Incskape+Calligraphy tool+ Wacom Cintiq - extremely slow and strange behavior

[the Labelmaker]

Hello Inkscape friends!
I have some terrible problems with my Wacom Cintiq companion II tablet and inkskape.
I use inkscape for many years for digital lettering and calligraphy and I really do well. My old Cintiq was permanently connected to my PC. This new one is and independent device - something like portable computer-tablet. It doesn't need to be connected to PC to work with it.
So I do a lot of calligraphy and I am really terrified - my calligraphy tool works extremely slow and it sometimes behaves very strange. I have tried several good steps here to improve my inkskape performance like removing the rulers and increasing the threads etc. Rulers made amazing results when they disappeared from my screen but after a while it all got really slow and irresponsive again.

Please, if possible, give me advice how to proceed and how to improve my inkscape performance while doing digital calligraphy.
Here it is a link to one of my digital calligraphy videos - this might give you some good idea what I exactly do:
http://www.thelabelmaker.eu/good-morning-digital-calligraphy/

Thank you!!!

[Moini]

Which Inkscape version are you using? On which operating system?

[the Labelmaker]

Hello,
I am using Inkscape 0.91 and it is the Win 10 on my Cintiq.

[brynn]

Welcome to the forum!

I'm trying to understand what the difference is between your old and new tablets.  When you say the old one was permantently connected, do you mean that you used it so much you never disconnected it?  Or was the hardware built in, somehow?  Or do you mean the new one communicates wirelessly?

Did you use the old one with the same version of Inkscape?  Are you able to use the old tablet anymore, at all? 

Are you able to connect the new one to your computer?

There's a relatively new stable version of Inkscape, which is 0.92.1.  And probably someone is going to suggest upgrading.  But if you used the old one successfully with the same version, I wouldn't have much hope that upgrading will solve the problem.  Although it's certainly easy enough to try it.

Usually the first thing we think, when we hear about performance problems, is the file must be huge.  But I'm not getting that impression in your case, because you're probably not working on files that are much different than usual.

The impression I'm getting is there must be something about the new tablet which Inkscape is stumbling over.  And I'm wondering if it might be the wireless connection - perhaps is causing a memory leak, or something?

One thing you might do, just to try and gather some more info, is have the Task Manager open while you work, and notice what the levels of memory and CPU are.  Just to include in a bug report, if we can't find the problem.  And my first impression is that we'll probably want to file a bug report, if we can't sort out the problem.  In case you don't alreay know how....well, I'm not sure about Win10, but it probably opens by right-clicking the task bar and choose Task Manager.  It probably stays always on top, so you  might need to rearrange the Inkscape window.

[the Labelmaker]

helo Brynn!
My answers are under your comments.
Maybe not posted the best way, but I am really not that good to know how to make perfect posts, though I tried.

Welcome to the forum!

I'm trying to understand what the difference is between your old and new tablets.  When you say the old one was permantently connected, do you mean that you used it so much you never disconnected it?  Or was the hardware built in, somehow?  Or do you mean the new one communicates wirelessly?

Ok, I will explain. My old Cintiq is just a digital tablet - you cant use if it is not connected to your PC. Doesn't have any operation system, there is no hdd - nothing. It is just a keyboard or mouse. My new one could work alone and it doesn't need to be connected to PC. It is actually a tablet-like PC with processor, hdd, ram, windows, etc. It has a touch function. The old one did not have touch. The touch doesn't work smooth. I have never tried it with other software different from inkscape, because I purchase my tablets just because I can use them with inkscape. This is my favorite program for calligraphy.
So there is no wifi connection on both tablets - old is linked with cable and works much better connected to 32Gb ram 6 core mobile station but it also behaves strange oftenly. Of course not that often like the new cintiq. As I said this ne cintiq is not connected to pc. It doesn't use any wifi connection or cable connection.

Did you use the old one with the same version of Inkscape?  Are you able to use the old tablet anymore, at all? 
I use same version on both. Old one performs better and more predictable. New one is a disaster. I start writing 1,2,3 letters and on the 4th one when I touch the screen with the pen, no trace appears for a few seconds though I continue writing. after a while only part of my stroke appears on the screen. Very slow. I use tremor set to 7 but I also apply a dashed outline on my curve to make the lettering look more rough and natural.

Are you able to connect the new one to your computer?

I tried once - a few months ago. Connected it to my home laptop which is a good one - dell M6800 + a lot of ram, SSD etc. It work good for a longer period of time but then the same issue appeared again. I have a feeling that there is something that I do that little by little expands somehows and after that blocks the whole system....

There's a relatively new stable version of Inkscape, which is 0.92.1.  And probably someone is going to suggest upgrading.  But if you used the old one successfully with the same version, I wouldn't have much hope that upgrading will solve the problem.  Although it's certainly easy enough to try it.

will do this soon - maybe I should first learn how to save all my settings from the old one.:-)))

Usually the first thing we think, when we hear about performance problems, is the file must be huge.  But I'm not getting that impression in your case, because you're probably not working on files that are much different than usual.

I don't use any special effects, bitmaps, plugins etc - simple vector graphic with many nodes.

