Regarding - XSI 32bit plugins runnable in XSI 64bit?
64 bit apps cannot load dlls compiled with 32 bits. All the pointers are twice as big so the generated code is completely different. So all 32bit plugins need to be recompiled for 64 bit. Fortunately it is not usually too hard to port a tool to 64 bits - most C++ API code needs no modification at all.
XSI 5.0 plug-in wizards and sdk examples will include Visual Studio .vcproj files for 64 bit compilation.
Also XSI can support providing both 32-bit and 64-bit self-installed plugins in the same workgroup directory so it will be possible to mix 64 and 32 bit machines on the same workgroup. And 32/64 bit Shader .dlls can can also be supported on a hetreogeneous workgroup.
Regarding - 32bit applications on 64bit systems, possible?
Yes, the 64 bit version of Windows XP has backward compatibility support to run Win32 applications.
Hope this helps,
-Andrew
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-xsi(at)Softimage.COM [mailto:owner-xsi(at)Softimage.COM]On Behalf
Of Anthony Rossano
Posted At: Tuesday, August 09, 2005 4:12 PM
Posted To: xsi
Conversation: 64 vs 32bit systems: implications
Subject: Re: 64 vs 32bit systems: implications
Hi all -
Yup, we are building a 64 bit Linux backend right now, and while I have
to be sensitive to disclosure rules, etc, I can shed some light.
1) one benefit is that newer, faster, stronger hardware is now available
for 64 bit, including multicore machines, so we get 4 way machines that
share a memory pool. This has performance benefits, and reduces data
transfer loads (compared to two separate dual proc machines connected
over ethernet)
2) More addressable memory. Bigger scenes. More instances. More texture
in RAM, without the hit of MAP files on disk. Less crashing renders!!!!
3) A significant speed increase on much of our rendering. Why? I don't
know. More efficient processor design? bigger native floating point
calculations? Who knows?
4) Perl and Python are both parts of a base lin64 install. Don't know a
thing about window 64. We use a lot of PHP to avoid platform issues.
5) Farm management....... Win64 has the same dearth of built in
commincation tools that make it hard to use windows 32 machines for
large, headless, remote controlled operations. You'll have to be tricky,
and write some custom stuff.
6) plugins. This is a big issue. Native windows plugins written in
.net are difficult (to say the least) to port to lin 64. They seem to
run on Win64 (Opteron), but I have not tested extensively. We're
thinking of just using mental ray on the 64 bit farm to avoid those
problems.
so - our path is a bit different (mental ray on Lin 64) but in general,
from a perspective of hardware and performance, 64 bit is a really big
help for rendering.
Lastly, Softimage has been AWESOME in providing the 64bit base shaders
and a 64 bit ray3, with the support needed to use it.
Later -
ATR
Patrick Boucher wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> we're currently investigating the possibility of moving our 3D
> operations on 64bit Windows systems. This means a lot of things
> obviously and turns up a lot of questions:
>
> - Render farm management
> - XSI 32bit plugins runnable in XSI 64bit?
> - Application support
> - 32bit applications on 64bit systems, possible?
> - Perl on 64bit systems
> - Python on 64bit systems
> - What do 64bit systems mean to a 3D department beyond larger memory
> addressing?
>
> If anyone would like to share their experiences and/or performance
> observations I'd really like to hear.
>
> Thanks!
>
--
/* Anthony Rossano
Technical Director
arossano(at)omation.com
anthor(at)mesmer.com
"Philosophy is written in this immense book that is continuously
open in front of us (I mean the universe) but it is impossible to
understand it without knowing its language, and the characters,
in which it is written. It is written in mathematical language,
and the characters are triangles, circles, and other
geometrical figures, without which means it is impossible
for man to understand a single word; without these means
it is like wandering in a dark maze."
Gallileo Galilei, Saggiatore, 1623
*/
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