#Not enough RAM
6 messages in this thread
>>17+ MB DXF file
It sounds like you're using an ASCII DXF file. If this is coming from AutoCAD
(as opposed to a non-Autodesk program), you can pick the "Binary" option and
get a MUCH smaller file… dramatically smaller. And it'll be quicker to load.
Also, as mentioned, you might need to break any massively large or complex item
up if there's a chance it'll import with over 64,000 faces.
Dave
Thanks Guys for your input,
I did try converting it to a Binary file (this reduced it to 9MB) but I still
couldn't load the drawing (the funny thing is that I have loaded DXF files
around the 15MB range successfully before).
I think I *have* got "some massively complex item" (I had recently included
some AME solids – about 1000 – into my drawing. These were'nt in my previous
15MB DXF file).
How do I find out if over 64,000 faces are being exported and how do I break up
such an item (AutoCAD v12 win) ?
Thanks for your help.
Jez
P.S. I've just tried exporting the recently created AME solids on their own and
3DS will not load them. I guess I must have the >64,000 faces problem.
Please help.
When you say you tried DXFing out _just_ the AME solids, but that they wouldn't
load, what _exactly_ happened? Everything went fine, but there was no geometry
in the 3DEditor when you were done, or 3DS locked up, or what? The more
specifics you can give the better.
Pardon if you know all this, but to DXFOUT an AME solid, you first need to set
the SOLWDENS ACAD variable to control the mesh complexity, and then SOLMESH the
solids. Also, you can not DXFOUT by _entity_, as the meshes are blocks, I
believe, by default, and DXFOUT by entity does not write out blocks. So you
would either need to explode the mesh-blocks first, or not use the "Entity"
option in DXFOUT.
As far as locating the allegedly over-large entity, try DXFing out each
layer by itself. Remember, you can't use the entity option if you want
blocks to export, so you'll have to either:
a) Explode all blocks, and then turn all layers off but one, and do a
DXFOUT/Enities/<select all visible items>/Binary. Then turn off
the visible layer and turn on another to repeat the excercise, and
so on.
-or-
b) Load the "dellayer" LISP routine that comes w/ ACAD. Save your
DWG. DELLAYER all layers but one. DXFOUT/Binary. Either undo
back to before you used DELLAYER, or reload the DWG. Repeat for
each layer.
Using either of these methods, you will then have a separate DXF for each DWG
layer. As you try bringing each of these into 3DS, you will find which ones
won't import. If there are some layers which have _obviously_ low entity
counts, then you could write those layers out together, saving you some work.
What is the drawing of, if I may ask?
Dave
Firstly, thanks David for your lengthy reply, a sign that you genuinely want to
help !!!
Please allow me to give you some background to my hardware/software, me and my
problem !
I have a 486/DX4/100, 16MB ram and I have AutoCAD v12 windows and 3DSv4.
I am trying to teach myself how to use these wonderful products, but will be
attending night school to learn AutoCAD next week (I have been teaching myself
for about 1 month in the evenings/weekends).
As a way of teaching myself, I set myself the target of drawing – as accurately
as possible – a replica of my mountain bike (in 3d).
The plan was (and still is) to draw the bike in Autocad and then export it to
3ds for rendering and possibly animating (something simple like having a camera
circle the bike).
When I first started drawing the bike in Autocad, obviously my knowledge of the
software was a lot less then than it is now and some of the objects I drew back
then were drawn "inefficiently" (sorry I can't think of a better word). By
inefficient I mean, for example, drawing the down tube of the frame of the bike
with SURFTAB1 and SURFTAB2 values unneccesarily high. At that time I didn't
consider that that kind of oversight would cause me problems later on (but slow
redraws and regens etc have taught me otherwise !). I would have thought that
these high values would have contributed to the large size of the drawing but I
am not all together sure.
The reason I mention my SURTAB1/2 problem is that I've also done a similar
thing with setting my wire density to 12 all the time (rather than setting it
to a value neccessary to do the job) for other entities. My inexperience at the
time meant that I didn't know what a suitable value for SOLWDENS ought to have
been.
Which brings me to my problem !!
At one point my bike was looking great (I'd say 75% finished) but over the
weekend I decided to replace the bike's "slick" tyres which I'd drawn (at that
time with my knowledge then – plines amd revsurf) with what was really on the
bike, i.e. tyres with real tread blocks (my knowledge now included
Pline/extrude/solwire/solmesh).
Hence the "1000 new entities" in my drawing (the tyre treads).
As my knowledge of AutoCAD continues to grow, I have three regrets about the
drawing of my bike;
1) I wish I had not created certain entities with such high values
of SURFTAB1/2
2) I wish I had not created certain entities with such high values
of Wire Density.
