Autodesk tech explains why OpenGL is out for Inventor
Despondent that your subscription is not going to offer you useful options that make sense? This one might throw you into an even deeper funk. Don’t handle sharp objects, firearms or walk over bridges after reading this.
SolidWorks is very heavily invested in OpenGL graphics. OpenGL means that you have to pay a lot more for a graphics card to run SolidWorks, and makes SolidWorks more prone to graphics crashes, but it is an “open source” graphics language. Direct3D (a subset of DirectX) is a Microsoft graphics standard. Since when did SolidWorks start supporting open source over their buddy MS? Well, who knows about that. OpenGL was the only game in town for a long time for advanced graphics.
A reader pointed me to this article on the MCAD forums where an Autodesk tech explains some of the details of DirectX/Direct3D and OpenGL. CAD trends are leading away from OpenGL, as I pointed out in a previous post. Is all of this investment in RealView going to transfer to Direct3D, or is SolidWorks going to continue to require spiralling hardware requirements to keep the software from running slow and crashing? Is the investment in all of the OpenGL RealView eye candy preventing SolidWorks from allowing users to be more productive for less money? Inventor users have this benefit now.
Read this article. It is long, but contains information that is relevant to all MCAD users.
http://www.mcadforums.com/forums/files/autodesk_inventor_opengl_to_directx_evolution.pdf
The article doesn’t mention HOOPS, which is a kind of go-between between your CAD program and OpenGL or DirectX. HOOPS is used so that CAD programmers don’t have to worry about understanding OpenGL or DirectX calls, they just implement the HOOPS calls, or at least that is my understanding of it. SW does license some HOOPS technology, but I have no idea to what extent it is implemented.
Wow. That is an answer! Interesting point on the variety of video hardware issues, and new OS configurations? hmmm.
What’s this? I can save hundreds of dollars for each and every computer I upgrade, every time I upgrade? It saves Autodesk (and thus theoretically SolidWorks) money? My video performance will actually improve AND cost less?
So, the question is, will we see this in Solidworks 2010? I can think of no more important enhancement. Period.
I so want to see the counter to this, but somehow I doubt any VP’s will be speaking up. please do. From a graphics standpoint I like the OpenGL stuff. From a price and development standpoint,I like the DirectX10.
This Inventor development response opens up a lot of points. I don’t see how a company can ignore the amount of effort OpenGL is taking.
It would be a big up front cost for SOlidWorks I imagine, but, dang, the benefits of less debugging and Q&A, better margins, better options for users. why is it even a question?
Graphics card/OpenGL issues in SolidWorks are like an ‘open sore that doesn’t heal’. The idea that you must use the “SolidWorks Certified” video drivers (which is usually not the current) to ensure compatibility is silly.
I still see some users continue to have problems even with the correct driver.
And while Realview eye candy does have some benefits, D3D has similar capabilities as evident in the Inventor product..
Both ATI & nVidia support both…
Why the hesitation to add D3D support?
Long story short, as long as CAD systems are going to be mainly run on Windows, CAD vendors will be better off adopting Direct3D over OpenGL. Wisely or just by chance, Alibre decided to use Direct3D from day one and it looks like it is paying off for them. Other CAD vendors will have to make the transition some day.
Deelip Menezes
http://www.deelip.com
I certainly hope SolidWorks decides to support DX and the cheaper gaming cards. It would help us implement more seats here as we have to justify the cost for Solidworks plus the beefy workstation and graphics card.
As I see, it would help SolidWorks’ bottom line.
It doesn’t really matter what the underlying technology is it is the way it is programmed that matters. OpenGL speed and stability varies widely on different platforms and applications. Example. Maya OpenGL on Mac is rocket fast on a standard Mac card. Same machine FormZ OpenGL is a lot slower. Moving to Windows and SolidWorks performs a lot faster than Inventor with the same card. Deelip, Alibre may well have used Direct3D since the start but 99% of Alibre users moan about the slow speed of graphics in Alibre Design, and compared to SolidWorks it is like wading through treacle on a cold day.
The other factor here that SolidWorks, unlike others, makes use of the card technology in things like RealView – which we are only just starting to see how this can be used in conjunction with PhotoView 360.
OpenGL is not going to go away. Apple and Linux use it and combined that is a significant proportion of the workstation and high end PC market.
We all know that Professional OpenGL Graphic Card has very minimum difference in hardware level compare with gaming card, This has been proved 7 years ( or more) ago. Just think about this: it’s almost impossible to set up a production line for “professional chips” in any wafer fab.
Hardware vendor might spend more money on QA of professional OpenGL driver, but that doesn’t meaning we have to paid double or triple times money for that piece of shit.
I started soft-mod or hard-mod my graphic card from gaming card to a “pro” card since SW2003, now still doing the same thing, and I don’t feel very significant difference with using modded cards.
While your gaming card can handle millions of polygon in realtime with complex texture and rendering, why it can not do the same thing with CAD model? Isn’t that simple enough to understand?
Hopefully SW2010 can bring some fresh air.