3Dsmax Versus physical memory?

sama.van

I'm doing some render To Texture under 3dsmax 2010 32 bit (trial version) with my new configuration and render is a little bit slow...

I check the Task Manager and CPU Usage is about 72-87% and Physical memory usage stop to 1.83GB. The physical memory doesn't change at all and keep the same value...
...But I have 4go of Physical Memory installed on my computer.

Then I did some Google research and I found an interested thread from CGTalk :

http://forums.cgsociety.org/archive/index.php/t-243468.html

This is a little bit old (5 years ago -__-)...


But they speak about the fact a 32bit application as 3dsmac doesn't use the full memory and stop to 1.8 - 2 go...



Then 5 years after... I'm running with Window 7 - 64 bits but my trial version of 3dsmax 2010 is a 32 bit -_-..
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/index?siteID=123112&id=13571450

Is there really not a 2010-64bit trial version? ....


And then does someone know how to unlock the fact 3dsmax will use the 4go of my Physical memory?


I also found another website saying the render from 3dsmax doesn't depend of the memory but of the processor... Is that correct?

Mark Dygert

Yep the only way to get around that is to use the 64bit version. Make sure you're not running a bunch of other apps like firefox which has a pretty sizable memory leak, or have the 3dsmax help docs open as they eat up more resources. Also shut off the render frame window as it eats up those tiny 3dsmax resources also and with RTT its useless since the preview is nothing but junk.

arrangemonk

well, i downloaded this (i beleve and it installed both 32 bit and 64 bit version)
http://www.brothersoft.com/autodesk-3ds-max-2009-177094.html

sama.van

I just installed the 2009 version with 64bit but this is the same problem, the physical memory will stop to exactly to 1.83GB...

Xenobond

have you updated 2009 to the most recent version (service pack/hotfix)?

sama.van

I just got it there :

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=11384420&linkID=9241177

But nothing change... 3dsmax is using 210-260mo of Physical memory and when I launch a render with Light Tracer mode amd Bounce value to 4, physical memory doesn't change at all but processor process jump from 1% to 70-90%.

On the backside I have Photoshop, Maya, etc... running... but the main question is why 3dsmax is not using all my physical memory when rendering a picture...

I done some screens of the performance before and while the renderer.

CrazyButcher

what makes you think it's supposed to use more memory? If it gets the job done with less, fine? Why do you think it would be faster with more ram use?

That the CPUs are all busy is a good sign.

Mark Dygert

I think CrazyButcher is right.

From what I understand it's crunching a bunch of numbers (CPU), not shuffling data around in and out of temp storage (RAM). Rendering is about figuring out angles and thinking through complex solutions.

It's why a render farm has hundreds of CPU's instead of one super computer stuffed full of RAM. They need brains not fast storage.

RAM is important as it stores a set amount of stuff like textures and shadow maps (I think with 3d apps it isn't always stored on the GPU). But RAM isn't capable of thinking, its just storage connected to a highway, rather brainless.

Rendering will eat up a little more as I think once it solves certain things like shadow maps it stores them in ram. If you want to fill up your ram while rendering you can increase your shadow map size =P