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How to clear VRAM memory without restarting DAZ Studio?

IllidanstormIllidanstorm Posts: 655
edited December 2019 in New Users

When I render a scene with more than 11 GB on the 2080ti and then hit cancle, the memory on the GPU does not get cleared.

So when I want to rerender the scene it uses the CPU as the memory of the GPU is full.

I have to restart DAZ3D to get it cleared, is there a way to clear it without restarting it?

Post edited by Chohole on

Comments

  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 107,860

    Not that I am aware of.

  • DDCreateDDCreate Posts: 1,416

    I honestly thought you had to re-boot the whole computer to clear your VRAM

  • heinzerbrew_f94794efffheinzerbrew_f94794efff Posts: 235

    I honestly thought you had to re-boot the whole computer to clear your VRAM

    This is true if you want to clear all of it. Restarting Daz Studio will clear the ram that Daz has allocated, but not other programs.

     is there a way to clear it without restarting it?

    I have asked on the forums before and no one knew of a way for a user to manually clear the ram at the time. I suggest submitting a ticket, maybe they can add it or fix the problem.

    For now, I suggest grabbing the Iray memory assistant. It can estimate how much ram will be used. On my 4GB card, I try not to go over 3GB because multiple renders, for me, cause the memory used by daz to creep up. Scene optimizer can also reduce the size of your assets and remove "unnecessary" maps to help you get your scene down to size.

     

    If you do find a way to clear it please post it here.

  • charlescharles Posts: 866
    edited December 2019

    WINDOWS 10

    When you close DAZ Studio, check your Task Manager and check to make sure it is not still running. It can run for a very long time after you thought it was closed and not releasing the GPU Memory. You can End Task on it in Task manger and you should see your GPU Memory resolve under Task Manager Performance tab.

    Also make sure you are not leaving a previous render or partial render still open. You see it has that RESUME button on the panel so it is keeping that rendering state still in memory so make sure you close it. It is best to actually SAVE it, even if it's a partial instead of hitting the X on the top right to close the window which sometimes bugs and doesn't then release the render from memory.

    Also  It is worth noting that more and more programs are starting to take advantage of GPU Memory and processing for performance. Many default apps in Windows like Edge now use it and programs like Dropbox can be a huge hog on it, all that reducing your amount of render memory.  It is best to have two video cards, one dedicated to your renders and another cheapo for your displays and those junk tasks. If you do that make sure Daz isn't trying to use in NVidia Iray Advanced tab.

     

    Post edited by charles on
  • heinzerbrew_f94794efffheinzerbrew_f94794efff Posts: 235

    This has been a problem for a very long time. How much more time do they need? The problem seems to be related to the iray engine, iray has a "function" to release memory. The latest beta is even worse because it takes more memory because they force you to use optixprime or what ever its called. when I run out of memory while running iray it almost always fails to release the memory allocated. Thus requiring a restart of application. I simple button that tells Daz studio to release all memory that isn't needed would be great.

  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 107,860
    heinzerbrew_f94794efff said:

    This has been a problem for a very long time. How much more time do they need? The problem seems to be related to the iray engine, iray has a "function" to release memory. The latest beta is even worse because it takes more memory because they force you to use optixprime or what ever its called. when I run out of memory while running iray it almost always fails to release the memory allocated. Thus requiring a restart of application. I simple button that tells Daz studio to release all memory that isn't needed would be great.

    It's not DS that has the memory, as I understand it, but Iray - if it runs out of memory it seems unable to clear the memory itself.

  • heinzerbrew_f94794efffheinzerbrew_f94794efff Posts: 235

     

    Richard Haseltine said:

    It's not DS that has the memory, as I understand it, but Iray - if it runs out of memory it seems unable to clear the memory itself.

    Mmmm... well that is why I refferenced the iray engine, and why I said, "The problem seems to be related to the iray engine". I assume you haven't heard anything official from Daz. I only pop by the forums every few months so I'm sure I miss out on a lot. Any idea if they are even aware of the frustrations we are having?

  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 107,860
    heinzerbrew_f94794efff said:

     

    Richard Haseltine said:

    It's not DS that has the memory, as I understand it, but Iray - if it runs out of memory it seems unable to clear the memory itself.

