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Mac system requirements for AFX CC?
I’m fairly new to AFX CC and trying to do things like 3D titles, but when I try they’re looking blurry and bad (at least in RAM Preview), and I’m wondering if it’s a case where my system isn’t adequate for the program. I’d be grateful for any insights here. I’m on a PowerMac purchased in 2011, although I think it’s a 2010 model, running OS X 10.9.4, and these are the other main specs:
Processor 2 X 2.4 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon
Memory GB 1066 MHz DDR3Also, when I start up the program, I get the following warning message:
‘Ray-tracing on the GPU requires an approved NVIDIA graphics card and CUDA 5.0 or later. For now, ray-tracing will use the CPU.
After installing CUDA 5.0 or later, restart your computer.’If my system isn’t adequate, is there anything I can do to make it so that won’t cost thousands of dollars?
Just let me know if more info is required to answer this. and thanks very much for any input here! -
6 Replies
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If you are using Ray-traced 3D to produce the titles it may be that the quality settings are too low. Try increasing the number to 7 or 8.
Ray-tracing in After Effects has been replaced by Cinema 4D as the preferred method of working with 3D graphics.
Ray-tracing in After Effects can be accelerated in hardware with an nVidia graphics card that supports CUDA. If you do not have one of these there is no point installing the CUDA driver. Absent one of these cards the task of ray-traced processing falls to the CPU.
Your system is adequate, though you could purchase a CUDA graphics card to improve Ray-tracing speed.
Aside from the RAM spec which appears incomplete, your computer should be up to the task. After Effects loves RAM adding more is one way to improve rendering times, particularly when multi-processing is implemented – unfortunately the Ray-Traced 3D rendered does not support multi-processing.
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Hugely appreciated Brian, and you’re absolutely right sorry for the incomplete RAM specs! It should have read:
Memory 6 GB 1066 MHz DDR3
I had one question from what you said. How do you get that dialog box to come up to adjust the quality settings, the one that says “Ray-traced 3D Renderer Options?”
Thanks again! -
6GB of RAM is not adequate. If you can afford it upgrade to at least 16GB preferably 32GB or more.
[Neil Orman] “I had one question from what you said. How do you get that dialog box to come up to adjust the quality settings, the one that says “Ray-traced 3D Renderer Options?””
From the Composition menu select Composition Settings and click the Advanced tab, then click the Options button.
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[Brian Charles] “After Effects loves RAM adding more is one way to improve rendering times, particularly when multi-processing is implemented – unfortunately the Ray-Traced 3D rendered does not support multi-processing.”
Multiprocessing in Ae is a bit of a kludge to let Ae’s traditional renderer exploit the multiple CPUs found in modern systems, more fully utilizing available resources. The ray-tracing renderer doesn’t use multiprocessing per se, but it does natively support multiple CPUs and can fully exploit available resources without multiprocessing.
Walter Soyka
Designer & Mad Scientist at Keen Live [link]
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
@keenlive | RenderBreak [blog] | Profile [LinkedIn] -
[Walter Soyka] “Multiprocessing in Ae is a bit of a kludge to let Ae’s traditional renderer exploit the multiple CPUs found in modern systems, more fully utilizing available resources. The ray-tracing renderer doesn’t use multiprocessing per se, but it does natively support multiple CPUs and can fully exploit available resources without multiprocessing.”
Are you saying that ray-traced rendering benefits from enabling multiprocessing within AE’s preferences or that AE will use multiple CPU’s regardless of whether MP is enabled?
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[Brian Charles] “re you saying that ray-traced rendering benefits from enabling multiprocessing within AE’s preferences or that AE will use multiple CPU’s regardless of whether MP is enabled?”
Ae’s ray-tracer uses multiple CPUs, regardless of whether MP is enabled.
Unlike multiprocessing, it uses them all to render the current frame. It does not render multiple frames at the same time in separate processes.
Walter Soyka
Designer & Mad Scientist at Keen Live [link]
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
@keenlive | RenderBreak [blog] | Profile [LinkedIn]
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