Poor SW2004 Drawing Performance

[ttmjr]

It appears from a several other posts that I am not the only one finding miserable performance in Solidworks 2004 SP1.0, primarily in drawings. I have reproduced the poor performance on three different PCs trying to fix it. I discovered the problem on my 2.4 GHZ P4 (1 GB RAM) with its NVIDIA Geforce 5200 FX video. I figured the NVIDIA card was the problem. But I also have the problem on a similarly configured P3 running an Oxygen GVX1 video card (a Solidworks favorite card). Has anyone found an answer for this yet? I have tried software OpenGL and adjusting my video card performance settings to no avail.

 

[ieshadover]

I have to agree with you, I don't know what they did with 2004 but I have found more bugs in solidworks since it's release, then in the entire time I've been using it (version 1999).

I'm willing to bet it's not your video card at all. There have been several unexplained crashes on different machines do a wide range of task, here at work. And photoworks is full of little bugs. So most likely your problem is solidworks itself. The nice thing about the crashes, so far, is that we can log right back on with no problems and it's hasn't happened enough to be a big pain. Just had to make sure auto backup is backing up every 2 or 3 changes.

I'm also very bugged by help files listing things we are suppose to be able to do in Solidworks only to learn the program really, can't do it at all. (I found three of them already.)

Though I still think it's a better program then Pro-E I am still disappointed with this release and what could become a disturbing trend with solidworks.

 

[SBaugh]

Have you tried restarting in VGA mode or turning the Hardware acceleration down to see if performance improves?

If it does the problem is in the graphics card or the drivers.

Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP
3DVision Technologies

http://www.3dvisiontech.com

http://www.scottjbaugh.com

faq731-376

 

[ttmjr]

I have tried every video setting option under the sun. One more thing that I forgot to mention in my original message is that the performance seems to have gotten drastically worse under SP1.0 for SW 2004.

 

[CWMOLD]

Use draft quality drawings until you need to print them then convert them to high quality. There is also an option for lightweight. I havent had much trouble with mine.

 

[solidfriend]

Hi all. The same problems. My hair is white. I can't say that the PC is bad (P IV -3.06GHz with Quadro 4 - 750). When i draw routing the lines disapear when zooming closer (with last Video driver) and SW crashes frequently. Some days 5-6 times, some days 0-1. I already have a collection of parts that do SW to crash. The drawings are tooooo slow. If I save the DRW as DWG AutoCAD scrolls it as fast that I can't follow it. But I don't want to work on 2003. There is a good idea in 2004. Just they released it too fast and we must think each day about the bad words (fu.k ;-) So just hide all other views and work only on one. that will help with performance.

 

[SBaugh]

If your crashing make sure you TEMP folder is cleaned out located under Local Settings.

If your running slow try this - faq559-507

SW2004 runs circles around SW03 for me. I don't have but maybe 1 crash a week and sometimes none at all. I don't have many complaints about SW04.

Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP
3DVision Technologies

http://www.3dvisiontech.com

http://www.scottjbaugh.com

faq731-376

 

[ttmjr]

I have virtually zero crashes. SW 2004 has been extremely stable and has outperformed 2003 in all areas EXCEPT for drawings.

 

[mig26]

I just got a phonecall from our local supplier, and SP 2.0 is released yesterday. This SP should solve the problems with slow performance in 2D drawings.

I did noy check it myself, and at this moment there is also no SPR 2.0 list available on the website of SW.

 

[SBaugh]

It's showing up as available there now, after you first log in to your subscription support.

Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP

http://www.3dvisiontech.com

http://www.scottjbaugh.com

faq731-376

 

[Scoobystu]

One setting change that vastly improved things for me was unchecking the "Show contents while dragging drawing view" box in the Drawing section of the System Options.

Doesn't help if you are opening drawings of a large assy though, but is less frustrating when producing drawings.

 

[macPT]

There's a message, in SW site, informing that the SP2.0 was temporarely removed from site!

Regards

 

[ctopher]

That's great! I already downloaded/installed it!

 

[SBaugh]

It is now... I hope I don't have to re-install my SP2... Oh well, if I do I guess... It's like second nature for me anyhow.

Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP

http://www.3dvisiontech.com

http://www.scottjbaugh.com

faq731-376

 

[solidfriend]

hmm, will they fix finally all the bugs? today I installed a SP2 on the first PC and guess what:
when I deleted an old Excel BOM and putted a new one (SW BOM), (da.mn) my nervs exploaded when it worked with SP1 and with SP2 it inserted only 1 row with titles.
So, it seems reasonable to wait until SP3. ;-)
easy guys, why we are running so fast? no time to think.

 

[mig26]

I called our supplier of SW why SolidWorks removed SP 2.0 from their website. Well, even the supplier did not get any info why it is removed.

The only info is that it is a temporally removal.

 

[SBaugh]

Mig26,

The VAR's are not as informed as you might think sometimes. So don't blame the VAR's.

solidfriend,

Just because one thing doesn't work doesn't mean that the SP isn't still a good SP. SP0.0 is chopped full of bugs. SP1.0 fixed a lot of problems in SP0.0, but made some different ones. SP2.0 has addressed those plus others from SP0.0. I'm sure SP2.0 has created some of it's own.

Don't judge by one thing. It maybe more stable than all other SP's then again maybe it isn't. So if you don't want to be a guinea pig then wait on downloading for about a week to make sure there isn't some problems.

You can count on me having the Latest SP when it comes out everytime. I'm a guinea pig and I always have been. I accept the fact that if I download it that I may have some major problems when I DL it right away, then again I might not. I guess after doing it for so many years, it just doesn't bother me anymore, but I have had Good luck with it. Even if I have to reload SW.

Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP

http://www.3dvisiontech.com

http://www.scottjbaugh.com

faq731-376

 

[mig26]

I do not blame our supplier. I have good contact with those guys, we even meet often.

I am a SW users since SW99 up to today. I am also a guinea pig for my company. I always test the latest SP, after I have read what this SP fixes.

Today I found already two repeatable mistakes in the Software. To my opinion SolidWorks is getting more and more bugs each time. The SW99 version was very stable (and lacked a lot of functionality as well) Stability was one of the reasons people choose for SolidWorks.

Today I work at a company where the engineering department creates big assemblies and 2D drawings. As the most experienced user I get a lot of problems daily. Some of them are user error, but more and more it is the software. For example, my company did not upgrade yet to 2004. I am the only user trying it.

My supplier told me to install SP 2.0 because I did not use 2004 since Beta3 version. Normally I would first see what the problems are.

 

[ctopher]

So far I see no change with the SP2.0 I installed. But when it comes back out, I'll just re-install it.

 

[solidfriend]

yeah, I am a guinea pig too, first to try. So I confirm that there is something about BOM, but not the only reason to stop SP2. Today I played with a few drawings. Excel based BOM as rule always worked fine. I created a new drawing and BOM worked, but on old drw not. I agreed with Mig26 about the stability. SP2 really improved the 2D performance. I have an assy with a simple parts (6"x 10&quot patterning 6 and 24 times on both axis and without SP2 on my drawing is difficult to work, because it slows down after 20-30 min (you click the icon or face and SW select it after ~20 sec.). With SP2 really is better.
Mig26, what means this, is it a plain as SU-27?