    Mmmm... well that is why I refferenced the iray engine, and why I said, "The problem seems to be related to the iray engine". I assume you haven't heard anything official from Daz. I only pop by the forums every few months so I'm sure I miss out on a lot. Any idea if they are even aware of the frustrations we are having?

    Yes, and I imagine they are experiencing it themselves as well.

  • Umi no Senshi no IshiUmi no Senshi no Ishi Posts: 332

    I haven't had the issue for a while, and I'm certainly no expert so take the following with the appropriate amount of salt, but it was recomended to me to try :

    Win+Ctrl+Shift+B. 

    I was skeptical as I couldn't find a similar reference to this as a help, but according to Tom's hardware: 

    That combination tells windows to reset input cards, and graphic cards. Basically it empties the video buffer and restart the driver, and does the same for the keyboard, the mouse and the soundcard. It was made to mimick that functionality on tablets and tactile devices. Helping some users and techs with stuck graphic elements, black screens, stuck sleep modes, stuck mouse buttons and buzzing or looping sounds. 

    Encouraged, i searched for that combo and how-to-geek described: 

    To restart your graphics drivers, press Win+Ctrl+Shift+B on your keyboard.

    Your screen will go black for a split second and you’ll hear a beep. Everything will then reappear just as it was before you pressed the hotkey. All your current applications remain open, and you won’t lose any work.

    We even tried this shortcut while playing a PC game. The game kept running properly after we used the shortcut. That’s because Windows just restarts the graphics subsystem. All your applications are left alone and will continue running normally.

    This keyboard shortcut is part of the Windows 10 operating system, so it will restart NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel graphics drivers. Whatever graphics hardware your PC has, it will work.

    How to Recover From a Freeze

    There’s no guarantee that this will fix a system freeze. However, if your computer froze because of a problem with your graphics drivers, this shortcut may fix it. This shortcut can fix freezes that occur while playing 3D games, but it can also recover from freezes that occur while you’re just using your PC normally. Windows 10 uses your graphics hardware to accelerate the drawing of your desktop and even modern web browsers use it to speed up web page rendering. (https://www.howtogeek.com/351164/secret-windows-hotkey-restarts-your-graphics-card-drivers/ )

    I was going to give it a go next time I had the issue and se eif it worked on my 2080ti.

  • heinzerbrew_f94794efffheinzerbrew_f94794efff Posts: 235

    Umi no Senshi no Ishi if that erases the VRAM, I think that would cause a hard program crash when iray or daz attempted to access the allocated memory. It is worth a try though.

  • Fennario3DFennario3D Posts: 13
    edited December 2021

    So...does it work? Just read this and havent tried it yet

    Umi no Senshi no Ishi said:

    I haven't had the issue for a while, and I'm certainly no expert so take the following with the appropriate amount of salt, but it was recomended to me to try :

    Win+Ctrl+Shift+B. 

    I was skeptical as I couldn't find a similar reference to this as a help, but according to Tom's hardware: 

    That combination tells windows to reset input cards, and graphic cards. Basically it empties the video buffer and restart the driver, and does the same for the keyboard, the mouse and the soundcard. It was made to mimick that functionality on tablets and tactile devices. Helping some users and techs with stuck graphic elements, black screens, stuck sleep modes, stuck mouse buttons and buzzing or looping sounds. 

    Encouraged, i searched for that combo and how-to-geek described: 

    To restart your graphics drivers, press Win+Ctrl+Shift+B on your keyboard.

    Your screen will go black for a split second and you’ll hear a beep. Everything will then reappear just as it was before you pressed the hotkey. All your current applications remain open, and you won’t lose any work.

    We even tried this shortcut while playing a PC game. The game kept running properly after we used the shortcut. That’s because Windows just restarts the graphics subsystem. All your applications are left alone and will continue running normally.

    This keyboard shortcut is part of the Windows 10 operating system, so it will restart NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel graphics drivers. Whatever graphics hardware your PC has, it will work.

