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Any Mac users using Daz Studio on a Mac?

scottidog2scottidog2 Posts: 319
in Daz Studio Discussion

Am a Mac user. Are there any mac users using Daz Studio on a mac? I know there is no Nvidia card support.

Am interested in knowing how do you render Iray images and animations out of a mac?

If PC is the only way then why does Daz still create Daz Studio for Mac?

Comments

  • leemoon_c43b45a114leemoon_c43b45a114 Posts: 866

    I don't render animations on my Macs, but I do use Iray exclusively to render still images.  Your Mac will use the CPU to render using Iray.  On PCs with Nvidia cards, those will complete Iray rendering much, much faster using their GPUs.

    I'm rendering single character, full body portraits at 996 wide x 1251 high pixels in about 1 to 2 minutes using Iray on a newer MacBook Pro 2.4GHz i9.  That's about 7 to 10 times faster than my 2015 Mac mini could do it.  An Nvidia GPU in a PC would rip through that even faster.  Still, I'm impressed by the speed increase for my needs.

    Be warned that DAZ Studio will not currently run on macOS Big Sur.

    Lee

  • scottidog2scottidog2 Posts: 319
    eemoon_c43b45a114, Thank You for replying. I love using my iMac but its a 2013 model with 1GB Nvidia card. Using Catalina which has no Nvidia drivers. Want to get into Daz Studio for still images and animations, Is Filament going to be a render alternative that Mac users can use on CPU instead of Iray?
  • SadRobotSadRobot Posts: 116

    I'm sort of using it, but I'm looking into switching to Reallusion. If going to Big Sur means I can't use Daz anymore, I might as well look into the other options available on Windows.

  • leemoon_c43b45a114leemoon_c43b45a114 Posts: 866

    scottidog2, you're very welcome.  When DAZ updates Studio for the Mac, I'm pretty sure they'll include Filament and compatibility with Big Sur.  It may take them some time to do so.  They're saying mid-2021.  Not ideal, but if your current iMac can render quick enough using Iray and the CPU, then I'd say go for it.  That's what I've been doing for the bulk of this year.  Getting a new MacBook Pro with an 8-core i9 made a huge difference in rendering speed, though certainly not as speedy as being able to use an Nvidia GPU.

    There are some official forum threads here that have more in-depth discussions of Big Sur and DAZ Studio.  Some users are attempting to load a system library into Big Sur (it was replaced by a newer version which seems to cause DAZ Studio to become inoperable.)  We'll see how that progresses. :)

    I can't wait to try Filament.  I'd like to get back into animation (at a basic level).  Haven't done that since my Amiga/NewTek/Lightwave days in the late 1980s.

    My iMac is a 2011 model with a 256MB Nvidia card, but is sitting unused since it's having issues now.  Hence my new MacBook Pro. 

    Lee

  • leemoon_c43b45a114leemoon_c43b45a114 Posts: 866

    SadRobot, I believe DAZ will get the issue with Big Sur sorted out in a few months.  I picked up a new MacBook Pro (the 16" i9 one, instead of the 13" M1).  Wanted to make sure I had Catalina instead of Big Sur.  If it's only a few months, I can wait and upgrade to Big Sur next year when DAZ is ready for it.  For those who are buying a new Apple Silicon Mac, then that's a tough call.  Which is why I chose the MacBook Pro for right now.  I'll get an Apple Silicon powered desktop Mac later when DAZ is running on Big Sur.  I know many folks don't have that luxury, but if you can wait or use alternatives until then, I hope we are all delighted with the results. :)

    Lee

  • scottidog2scottidog2 Posts: 319

    leemoon_c43b45a114, Im going to wait till apple releases M2 based macs before making any upgrade decisions. All my software run on my imac except Daz Studio. I have a lot to learn to keep up with future opportunities.

  • leemoon_c43b45a114leemoon_c43b45a114 Posts: 866

    scottidog2, I *might* pick up a Mac mini M1 (16GB RAM/2TB SSD) in January to get a taste for what Apple Silicon brings to the table.

    Like you, I want my next higher end desktop to have more Apple Silicon performance/memory/storage before getting a system that I'll use for many years.  Even though DAZ Studio doesn't presently run on M1 or Big Sur Macs, it's exciting to see where these new low end Macs are performing and what could be coming for the higher end systems. :)

    Are you running Big Sur on your iMac?  If not, I've run DAZ Studio on Sierra, High Sierra, and Catalina without difficulties.  Just wanted to make sure there's not something else going on with your set up.

