I just tried rendering the sample scene using POV 3.5 beta 11:

In scenes\advanced\blocks\stackertransp.pov

with the following changes:

Comment out the following line the first time you run, to generate a 1200
block data file. If you run again, you can uncomment it back, not to have to
generate the data file:

// #declare WriteFile=false; // turns off the generation of the file, just
read them from the previous file

Modify the following line:

#declare num=1200;

Modify the global_settings as follows:

global_settings{
    radiosity{
        pretrace_end 0.01
        count 400
        recursion_limit 1
        nearest_count 9
        gray_threshold 0
        error_bound 0.01
    }
    max_trace_level 50
    adc_bailout 0.01
}

---------------------------

Now, render the file at 1024x768 with no AA, preferably on a relatively fast
machine. pvengine.exe will leak RAM the entire time and in about 8 hours of
rendering on a >=1GHz PIII machine, your virtual memory will be down a good
600MB. Note this leaked memory will be lost, until you restart the app. Note
that the radiosity pre-processing will take some time, and memory will
accumulate normally, I would hope, during this perioud. The fun leak part is
during the actual render.

IMPORTANT NOTE TO MEMORY LEAK HUNTERS
------------------------------------------------------------
For people using Task Manager on Windows NT/2000/XP to diagnose memory
leaks, you should not be looking at the Mem Usage column. This represents
the process' working set, which the OS can trim, not the actual virtual
memory utilization. To see how much total virtual memory your process is
utilizing in task manager, do the following:

- Go to View/Select Columns...
- Check Virtual Memory Size

Now you will see a VM Size column. This represents the amount of virtual
memory your process is currently using. If this amount grows and doesn't get
reclaimed, a memory leak is usually indicated.

Mike

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As a follow up, I believe that the memory leak could be related to the
radiosity settings.

"Michael Goldshteyn" <mik### [at] wwacom> wrote in message
news:3c6bc4dc$1@news.povray.org...
> I just tried rendering the sample scene using POV 3.5 beta 11:
>
> In scenes\advanced\blocks\stackertransp.pov
>
> with the following changes:
>
> Comment out the following line the first time you run, to generate a 1200
> block data file. If you run again, you can uncomment it back, not to have
to
> generate the data file:
>
> // #declare WriteFile=false; // turns off the generation of the file, just
> read them from the previous file
>
> Modify the following line:
>
> #declare num=1200;
>
> Modify the global_settings as follows:
>
> global_settings{
>     radiosity{
>         pretrace_end 0.01
>         count 400
>         recursion_limit 1
>         nearest_count 9
>         gray_threshold 0
>         error_bound 0.01
>     }
>     max_trace_level 50
>     adc_bailout 0.01
> }
>
> ---------------------------
>
> Now, render the file at 1024x768 with no AA, preferably on a relatively
fast
> machine. pvengine.exe will leak RAM the entire time and in about 8 hours
of
> rendering on a >=1GHz PIII machine, your virtual memory will be down a
good
> 600MB. Note this leaked memory will be lost, until you restart the app.
Note
> that the radiosity pre-processing will take some time, and memory will
> accumulate normally, I would hope, during this perioud. The fun leak part
is
> during the actual render.
>
> IMPORTANT NOTE TO MEMORY LEAK HUNTERS
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> For people using Task Manager on Windows NT/2000/XP to diagnose memory
> leaks, you should not be looking at the Mem Usage column. This represents
> the process' working set, which the OS can trim, not the actual virtual
> memory utilization. To see how much total virtual memory your process is
> utilizing in task manager, do the following:
>
> - Go to View/Select Columns...
> - Check Virtual Memory Size
>
> Now you will see a VM Size column. This represents the amount of virtual
> memory your process is currently using. If this amount grows and doesn't
get
> reclaimed, a memory leak is usually indicated.
>
> Mike
>
>
>

Post a reply to this message

"Michael Goldshteyn" <mik### [at] wwacom> wrote in message
news:3c6c0f52$1@news.povray.org...
> As a follow up, I believe that the memory leak could be related to the
> radiosity settings.

Having tried your example out to 25% of a render I can say that I did see a
page file growing as it progressed.  Beyond that I have no idea what would
cause it to increase over time because I never checked before during a
render, only the stats afterward or between animation frames.

Since you suspect it to be radiosity causing it I guess you meant there
might be a final stage while the rendering proceeds and yet isn't making
more sampling passes.  I don't want to conjecture anything though without
knowing if there is continued radiosity sampling during the final phase of
render.

Yeah... I'm just here for moral support.

bob h

Post a reply to this message

Not sure whether there is or isn't, but without the radiosity, the
pvengine.exe process stays constant at around 83.5 MB. With radiosity, it
grows and grows until it hits around 650MB 75% into the trace. Something is
surely awry.

"bob h" <omn### [at] charternet> wrote in message
news:3c6c48a4@news.povray.org...
> "Michael Goldshteyn" <mik### [at] wwacom> wrote in message
> news:3c6c0f52$1@news.povray.org...
> > As a follow up, I believe that the memory leak could be related to the
> > radiosity settings.
>
> Having tried your example out to 25% of a render I can say that I did see
a
> page file growing as it progressed.  Beyond that I have no idea what would
> cause it to increase over time because I never checked before during a
> render, only the stats afterward or between animation frames.
>
> Since you suspect it to be radiosity causing it I guess you meant there
> might be a final stage while the rendering proceeds and yet isn't making
> more sampling passes.  I don't want to conjecture anything though without
> knowing if there is continued radiosity sampling during the final phase of
> render.
>
> Yeah... I'm just here for moral support.
>
> bob h
>
>
>

Post a reply to this message

> With radiosity, it
> grows and grows until it hits around 650MB 75% into the trace.

Note: radiosity takes samples while rendering, that is why the radiosity
data is stored when interrupting renders!

    thorsten

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