    How to Recover From a Freeze

    There’s no guarantee that this will fix a system freeze. However, if your computer froze because of a problem with your graphics drivers, this shortcut may fix it. This shortcut can fix freezes that occur while playing 3D games, but it can also recover from freezes that occur while you’re just using your PC normally. Windows 10 uses your graphics hardware to accelerate the drawing of your desktop and even modern web browsers use it to speed up web page rendering. (https://www.howtogeek.com/351164/secret-windows-hotkey-restarts-your-graphics-card-drivers/ )

    I was going to give it a go next time I had the issue and se eif it worked on my 2080ti.

    Post edited by Richard Haseltine on
  • LoonyLoony Posts: 1,817

    cooperhadaway said:

    So...does it work? Just read this and havent tried it yet

     

    I found this thread from google because I hate to kill Daz3d if I wanna make 4-5 Alternate images with spot renders (changing one outfit of a person or one object).

    Sometimes it works to render 2-3 images, but sometimes the GPU will not run.

    I tested the buttons and my screen restartet, but my VRAM kept full and the render doesn't started on GPU.

    Sad, it would be a great combo... and a easy solution :(

  • spiddle_5503d0ddb7spiddle_5503d0ddb7 Posts: 16
    edited April 2024
    This absolutely works 100% I use it every single render. Yes finally a solution!!!! My renders always start off fast then die after about the 5th one. This almost returns it back as if you haven't rendered anything. Thanks for posting this.
    Post edited by spiddle_5503d0ddb7 on
  • Seven193Seven193 Posts: 1,141

    If you mean Win+Ctrl+Shift+B, this shortcut is only for Windows 10/11 users. The GPU isn't hogging the memory in this case, it's the Windows display driver.

  • thilionthilion Posts: 60

    That Shift + Ctrl + Win + B is an interesting Shortcut, but unfortunately it doesn't clear the VRAM of my RTX 2080 Ti. The beep sounds and the screens go black a few times, but the VRAM stays exactly as it was before. Closing DS (V4.22) however will clear the VRAM. Though shutting down DS takes almost two minutes, if you let it shutdown gracefully. If you kill the process after some time, the VRAM is cleared instantly. A clear indication that DS is at least part of the problem, even if it is iray that is hogging the VRAM.

  • crosswindcrosswind Posts: 9,537

    Win+Ctrl+Shift+B just restarts the dispaly driver rather than release any occupied VRAM.

    1) Only after one stops Iray preview or close the render window, the consumed VRAM related to current Scene will be 99+% released.
    2) Only after one fully close DS application, the consumed VRAM reserved by NVIDIA Iray Engine (appr. 2.2 ~ 2.4 GB depending on different card series...) will be fully released.

  • vandeci127vandeci127 Posts: 6

    I was having this problem and couldn’t find any way to clear the VRAM on the forums, so I started messing around with the Daz3D settings and found an easy way to do it without restarting Daz3D. It’s actually very simple and practical: in the Render Settings options, next to Editor, there’s a tab called Hardware. Just uncheck the GPU and then check it again, and Daz will instantly clear the VRAM. Do this after rendering and it will free up the memory without needing to restart Daz. This was the only solution I found.

  • n.aspros123n.aspros123 Posts: 332

    How do you know if the VRAM has been cleared after restarting or using other methods?

     

  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 40,004

    vandeci127 said:

    I was having this problem and couldn’t find any way to clear the VRAM on the forums, so I started messing around with the Daz3D settings and found an easy way to do it without restarting Daz3D. It’s actually very simple and practical: in the Render Settings options, next to Editor, there’s a tab called Hardware. Just uncheck the GPU and then check it again, and Daz will instantly clear the VRAM. Do this after rendering and it will free up the memory without needing to restart Daz. This was the only solution I found.

    brilliant yes 

  • crosswindcrosswind Posts: 9,537
    edited September 14

    vandeci127 said:

    I was having this problem and couldn’t find any way to clear the VRAM on the forums, so I started messing around with the Daz3D settings and found an easy way to do it without restarting Daz3D. It’s actually very simple and practical: in the Render Settings options, next to Editor, there’s a tab called Hardware. Just uncheck the GPU and then check it again, and Daz will instantly clear the VRAM. Do this after rendering and it will free up the memory without needing to restart Daz. This was the only solution I found.

