Speed issues etc.

Vaclav Kvasnicka

I have worked with BricsCAD some 10 years ago but since ~2005 we are mostly on ACAD LT. Now I'm considering some ACAD alternatives again which would be suitable for our working demands. I have just installed the new BricsCad (Version 16.1.04 (x64) revision 40705). All looks nice, though obviously I will need to spend some time of routine work to assess the usability for us. Our main concern is 2D drafting. Lisp is a big advantage.
As a comparison, I have the following CAD packages installed on my PC:
(A) - ACAD 2014 LT as a benchmark - but no Lisp available... :-(
(B) - BricsCAD Trial 16.1.06
(Z) - ZWCAD+ 2015 Trial

(B) seems to support more functions than (Z), e.g.
- dimension line fixed length
- VP color/linetype etc. definition

Both (B) and (Z) have serious problems when working with tables (a table created in ACAD):
- (B) shows wrong number of decimal places in numeric values, no such problem in (Z)
- for calculated cells, (B) shows either '----' or for a trivial expression, the correct calculated value; however, one can not edit the expression
- for calculated cells, (Z) shows the calculated value, I can't see/edit the formula
- GOOD NEWS: both (B) and (Z) save the file well, opening later in ACAD shows the tables including the formulas in cells. Otherwise it would disqualify them.

Opening a larger file (~18MB on disk), the response in pan/mouse wheel zoom: (A) fastest with maximum CPU load ~9%, (Z) nearly as fast as (A) with CPU load max ~11%; but (B) is much slower (with max CPU load 13%!!), the redraw takes visibly longer and zooming/panning is jerky which is annoying and could lead to eye strain.

Note: hardware used i7-4790K@4.0GHz, 16GB RAM, SSD, Nvidia Quadro K620, display Dell 27" 4K (3840x2160), Win7 Pro

Is there something in BricsCAD settings which could increase the speed?
I would very much like to use BricsCAD again, but having a jerky zoom is not nice. Also, I understand that sales and marketing need some attractive hot points like BIM, 3D etc. However, for many users the perfect functionality in 2D including maximum compatibility with ACAD (incl. tables etc.) is still the 'must have'. 10 years ago, problems in 2D made us After all, such problems made us pay for ACAD 10 years ago...

Many thanks,
Vaclav

Damian Harkin

Try MTFLAGS = 7

Jason Bourhill

I think you'll find (Z) is no longer an option. They have run into a bit of a problem

In regards to issues, I recommend that you raise a support request (even if your trialling) and include file examples of your problems/queries. Potentially they maybe able to advise on a fix, or workaround.

Regards, Jason Bourhill CAD Concepts 

Vaclav Kvasnicka

@Damian Harkin:

Try MTFLAGS = 7

Thanks
Changed to MTFLAGS = 7; while zooming, CPU load goes higher than before, up to ~19%, but the resulting response/feel seems practically the same.
I'll try to work in BricsCAD as is and see how seriously this would affect the overall experience.
Many thanks
Vaclav

Scott McKenzie

 What is the result of running REDSDKINFO in BricsCAD - this will audit your system and compare it to drivers available online, maybe something is out of date?

Ilya Tatarnikov

Check ANTIALIASSCREEN

1 - is the fastest value

Sascha Boskovski

I have a strange issue with the Nvidia Quadro K620 card.
I´m not working with as big drawings as you do but since I changed from AMD FirePro V4900 to Nvidia Quadro K620 because of problems in SketchUp I note displayproblems in Bricscad.
It can happen that I draw a polyline and new segments don´t show up unless I scroll.

Maybe your problem is your graphic-card.

Sascha

Vaclav Kvasnicka

@Ilya Tatarnikov:

Check ANTIALIASSCREEN

1 - is the fastest value

This was already set to 1 as a default.

Update: Just installed Bricscad on my office machine (Dell Vostro 470, i7-3770@3.4GHz, 8GB RAM, Radeon HD7770, display resolution 1280x1024) and the speed of zoom is similar to my home PC. Note both PCs tested run in dual screen mode, the second display being typically 1280/1024, Bricscad graphics window is on primary display.
So, probably not a graphics driver issue or hardware problem.

I have tested on a very small drawing and the problem is hardly noticeable.

On the large drawing, it seems that e.g. when panning, immediately after I click the middle button and start moving the mouse, there is a delay such that I can move the mouse some 30-50% of screen size with no redraw on screen; then the display is suddenly panned to my current mouse position. To demonstrate this, I have recorded a video (using my phone, so no additional workload on PC), you can find it here www.pontex.cz/vq/20151120_093753.mp4 (19MB). From watching the video, the delay may seem small, but in real work it's really annoying.

Many thanks,
Vaclav

Dennis Fogg

Can someone describe what (MTFLAGS) command does? I couldn't find it described in the online help system.

martin@enco.us

@Dennis Fogg:

Can someone describe what (MTFLAGS) command does? I couldn't find it described in the online help system.

Open the settings dialog box and search for MTFLAGS.  The bit mapping is called out there.