Layout very good but slow. looking for advice..
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Hi all, I could use some help. I have been working with layout since it was first introduced. It is so much better than it ever was and I am looking forward to the day its perfect. I find layout 2 easy to use and the line quality to be as good as any CAD Software. In our business we design and build residential extensions, renovations and new homes. Layout works great when the file size that is imported from Sketchup to be under 5 meg (except sections). When the models become more complex Layout can not handle it. I have a 9 meg file that we have drawn in sketchup that is so difficult to use in Layout that we have decided the that the time it is taking is unreasonable. We have now committed too much time to this job in Layout and have decided to copy the SU file and export different scenes to different layout files just so we can finish the job and submit it to council.
Is anyone else getting this problem?Also section planes are interecting elevations even when the section planes is turned off in the SU scene ( the scenes have been updated and saved).
This has happend many times in many models does anyone have a work around or fix -
Look at this topic-
http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=17415Can you describe what is slow? Is it the rendering when you
adjust the SU model in LO? Is it just panning around the page?
Exporting to PDF? Printing? Do you have auto-render on or off?
What is your model edit and output resolution set to? -
Hi,
I've had a look this morning at the Computer Layout is running slow on.
My knowledge of Layout is limited but i have checked over the following on the Computer:
- Updated Graphics Card Driver
- Removed Numerous Start up Processes which where running in the background
- Ran CCleaner
Layout Appears slow when attempting the following:
Opening Drawing Files:
14.5MB Layout File.. Took 1min 45Seconds to Open (This was stored locally on the computer)
14.5MB Layout File.. Took 3mins 30 seconds. Located on another computer using a mapped network drive.When Using the Mouse to Highlight sections of a drawing this is also slow, and appears to lag
Closing Layout ( Takes around 30 seconds)I have noticed that Layout uses around 350MB of the System Memory with a 14.5MB File, just wondering if this is normal?
I've posted all the information i can find, let me know if you require anymore information.
EDIT: Computer Specs:
Intel E6750
3.5GB Memory
8600GS Graphics CardCheers,
Daniel
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What do you have your Edit Quality set to in-
File->Document Setup...->Paper
If you set it to Low you will have a smaller file size and
it should speed up editing the document.LO does use a lot of memory because of all the bitmaps
that can be loaded when viewing pages with large/many
SU models inserted. -
Thanks for the help. changing the resolution to low has helped a little still a little slower than i hoped. I guess the smaller I keep the Su file the better.
I found putting the section cut on its own layer in SU has worked well and turning off auto update gives a lot more control over updates. The drawing we are working on is coming out nicely. When it is finished I will leave an example for you all to see. -
Get rid of complex components like cars, trees and furniture and give it another go. If you still want these indicated on the 2D drawings import some DWG blocks into scrapbook and use those. I had the same problem when I was vector rendering and this increased the speed significantly.
Stan
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thanks Stan, there are no cars or trees although I am importing contours unfortunatly i do require them for the job. I must say that all the help has got layout to stage where we can use it again with out crashing. Thanks everyone
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I agree that Layout is very good but slow.
Anything you try to change in 'styles','views' etc... makes it a pain to update.
Basically the communication with the SU file makes it so slow.
I think it is more a Sketchup issue than a Layout issue and I have the feeling that once G team would fix the SU speed, Layout will be much faster as well.....maybe for SU8?. -
I'm curious. Currently when you're doing your documentation/presentations
outside of LO in a different presentation app, is it lots faster?
For example, lets say you have an SU image in the other app and you
change the SU model. Is it faster for you to-- Open the model in SU
- File->export PNG
- Find where to put the png file and give it a name
- Wait for it to render
- Go back to your other app
- Delete the image
- Insert the image
This is what's happening every time you to change the style and view.
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You are right about that.
It wouldn't be faster to do it like that.
Maybe we users are the impatient bunch
.Don't get me wrong, Layout 2 has quite a bit improvements over the previous version and it is a very useful program.
It's just that when time is precious, things never are fast enough... -
jhauswirth
i don't use layout 2 and had bad experiences with layout1, opened layout 2 just to check and still seems to
have problems with big Paper sizes with Big 3d models.But your logic in the workflow is correct except in one litle detail: fluid workflow.
Let me explain, the workflow you describe without layout can take as much as 1 minute to do, change your mind about the view 10 times, and you lose 10 minutes. But open a 20Mg skp file in layout in a A1 paper size, and every single action you can do in layout (even drawing a line) doubles the response time (or even more), that can turn a 1h work into a 2h pain, and worst than that, completly breaks the work ritm.
