X13 creating large .pdf files / freezing when trying to print to pdf

[AmandaBrady]

We have installed x13 from x12 on all of our systems.....slowest card we are running is a 1080, and we have two 3090s in the other systems -- so was running x12 just fine, our drawing sets are large and there was no issues. 

 

After upgrading everyone, making no changes to the existing files - when we got to print (either to the print or to a .pdf), the program completely freezes trying to load all of the views. Is there a setting we need to change up? Take 15+ minutes to print a .pdf really cuts into efficiency. 

 

Thanks!

[MarkMc]

Checked and getting much larger files with native PDF. Very slow but not as bad as what you indicate. No lock ups though. Bluebeam is also slow and equally large. Dropping to 300 DPI helps. I keep update autmatically off since it updates when pronting anyway and I hate the wait. 

[Gawdzira]

For construction documents I print at 144 dpi (I think that is the output number). I don't see a difference in the prints if I output to 300 dpi or larger. What dpi are you printing the pdf?

 

[rgardner]

2 hours ago, MarkMc said:

I keep update autmatically off since it updates when pronting anyway and I hate the wait. 

Would be my suspicion that may be the difference?

[DavidJPotter]

Next time you print to PDF confront what the "DPI" setting is in the "Print Dialog" before you order it to Print the difference between "300 DPI and 4,400 DPI" can bake a HUGE difference in the resulting document's size in Mb's. Your video card types have NOTHING to do with PDF size, only content, imported documents and the DPI you create/print it  at.

 

DJP

[Joe_Carrick]

I mentioned this in "Tips & Techniques" some time ago.

 

Use jpegs or pngs instead of pdfs.  File bloat will be much less and print speed will be a lot faster.

[MarkMc]

8 hours ago, DavidJPotter said:

Your video card types have NOTHING to do with PDF size, only content, imported documents and the DPI you create/print it  at.

While that is true the card does have to do with performance AND X13 is handling PDFs differently than in the past. Different cards might have issues at some settings.

 

In attached note the change in GPU usage; while in both versions the cards hit 100% the total avg use is a good bit higher in 13. There is also something odd going on (that I don't understand yet) with GPU memory allocation/use between the two.

Of note is the change in file size from 12 to 13 is minor at 300 dpi but huge at 600, far out of proportion. For reference the layout file is 11 MB and references two plan files 20.6 MB & 47.4 MB.

 

[HumbleChief]

15 hours ago, AmandaBrady said:

We have installed x13 from x12 on all of our systems.....slowest card we are running is a 1080, and we have two 3090s in the other systems -- so was running x12 just fine, our drawing sets are large and there was no issues. 

 

After upgrading everyone, making no changes to the existing files - when we got to print (either to the print or to a .pdf), the program completely freezes trying to load all of the views. Is there a setting we need to change up? Take 15+ minutes to print a .pdf really cuts into efficiency. 

 

Thanks!

Chief has always had problems with PDF's with Chief being slow, slow and slower with large PDF files. Typical suggestions are to use a different PDF creator/editor different resolution etc. but the problem persists in Chief and the time suck of such things can be intolerable. Haven't tried large PDF's in X13 yet but reports such as these will cause me to wait on any further plan/layout creation in X13.

 

At this stage in the Beta process it is invaluable to send your problem files into tech support to see if the problem can be reproduced. Takes some time and effort but it will help the program and users and will be most appreciated.

[Richard_Morrison]

I think Joe was alluding to this, but it hasn't been made very clear. My experience (and understanding) is the main issue appears when you are printing PDFs of layouts where there are many PDFs that have been placed. PDFs of PDFs is the killer. If you can place PNGs on the layouts, rather than PDFs, it all goes much better. Another possible solution is to print the pages in smaller batches and then reassemble them into a single larger document later. But I agree that PDF printing in Chief is seriously bad.

[HumbleChief]

13 minutes ago, Richard_Morrison said:

...But I agree that PDF printing in Chief is seriously bad.

