questions about CPU consumption

[danklim]

Hi i am using Resolume Avenue and have some questions about CPU consumption, Could you please help?


1) Do bypassed layers/clips take up CPU resources? If so, how much (compared to non-bypassed clips/layers)?

2) Do ‘hidden’ layers take up computer resources? For example, If i have a a syphon source or a webcam source that is not at all visible in the composition output because it is stacked below a fully opague layer. Or would i be much better off bypassing these ‘hidden’ layers that are lower in the stack to conserve CPU?

3) Do layers with transparency turned all the way to 0% take up much computer resources? For example, if a webcam or syphon source is the top layer but is fully transparent does that use CPU or am i better off bypassing the layer?

4) Do bypassed effects take up much CPU? If so, how much compared to active effects?

5) Do non-active effects take up much CPU? For example, if i keep a crop effect on every clip so that i can have the option to crop it more quickly without needing to add the effect, does that take up CPU (even if the crop isn't actively 'cropping' anything out)?

6) Do bypassed effects with automation derived from external FFT gain (or BPM sync) take up much CPU (compared to bypassed effects without external FFT gain or BPM sync automation)?


7) Do additional or duplicate clips/columns/decks take up much computer resources? For example, if i re-use the same sources (or slightly modify them with different positioning/effects/sizing etc) in multiple different clips/columns/layers, does that take up much more CPU than just having the source in the active clip/column/deck? How about if these additional clips/columns/layers decks also have effects on them (some of which with FFT external gain automations)?


8) Does having multiple sources outputting to syphon (in the advanced output settings) take up much CPU, even if the syphon sources are not currently being used/inputted anywhere? A few months ago, i set up 4 different syphon outputs so that i could send different layers (independently from the composiition) to another app so that they could be recorded elsewhere (so that i could, for instance, seperately record the a layer that just has a shot of a piano being played without effects that i could use to edit a video later). Picture below. I figure that it certainly takes up resources to input it to another app and record it there, but does it take up resources to just have these syphon outputs running? If so, how much?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/w42q6ila7rua6 ... 4.png?dl=0


Thanks so much!

[Zoltán]

1. Bypassed layers, effects, and non playing sources consume minimal resources, unless their texture is used in Routers, effect clips or slices.

2. 'Hidden' layers are rendering. Resolume doesn't check if

3. same as 1.

4. also same as 1.

5. non playing clip's effects are not using resources.

6. External FFT spectrum is calculated only once. and that data is used by the effects parameters, so it only takes up resources if bypassed, when you see the parameter animating in a panel.

7. clips, and columns use memory, but that should not be an issue with Resolume 6 if you have plenty of RAM. Non playing Decks don't use much memory.

8. Syphon happens on the GPU, so it won't use much CPU. I guess the texture for it needs to be in use, so it will use vRAM.

[danklim]

Awesome, thank you!

a couple follow ups and One new question


regarding 6: FFT effects take up more resources when bypassed than active? Do you mean just the small amount of resources used to move the little bar next to the effect name, which continues even when effects are bypassed?

regarding 8: not familar with vRAM, do you think this will have a large effect in causing lag?



Lastly, I'm using an NDI to route a drawing app with a green background so that i can screen capture the app, chroma key it and write/draw on top of my video in Resolume. Generally, I plan to write something out and then just leave it there for a while, so it's not necessary to have a constant demand on CPU from capturing the screen at 30 FPS. I'm imagining that would be fairly resource intensive to screen capture and chroma key that layer, right? If so, is there any simple ways to reduce the CPU demand on this type of situation?.

I could take a screenshot of it and imagine that this would work well to reduce the CPU demands alot (right?) , but that would require me to drag the picture from finder and is more of a manual process than i would prefer. Is there any way in resolume to adjust the frame rate of the screen capture? Or freeze the screen capture with a single button or automatically freeze the screen capture when no new screen info is being updated? Anything like that?

[Zoltán]

regarding 6: FFT effects take up more resources when bypassed than active? Do you mean just the small amount of resources used to move the little bar next to the effect name, which continues even when effects are bypassed?

Yes.

regarding 8: not familar with vRAM, do you think this will have a large effect in causing lag?

vRam is Video memory. If you run out of vRam then yes, it can cause lags, because the old textures can't be re-used effectively.

Lastly, I'm using an NDI to route a drawing app with a green background so that i can screen capture the app, chroma key it and write/draw on top of my video in Resolume. Generally, I plan to write something out and then just leave it there for a while, so it's not necessary to have a constant demand on CPU from capturing the screen at 30 FPS. I'm imagining that would be fairly resource intensive to screen capture and chroma key that layer, right? If so, is there any simple ways to reduce the CPU demand on this type of situation?.

I could take a screenshot of it and imagine that this would work well to reduce the CPU demands alot (right?) , but that would require me to drag the picture from finder and is more of a manual process than i would prefer. Is there any way in resolume to adjust the frame rate of the screen capture? Or freeze the screen capture with a single button or automatically freeze the screen capture when no new screen info is being updated? Anything like that?

You could do a screenshot in Resolume with command (control on windows) + Shift + P this way it will be placed on layer 1 in the first available clip slot. No dragging from finder needed.

Not sure how you grab the drawing app, but if possible you could also send the background as transparent instead of green, so there is no need for the chroma key in the first place.
Or you could use a black Background and use an automask effect on it in Resolume, it's much lighter than the Chroma key, but in that case you couldn't draw with black. I guess you can't draw now with green.

[danklim]

Great, thanks again!

"You could do a screenshot in Resolume with command (control on windows) + Shift + P this way it will be placed on layer 1 in the first available clip slot. No dragging from finder needed."


Is there any way to move the clip automatically (or with a quick button press) to the top layer, instead of the bottom layer?

(I find myself asking this when i use the record button to record loops as well... after i record a loop or take a screenshot, i need to scroll down to the bottom layer and drag it back up to a top layer to be able to see it, which is some friction)

[danklim]

Also, I figured out how to make the drawing app have a transparent background, but its not showing up as being transparent in Resolume Avenue when i route it into resolume via NDI (pic below shows the drawing on top blocking the layers below). Do i need to process it with an effect in resolume? How can i remove the background (with the least CPU resources)?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ukvz0ybjve0m5 ... 9.png?dl=0

[Zoltán]

Thanks for the screenshot.
Looks like your best bet would then be to be use a black background in the drawing and an Auto mask effect on the NDI clip in Resolume.
Or you could simply set your layer for the NDI clip to ADD blend mode and 50% opacity.
These would use the least resources.