DeskArtes Expert Series

Supported hardware / operating system configurations

General requirements:

For smooth software operation even with large model files we recommend the following configuration:

  • Intel Core i5, i7 or AMD A6, A8 processor.
  • About 100 GB of free disk space for the program and data.
  • 8 GB recommended.
  • AMD Radeon or NVidia Geforce graphics adapter.
  • Windows 7.

The software performance is mostly affected by the number of the triangles or separate shells or surfaces in the model.

Notes

On operating systems:

Windows 7 (64-bit)

Starting from DeskArtes Expert Series version 10.0, there are separate 64-bit (x64) versions of programs available. These program versions are compiled for the 64-bit platform and are therefore recommended for 64-bit Windows 7.

Older DeskArtes Expert Series versions (9.1 and older) have been tested to run also on the 64-bit version of Windows 7. These Expert Series versions have however not been compiled on 64-bit Windows 7, so there is no separate 64-bit version available. The same 32-bit Expert Series program versions are run under the 32-bit subsystem on the 64-bit Windows 7.

Windows Vista (64-bit)

Starting from DeskArtes Expert Series version 10.0, there are separate 64-bit (x64) versions of programs available. These program versions are compiled for the 64-bit platform and are therefore recommended for 64-bit Windows Vista.

Older DeskArtes Expert Series versions (9.1 and older) have been tested to run also on the 64-bit version of Windows Vista. These Expert Series versions have however not been compiled on 64-bit Vista, so there is no separate 64-bit version available. The same 32-bit Expert Series program versions are run under the 32-bit subsystem on the 64-bit Vista.

On graphics adapters:

ATI (Mobility) Radeon HD-series (HD3000 - HD5000)

All versions of the Expert Series programs have a rendering and object selection problem, when run on a machine with 64-bit Windows 7 and a ATI Radeon HD-series (HD3000 - HD5000) graphics adapter.

The problem has two different symptoms. First when selecting an object by pointing it directly in the graphics window, wrong object gets selected. Second when rendering a model with "Display Errors" flags enabled, massive amounts of memory get allocated. This can cause the program to crash when it runs out of memory.

The reason to the problem seems to be an error in the ATI Radeon driver for the 64-bit Windows 7. The currently latest graphics adapter driver version for ATI Radeon HD-series on 64-bit Windows 7 however still has this problem.

The problem does not appear on 32-bit Windows 7.

The problem does not appear with other graphics adapters.

NVidia GeForce

The Expert Series version 7.1 (or older) programs have a serious drawing problem, when run on a machine with Windows Vista or Windows 7 and a NVidia GeForce graphics adapter.

The problem appears especially in the curve edit and scene edit functions. When dragging the curve points or the camera handles, the background is partly drawn with white color and some of the old curve positions are shown.

The currently latest graphics adapter driver versions for NVidia GeForce on Windows Vista and Windows 7 still have this problem.

The problem does not appear if the Aero (the fancy GUI in Windows Vista and 7) is turned off. On Windows 7 you can do that by selecting one of the Basic Themes ("Windows 7 Basic" or "Windows Classic" etc.) in Desktop Personalize function. On Windows Vista open "Start->Control Panel: Appearance and Personalization". Under Personalization, click "Change the color scheme" and select the "Windows Vista Basic" or "Windows Standard" color scheme.

The problem does not appear on Windows XP.

The Expert Series version 8.0 (and newer) programs do not have this problem.

ATI Radeon X-series (X300 - X1900)

The Expert Series version 7.1 (or older) programs have a serious drawing problem, when run on a machine with Windows Vista and a ATI Radeon X-series (X300-X1900) graphics adapter.

The problem appears especially in the curve edit and scene edit functions. When dragging the curve points or the camera handles, the background is partly drawn with white color and some of the old curve positions are shown.

So far there is no solution found to this problem. The currently latest graphics adapter driver version for ATI Radeon X-series on Windows Vista and WIndows 7 still has this problem.

The problem does not appear on Windows XP.

The Expert Series version 8.0 (and newer) programs do not have this problem.

NVidia Quadro4 XGL (550, 700, 900)

Drawing the geometries doesn't work in DeskArtes Expert Series when run on a machine with NVidia Quadro4 XGL series graphics adapters. The problem can however be fixed by upgrading the driver version to 41.03 from the NVidia web-site.

Matrox G-series (G200, G400, G550)

The default hardware acceleration settings for the Matrox G-series adapters cause DeskArtes Expert Series to crash at startup. This problem can be solved by disabling the hardware acceleration.

S3 Savage 4/MX

DeskArtes Expert Series cannot be run on a machine with S3 Savage 4 or MX graphics adapters. The problem appears at the startup of the Design Expert. Usually the cursor first disappears and then the screen freezes totally. Currently there is no solution known to this problem.

On peripheral devices:

HP Color Laserjet 4600

Printing from DeskArtes Expert Series to HP Color Laserjet 4600 produces empty documents or gray scale images with the default printer drivers from HP. The problem can be fixed by installing the driver of the older HP Color Laserjet 4500 model.