Been that way for a long time as well and perhaps it is a problem with the PDF or the PDF creator but did it actually get worse in X13? Sincerely hope not.

[HumbleChief]

17 hours ago, AmandaBrady said:

We have installed x13 from x12 on all of our systems.....slowest card we are running is a 1080, and we have two 3090s in the other systems -- so was running x12 just fine, our drawing sets are large and there was no issues. 

 

After upgrading everyone, making no changes to the existing files - when we got to print (either to the print or to a .pdf), the program completely freezes trying to load all of the views. Is there a setting we need to change up? Take 15+ minutes to print a .pdf really cuts into efficiency. 

 

Thanks!

Is there a way you can get the plan/layout here to the forum so we can see how it behaves on our systems? 

[Joe_Carrick]

18 minutes ago, Richard_Morrison said:

I think Joe was alluding to this, but it hasn't been made very clear.

That's correct.  I get PDFs from some consultants, etc.  Some of them provide me with PNGs which I automatically use.

IAE, if I only have a PDF I will open it in my PDF Editor and "Export" to PNG.

Then I will insert the PNG into my Layout instead of the PDF.  Printing is much, much faster.

 

 

 

[Dermot]

My best guess is that your pdf export is taking longer in X13 because you are not using the same settings that you were using in X12.  If you are using the same settings, then it is possible that you have found a performance problem that we are not aware of yet.  Please keep in mind that X13 is still being beta tested so some new problems should not be unexpected.

 

If you think you have found a performance problem in X13, then please report this directly to our tech support team.  You will need to provide us with a plan along with some detailed information about your system and settings.  We will also need to know exactly where you are seeing the problem and what you are doing at the time.

 

If you think you have found a case where the performance is worse than it was in a previous version, then be sure and send us a plan that is from the previous version.  That way we can open it up in both versions on the same computer and compare the times that we get.  If you send us a plan from the current version, there is no way to confirm if it was faster in the prior version because it can't be opened there.

 

You can find more information about how to contact technical support here:

https://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/

 

[AmandaBrady]

Thanks, all.

 

We will try adjusting the DPI when creating the sets. Our pdf file sizes jumped from 4MB to well over 20MB and the only thing that changed was printing it out of x12 to x13. 

 

 

[AmandaBrady]

5 hours ago, MarkMc said:

While that is true the card does have to do with performance AND X13 is handling PDFs differently than in the past. Different cards might have issues at some settings.

 

In attached note the change in GPU usage; while in both versions the cards hit 100% the total avg use is a good bit higher in 13. There is also something odd going on (that I don't understand yet) with GPU memory allocation/use between the two.

Of note is the change in file size from 12 to 13 is minor at 300 dpi but huge at 600, far out of proportion. For reference the layout file is 11 MB and references two plan files 20.6 MB & 47.4 MB.

 

 

Thanks. This is what I've noticed that the file sizes have jumped significantly, and the hangups when trying to create the PDF file.

[MarkMc]

FWIW the plans and layout I used had absolutely no PDFs or PNGs or DWGs- everything was native to Chief. Each plan had  a few minor CAD details, relatively simple, referenced on one page.

Yes Dermot settings were identical.

Sent it in, will check some others later in the week.

[Adunegan1218]

We have been having the same issues in x13 vs x12. Has anyone found a solution or tried x14 beta to see if that alleviates it?

[JanFriedli]

Having the same frustrating issue in X15...complete lock up when I try to print to pdf.  Even trying to just look at elevation makes it a coffee-break wait if not a lunch-break kind of wait for it to get through the "spin-circle" pause.  The tech said it was a terrain-issue causing it in the elevation/cross-elevation pages.  When he deleted the terrain it worked.  Alas I am designing a house on a slope...terrain is kind of important.  Tech support is supposedly looking into it.  I have no pdfs. All png.  So it does not seem to be a pdf-issue.