Performance Problems

Solidworks Performance Problems

Solidworks Performance Problems

(OP)
Questions about performance:

Is anybody having problems with Solidworks performance
issues with assemblies over 200 pieces?

Yes, we have already talked to Solidworks and our
system which is a Dell workstation PWS530 with a
Xeon Chip running at 1.8 GHz and 1 GB or Ram.
Our video card is NVidia 900 XGL with the driver
from April is considered an excellent system
according to Solidworks.

The only thing Solidworks tells us is that its the
video card. Does anyone else have any suggestions?
Solidworks doesn't seem to have an answer and when
your computer locks up when you try and save or print
a document something is definately wrong.

Is anyone still running NT 4.0 with Solidworks 2003
or 2004 and if you are, are you having problems. It
seems 2000 NT stability is questionable at the moment
with Solidworks.

RE: Solidworks Performance Problems

Yes, I had this problem. We thought it was memory, fixed that...didn't work. Bought me a new PC with 512 RAM, very good video card, etc. SW performance is still very slow. I found out recently that it is the line connecting our pc's to the server in the hall then to the server down the building. The line can only handle 100kb at a time. We are planning to upgrade the lines and server.

RE: Solidworks Performance Problems

You should consider running Windows 2000 or XP professional.  We use to run on NT but had too many problems.

I'm running on Win2k with 1g memory, dual 1.7ghz processors (I know, not much help with SW) and an Elsa GLoria III graphics card (a bit dated now, but still good).  I work with assemblies that range from 400-900 fullt resolved parts with no problems.

It's not realy a question of how many parts, but rather what type of parts you have modeled.  Stay away from helix-based models if you can, especially hardware.  There shouldn't be a need to show that level of detail for hardware.  Try using component patterns of hardware instead of individual instances.

What's your network looking like?  Try to ensure you have a 100mb connection instead of the standard 10mb.

MadMango
"Probable impossibilities are to be preferred to improbable possibilities."
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

RE: Solidworks Performance Problems

Forgot to mention, I use WIN XP prof, P2, 2.4ghz, NVIDIA Quadro4 750XGL video card.
My biggest file is 97,000kb and runs very slow.

RE: Solidworks Performance Problems

I operated an NT system with 2003 until a short time ago and generally had good results.  The machine is six years old with dual P2 300s, 512 MB RAM, and an Oxygen card.  It was finally taken out by a worm and back door that loaded the machine with viruses (difficult to get up-to-date scanners for NT).  I reformatted the C drive and reinstalled SW 2003, but couldn't get PhotoWorks to operate without crashing, so something is still wrong.

I normally use Win2000 Pro and have excellent stability and performance for my 3-year old machine.


Jeff Mowry
DesignHaus Industrial Design
http://www.designhaus-i-d.com

RE: Solidworks Performance Problems

You need to go to the SW website and log in under your subscription services. Then check out the software and hardware requirements. There it will till you what OS is supported. Win NT SP 6.0 or higher is supported by SW but they can't guarntee the SP for SW03 after Microsoft stopped supporting NT this pass June. As for SW04 you can install SW 04 with Win Nt with SP6 or higher but it list the first verison after SW04 Win NT will not be supported.

See site for clarifications

If your opening your files over a network, then try moving them local and see what kind of speeds you get.

Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP
3DVision Technologies
http://www.3dvisiontech.com
http://www.scottjbaugh.com
FAQ731-376
When in doubt, always check the help

RE: Solidworks Performance Problems

Maybe the driver? It sounds like you already are using an nVidia driver and not a Windows default driver.  But, just in case...

FAQ559-715

All this machinery making modern music can still be open-hearted.

RE: Solidworks Performance Problems

I have already operated SW2003 with assemblies over 1000 components (sheet metal and profiles) in a Notebook Celeron 1.06 MHz and 256 MB SDram. Video? Only 8 MB and I think it was great. The problem occur if you try to edit a part inside the assembly. You must open it in a new window.
Of course the image wasn't so smooth, but I could work on that

RE: Solidworks Performance Problems

Forgot this: I use Windows XP Pro

RE: Solidworks Performance Problems

for the benefit of theophilus:
I had the same Photoworks problem and questioned SW about it:

Photoworks needs your TCP/IP installed.
Apparently, it wants to talk out.

Preferably, SW - which is clearly pushing the limits of what a PC can do - should not be on a system which connects to all the junk on the internet. You can disable (untick) the TCP/IP and Photoworks will still run.

RE: Solidworks Performance Problems

earnest,

Thanks!  I'll need to try that.  Where are the settings located to disable ("untick") the TCP/IP so Photoworks will cooperate?


Jeff Mowry
DesignHaus Industrial Design
http://www.designhaus-i-d.com

RE: Solidworks Performance Problems

And don't forget on XP (and a few on 2000) to go into control panel and disable all those stupid "performance" features that are robbing you bling of you CPU time.   You probably don't even know somw of them are turned on.

For example, who needs a freeking shadow dragging round on their cursor?!  Nobody needs the CPU to be constantly calculating that stuff real time.  You would think that if Mr. Gates insists on cute little graphics widgets he would have the decency to hand them off the the graphics board.... but nooooo it drags down the CPU every time you move the mouse.

3/4 of all the Spam produced goes to Hawaii - shame that's not true of SPAM also.......

