Can't have multilple 3d apps open or my pc starts chugging

Chase

I have 4 gigs of RAM, GeForce 9800 video card, AMD phenom quad core, Direct X 11, windows service pack 1, windows 7. I'm thinking I need a lot more RAM because my pc starts chugging when I have any combo of Max, Photoshop, ZBrush, and UDK open together. This doesn't make working on a project easy as you could imagine. Any ideas?

Bibendum

Get more RAM

S_ource

Yeah more ram.

Chase

In Zbrush I can only have 7 mil active points before I get an error saying I need to delete polys or edit the maximum number of points in my Preference. If I edit the max number of active points in my Preference I get a warning suggesting I don't do this. I also didn't have this problem until I update to 4R5. Should RAM help this too?

Stromberg90

Yepp, more ram for that as well.

Bibendum

More ram will not help you with that because subdividing a 7 million point tool would give you 28 million points which will put you well past the default poly limit.

You should never need a 28 million point mesh, you need to work more efficiently.

D4V1DC

^That and if you must continue decimate everything except the subtool your working on currently.
Example:
If you are working on a body and you need the body as a reference but your hitting your limit, decimate the body and save the file as the part work working on such as helmet.ztl or whatever piece.
Do this for all the pieces until your ready to bake, in all honest bibendum says it all you just have to find that sweet spot for each piece, this is were topology/retopologising (is that a word) comes in handy.

Chase

Well that's good to know. I just assumed you could subdivide to your hearts content but with some limitations. I was thinking retopology, but every tutorial seems to skip that process so I assumed they didn't bother. Looks like I'll give Qremesher or Topogun a shot.

nyx702

I don't know why you need all those open at the same time anyways...

breakneck

udk eats up a lot of video card resources too. You have a pretty old card on top of that = poor performance.

AlexLeighton

More ram and a better video card.

I've got 8 gigs and a GTX 460 and I don't have any problems running Max, Photoshop and UDK all at once. Shouldn't be a very costly upgrade.

PolyHertz

UDK is going to be slow on that card, ZBrush speed is CPU based, and issues with having a lot of apps open or very high poly counts is due to a lack of ram.

Psyk0

Chase wrote: »

Well that's good to know. I just assumed you could subdivide to your hearts content but with some limitations. I was thinking retopology, but every tutorial seems to skip that process so I assumed they didn't bother. Looks like I'll give Qremesher or Topogun a shot.

What you can do is split your object into subtools, each subtool can be the maximum your system can handle. It can be difficult with organics, you just have to be creative where you hide your seams.

Chase

Alright so new video card, more RAM. I have a Asus M3A motherboard so I'm thinking replace that too. I was looking at my receipt from when I built my computer and it was from 2008! Yikes! So I'm thinking upgrade all together. Anything else you guys recommend? Should I look at getting a dual video card if I want to have two monitors? I'm not familiar with that sort of thing so maybe I don't need 2 video cards, but would that be a worthwhile purchase?

PolyHertz

Most video card these days can handle up to three monitors by themselfs, no need for extra cards.

Chase

Ok sweet. This is sort of a ZBrush question so instead of starting a whole new thread I might as well ask. Since I have to split all of my ztools into separate subtools I haven't been able to move each brick on their own even after giving them their own polygroup. I just want to give some bricks depth. Edit mode is off, so it's just Draw and Move that are own yet everything moves together.