So what do you think it's worst?
P.S.: i'm talking by memory, because as i said i don't use it, so if i missed something in this version2 forget what i said.
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layout 2.1 is better than previous versions, it will handle larger models more efficiently but I have to say it still has a long way to go before it is perfect. Unfortunatly I have spent a lot of time with it and I dont want to go back. there are still issues with many things like saving large models is slow and sometimes does not work, I guees tha main thing that will make it work faster is reducing the resolution to low when you get over 10 meg in model. . I guess if you keep your model to a minimum it will help you out. My advice is to wait a little longer before you use LO full time. I must say it is 10 times better than it was though. If you want post a screen shot of the type of work you are doing. I may be able to give you a pointer or 2. No doubt other people would be interested as well.
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"every single action you can do in layout (even drawing a line) doubles the response time (or even more)" is a bit of an exaggeration, isn't it? Sure taking a large model, rendering it all the time on large paper, especially in LayOut 1, will be slow. But you couldn't turn off auto-rendering in LayOut 1, in addition to a lot of other updates.
If you haven't tried 2.1, it's come a long, long ways from LayOut 1.
b
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Hi bjanzen
As i said i still didn't try layout 2.1 and i didn't mean to be ofensive, so sorry if it looked like that
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I was just trying to explain what aadbuild may have faced working with because it remembered the problems i had with it. I'm not exactly the target client for layout so don't take my opinion really in account about this, as i never use the default sketchup output to present stuff without some post process in photoshop or a external render.I remember that the biggest strengh of layout was the same as sketchup: easy to understand and use, without reading nothing i could use every tool and find everything i need, everything seemed really intuitive. So if you guys can give it a litle more "juice" to make it more a "general presentation tool" (more image based and more suitable for big final presentation boards) rather than just "3d sketchup models concepts presentatin tool" you may have found something for people like me
Sorry for the off topic addbuild
David
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I have to agree with bjanzen.
Layout has come a long way and if you have not tried it you should give it a go. some of the new features are pretty cool. I only hesitate using LO when I have large models (over 8 meg). If you were just drawing say a 4 bedroom home in suburbia and you draw it using efficient methods LO will breeeze through, faster that Auto cad and will do a very presentable job for construction and council concent ( we do it all the time). The attached is all drawn in Sketchup and layed out in Layout 2.1. Layout will handle this type of work quicker than any other software we use. To any young drafts people that are considering learning Auto Cad for this type of work save your time the Layout, Sketchup combination will impress your customers by having a 3d model, it will help your builder estimate the quantities and it will be easier to create.
I have an example attached if you care to look
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I too am finding Layout to be slow and stalling a lot which frustrates me no end. Can someone advise what the main thing that slows SUp, is it the number of SUP imports or the number of pages per document or something else?
Thanks again
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It's usually from leaving on Auto rendering, then having a lot of high resolution rendering to do for any change you make (large paper size), and hybrid or vector rendering. So you can try the follwing:
- Uncheck "Auto" rendering in the SketchUp Model inspector and then select a viewport and click the render button only when necessary.
- Keep renderings in Raster (SketchUp Model inspector) until you're ready to do a final output, then you can change to Hybrid or Vector.
- Decrease your edit resolution to "low" while you're working with the document. File->Document Setup->Paper->Rendering Resolution, change pulldown from "Medium" to "Low".
- Check File->Document Setup->References, and click purge. (This may not be a performance gain, but it's good to keep your document synced up).
We try to make this easy, but you have to realize how big the created rendered files are that you're creating when you render.
Others?
b
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I agree the auto render should probaly be turned off by default and only turned on when doing small jobs. Sometimes I find my self going through adding elevations and plans by scene with the render off. i get them roughly where I want them and then turm auto render on. go get a coffee come back and turn auto render back off. This makes ite easy and also gives you some time out from the screen. Good luck.
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Thanks bjazen, I will try that. Is it possible to globally change the imported models to and from vertors? if I uncheck the renderer it changes all the pages but it seems to be a case of changing model by model for vector-raster.
Another similar question; is it possible to globally explode and group dimensions, I find it easier to explode them then move etc but it is time consuming doing each one?
Thanks aging, I think that LO is a great programme, it just needs a bit of refinement (or maybe it me and the way I use it that need refinement)
Regards Philip
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Thats been a great help, it feels about 3 x faster and does not crash.
Thanks
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