RE: Solidworks Performance Problems

I am running SW2003 on NT with SP6.0 1.8G Intel and 256 RAM with Geforce2 MX400. When editing a profile in "assembly"my system sometimes freaks out completely and returns me to zero!! (the Desktop) I am a new user of SW and assumed that this was the usual obscure problems we all have to contend with at times.My parts are only about 2mb with 3 or 4 in each file.I am a former trainer in the late 80s vintage systems and they were really fun to work with!!!

RE: Solidworks Performance Problems

Nimbus1, I can't tell if you are complaing about your SW crashes, or praising your tired but functioning system.

If you are getting crashes in assemblies that only have 4 parts, and it's effecting your productivity, it might be time to consider getting a more up-to-date system.  The more functionality that SW Corp adds to SW, the more computer-intensive it gets.

MadMango
"Probable impossibilities are to be preferred to improbable possibilities."
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

RE: Solidworks Performance Problems

You need to consult the Hardware requirements at the SW website. That will help you determine if your system is inadequate.

From what I read... I would say you need about 3 updates:

Video card
RAM
OS

Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP
3DVision Technologies
http://www.3dvisiontech.com
http://www.scottjbaugh.com
FAQ731-376
When in doubt, always check the help

RE: Solidworks Performance Problems

I'm running a slowbo computer at work (1.7GHZ, 512MB Ram) for the things i've been doing, its been handling it quite well. Even though my assemblys consist from 3 to 8 parts, I usually end up having about 300 to 600 features per part (Even though Solidworks reconmends 1GB of memory for parts over 300 features). My machine will usually crash if I have the quality/wireframe view at full blast, but since the steps to upgrade a computer at the company I work for are very hard (Yet its so easy to spend $50,000 software, go figure) I've found that keeping the image quality to the lowest setting, is the best method for me to cut my chances of crashing.

RE: Solidworks Performance Problems

SW supports shading better over wireframe. Which is reverse to the way it used to be. It takes more power to make a model wire frame than it does to shade it in SW.

That sounds like you Graphics card Luca83. You didn't list your card... but 512 is better than 256 like Nimbus is running. I ran 512 on a 870Mhz computer up till about a month ago and mine SW ran great then. Now it runs better with my new machine. 1.7GHz isn't that bad either!

Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP
3DVision Technologies
http://www.3dvisiontech.com
http://www.scottjbaugh.com
FAQ731-376
When in doubt, always check the help

RE: Solidworks Performance Problems

Yes, It isnt bad, but Id like something a bit more built up.

Running a 3Dlabs 64MB card, which yes its a good card, but when you have an Assembly with 5 parts when each of those parts has over 300 features a piece (like the one im currently working on, biggest part has 517 features) it starts to get shakey.

RE: Solidworks Performance Problems

Is there any way to Supress a group of Features in your models?  If there's no need to have all of these Features in your parts while you work on the main assembly, perhaps you can create a config that will Suppress these Features while you are still working on the design.

Once the design is complete, you can switch back to your Feature-heavy configs of your parts for Production.

MadMango
"Probable impossibilities are to be preferred to improbable possibilities."
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

RE: Solidworks Performance Problems

Actually, I need to have all of the features in my model, for what I do I rely on 90% surface modeling, intricate details, and mold design.

RE: Solidworks Performance Problems

Luca if it is true from your post that you are using surface modeling because of the intricate details can you create a closed volume by stitching the surfaces together into a solid. This will cut down dramatically the demand on your system.

RE: Solidworks Performance Problems

Rocko,

I do knit to a closed volume and thicken the surface to create a solid body out of my surface model, but the problem is I end up having over 300+ features in a part when im at the point of creating a solid.

RE: Solidworks Performance Problems

Hopefully all of our performance probs will be minimized by SW2004.  They did say that they increased performance in large assembly mode.  I currently build assemblies in the 50 to 100 part range.  I'm running a Dual AMD Athlon MP1900+ (well one right now, somehow I fried one) w/Win2k Pro, 3GB ram and an Oxygen GVX420 vid card.  And I still see some performance problems.  I thought I built a speed machine, guess I'm wrong.

RE: Solidworks Performance Problems

50-100 parts is a small assembly for most folks I think.  I have a similar set-up as you SharkMan, but 1.7ghz P4s and only 1g of memory.  I work on 500-800 part assemblies everyday, and I think the performance is fine.  Now, it is slower than just working on a 5 part assy or the like, but I think one has to expect some sort of performance lag when dealing with large assemblies over 300 parts.

As for your single processor problem, make sure both of your fans are working.  On the system I have, one of the fans went out, and the system shut down that processor.  I didn't even notice until I brought up my Task Manager one day and noticed only one CPU being charted.  So a $5 fan was the problem.  Replaced it and everything was good.

MadMango
"Probable impossibilities are to be preferred to improbable possibilities."
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

RE: Solidworks Performance Problems

You could always overkill it and get a liquid cool your processors

RE: Solidworks Performance Problems

Well a liquid cool system would be great.  I have five fans in the case now.  It sounds like a hovercraft.  The one thing that I have against myself is that I'm very detail oriented.  I have to make sure every part is as close to the real thing that it drives my file sizes up.  Fits are critical in my line of work.  Tolerancing in the + - .002"

RE: Solidworks Performance Problems

Yo Dudes,
I know this ain't really on the post but it may be of interest to some of you.
I just got me a Thermaltake V1000 series case.
7 liquid fans, adjustable speed!!
Also Ttake power unit with 2 fans on it (420W).
Its quieter than my old single fan piece of crap.
Not bragging just informing.
Well worth £150.
One love

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