Delay in accessing toolpath parameters new to x4

[Chris Rizzo]

Seen a lot of complaints, let's get a real count on this.

[gcode]

Check the file paths in your config file..

This is usually caused by Mastercam having to search for something that is incorrectly pathed..

a quick experiement..

 

Close Mastercam

move your config file out of the Config folder

open Mastercam.. it will generate a new default

config file..

See if the Parameters page opens faster..

 

other often overlooked causes... defrag your hard drive

make sure your Mastercam Temp file is clean

try turning off your AV and see if performance improves

[Thee Rickster ™]

Gcode, I just recieved a brand new p.c. Yesterday.

 

Solid state drive

xp 64 bit

I7 cpu @2.93ghz

6gig of Ram#2.93 ghz

quadro 3700 card

 

Same lag issues as old machine

also same large file size lag and freezing.

 

When the previous versions that had the same issues none of the above suggestions worked then either.

 

but..when the mr's and Mu's were released the

problems went away

[gcode]

I didn't have it with X4 and don't have it with the current beta.. on 3 different machines

XP x32

Vista Home x64

Windows 7 x64

 

There are so many factors that can affect this,

its impossible to to list or even know them all.

I suspect I'd have issues too if I were running

500 meg surfacing files.

You are pushing the hardware and software to its limits..

One thing is sure.. I wouldn't even attemp to run files that big on a network.

 

How do you like that new soild state machine??

[Thee Rickster ™]

It is 30 seconds faster on the X3 benchmarch.

There are a few things that happen instantaniously, like loading windows and some software.

I like it.

 

Gcode when X2 had the same lag and file size issues. I tested it against surfcam with identcle toolpaths and tighter total tolerances.

400 meg files in mc were 40 meg in the other.

 

We've gone over this many times and other beta testers and mc users have agreed on these isues and fixes. X2 mr2 got rid of all thos issues. Ican only assume that the developers forgot to look into the exact same issues once again and an MU1 will/should clear things up.

 

Now we/I wait. used to it.

[Thee Rickster ™]

Gcode, I decided to continue using X4 on files

that are under 180 meg. So far no lag issues (on my new machine). I think, in my case it only has the lag on files over the 180 to 200 meg mark. The file I just converted to X4 is 122 meg and I have Engineering changes that should not increase the file size much. it is working great

and better stay because I forgot to save as with my $$$$_MX4.mcx trade mark. and I no longer have the X3 File or the back up

 

:edit:

 

I was trimming surfaces and extending lines I went to rotate with my middle mouse button and she froze up on me....grrr.

 

[ 08-25-2009, 10:47 AM: Message edited by: Rickster ]

[Tyler Robertson]

Try defragging: I know it sounds crazy with a new computer, but I had the same issue with a new comp. defragged and it was okay

[gcode]

quote:

---

same issue with a new comp. defragged

---

the laptop I bought new this year was massively fragged.. right out of the box..

 

Rickster.. re .. video lockup..

I'm assuming you bought XP on that new machine.. make sure you set your video settings to

Max Performance..... and if its a Dell, dump the

Dell drivers and run with Nvidia.. Dell Nvidia drivers totaly blow..

[Rob @ Target Machine]

Yup

 

A Windows install usually leaves a drive about 3 to 5% fragmented, but that shouldn't matter with a solid state drive. You aren't supposed to defrag ssd's. It gives no noticable improvement, and decreases the life of the drive.

 

BTW - I'm waiting for the Mu1.

[Thee Rickster ™]

gcode, its a loner that my P.C. supply company

put to gether to try out for cad cam ppl I am 1 of 10 they sent one to.

 

Xp 64 bit

 

They prolly installed them from the disk.

 

I will dload the latest greatest.

 

can you help me find these max settings?

[gcode]

Right click My Computer

Properties

Advanced

Settings (in the Performance Window)

Check the "Adjust for Best Performance"

button.

This turns off all the windows eyecandy

[Thee Rickster ™]

I have aready done that(standard prodeedure). I thought you meant in the nvidia settings

 

I also set my page file to the max as well

 

[JNO]

It's only about a 2 second delay here, but it is new to X4.

[goldhntr]

I am showing about a 7 sec delay. Did not have any delay with X3. This was true with Windows eye candy off or on. At least two more pages are now required to affect changes to tool pathes. Not really sure if this is progress.

 

Dell Workstation PWS 450

Intell Xeon 2.40GHz

2 GB of Ram.

 

Nvidia Quadro FX 500/FX 600

 

Any ideas?

[Mjölnir]

It varies. For me, most of the time it is instantaneous, once in a while it lags a couple seconds, and a few times params would not open at all until X4 was exited and relaunched.

 

Sometimes I wonder if it is caused by being to fast on the keyboard or fat fingering the wrong keys at the wrong time.

[Greg Williams]

quote:

---

am showing about a 7 sec delay. Did not have any delay with X3

---

Interesting thread this one. I had this same problem with X3 MU1, X3 base release was OK.

 

The issue has now gone away for me with X4.

 

I have an ATI FireGL card on a 32Bit Laptop system with 2gig RAM.

 

A little more background;

 

My Average file sizes are 20-50meg mostly with multiaxis toolpaths. I always program with surfaces never solids. I have only one version of Mastercam installed. I do not know if any of this that makes any difference. This is just how I do things.

