By Bob Cramblitt
SPEC’s Application Performance Characterization (SPECapc) project group has released new performance evaluation software for workstations running Solidworks 2020.
Major new features in the new SPECapc for Solidworks 2020 benchmark include:
- Testing under the new Solidworks 2020 enhanced graphics interface.
- Two new CPU tests for file conversion and simulation.
- New tests that exercise the 2D drafting mode within Solidworks.
Comprehensive performance testing
The SPECapc for Solidworks 2020 benchmark includes 10 models and 50 tests exercising a full range of graphics, CPU and storage functionality. Model sizes range from 392 MB to 2.3 GB in memory. The following models are included in the benchmark:
- Audi R8 (car)—715 MB in memory, exercising graphics and Visualize CPU ray tracing
- Black owl (desktop computer)—1.15 GB in memory, exercising graphics and Visualize CPU ray tracing
- Digger (backhoe)—464 MB in memory, exercising graphics and Visualize CPU ray tracing
- Ferrari (car)—533 MB in memory, exercising graphics and Visualize CPU ray tracing
- Jet engine—665 MB in memory, exercising graphics and Visualize CPU ray tracing
- Menjac (motor assembly)—514 MB in memory, exercising graphics
- Motor—392 MB in memory, exercising graphics
- SpaceShipCrawler (NASA Crawler Transporter Model*)—2.3 GB in memory, exercising graphics
- Supercar (gullwing door)—822 MB in memory, exercising graphics
- Tesla tower—495 MB in memory, exercising graphics
Close cooperation with Dassault
Dassault Systèmes was a major contributor to development of the SPECapc for Solidworks 2020 benchmark, assisting with the new drafting mode implementation and providing quality testing for early iterations of the software.
“The SPECapc benchmark has been a great asset as we develop future versions of Solidworks,” says Siddharth Palaniappan, the Solidworks director of graphics and advanced visualizing for Dassault Systèmes. “I’m certain it will be valuable to our users as they strive to maximize performance on their workstations running Solidworks 2020.”
The new benchmark comes on the heels of the SPECapc for Solidworks 2019 software, released by SPECapc in October 2019.
“The close cooperation with Dassault Systèmes, along with timely, rigorous testing by our membership, has enabled us to accelerate our development cycle to meet the performance evaluation needs of Solidworks users around the world,” says Trey Morton, SPECapc chair.
Benchmark system requirements
- Dassault Systèmes Solidworks 2020 Service Pack 4 or greater, fully licensed
- Solidworks 2020 Visualize must be installed for CPU tests
- A license capable of running simulation is required for CPU tests
- Microsoft Windows 10 64-bit
- Windows Display scaling set to 100%
- Minimum 1920 × 1080 display resolution
- Minimum 16 GB of system memory
- Graphics hardware that fully supports Solidworks RealView, ambient occlusion, and OIT transparency. Note: Solidworks 2020 does not support OIT transparency for all graphics hardware, and will instead use an older style transparency. Non-compliant results cannot be compared to compliant results using OIT.
Available now for free downloading
The SPECapc for Solidworks 2020 benchmark is available for immediate downloading on the SPEC website (www.spec.org/gwpg) under a two-tiered pricing structure: free for the user community and $2,500 for sellers of computer-related products and services. SPEC/GWPG members receive benchmark licenses as a membership benefit.
Bob Cramblitt is communications director for SPEC. He writes frequently about performance issues and digital design, engineering and manufacturing technologies.
For more information about graphics and workstation performance, visit the SPEC/GWPG website, subscribe to the SPEC/GWPG enewsletter, or join the Graphics and Workstation Benchmarking LinkedIn group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8534330.
