1 GB file limit in SolidWorks 2009

[reelman2]

I have SolidWorks 2009 and have found that when a part file goes over exactly 1 GB, the program cycles in memory usage up and down without being able to edit the files.

I have the same problem with 2 machines:

Machine #1
Dell Precision workstation T3500
Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
12 GB RAM
Page File space 12 GB
Quadro FX 1800

Machine @2
AMD A804500M APU w/ Radeon HD Graphics
Quad Core
Windows 8 64-bit
4 GB RAM

I've disabled the Antivirus and malware programs, but it does not seem to help.

Any ideas? I can't afford to upgrade right now . . .

Thanks

 

[MikeHalloran]

That's extraordinarily large for a part file.
Is your part really that complex?


Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[reelman2]

Yes. It is a high resolution scan of the cardiovascular system in the torso (we are making a surgical simulation model). It is very detailed, so I've been reducing the number of branches via surfacing (delete faces, then use filled surface to patch). I can't imagine a cleaner way to work with the files, but I'm open to suggestions.

But, it just seems that there is some Windows or SolidWorks switch at work here.

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

I can understand Machine #2 having problems (because of the Radeon card) but the Dell should be good.
Does the part have large patterns or helices?

 

[reelman2]

The part started at around 46 MB. As I deleted and filled surfaces, it grew. It is - by definition - organic in shape. No 90 degree or flat edges, etc.

Maybe there is a way to simplify. Interestingly, I just exported to parasolid and reimported. The file size dropped to 6 MB seemingly without loss . . .

 

[AnnaWood]

Split it into multiple parts and put together in an assembly.

Cheers,

Anna Wood
SW2012 SP4, Windows 7 x64

http://www.renderbay.com

http://www.solidmuse.com

http://www.phxswug.com

 

[JMirisola]

Another trick is to 'save as' as itself. Where SolidWorks works within windows, the more often you save a file, the larger it grows. Doing a 'save as' helps to purge the non-essential dangling bits and bring the file size down a bit.

Jeff Mirisola
My Blog

 

[reelman2]

Thank you everyone for your help. I did notice a difference in using "save as", but still the file would grow quickly with surface editing.

Once I saved to a "dumb" parasolid, the file would shrink dramatically. I think that is my best option.

Thanks again!

 

[DrBwts]

I would consider segmenting out different anatomical structures as seperate parts then reconstrcuting them as an assembly.

 

[mjcole]

Check out Feature Statistics,

If that doesn't crash your session you can see which features in your model are the memory and rebuild time hogs.

Filled Surface and Remove/Patch opperations can be extremely complex features to have in your model. If you have Premium which I expect you do, try to work on removing extraneous point cloud data so you get more robust surfaces with a lesser number of data points. You can edit the point cloud to remove unwanted points in the cloud that may be hard to fit into the surfaces you desire.

Curious as to what your rebuild timess are running at. Feature statistics can tell you that in seconds and features %of total rebuild time.

Using Win8 may also be what's causing issues on Machine #2.

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