NXG 3.0.2 is very slow

[MaximeR]

Hi,

I'm just trying to use NXG 3.0.2. My feeling is that it is very very very slow. I'm using it inside a virtual Machine (Virtualbox 6.0.4) with Windows 10 x64 pro (1809).

I have no problem with LabVIEW with this platform, but NXG is almost not usable.
My VM is running on a SSD, with 2 core, VT-x activated, mors than 2GB of RAM...

I'm using VM everyday for my work, and it's the first time I am seing this issue with a NI Software. I try installing in 2 differents VM with the same result.

I try quickly on a physical Computer with Intel Core i7 and Nvidia Quadro GPU, the result is the same. The IDE is slow. Do you have any idea or NXG configration that can help ?

We can see in System Explorer that NXG is using ChromiumFX it seems that software that using this component can accept a token --disable-gpu.

Best regards.

[Jun']

   Hi dear Maxime,

I was not able to find any specific setting for LabVIEW NXG to run faster.

Now I checked the System Requirements for LabVIEW Development Systems and Modules and they advise a better hardware configuration than the regular version of LabVIEW. Do you experience the same "slow" issue when installing LabVIEW NXG directly on your computer, using better specifications than your VM?

Have a nice day,

Junior

[MaximeR]

Hello,

Thanks for the reply.

As I said in my previous post : "I try quickly on a physical Computer with Intel Core i7 and Nvidia Quadro GPU, the result is the same. The IDE is slow. Do you have any idea or NXG configration that can help ?"

On a physical machine, with SSD, Intel core I7, 8 Go of RAM, I found it slow. A right click is slow, changing panel is slow. I will try to make some benches, but if NXG is going to be the future, I hope the future will go faster.

In my VM. Cold launch.

NXG splashscreen : 2 min 20
From Start Page -> Menu -> new VI to Right click menu shown on Front panel : 25 seconds

Swithcing from Interface to Diagramme : almost 1s

Hot launch (after closing NXG and relaunch it) 

NXG splashscreen : 2 min 20

In same MV : Launching LV 2018 SP1 32 bits without Modules

Cold launch : 20 s

From Start Page -> Menu -> new VI to Right click menu shown on Front panel : less than 2 seconds

So, my MV is running well LabVIEW but NXG don't like it.

MV running on SSD, intel Core i5, VT-x Activated, 2 cores, no other MV running. Virtualbox 6.0.4. 2 Go RAM, OS Win10 x64.  2D and 3D acceleration activated 256 MB Video Memory. Host OS Win 7 x64

So, My perception for the moment is that NXG is very very slow.

On physical machine...can't do the test now, NXG crash on launch even after a reinstall...
Do you have any information about ChromiumFx ?

Best regards

[wiebe@CARYA]

Haven't tried NXG 3.0.2 yet, but previous versions where notoriously slow. LV17 loaded in 12 seconds, NXG in 4 minutes... That was before my HDD>SSD upgrade, but still in comparison dreadfully slow.

However, after the initial loading it was fast enough for me... Just wondering if that's the same for you? Is it 'just' the loading?

[MaximeR]

Thanks for the feedback. I'm not the only one !

in my point of view, this is not only when loading. This is everytime.

I remember when LabVIEW 2011 was released, NI made a huge efforts to make LV more reactiv and it was the case. LV 2011 was more reactiv in every usage. It was measured by NI (search what's new in LV 2011 presentation).

With NXG, I just have the feeling that the software is slow independantly of the PC. The minimum requirement is a Penitum 4 for NXG (I note that i5 is recommanded). It will be funny to make some bench on this platform.

Any suggestion from R&D  that have a real impact on performance of the NXG environment will be appreciate.

Is there some recommandation for Graphics card ? Does NXG is using more graphics components than LabVIEW ? ...

Best regards

[wiebe@CARYA]

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@MaximeR wrote:

Is there some recommandation for Graphics card ? Does NXG is using more graphics components than LabVIEW ? …

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In my setup, I'm pretty sure it's the loading of the .NET modules that is so slow. I can't see which modules take the most time, as only the first part of the names show... And since they are all the same, showing the beginnings is kinda pointless. 

[MaximeR]

I just try some tools from Microsoft sys internals to see what appens. I'm ok that for the start, it loads a lot of modules and that can take some times. But after loaded, the IDE is just slow. 

Any help from NI ?

[sassyaspy]

Hi Maxime,

Editor performance has been a major focus of the last few NXG releases, and we have definitely seen improvements. That said, our work is not finished yet. Are the workflows you benchmarked what you would consider the most painful performance areas in the product? Are there others worth mentioning?

There are a few tests that would help us understand if the performance you are experiencing is nominal:

• What behavior do you see when you allocate 4 GB of RAM to the VM, to meet the minimum spec for NXG? 
• Do you see similar results with the VI test if you begin from an open project?
• If you have access to the Technical Preview forum, can you try the same benchmark tests in the latest NXG 3.1 beta? 
• Were you able to take benchmarks on your physical machine? Your physical machine sounds similar to the machine we use to measure "typical" performance and would be a great compare point. 

[fblerg]

Hi MaximeR,

Were you able to try any of Siana's suggestions?

To answer some of your questions, LabVIEW NXG uses different UI technology from Current Gen LabVIEW. It uses WPF for some UI elements (and HTML5, click here for more info). WPF is hardware accelerated and based on DirectX, so it can benefit from leveraging your GPU.

We don't have specific recommendations for graphics cards. One specific configuration for VMs that may help is allocating more Video RAM to the VM. You said that you allocated 256 MB Video RAM to the VM. Another forum member mentioned that they saw better performance by increasing their VM's GPU RAM allocated from 256MB to 1024MB. Would you please try increasing the VM's video RAM?

[MaximeR]

Hi,

Thanks for the link. 

For the, tests, I can't test on my physical machine for the moment. Maybe next week.
I tried to allocate 4 GB of RAM to my VM.  It's better, but still slow. Loading time is almost the same. Interface is maybe a little bit more reactiv, but not usable as main Development IDE in VM.

I'm using Virtualbox, and we can't allocate more than 256 MB for video. This user maybe use VMWare.

I just try different configuration for Video settings of my VM, but it was worst.

Let see what performance I can have on ht esame computer without VM. I hope to do this test next week.

For 3.1, I will wait the final release. I think that the plan is to release it during NIWeek.

Best regards