Massive Virtual Mem despite 3.5 Gb allocated

[system]

I’m having trouble with Zbrush using virtual memory instead of my physical memory. My computer specs are as follows:

Windows 7 64-bit
6 Gb DDR2 Mem
Dual Core 2.8Ghz

Okay, so what’s the deal? I’ve set my memory usage in Zbrush to 3500, but I’m currently detailing a 6.5mil mesh, and my memory is at 515 + 4.1k

Obviously this is slow, and I have no idea how to make it faster. Please help, this is really hurting my productivity.

[aurick]

Slow in what way?

When you’re sculpting, there is very, very little memory swapping taking place. The time that heavy data transfers take place is when you subdivide, switch between subdivision levels, fiddle with layers, etc. But when you’re just sculpting, speed is controlled by the CPU rather than by memory.

So whatever values you see in the title bar have nothing to do with performance while you’re sculpting. If you’re seeing sluggish sculpting performance, then something else is going on.

[system]

For instance, when I’ve got a 10mil model, and I start to rotate it, it has to access virtual memory, and is slow to respond. Other times when this behavior is exhibited is when sculpting: strokes made are slow to appear and be undone.

So the bottleneck is the proc? Okay, that’s cool. I was envisioning the code implementation incorrectly, obviously the proc is going to be running massive amounts of ops when translating vertices.

I will overclock.

[Jinian]

But when you’re just sculpting, speed is controlled by the CPU rather than by memory.

So whatever values you see in the title bar have nothing to do with performance while you’re sculpting. If you’re seeing sluggish sculpting performance, then something else is going on.

Hopefully, my decision to add more RAM would be more fruitful if it could’ve contributed to the speed effectiveness of the program more than what you have mentioned it do. Bottom line here is speed when it comes to sculpting, smoothing out, moving points around, etc… I’d just like to clarify what you mean about the “CPU” instead of the memory when it comes to the speed controlling the sculpting effeciency. What exactly do you mean that makes up the CPU? How about the video card, what exactly does it contribute to the speed of the sculpting, and what model video card would you recommend. What is the benefit of using a 64 bit application when using zbrush? Is there any point in putting in more than 4gb ram when zbrush in its 32bit state can’t access any more than 3gb when handling big meshes, and will not effect the speed of the flow of sculpting only when switching betw. subdiv levels, altering a layer, etc like you said?

Sorry to ask like a newbie, but i’ve just spent the last 2 weeks upgrading ram and moving to a 64bit windows application just for zbrush, hopefully my expenses are all worth it.

[Bingo_Jackson]

I’d just like to clarify what you mean about the “CPU” instead of the memory when it comes to the speed controlling the sculpting effeciency. What exactly do you mean that makes up the CPU? How about the video card, what exactly does it contribute to the speed of the sculpting, and what model video card would you recommend. What is the benefit of using a 64 bit application when using zbrush? Is there any point in putting in more than 4gb ram when zbrush in its 32bit state can’t access any more than 3gb when handling big meshes, and will not effect the speed of the flow of sculpting only when switching betw. subdiv levels, altering a layer, etc like you said?
.

• Ram affects raw polygon potential, and how dense of a mesh or tool you can comfortably work with while still remaining stable, how often ZB has to write to virtual mem(slow), the size of documents you can work with, etc.
• The Cpu affects how quickly and smoothly you can actually manipulate and sculpt denser geometry, and the speed with which ZB can perform a number of intensive automated operations.
• The GPU (vid card) has little if any impact on ZB performance.
• You will get the most out of ZB on a 64 bit OS and 4+ gigs of memory. The amount of polygons per mesh you can comfortably handle will be significantly higher.
• There is little reason to have 4GB of ram on a 32 bit OS, as you’ve said, the OS cant use it. That said, even if there is a limit involved, putting more ram into a machine can free up the ram that the OS eats (sizeable, in the case of vista), allowing the full limit to go to the program. XP can’t use more than 2gb per app, vista 32 can use something in the ballpark of 3 gb, while 64 bit oS are essentially unlimited.

[Jinian]

So does that basically mean, the OS is solely responsible on how much memory each application can use and not the application itself? If that is the case, how does a 64 bit application benefit from its 32 bit counterpart?

[Bingo_Jackson]

So does that basically mean, the OS is solely responsible on how much memory each application can use and not the application itself? If that is the case, how does a 64 bit application benefit from its 32 bit counterpart?

There can be limitations at both the OS and application level. 64 bit programs are generally optimized to make use of the greater amounts of and better usage of memory and a 64 bit hardware/OS offers.

As of v3.1 Zbrush as an application could use no more than 4gb of ram (a limitation of the program, regardless of OS). I don’t know if that has changed.

But again, just because you have 4gb of ram, doesnt mean that ZB gets all of it to use. The OS takes a bite. Having greater than 4gb would give all that available Ram to ZB.