I'm about to upgrade to a 64-bit workstation just wondering what peoples views were on which operating system to use? Currently our network is all XP professional however we are thinking of making the switch to Vista anyway and my new work station could be the start. Has anyone come across any software issue with Vista 64-bit? Will I be able to run Pointools, Cyclone etc ok?
Hey Guys, I disagree with Matt, I have being running Cyclone on XP 64, then Vista 64 and finally Windows 7 64bit and have had very few issues. I would definitely recommend Windows 7 over the other 2. It's basically a streamlined version of Vista, faster and less annoying. It's also fully compatible with vista drivers which is handy as most programs are vista compatible these days. Another useful thing some people don't know is using the compatibility tool when installing older software. If you right click on the .exe file for the software and go to the compatibility tab you can set it to install the software to a number of different compatible operating systems. For instance you may chose to install an older version of Cyclone in compatibility mode for Windows XP as this was the OS it was designed for. The main advantage of using the 64bit OS is that you can install far more RAM that can be recognised by the OS. Even though the likes of Cyclone can't use it, it means you can comfortably run multiple programs simultaneously with less hang ups. A 32bit system can only address 4gb of RAM and that including the graphics card RAM and memory used on the motherboard. So with most systems these days using quad core processors and ram being incredibly cheap I think it would be foolish not to use a 64bit OS and at least 8gb of RAM. Set up nicely it will fly with Windows 7, Cyclone, AutoCAD etc.
Cheers, Chris.
P.S Windows are still allowing for free downloads of windows 7 until next April or something. It has been available for free beta testing for a while and it has now being extended. Basically you download it from their website and you have a free licence to try it out till next year! I definitely recommend, it's been bug free and noticeably quicker than Vista.
Im not saying that 64bit is a complete waste of time, programs like 3D Studio and AutoCad benefit from the extra RAM, just dont jump straight in and hope that it will all be ok.
I use XP64bit and the problem for me is that I am a Cyclone power user, I have to register huge datasets (one billion points or more) on a regular basis, also deal with large models 20-30,000 objects. Cyclone may work very well on Vista or Windows 7, but it really has some issues on XP64. I admit that there are so many variables on different PC's and something on my PC may be different to someone else's.
I sometimes go back to 32bit PC to register large datasets because it is faster and more reliable than the 64bit workstation I have.
Cyclone still remains to be the best software of its kind in my opinion, and Im interested to see the difference with Vista or W7, to find out if its just XP64 that is causing the trouble. I am about to upgrade the RAM on my PC to 12GB soon, if that does not help then maybe a different operating system is the way to go. I know that Cyclone still only uses 2GB or RAM (max) but its worth a try...
Maybe we need a poll to see what 64bit operating system is working best for Cyclone6.0.
In all science, error precedes the truth, and it is better it should go first than last. ~Hugh Walpole
I went straight from using Windows XP 32 bit to Vista 64 so I have no idea whether any problems that I have come from Vista or 64 bit. On the whole, though, I find 64 bit far superior. I used to have at least 8 or 9 memory fragmentation errors when registering large jobs with many cloud links using cyclone. These only happen maybe once or twice now.
The thing to consider is what other software you will be using. We actually still use some old 16 bit programs that run in DOS. These will not work at all in 64 bit unless you use a virtual machine. Windows 7 comes with a virtual XP license provided you buy anyhting above Windows 7 home. It seems, though that this is a different version than the standard virtual pc and even this no longer supports full screen DOS applications.
Also there is a double whammy in the short term if you use Pointools Model. Until Faraz sorts out a 64 bit engine you won't be able to use it in 64 bit AutoCAD. Also AutoCAD in Vista no longer has OpenGL support so Faraz also needs to get the Direct 3D engine written as well. I am sure these will appear in the not too distant future.
We have Cyclone on 64 and 32 bit XP systems an one vista laptop. All have their issues, 32 bit XP is the most bullet proof, 64 Bit Xp handles huge clouds better simply because it has more address space. Would not take the time to deal with Vista, wait and be irritated by Win7.
If you stay with 32bit Xp, be sure and use the /3 gb switch. That helps with out of memory errors alot.
Richard Lasater President Smart GeoMetrics a division of Smart MultiMedia, Inc
We had some problems with vista 32 bits, and make the upgrade to vista 64 bits and install Cyclone 6.04 for 64 bits, Autocad 64 bits, and the nvidia driver for 64 bits and its working perfect. No more "out of memory" problems.
Well yet again I tried to unify a registered modelspace in 24Gb database yesterday. I got to work this morning and found that Cyclone had crashed again. I now have to optimize the database and try and unify it again... who knows if it will work this time!!!
In all science, error precedes the truth, and it is better it should go first than last. ~Hugh Walpole
I think that Leica has missed a trick with the 64 bit Cyclone. In reality it does not use all the goods of 64 bits except for the ram use. Once they reliese the proper 64 bit Cyclone, that's going to be the right moment to jump into 64 bit system. At this stage there are pros and cons, as everyone are saing, so it's just a case of what you find better for yourself. We have also notticed one extra thing. A lot depends on the setup of your computer. We have couple of 64 bit machines, all slightly different configurations and they all run Cyclone differently. I think still a lot depends on the Vista drivers....
