[BUG] skatter increases memory footprint endlessly

[optimaforever]

I have a strange behaviour of skatter in a file.
the memory footprint of the skp once loaded is around 1Gb. (as seen with task manager)
BUT after 2 seconds, the memory footprint increases until 6Gb and decreases to 2Gb, and sketchup doesn't allow any interaction (= not responding).
I unabled skatter in the extension loader of sketchup, turned off sketchup and relaunched without skatter and now the file is stable at 1Gb. and I can edit my model, but I don't have skatter anymore.

For me, it looks like a loophole in the code.
I'm using 1.0.0

Any clue?

EDIT: I reinstalled 1.0.0 and it looks like it's working now. My interpretation is that the core files of skatter had been altered and it created a loophole.

[jiminy-billy-bob]

If you see this again, please send me the file.

[optimaforever]

I don't think it's the file actually.
It's Skatter that corrupted itself (is there a core file that skatter modifies during the operation?) and I wasn't able to launch any skatter-using skp anymore... until I overwrite the skatter installation with a fresh reinstall. Nothing changed with the file in itself.

[jiminy-billy-bob]

Weird :/ Skatter is not supposed to modify itself.

[optimaforever]

I remember that skatter hanged sketchup during a looong skatter... so long that I thought it had crashed so I killed it and relanched SU. Perhaps the cause?
But the fact that when disabling skatter (and on computers without skatter installed) the file worked means clearly that it's skatter-related.

[NigeC]

really strange, I've had SU hang on to objects I've cut from a scene, saved and reopened the scene and its still huge.
If it happened to me I'd check the dates on the files to see if they've changed, I wouldn't of thought they could be overwritten? maybe a temp file it links to?

[juju]

Weird :/ Skatter is not supposed to modify itself.

weird, that's what was said about these as well...

Cylon_Centurion_03.jpg

[thomthom]

Weird :/ Skatter is not supposed to modify itself.

weird, that's what was said about these as well...

[optimaforever]

Yup

[optimaforever]

ok
I have a new insight into this issue.
the skp file crashes su again.
BUT I understood several things. there's an order.
1. after a fresh install of skatter, it seems that the skp file is "resetted", and therefore the memory footprint is around 1Gb, just like on skatterless computers.
2. I enable skatter in the extension manager and refresh the skatter list by editing and regenerating each skatter at a time. eventually the ram footprint increases peaking at around 7Gb.
3. if I render now with thea everything runs perfectly.
4. but if I save the file and shut down SU, and reload the skp again, then I get 2sec of free navigation in the 3d and then SU hangs. the ram footprint plays the yoyo between 2 Gb and 7Gb, eventually stabilizes around 1.7Gb and SU becomes available again after 5-6min. but when I try to launch a render, it crashes to the desktop.

does it help?

[jiminy-billy-bob]

Can you send me the file?

[optimaforever]

yup, it's processing

Edit: Done

[optimaforever]

Have you found anything?

[jiminy-billy-bob]

I haven't had time to investigate it, yet, sorry.
Will do asap

[optimaforever]

I have the same issue on another "big skatter" file.
It seems that the file takes ages to load if I saved the file with large skatter inside, looks like skatter is redoing the skattering again when loading.
How can we avoid that?
I understand that large skatters take time to process and some people would prefer to have it embedded in the skp file the next time they load it, but if it hangs completely SU, I think it's a problem...

Because large skatters (or very ram-demanding skatters) will be very ubiquitous by the archviz sketchup users, this issue must be debugged quickly.

EDIT: For the moment the workaround I've found is: create a new skp file, create a new skatter to reset the ini file of skatter inside SU, and then re-open my big skattafile. Now the skatter doesn't take ages to process and SU is quickly responsive again.

[jiminy-billy-bob]

Could you send me the big file?

looks like skatter is redoing the skattering again when loading.

Indeed it does. If all the data was stored in the file, it would increase its size dramatically.

[optimaforever]

Could you send me the big file?

looks like skatter is redoing the skattering again when loading.

Indeed it does. If all the data was stored in the file, it would increase its size dramatically.

Then why not propose an option in skatter to not behave like that in the preferences, a toggle on-off for the skatter-regen when loading a skatter-intensive file?
I use Julia's open ruby console at loading but it doesn't seem to work in this case. I can't guess when Skatter will have finished its process. There should be a processing statusbar...

[Pixero]

Possible idea:
...or (if it would help and is faster) an option that Skatter writes a file that it loads the skatter from without having to calculate the skatter on reload.

[optimaforever]

Possible idea:
...or (if it would help and is faster) an option that Skatter writes a file that it loads the skatter from without having to calculate the skatter on reload.

Yup, but the file could be several Gb worth...
Personally I'd prefer to be in control of when the skattering happens. Of course Jan's solution could be a good workaround as well.

Btw is Skatter completely dependant of SU processing cores? or is it a multi-threaded process?
Sketchup seems to only use 13% of my 8-cores workstation so Skatter takes a while...

Question about big grass areas: how big is the clump of grass you use to skatter huuuuuuuge areas for aerial views?
I think I'll abandon the default grass sizes as the ones in the presets Thomas created.
I'll create grass patch of 3-5m wide for landscapes as I always end with impossible to open skp files.

[jiminy-billy-bob]

I'll think about all this.

For now Skatter is bound to Sketchup mono-core architecture. But I have plans to make it multi-threaded which should make it way faster. (And there are speed optimisation to be made everywhere!)

[optimaforever]

About the king sized clump of grass, how do you suggest to create them? With skatter and convert to mesh or with thea studio?

[jiminy-billy-bob]

What you think is best ^^
I'd go with Skatter, as that's what I know best.

[optimaforever]

The thing is, I don't always have the geometry in skp format, most often converted from max so usually they are .mod.thea.
And I can't convert mod.thea to skp without reexporting to obj from max...

But I'll eventually have to do it...

King size... 5x5m of grass... Should be pretty heavy:-D

[jiminy-billy-bob]

If you only need to render it, why not go the max->Thea way?

[optimaforever]

The intent was to be able to skatter huge landscapes. But for tonight photoshop will do.

[jiminy-billy-bob]

I meant, you could convert your patch from max to a mod.thea file and use it in Skatter.

If you feel limited with Skatter's capabilities/performance, how big are you trying to go when it happens?

[optimaforever]

Yes, I could use :
1. forest in max to create the big patch
2. convert to mesh
3. export to thea.scn
4. in thea studio convert scn to mod
5. use the mod to skatter in sketchup

[jiminy-billy-bob]

This is not possible? Too heavy?

1. Skatter in SU to create the big patch
2. export to mod.thea
3. use the mod to skatter in sketchup

[optimaforever]

If you feel limited with Skatter's capabilities/performance, how big are you trying to go when it happens?

aerial view with visibility on 400-500m of prairie field from a cam heigth of 50m...

[optimaforever]

This is not possible? Too heavy?

1. Skatter in SU to create the big patch
2. export to mod.thea
3. use the mod to skatter in sketchup

This is possible if I have the raw mesh in skp format, of course.