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How will OpenCL + Mac OS 10.6 affect VW performance?


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Hi all,

This may have been covered elsewhere, but after doing a search, I couldn't see if it was.

What I want to know is how will VW be affected by Mac OS 10.6? If I have this right, whereas in the past a software maker has to right their apps to work for multi-processors (I know that VW has some legacy code going back a way - hence the lateness to the party on this), and the GPU has just been used for graphics, Snow Leopard (Mac OS 10.6) intends to use all this power for everyday tasks - I think?! Is that the gist of OpenCL?

So even though I have 4 cores in my work machine (that for some reason is slow as a ...not sure, but it is slow), and 2 cores in my iMac (much faster) at home, Vectorworks is only using my GPU's for OpenGL (+Renderworks I thought) rendering, and just one core at a time for Vectorworks. That is a lot of power sitting around doing nothing! I want to know if the turbo-boost that VW deserves will arrive. Not that I am complaining.

Cheers.

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I don't know the details and the code, but my guess is that VW2009 will not be able to take advantage of some of the features of OS10.6. The way the program is currently written (as a cross platform application) means that some capabilities of a specific platform are not implemented.

From what I know, most of the VW code, with the exception of Renderworks, does not show a huge increase in speed as it is hard to parallelize the algorithms to use multiple processors.

I hope that the new compilers that are coming out will make this an easier task and we will see higher performance in future versions.

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Yes I had forgotten that Apple had called it 'Grand Central'. I guess it ill be few months before we get any idea of whether they are going to get it to work. I hope it is a little more robust than their Mobile Me rollout.

Here is a link I found to Apple's original announcement.

http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2008/06/09snowleopard.html

Even entry level computers are so fast these days, I hope that the programmers get smart at taking the fat out of their apps so they are screaming fast. I think I had read that in Snow Leopard, app size has been reduced drastically, therefore optimising processor cycles. Maybe our next OS update, will truly feel like a getting a new computer (An often promised, but maybe not quite delivered scenario). Especially if they (Apple) apply this philosophy to their pro apps which will in turn get Adobe and the rest of the competition into overdrive.

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Yes .. and Apple can pull it off .. because they have control over both the hardware config & software and billion$, too !

They don't need to worry about pandering to a degenerate horde of PC component knock-off shops.

They can pick & choose at the high-end ... buying the best of everything, as required.

Then once it's all working ... set it out on stage and simply say ' here it is ... come & get it' .. just like the iPod & iPhone revolutions !

But this time it will be our turn to going screaming hysterically into the streets .. that's for sure ; )

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