[goldhntr]

Here is an update on the problem that I am having. I have two computers that I run Mastercam on. I am experiencing this delay on both of them but it much longer on one than on the other. The computers are not identical, but I believe them to be somewhat comparable. Here are their descriptions to the best of my ability.

 

Computer 1

Dell Workstation PWS450

Xeon CPU 2.40GHz

2.39 GHz, 2.00 GB RAM

 

Nvidia Quadro FX 500/FX 600

128 MB Ram

 

Computer 2

 

Dell Workstation PWS470

Xeon CPU 2.80GHz

2.79 GHz, 2.00 GB RAM

 

Nvidia Quadro FX 570

256 MB Ram

 

The delay on computer 1 is close to 5 sec. I have timed it with a stop watch. The delay on computer 2 is 2 sec. I completely uninstalled the old version (X3 mu1). I Deleted the directory that it was installed on, and all evidence of the old software in the registry. I defragged the hard drives in both cases prior to the new install.

 

The two second delay can be tolerated (maybe), but the five second delay is really quite annoying. Sometimes I find myself clicking again just to be sure. Now some of you might say five seconds is nothing, but count it out. One Thousand one, One Thousand two, One Thousand Three, One Thousand Four, One Thousand five. (You have say it out loud for the true affect.)

 

Not only that, the new operations manager is really not an improvement. There is at least one more page that you are required to view when you re-use an operation. There is a lot of nice “Bling” here, but I would think the goal would be to get more info displayed at one time rather than spread it out over more pages. I think the graphic that shows whether I am using this operation for contour, facing, pocketing, or slot milling is a total waste of valuable real estate. Now that is a nice idea to allow the same operation to migrate between these different choices, but perhaps the “Bling” is what is slowing it down.

 

There are some things that are nice. The ability to migrate the same operation and the Quick View Settings window, but the delay is really intolerable. I am hopeful that this is being addressed in the next update. I am also hopeful that this trend of more pages is coming to an end and perhaps going back in the other direction. I would much rather see more of the variables that I might need to change rather than the cute graphics.

[Chris Rizzo]

From the survey, let's say a 2 sec delay. 75 ops manager clicks a day. 5 days a week, 4 weeks per month. 12 months per year.

 

2:30 min spent per day, just waiting.

12:30 min per week.

50 min per month.

10 hr per year, just waiting for the ops manager to open. Which it did just fine in all previous versions. It drives me nuts because it USED TO WORK fine.

[Greg Williams]

Does your file have Transform operations in it?

 

If yes is the delay still there if you delete the transform ops?

[goldhntr]

No transform operations. My files are typically quit small. usually no more that 30 operations. Most of the time there is no surfacing. File size is not an issue. It is driving me nuts and I have been using X4 for only a few days now. I think Mr. Rizzo's estimate is well below the mark. I am not a power user, meaning I don't spend my entire day creating programs. I can see opening the operations manager 75 times in 1/2 a day of programming. The only survey option was 75+ in a day.

 

I cannot speak about everyone, but I have been using two monitors for some time now. It seems to me that the oportunity to open the operation manager on the second monitor and have it be larger and therefore more of the information one might be changing be visible. Less flash, more of the important stuff with fewer pages and less graphics. I've got to believe that all the "bling" (I've used that word again) is what is slowing this thing down.

[goldhntr]

I need to clarify here. I am talking about the parameters pages of each toolpath not the overall operations manager. I apologize if I was confusing.

[Leigh @ Kodiak]

quote:

---

10 hr per year, just waiting for the ops manager to open. Which it did just fine in all previous versions. It drives me nuts because it USED TO WORK fine.

---

This is from the bench mark thread:

quote:

---

for X3 it's 9'54"

for X4 it's 5'10"

---

Seems like in the long run it's still a time saver to make the switch.

[gcode]

It sure would be nice to figure

out the cause of this..

I use X4 on 3 different machines..

2 Dell workstations.. and one lowball

laptop..

One is XPx32, one is Vistax64 Home

and the third is WIn7x64.

The parameter page does not open instantly on any of them..

...but its under a second for all three.

I have occasional access to several other machines

and they open in less than a second too.

Maybe its the antivirus software..

people running Firefox?? badly fragged

hards drives??? I've got no clue,

but there has to be a common demoninator

somewhere.

[goldhntr]

I have made some headway on this matter. I updated the video card driver for the slower of the two machines. The parameter page now opens with the same delay as the faster machine. This is still more that 2 seconds, a delay that was not there in the prior version. The edit common parameters page opens instantly, just like they both did in the prior version. Two+ seconds seems the best I will get. The delay and the fact that the most common variables that I change are now on two pages instead of one, still are annoying. I know that you have added some functions on the parameter page and I am still exploring them with the hope that I will feel like I am getting some benefit. I still think that the size of the parameter page could be made larger and the graphics reduced. This would allow you to get more info on a page and reduce the number of pages required.

 

I am still waiting for the ability to apply keystrokes to the check, red X, and Blue + boxes on the bottom of these pages.

[goldhntr]

R.EX

 

You make a valid point, but for me, this is more of an issue. My parts are typically not very program intensive (30-40 ops). I spend more time creating programs and setting up, than actually cutting metal. I rarely make more than a couple of any part.