    Lee

  • SadRobotSadRobot Posts: 116

    leemoon_c43b45a114 said:

    SadRobot, I believe DAZ will get the issue with Big Sur sorted out in a few months.  I picked up a new MacBook Pro (the 16" i9 one, instead of the 13" M1).  Wanted to make sure I had Catalina instead of Big Sur.  If it's only a few months, I can wait and upgrade to Big Sur next year when DAZ is ready for it.  For those who are buying a new Apple Silicon Mac, then that's a tough call.  Which is why I chose the MacBook Pro for right now.  I'll get an Apple Silicon powered desktop Mac later when DAZ is running on Big Sur.  I know many folks don't have that luxury, but if you can wait or use alternatives until then, I hope we are all delighted with the results. :)

    Lee

    Yeah, although the way they've described the issue and the timeframe they've provided tells me (with some development experience) that I have no idea if their estimates are in any way accurate. It also makes me conserned that in 2 years, I could be in the same position.  I'm not really interested in that kind of uncertainty. I'll keep using Daz if they are the best option available, but this knocked them enough pegs for me to want to re-examine the assumption that they are the best for my needs.

  • leemoon_c43b45a114leemoon_c43b45a114 Posts: 866

    I completely understand where you're coming from, SadRobot.  I used to be a software engineer and did some hobby development in the 3D space many years ago.  It's hard for me to gauge how accurate DAZ estimates for getting DAZ running on Big Sur will be.  Catalina will be the version of macOS I use until DAZ is updated.  If I get an Apple Silicon Mac to go alongside my MacBook Pro, I'll get the experience of using Big Sur and the M1 while still using DAZ on the laptop.

    I really want DAZ Studio to get updated for the new Macs and OS.  And sooner rather than later!  I believe they know how critical this will be going forward.  While not a majority of DAZ customers, Mac users are (perhaps?) a significant enough percentage to keep us happy.  I wouldn't mind seeing a macOS build coming out first using the new development tools they're using/will be using for the next major DAZ Studio release, even if it means plug-ins/scripts aren't initially ready to go.  At least we'd get some usability and give developers time to update scripts/plug-ins or write new versions for those where the original developer is no longer with us.

    Just my random thoughts on the matter and as always, we should go with how our individual needs and assessments guide us. :)

    Lee

  • scottidog2scottidog2 Posts: 319

    Im running Catalina on my 2013 3.2 GHz Quad-Core intel Core i5 iMac, Nvidia GeForce GT 755 with 1 GB, 24GB DDR 3 RAM.

  • leemoon_c43b45a114leemoon_c43b45a114 Posts: 866
    edited December 2020

    DAZ Studio should run fine on your iMac, scottidog2.  With the caveat that it will likely use the CPU instead of the Nvidia card for Iray renders due to the limits of 1GB VRAM.

    My 2014 Mac mini is a dual core 2.6 GHz i5, 8 GB RAM, and Intel integrated graphics.  Not speedy at rendering, but workable for my meager rendering needs.

    The MacBook Pro that I've recently picked up is a new 8 core 2.4 GHz i9, 32 GB RAM, with the Intel integrated graphics and AMD Radeon Pro 5500M 8 GB.  Not that the Radeon GPU does any good with DAZ Studio. :)  Still, for CPU bound Iray rendering, it's substantially faster than the Mac mini.

    Your iMac should be much faster than my Mac mini, perhaps sitting somewhere between that and the MacBook Pro for CPU rendering speed.  If you can fit a scene on the GeForce GT, then I'd think you'd have the faster renders.

    Lee

    Post edited by leemoon_c43b45a114 on
  • scottidog2scottidog2 Posts: 319

    I'll download the latest DS and give it go. Thanks for your suggestions.

  • mbenoit_28085db99ambenoit_28085db99a Posts: 3

    I run both Mac and PC for Daz 4,2. I do only iRay renders on both.
    MacBook Pro 16-inch, 2019
    Catalina
    2,3 Ghz intel Core i9 8 cores, 32 gig Ram
    AMD Radeon Pro 5500M 4 gig and Intel UHD Graphics 630 1536 Mo
    all SSD

    My PC is i7-7800 X-Series 3.5 ghz
    Windows 10
    32 gig
    ASUS Roge Strix GeForce GTX 1080 Ti
    All SSD and 2 M2 SSD

    Suprisingly, the Mac renders faster my iRay renders than my PC by about 10% faster.
    On the Mac it is only CPU render my GPU not been compatible.
    At first I tought that I will use the mac to protptype and render on the PC.
    For very intense work that is what I do because the Mac is runniing full heat/fans ant even with the power supply plugged in, it barely suffices to maintain the charge, the 16 cores being raised to the maximum, (according to Activity monitor). I would not leave the machine running all night in that mode.

    On the Pc, the cooling is much better and the nvidia card is meant to go through that kind of effort.
    My mother board, being SLI (can share 3 video cards) I could add another 1080Ti card to maybe cut in two the render time. I can’t do that on the mac.

  • PerttiAPerttiA Posts: 10,024

    mbenoit_28085db99a said:

    Suprisingly, the Mac renders faster my iRay renders than my PC by about 10% faster.

    Are you sure your PC is not rendering on CPU also? 

    https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/comment/7486896/#Comment_7486896

  • TBorNotTBorNot Posts: 369

    I have a Mac Studio Ultra and its pretty good. Blender is geting very nice results out of their Metal port, now that Apple sent engineers over.  Other graphics libraries are also starting to be cross platform.  Hopefully, some day graphic will just work no matter what hardware you choose.

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