3) That I never created one layer and called it "temp" (purely to be
used for constructing).
Number 2) I think I can get away with and redo but 1) would be a nightmare
(though not impossible) to redo (because I erased all construction lines to
create them).
When I said in my earlier message that 3DS would not load the 1000 or so AME
solids, what actually happened was that 3dS just gave the message "Currently
loading 1 Object from file, please wait" – and wait I did (around 45 minutes
before I concluded that this wasn't working).
David, thanks for your help, I understand what you are saying but I still don't
know how to identify if I am trying to export something that has over 64,000
faces. Please explain !
I've never tried "bringing each layer" into 3ds (by this do you mean that I
could import say layers called Tyres, brakes, wheels etc and end up with a bike
in 3ds – if so how do I do that in 3ds. Or are you merely saying do this so
that I can identify which layer is giving me problems ?).
Many thanks for your help and have a pleasant day,
Jez
Jez:
Okay. First, I _believe_ (don't quote me on this) that you can reset the
SOLWDENS variable and re-mesh any AME-solid w/ the new setting. You _may_ have
to delete the mesh-block first, but try it w/o deletion and see if that works.
(Only try the deleting of the mesh IF you still have the AME data underneath
(ie have not solpurged it out).
Next, the most important thing to do when going ACAD–>3DS is organizing your
drawing elements by LAYER! I couldn't tell from your message if you've done
this or not, but your supposition was correct: have a tyres layer (I guess I'll
need to watch it and add "u"'s to all my words like "color" <g>), and a seat
layer, and a rims layer, etc.
Then, obviously, when you import the DXF into 3DS objects by "LAYER", you will
get a "tyres" object, and a "rims" object and a "seat" object, etc. (Note that
if both tyres are on the tyres layer, then they will each be a 3DS element of
the same object. You can separate them within 3DS (Create/Element/Detach) or
you could have had two different ACAD layers (tyre01 and tyre02, say).
The other advantage(s) of this are that all your ojects are smaller, your
material and smoothing assignments work better and easier, and in this case,
where you suspect that one item is too large, you can begin to isolate and
determine which one it is by export/importing each layer separately. This is a
little more work, and so maybe only something you'd do when you run into the
>64k problem. (By the way, I wouldn't be so sure that the 45minutes you gave
3DS to import the DXF was enough to determine failure! I'd bet that if you
gave it substantially more time, you'd either get an error message, or it would
actually work.)
Regardless of whether you've got each part (frame, tyres, etc) on its own
layers in AutoCAD, do a SAVE. Now, use the WBLOCK command and, specifying a
file name of "tyres" (and no block name and a base point of 0,0,0), pick all
the tyre entities. Now, repeat, but using a file name of "frame" and picking
all the frame parts, etc. When you've gotten through all the parts, DON'T SAVE.
Now you'll have separate files, each named after the parts it contains (and, of
course, the original file). Open each part-DWG in turn, and DXFOUT/binary.
Start 3DS and Open one of the DXF files (let's say the frame file). If it
imports okay, then use the Merge option to open the next DXF file (say
"tyres"). The items will all come in in their proper relationships as long as
the base-point you specify for each wblock is identical! Any items that fail
to import will do so in a much shorter time. Once you have found the offending
piece, you can open that part-DWG back up in ACAD, and wblock out half of it,
and then create a separate DXF for each half (thus creating maybe a frame01 and
a frame02, if the frame is the problem).
Whew. I've got typing cramps! <g> Let me know if I've left anything out, or
we're miscommunicating something, and good luck.
Dave
David,
Thank you very much for your reply, I understood everything you said perfectly
!
I have, in AutoCAD already drawn my bike using different layers (eg. Frame,
Forks, Seat_post, Cogs, Tyres etc).
In fact I do know that it is the 1000 "little AME_solids" (i.e. the tyre
treads) causing the problem as I did try exporting only those to 3ds and they
would'nt load (that was where I got the 45 minutes wait and gave up).
What I definitely am going to do however is to create a seperate DWG for each
of the components as you explained (i.e. One dwg for Wheels, one DWG for Frame
etc). It will certainly make using AutoCAD quicker and more organised than what
I have been doing so far.
Incidently I forgot to mention to you that when I tried to convert the tyre
treads only from DXF to 3DS, the utility DXF3DS.EXE couldn't handle it (so
there is something definitely wrong with my Treads, I feel).
I will do all that you have suggested and I'll certainly let you know how I've
got on.
Bye for now and many, many thanks for your interest and help,
Jez