I have a Sony VAIO that came with Win8. Its still new (just a couple months old) and I am a new PC user (I come from a Mac background) so part of this is more of a PC learning curve on my part, rather than just an Octane DS Studio plugin issue.
Here is what I have done:
- Verified the system does indeed have two graphics cards. Hey.. you never know, right?
- I ran VAIO care and let it update whatever.
- I ran the updater for the NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M LE card. It did indeed need an update.
- I ran a Google search to ensure the GeForce GT 640M LE is a CUDA enabled card. It appears to be.
- I dug around in the graphics card settings on this computer and tried to add Octane stand alone to the preferences tab. In theory it should have allowed me to specifically tell it to use the CUDA card but it does not. It defaults to the Intel card and does not allow me to change it. Screenshot included.
I am open to other troubleshooting ideas as long as they don't involve scary things like lines of code which I never understand anyway.
~Bluebird
Render Won't Show Anything - User Error?
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o k. as far i can tell from the specs, the gpu itself should be sufficient to run octane. i have one guess at hand which i need to do a little research though: in order to provide desktop graphics using less energy by getting it from the integrated intel graphics and better performing 3d by using the nvidia gpu (if needed), some special intel driver may actually switch between those two. there is a similar technology from intel for desktop graphics (but afaik seldom used). maybe this would lead octane to not see the card on one hand, and the intel driver on the other hand may do this switching only for directx enabled stuff (that's what the desktop version does), so it'll never activate the nv gpu if a cuda only app starts. will look about some tools/drivers/names to search on your system to identify if this is maybe the case.Bluebird3D wrote:I am open to other troubleshooting ideas as long as they don't involve scary things like lines of code which I never understand anyway.
~Bluebird
meanwhile you can use this little tool to test if any other software is able to see a cuda device in the system up and running: http://cuda-z.sourceforge.net/
... and if anybody else using a newer nb with a similar config has some ideas - feel free to share them
„The obvious is that which is never seen until someone expresses it simply ‟
1x i7 2600K @5.0 (Asrock Z77), 16GB, 2x Asus GTX Titan 6GB @1200/3100/6200
2x i7 2600K @4.5 (P8Z68 -V P), 12GB, 1x EVGA GTX 580 3GB @0900/2200/4400
1x i7 2600K @5.0 (Asrock Z77), 16GB, 2x Asus GTX Titan 6GB @1200/3100/6200
2x i7 2600K @4.5 (P8Z68 -V P), 12GB, 1x EVGA GTX 580 3GB @0900/2200/4400
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Bluebird3D
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Wed Mar 27, 2013 12:08 pm
I just ran the CUDA Z thing and it said: No CUDA device found.
Lies I tell you! Hehehe.
In the meantime attached is the error from the laptop.
~Bluebird
Lies I tell you! Hehehe.
In the meantime attached is the error from the laptop.
~Bluebird
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- cudaz_result.JPG (15.64 KiB) Viewed 2816 times
ah, well. just taken a 2nd, more enlightened look onto your screenshot
seems we are already there. this one is not from intel, as i was guessing, but from nvida, called "optimus".
it's the 2nd dropdown there, currently showing "auto-select: integrated".
there should be other options (2 most probably) and one of them should clearly point to the nvidia gpu. you'd then need to activate this for octane.exe (if you use the standalone) and also the dazstudio.exe, so also the plugin will see the card... hopefully
[edit]: and also reading you post a 2nd time, you already told it won't allow you to change this
umm...
[next edit]: what about to change the global settings? seems that there must be a similar option too?
just found this image on the web:
seems we are already there. this one is not from intel, as i was guessing, but from nvida, called "optimus".
it's the 2nd dropdown there, currently showing "auto-select: integrated".
there should be other options (2 most probably) and one of them should clearly point to the nvidia gpu. you'd then need to activate this for octane.exe (if you use the standalone) and also the dazstudio.exe, so also the plugin will see the card... hopefully
[edit]: and also reading you post a 2nd time, you already told it won't allow you to change this
umm...[next edit]: what about to change the global settings? seems that there must be a similar option too?
just found this image on the web:
„The obvious is that which is never seen until someone expresses it simply ‟
1x i7 2600K @5.0 (Asrock Z77), 16GB, 2x Asus GTX Titan 6GB @1200/3100/6200
2x i7 2600K @4.5 (P8Z68 -V P), 12GB, 1x EVGA GTX 580 3GB @0900/2200/4400
1x i7 2600K @5.0 (Asrock Z77), 16GB, 2x Asus GTX Titan 6GB @1200/3100/6200
2x i7 2600K @4.5 (P8Z68 -V P), 12GB, 1x EVGA GTX 580 3GB @0900/2200/4400
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Bluebird3D
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Wed Mar 27, 2013 12:08 pm
Okay back again with more findings and a conclusion!
Findings:
- Integrated graphics on this new Sony VAIO has a specific set of parameters under which it follows to improve graphic performance. It basically says: IF I can not display this application within these guidelines then I am to hand over control to the more robust card on my system. IE: The NVIDIA. Once I am able to regain stability, I am to take back that power and run the application myself.
- There are -some- exceptions to this rule on an individual application basis. Octane is not currently one of those exceptions and now I get why. I don't think this is an Octane problem, it is a Sony VAIO system limitation.
- There is no changing this behavior unless you really want to get into the bios and registry and.. omg no thank you. I'll probably break something and then it will explode and I will be sad.
What this means for my goal of using Octane in the DS environment:
- Its time to get a real PC render rig and stop using a laptop as a cop out. I just ordered one.
- My laptop will become a QA machine for my DAZ marketplace product releases.
So over all this was a great process to go through. Windows 8 sure is a bit different! It was good to force myself to just dive in and get under the hood, or at least as far as I am willing to go.
T_3 Thank you so much for your help with this!! I'm not going anywhere. I have something very special planned for the Studio plugin. I should be able to share more in a few weeks.
~Bluebird
Findings:
- Integrated graphics on this new Sony VAIO has a specific set of parameters under which it follows to improve graphic performance. It basically says: IF I can not display this application within these guidelines then I am to hand over control to the more robust card on my system. IE: The NVIDIA. Once I am able to regain stability, I am to take back that power and run the application myself.
- There are -some- exceptions to this rule on an individual application basis. Octane is not currently one of those exceptions and now I get why. I don't think this is an Octane problem, it is a Sony VAIO system limitation.
- There is no changing this behavior unless you really want to get into the bios and registry and.. omg no thank you. I'll probably break something and then it will explode and I will be sad.
What this means for my goal of using Octane in the DS environment:
- Its time to get a real PC render rig and stop using a laptop as a cop out. I just ordered one.
- My laptop will become a QA machine for my DAZ marketplace product releases.
So over all this was a great process to go through. Windows 8 sure is a bit different! It was good to force myself to just dive in and get under the hood, or at least as far as I am willing to go.
T_3 Thank you so much for your help with this!! I'm not going anywhere. I have something very special planned for the Studio plugin. I should be able to share more in a few weeks.
~Bluebird