    A good discovery!  Most of us didn't know about that ~~ However, after testing with GPU-Z, it doesn't make big difference in comparison with the default behaviors of DS VRAM release.

    As we ever mentioned, when preview is stopped (switched back to texture shaded or other drawstyle...) or render window is closed, the consumed VRAM will be released. Only the reserved consumption by Iray engine (2.5GB+) is not released, but this part of VRAM consumption will be always reserved, i.e. always excluded from the available VRAM for scene-based rendering.

    Post edited by crosswind on
  • vandeci127vandeci127 Posts: 6
    edited October 4

    n.aspros123 said:

    How do you know if the VRAM has been cleared after restarting or using other methods?

     

    I use MSI Afterburner to monitor VRAM usage. The first number in blue is GPU usage, the second is VRAM usage, the third is CPU usage, the fourth is GPU temperature, and the last is CPU temperature. I recommend MSI Afterburner and configuring it to appear in the taskbar, so you can monitor it easily. 

    Captura de tela 2025-10-03 224714.png
    505 x 147 - 48K
    Post edited by vandeci127 on
  • vandeci127vandeci127 Posts: 6
    edited October 4

    crosswind said:

    vandeci127 said:

    I was having this problem and couldn’t find any way to clear the VRAM on the forums, so I started messing around with the Daz3D settings and found an easy way to do it without restarting Daz3D. It’s actually very simple and practical: in the Render Settings options, next to Editor, there’s a tab called Hardware. Just uncheck the GPU and then check it again, and Daz will instantly clear the VRAM. Do this after rendering and it will free up the memory without needing to restart Daz. This was the only solution I found.

    A good discovery!  Most of us didn't know about that ~~ However, after testing with GPU-Z, it doesn't make big difference in comparison with the default behaviors of DS VRAM release.

    As we ever mentioned, when preview is stopped (switched back to texture shaded or other drawstyle...) or render window is closed, the consumed VRAM will be released. Only the reserved consumption by Iray engine (2.5GB+) is not released, but this part of VRAM consumption will be always reserved, i.e. always excluded from the available VRAM for scene-based rendering.

     

     

    I use MSI Afterburner to monitor VRAM usage.

     Yes, I used to have a problem with the VRAM memory that Daz reserved, because when I started a new render it would interfere a lot… so I had to restart Daz every time. But by doing this, I don’t need to restart anymore. When I’m rendering, the VRAM stays around 10GB. After rendering, it stays around 3.5GB. If I disable the GPU and then re-enable it, VRAM usage drops to about 800MB. So, that’s how it worked for me.

    Post edited by vandeci127 on
  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 40,004

    I have been using this a lot now

    thanks vandeci127 yes

  • vandeci127vandeci127 Posts: 6

    WendyLuvsCatz said:

    I have been using this a lot now

    thanks vandeci127 yes

    You're welcome! I use it a lot too, always after I render or use the Iray preview 

  • Fennario3DFennario3D Posts: 13
    edited November 19

    vandeci127 said:

    I was having this problem and couldn’t find any way to clear the VRAM on the forums, so I started messing around with the Daz3D settings and found an easy way to do it without restarting Daz3D. It’s actually very simple and practical: in the Render Settings options, next to Editor, there’s a tab called Hardware. Just uncheck the GPU and then check it again, and Daz will instantly clear the VRAM. Do this after rendering and it will free up the memory without needing to restart Daz. This was the only solution I found.


    dude [my goodness] this works I think

    Post edited by Richard Haseltine on
  • realman_x1realman_x1 Posts: 0

    did you try intelligent standby list cleaner (software tool) ? it cleans different ram stuff

  • vandeci127vandeci127 Posts: 6

    Fennario3D said:

    vandeci127 said:

    I was having this problem and couldn’t find any way to clear the VRAM on the forums, so I started messing around with the Daz3D settings and found an easy way to do it without restarting Daz3D. It’s actually very simple and practical: in the Render Settings options, next to Editor, there’s a tab called Hardware. Just uncheck the GPU and then check it again, and Daz will instantly clear the VRAM. Do this after rendering and it will free up the memory without needing to restart Daz. This was the only solution I found.


    dude [my goodness] this works I think

    Yes, it works well for me, I no longer need to restart to clear the VRAM. 

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