Error message (VISTA 64bits memory issue)

[TOM_cg]

Hi,

Just to know if you guys got the same message in the log while preparing to render

MtlMulti (noname) "mtls" parameter is deprecated; use "mtls_list" and "ids_list" instead.

Besides, I got SKUP crach when the memory reaches 1,7 GB for the application..
I didn't know there was any memory limitation...

Do you experience the same ?

cheers
tom

[thomthom]

Re: Error message

I get the "parameter is deprecated" message as well.

Not sure about the crash though. Haven't experienced that. But I also haven't checked the memory usage.
At work I have a XP32bit system with 4GB RAM. At home I have Windows7 64bit with 8GB RAM. Might be system specific.

[dalomar_cg]

Re: Error message

Your crash is most likely do to running out of memory

The notice that you saw is actually not an error message per say, just a notification. Depreciated means that its preferred that the method or object in question is not used, but its still okay if it is. Eventually that feature will be removed though, so its something that has just recently been depreciated and we'll change how its done within the next version.

[thomthom]

Re: Error message

Your crash is most likely do to running out of memory

How can that be addressed? Increase page-file? Render directly to file?

[TOM_cg]

Re: Error message

Your crash is most likely do to running out of memory

Indeed, "..memory allocation error.." says the log.
Any clue to fix it ?
I've tried with a vrimg file but same issue. When the 1,7gb is reached, it's crashing down.
It's occur mostly with the spawner, though. In a local render, sometimes it's fine with the same render settings ( 4000x3000 LC, IM-5-3 or QMC)

[dalomar_cg]

Re: Error message

VRimage always helps as this will keep the rendered image out of memory. The next best way is to minimize the size of the textures that you are using. Using really large textures is nice, but overkill most of the time. Downsize (as a copy) the images that are larger than needed, and do that with as many textures as you can.

The other thing you can try is to minimize the amount of geometry in the file or the amount that's rendered. The more you get out of the file itself the better chance you have since it won't take up any space from SketchUp. This would have to be geometry that just never needs to be rendered at all...so something like bathroom fixtures when doing exterior renderings. You could also just hide that stuff, but if its not there it will all it will help the most. Hiding objects is the best option for things that might be visible in one view and not visible in another.

If that still doesn't give you the head room that you need, then you may have to look at minimizing the geometry of the objects that need to be rendered. This typically means that detailed trees or objects need to be replaced with with low poly counterparts.

The last option, which may actually be the first if you run into this a lot, is to look into a 3gb switch. You can google "3gb switch" to find out more about it, but what it does is allows your computer to use up to 3gbs of memory for programs. If you haven't done this, then windows will only register 2 gbs no matter how many gbs you physically have in your system. This is a limitation of 32 bit programs, so moving to a 64 bit OS will help even more, but that is very drastic. There is the potential for "unlimited" memory with a 64 bit system, but since SketchUp is not a native 64 bit application it will only be able to use a certain amount of memory.

[thomthom]

Re: Error message

Even if you have only 1GB of physical memory, won't it help to set up a bigger pagefile? From my understanding, a program can allocate more memory than what you actually have as physical memory. It just gets pages out to the pagefile. Though with the penalty of things going much much slower.

[TOM_cg]

Re: Error message

Thanks for your effort ThomThom and Damien

I managed to get a good render.
Only on local, QMC, 400x3000.
it seems that using spawner computers demands too much RAM for specific model.

All my textures were maximum 1500x1500px, model purged and optimized...
I had more complex model to render, don't understand why this one bothered me sooo much...
Maybe its because I used some emissive material in the scene ?

Here is the pre photoshop version to see the model.

Thanks again

[dalomar_cg]

Re: Error message

Even if you have only 1GB of physical memory, won't it help to set up a bigger pagefile? From my understanding, a program can allocate more memory than what you actually have as physical memory. It just gets pages out to the pagefile. Though with the penalty of things going much much slower.

V-Ray will use virtual memory if it is available, but that won't solve the issue of only 2gb being available for all the programs or an individual program only being able to address about 1.6-1.8 gbs

[thomthom]

Re: Error message

That's not what I understand from Raymond Chen's blog: http://blogs.msdn.com/oldnewthing/ar...22/218527.aspx

[Jackson_cg]

Re: Error message

This is a little off-topic, but while we're on the subject of error messages and running out of memory about a year ago when I was pretty new to V-Ray I had a file which I'd been working on for a week, having done loads of test renders in that time. Until then I'd only ever done smallish <2000px wide renders for publications, websites, etc, but the client wanted these at >4000px so I was interested (and a little anxious) to see what VfSU SR1 and my aging PC were capable of and in how much time. Suddenly on bumping the resolution up four-fold SU/VfSU would crash when trying to render one of the scenes (of course it was the money shot the client really wanted). I tried everything, hiding loads of geometry (even some that ought to be visible), restarting SU, restarting my PC, increasing my Paging File, decreasing my Paging File, defragging. I was at my wit's end and it was the one and only time I went down the VRimage route, out of sheer desperation- I can't even remember why, but that didn't work out either (I think there was a temporary problem with the converter download).

Incredibly, after a day and half of forum-scouring, hair-pulling and the boss on my back about getting the render out the problem turned out to be just a bug connected to that scene/camera position. I opened the scene, changed the focal length to some arbitrary number, changed it back again, updated the scene and from then on it rendered without a hitch.

I only ever saw this bug once in thousands of renders, but it was a weird example of all your knowledge and instinct telling you one insurmountable thing (memory) is the problem, when it was actually something completely different and very easily worked around. Lack of memory might have been the symptom, but it wasn't the cause.

[thomthom]

Re: Error message

Focal length of the V-Ray camera, or the SU camera?

[Jackson_cg]

Re: Error message

The SU camera, VfSU's "Override Focal Length" box was unticked.

[TOM_cg]

Re: Error message

the weird thing, I got this issue since I switched on Vista Business 64.

Before that with XP I never had or reached the 1,7gb memory limit.

I got that bugsplat again, with an another model.
Simple and almost no texture..

I recently updated sketchup to version 7010247

Could that be the cause ?

[dalomar_cg]

Re: Error message

Vista standing still takes up anywhere from 750mb to 900mbs as compared to 300mb-400mb with XP. That's almost a half a gig difference that would certainly contribute to not hitting it in xp. Don't you just love microsoft.