SpacePilot in MAX9_32 on x64 Issues

Mike Truly · Post by **Mike Truly** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 5:59 am

I have the latest drivers for the SpacePilot installed on my XP x64 workstation where I also have MAX8, MAX9_32 and MAX9_64 installed.

I previously have been using MAX8 but am about to move on to using MAX9_32 in production. I have a 4 monitor desktop and when I operate MAX I have numerous MAX dialog windows displayed. Particularly, the Selection Floater dialog and the Layers dialog, among others. The SP works fine in MAX8.

But I just noticed that in MAX9_32, when I use the SP control knob to navigate about a model, the Layers dialog and Selection Floater dialog goes into MEGA refresh mode. The dialogs are redrawn about every quarter second and it is not right. It's incredibly distracting to see an entire 1280x1024 monitor thrashing over to one side.

When operating MAX8 with this same configuration, these dialogs do NOT redraw like this. There might be a very slight refresh detectable as the SP is used but NOTHING like the way it looks in MAX9.

It turns out this is directly related to the number of objects in the scene and what is displayed in the Layers dialog. Here's how I discovered this.

I opened a model of New York City that had approximately 280 objects. The city is displayed in the viewports and all the objects reside on one layer. In the Layer dialog, when the layer is collapsed and not showing the objects inside (which of course defeats most of the purpose of using Layers), the SP can be used to navigate around the model and the performance is normal. But when you open the layer (and now all the objects are listed in the dialog) and you try to use the SP to navigate, the Layers dialog and Selection Floater dialog thrash wildly as they are refreshed every second. The SP navigation performance is terrible and stutters and sputters.

Why the SP needs to redraw other dialogs outside the viewports themselves is beyond me but I would really like it to NOT do this.

Please alter this behavior.

Thanks!

Mike Truly · Post by **Mike Truly** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 6:20 am

Correction. It DOES do this in MAX8... but not to the same degree. Here's what happens.

With the New York model loaded and the objects displayed in the Layer dialog:

In MAX8, when you go to move the SP for a continous move (holding the knob for a continous orbit), there is a refresh at the beginning of the move and the move stutters a bit at first then it's smooth and contiously orbits and the dialogs are NOT refreshed until the user stops the move then they are refreshed once.

In MAX9, when you go to move the SP for a continous move (holding the knob for a continous orbit), there are constant refreshes and the dialogs thrash wildly and the navigation orbit is halting and stuttered. (If you collapse the layer so the objects are NOT displayed, only the single layer name, then because it has so little to refresh the refreshing is minor and the navigation is fast and smooth).

I have never understood why it is necessary to add a visible 3DPerspective item to both the Selection and Layers dialogs and then remove it constantly as the SP is moved. It serves no purpose to the user and seems to bring about this ridiculous refresh issue. It would certainly seem as though NOT adding this item to these dialogs would require them to NOT be refreshed.

In MAX, hidden objects are NOT displayed in the Selection floater. So why not create the 3DPerspective SP object as hidden in the first place to stop it from showing up in the dialog?

In the Layers dialog, a permanent SpacePilot layer could be created and this 3DPerspective object could be created and recreated down inside this collapsed layer. Since the layer would allways be present and collapsed (not showing the object inside), no refreshing would be necessary.

Please alter this behavior. I realize you folks write drivers for many apps but this is the most widely selling 3D app in the world. There is no reason to have this kind of refreshing if you create the SP object in the way I described.

Thanks!

Post by **mbonk** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 1:42 am

Exactly what driver version do you have installed?

You are not per chance seeing this:
viewtopic.php?t=917

Mike Truly · Post by **Mike Truly** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 5:41 am

Thanks for the ideas!

I have version 3.3.6 installed. Yes, the other post does sound very similar. If I find I can't stand this problem I may revert to older drivers.

But one thing I don't understand is the whole approach with 3DxUser being constantly created in the first place. Why not create it one time and leave it created? If ever it is found not to exist, then fine, create it. But this constant creation is a part of the thrashing that's happening. Just leave it created and re-use it.

Likewise, because it is constantly created and re-created and this is causing the constant viewport thrashing... create it so that it's always hidden. Hidden items don't show up in the selection floater... ever. Only when they are un-hidden are they displayed. So never un-hide it.

Likewise, collapsed Layers never display objects when they are collapsed. So for good measure, to keep the Layers dialog from redrawing, when the 3DxUser object is created (only once, mind you), create it down inside of a collapsed layer and it will never be seen in the Layers dialog.

These two items would keep the 3DxUser object from ever being displayed in these dialogs therefore no need to redraw them constantly. (But what do I know... I'm no programmer).

Thanks!