Autodesk Plant Solutions (2 Nov 2010)

Whitepaper
AutoCAD Plant 3D Performance – Maximizing Speed

Introduction
AutoCAD Plant 3D is built on AutoCAD, a general purpose cad engine as its platform. AutoCAD is used
for many things and is not solely optimized for 3D graphics. AutoCAD Plant 3D default settings are not
set up specifically to favor editor response speed over display quality.
When looking to improve performance, the first thing to consider is using the Visual Styles Manager to
reduce 3D display detail. You can also use 3dconfig to set options that affect graphics card hardware
performance.
We strongly recommend setting dispsilh to zero and isolines to four (4) for both 2D and 3D views.
Default settings have been modified below to reflect this recommendation. (2 Nov 2010)
This document presents options that go beyond tuning and identifies settings and strategies that can
have an impact on editing behavior and model appearance.
Performance increases can be made by turning off disconnect markers, breaking up large drawings
using external references, and operating in 2dwireframe mode. AutoCAD Plant 3D specific
performance settings are described in this document, as well as some AutoCAD performance settings.

 AutoCAD Plant 3D Settings

 AutoCAD Settings
 Large Drawing Management
 Sample Settings

AutoCAD Plant 3D Settings

You can set system variables and use commands to improve display performance.

Setting Value for maximum performance

plantconnectionmarker Off Hides disconnect markers
plantinsulationdisplay Off Do not display insulation on piping
plantinsulationmode Partial Hides insulation on valves and fittings
plantlockfadectl Off Ignores locked piping setting for display
plantpipesilhdisplay Off Turns off pipe silhouettes
plantplaceholderdisplay Off Turns off markers (yellow !) for placeholder parts
plantpropmismatchdisplay Off Hides property mismatch markers
plantsavedetail Off Reduces drawing file size
plantwelddisplay Off Hides connection markers
plantsteelsetrep Line Displays structure using a line model

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For more information, see Maximize Plant 3D Display Performance in the User’s Guide, and System
Variables in the Command Reference.

You can close AutoCAD Plant 3D palettes that you are not using when working in the model. For
example, closing the Data Manager can improve performance, especially when editing. You can also
close Project Manager to improve performance. For best results close the palette, do not Auto-Hide.

AutoCAD Settings
There is no single best AutoCAD setting for performance, because some settings are designed to
disable features that you need to select and edit. In general, the settings identified here are intended to
maximize browsing speed.
The most significant choice is between 2D and 3D view modes. 2D modes can display 3D objects that
look similar to 3D wireframe, but the modes use a significantly different redraw database. The 3D
redraw database is designed for quality and response, but not scalability. In practical terms, this means
that in 3D view modes, performance deteriorates faster as the model in the display gets larger.
Changing to 2D wireframe with silhouettes off can significantly improve performance.

dispsilh=0, isolines=4 dispsilh=1, Isolines=0

If you turn off dispsilh to improve performance in wireframe, you should set isolines to 4. Piping also
uses plantpipesilhdisplay, which displays silhouettes for tube segments when dispsilh is off.
For more information, see Control the Visual Style of the Plant 3D Model.
Below are some of the AutoCAD system variables you can use to improve performance.

AutoCAD Setting Value for maximum performance

dispsilh Off Do not display silhouette edges
isolines 4 The number of contour lines per surface on objects
pickfirst Off Objects are selected after the command
viewres 1 Sets the smoothness of curved objects in a 2D view
savetime Zero (0) Turn off autosave
vscurrent 2Dwireframe Sets the fastest display mode
vtenable 0 Turns off smooth view transitions
customerinvolvementprogram Off Turns off activity logging

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It is important to understand the impact of these settings and consider that they could cause undesired
behavior. For example, turning off pickfirst speeds up browsing, but it disables the select connected
parts shortcut menu. Dragging in 2dwireframe can be slower than 3dwireframe. The best performance
configuration depends on how you are working with the model. Setting a low viewres speeds up
dragging in 2D mode. Facetres is a similar variable that affects 3D views.
You can use vtoptions to set a fast transition speed, lower the performance (fps) threshold, or disable
view transitions.
Other settings that are not specific to display can be used. For example, you can freeze unused layers
to improve performance, instead of turning a layer off.
You can also turn off features that you do not use. For example, if you do not need the properties
window open, consider closing it until needed. Tracking, dynamic input, and even grips can be turned
off when not used.

Large Drawing Management

Breaking up larger drawings into smaller ones using external references can significantly improve
performance. For example, you can place equipment, piping, and structure into different drawings and
break up large drawings by area.

Sample Settings
You can copy and paste the table below into the Command window, or create and run a LSP file.
Values are also provided to restore default settings.

Performance settings:
(command "plantconnectionmarker" "0")
(command "plantinsulationdisplay" "0")
(command "plantinsulationmode" "p")
(setvar "plantpipesilhdisplay" 0)
(setvar "plantpropmismatchdisplay" 0)
(command "plantplaceholderdisplay" "0")
(setvar "plantwelddisplay" 0)
(setvar "plantlockfadectl" 0)
(setvar "plantsavedetail" 0)
(command "plantsteelsetrep" "L")
(setvar "dispsilh" 0)
(setvar "isolines" 4)
(setvar "pickfirst" 0)
(command "viewres" "y" 1)
(setvar "savetime" 0)
(command "vscurrent" "2dwireframe")
(setvar "vtenable" 0)
(if (/= (getvar "cipmode") 0) (prompt "\nRun customerinvolvementprogram to disable."))

Default settings:
(command "plantconnectionmarker" "1")
(command "plantinsulationdisplay" "1")
(command "plantinsulationmode" "f")
(setvar "plantpipesilhdisplay" 1)
(command "plantplaceholderdisplay" "1")
(setvar "plantsavedetail" 1)
(setvar "dispsilh" 0)
(setvar "isolines" 4)
(setvar "pickfirst" 1)
(command "viewres" "y" 1000)
(setvar "savetime" 10)
(setvar "vtenable" 3)
(command "vscurrent" "realistic")

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