troubleshooting

Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

Link to this comparison view

Both sides previous revision Previous revision
Next revision		 Previous revision
troubleshooting [2026/07/21 22:12] – Michael Böhmetroubleshooting [2026/07/22 20:09] (current) – Michael Böhme
Line 8: Line 8:
  
 ==== Severe performance drop or slowdown in full-screen mode ==== ==== Severe performance drop or slowdown in full-screen mode ====
-{{ :aa.png?nolink&209|}}+
   * **Symptom:** shapeXT becomes noticeably sluggish when entering full-screen mode or running at high display resolutions.   * **Symptom:** shapeXT becomes noticeably sluggish when entering full-screen mode or running at high display resolutions.
   * **Cause:** Running at full-screen (especially on high-resolution displays like 1440p or 4K) significantly increases GPU memory (VRAM) consumption. Because shapeXT uses multiple render buffers alongside multi-sample anti-aliasing, the default setting (**4xMSAA + FXAA**) can exceed your graphics card's available VRAM. When VRAM fills up, the driver swaps memory to system RAM, causing a steep performance drop.   * **Cause:** Running at full-screen (especially on high-resolution displays like 1440p or 4K) significantly increases GPU memory (VRAM) consumption. Because shapeXT uses multiple render buffers alongside multi-sample anti-aliasing, the default setting (**4xMSAA + FXAA**) can exceed your graphics card's available VRAM. When VRAM fills up, the driver swaps memory to system RAM, causing a steep performance drop.
Line 16: Line 16:
       - Change the setting to **FXAA** (or **Off**). FXAA is a post-processing filter that provides clean edge smoothing without requiring additional VRAM.       - Change the setting to **FXAA** (or **Off**). FXAA is a post-processing filter that provides clean edge smoothing without requiring additional VRAM.
       - If your GPU has moderate VRAM headroom, you can also test intermediate options like **2xMSAA + FXAA** to balance visual quality and performance.       - If your GPU has moderate VRAM headroom, you can also test intermediate options like **2xMSAA + FXAA** to balance visual quality and performance.
 +        {{ :aa.png?nolink&209 }} 
     * **Option 2: Reduce the Transparency Alpha Buffer Size (Not Recommended)**     * **Option 2: Reduce the Transparency Alpha Buffer Size (Not Recommended)**
       - By default, shapeXT reserves **1024 MiB (1 GB)** of VRAM for Order-Independent Transparency (OIT) to correctly render complex overlapping molecular/crystal structures.       - By default, shapeXT reserves **1024 MiB (1 GB)** of VRAM for Order-Independent Transparency (OIT) to correctly render complex overlapping molecular/crystal structures.
Line 42: Line 43:
 ==== Application fails to launch ==== ==== Application fails to launch ====
   * **Symptom:** shapeXT cannot be opened, crashes immediately, or macOS displays an architecture/compatibility warning.   * **Symptom:** shapeXT cannot be opened, crashes immediately, or macOS displays an architecture/compatibility warning.
-  * **Cause:** shapeXT has been highly optimized for modern Mac hardware and **only supports Apple Silicon chips** (M-series). +  * **Cause:** shapeXT has been optimized for modern Mac hardware and **only supports Apple Silicon chips** (M-series). 
   * **Solution:** Older **Intel-based Macs are not supported**. To run shapeXT, you need a Mac with an Apple Silicon processor. You can verify your processor by clicking the Apple Logo in the top-left menu bar and selecting **About This Mac**.   * **Solution:** Older **Intel-based Macs are not supported**. To run shapeXT, you need a Mac with an Apple Silicon processor. You can verify your processor by clicking the Apple Logo in the top-left menu bar and selecting **About This Mac**.
  
  • troubleshooting.1784671943.txt.gz
  • Last modified: 2026/07/21 22:12
  • by Michael Böhme