Required Memory and Disk Space for Temporary Files

AutoCAD

 
Required Memory and Disk Space for Temporary Files
 
 
 

Specifies settings that can affect performance of plotting large raster format files.

Large raster objects are expensive to plot because the files can be large. A 400 × 400 raster uses four times as much memory as a 200 × 200 raster. Color depth can also use a lot of memory, depending on the file format. True Color can use up to 32 times more memory than bitonal rasters. Keep memory issues in mind when configuring a large raster plot.

When you plot a large drawing or a large raster image, several types of temporary files may be created. Make sure you have enough space on your disks for temporary files in the following areas:

  • Windows temporary directory: Windows uses this directory for temporary files. The TEMP Windows environment variable determines its location.
  • AutoCAD temporary directory: AutoCAD temporary files are stored in a temporary file directory. This directory is specified in Options on the Files tab.
  • System directory: The system spooler uses this directory. When a plot is spooled, a copy of the data may be in this directory temporarily.
  • Swap space: Windows uses this swap space when an operation uses more RAM than is available. You can configure the location of Windows swap space in the System dialog box in the Windows Control Panel. Allow at least five times as much swap space as RAM. For example, ACIS models or large raster images need more swap space.

Depending on the situation, you may need thousands of megabytes of disk space for these temporary files.