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Anyone running Zbrush in a windows 7 VM on a mac - parallels or vmware fusion?

ZBrush Usage Questions
#1

If yes, what is the performance like? I am running windows 7 64 bit ultimate with Desktop Parallels on a MBP 2013.

I use the mac version of zbrush 4R7 32bit and I am running into an issue on the mac where, if I don’t set the MaxThreads back to 1 (Preferences->Performance) as soon as I start ZBrush, the fans are going nuts. And sometimes, even with that setting on, and for no apparent reason, zbrush goes to 90-100% CPU. There were other people reporting this issue (the one related to MaxThreads) on the zb forum. I contacted support a year ago and apparently apple is not helpful on this issue, so there is really no resolution to this problem.

I was wondering then if the windows version is any better, especially when you run it inside Desktop Parallels.

Thanks

#2

What mac model are you running? Specs?

If you do run on Windows you’ll have to buy another license of Zbrush (or trade with someone for your Mac version). Mac and PC use different serial licensing and so you can’t switch Zbrush between the operating systems. I wish they’d change this.

#3

Specs:

System Version: OS X 10.9.5 (13F34)
Kernel Version: Darwin 13.4.0

Model Name: MacBook Pro
Model Identifier: MacBookPro11,3
Processor Name: Intel Core i7
Processor Speed: 2.8 GHz
Number of Processors: 1
Total Number of Cores: 4
L2 Cache (per Core): 256 KB
L3 Cache: 6 MB
Memory: 16 GB

Chipset Model: Intel Iris Pro
Type: GPU
Bus: Built-In
VRAM (Dynamic, Max): 1024 MB
Vendor: Intel (0x8086)
Device ID: 0x0d26
Revision ID: 0x0008
gMux Version: 4.0.8 [3.2.8]

NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M:

Chipset Model: NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M
Type: GPU
Bus: PCIe
PCIe Lane Width: x8
VRAM (Total): 2048 MB
Vendor: NVIDIA (0x10de)
Device ID: 0x0fe9
Revision ID: 0x00a2
ROM Revision: 3776
gMux Version: 4.0.8 [3.2.8]

I am running Windows 7 64 bit Ultimate in desktop parallels 10.1.3. I allocated 8GB of memory to the vm and 512MB of video memory.

They have this option for a hobbyist, where you can buy a second license for the other operating system at half price. The disadvantage is that both licenses are linked together, so if you wanted to sell the product they both go together.

The problem is that I cannot test the windows version before I make the jump to pay more money. Hence my post here, to find out your guys’ experience.

Thanks