The impression I'm getting is there must be something about the new tablet which Inkscape is stumbling over.  And I'm wondering if it might be the wireless connection - perhaps is causing a memory leak, or something?

When I read your thoughts, I am thinking of one major difference apart from being connected to pc or work alone. The new one has touch and the old one doesn't.

One thing you might do, just to try and gather some more info, is have the Task Manager open while you work, and notice what the levels of memory and CPU are.  Just to include in a bug report, if we can't find the problem.  And my first impression is that we'll probably want to file a bug report, if we can't sort out the problem.  In case you don't alreay know how....well, I'm not sure about Win10, but it probably opens by right-clicking the task bar and choose Task Manager.  It probably stays always on top, so you  might need to rearrange the Inkscape window.


I will do this very soon and send you more info here!!!

Thank you so much for your help!!!

[brynn]

Ok, so I understand better about the new tablet.  Since it has its own operating system and etc., could you install Inkscape directly into it?

[the Labelmaker]

Yes, it is installed directly on the new cintiq from the very first moment I have it.
I am making some tests right now before go to bed - what I have spotted is that the slower and more precise I try to write the slower it starts to work.
I also somehow feel that the more vector objects I have on my page the worse it gets. Same with the zoom level - is it possible different zoom levels to reflect the speed?

I tried to swithch the Touch off for a while - no progress at all. Reduced the tremor level too - no change.

[the Labelmaker]

oh, and one more - I was really curios about wifi and I turned it off. No change at all sadly - on or off, still works the same way.

[brynn]

Well, I'm about to log off for dinner myself.

So Inkscape is installed on the same device which is also the graphics tablet?  I was thinking you meant that Inkscape is installed on the main pc, just like it was with the old tablet.  But Inkscape is installed on the tablet with touch screen, and not on the maing pc?

Just so we have the whole big picture, you know?

So on a graphics tablet, it's been my understanding that there's a pen which acts like the mouse, and you draw directly on the tablet, and make taps and stuff for clicking?  Am I understanding correctly that's how it worked with the old tablet?  Inkscape installed on PC + tablet with pen.

And I learned a while ago that graphics tablets don't really have a screen and that you can't see what you're drawing on the tablet, it only shows up on the computer screen.  So the old setup was computer with Inkscape installed, and graphics tablet with pen (but not pressure).

And the new setup is a computer and a sort of ipad with touch screen and pressure, and Inkscape is installed on the ipad tablet touchscreen (and not on the computer)??

What operating system is the ipad kind of tablet?  I didn't realize we had a version of Inkscape that would work on that kind of tablet.  Maybe that's the problem?

[Moini]

What are the processor / RAM of the tablet (its computational powers) in comparison to your desktop computer?
I guess it might be weaker, and thus Inkscape is slower there.

But also it may be related to Windows 10 itself, see, for example:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/1497754

Or maybe there are other, additional reasons. Do you have an example file that you can show us?

[Moini]

Oh, and the desktop theme can play a role, too (Aero seems to cause difficulties, as far as I understand: https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/1416653)

[the Labelmaker]

So Inkscape is installed on the same device which is also the graphics tablet?  I was thinking you meant that Inkscape is installed on the main pc, just like it was with the old tablet.  But Inkscape is installed on the tablet with touch screen, and not on the maing pc?

Just so we have the whole big picture, you know?

So on a graphics tablet, it's been my understanding that there's a pen which acts like the mouse, and you draw directly on the tablet, and make taps and stuff for clicking? 

Exactly ! Correct:-)

Am I understanding correctly that's how it worked with the old tablet?  Inkscape installed on PC + tablet with pen.

Correct too.

And I learned a while ago that graphics tablets don't really have a screen and that you can't see what you're drawing on the tablet, it only shows up on the computer screen.  So the old setup was computer with Inkscape installed, and graphics tablet with pen (but not pressure).

Both old and new cintiqs are monitors that have pressure sensitivity and you draw and see the result on them on the cintiq. The difference between the old and the new one is that older versions have to be connected to PC but you draw and seen your picture on the cintiq screen. In the new versions again you draw directly on the cintiq and you see it on the cintiq and you don't have to connect it to PC.

And the new setup is a computer and a sort of ipad with touch screen and pressure, and Inkscape is installed on the ipad tablet touchscreen (and not on the computer)??

Absolutely right!!! Exactly.

What operating system is the ipad kind of tablet?  I didn't realize we had a version of Inkscape that would work on that kind of tablet.  Maybe that's the problem?

DTH-W1310L - Cintiq Companion 2 Intel® Core™ i5-4258U (2.4GHz), 128 GB
This is the Cintiq I have problems with. It is produced in 2015. RAM = 8Gb. Unfortunately my previous post was a bit misleading - operational system must be Win 8 or WIn 8.1 as far as I understand from this.

This is 13 tablet with own processor, keyboard, ram etc. It has Touch technology and my Inkscape is installed on this device.
It doesn't need to be connected to real desktop PC. It is a computer by itself but if I for some reason want very much to connect it to PC and use it just like plain tablet, this is absolutely possible. I have done it once with a special coupling cable.

[Moini]

Thank you. It seems that processor and RAM should be sufficient for basic drawing.
Have you already had a chance to check the theming?
And can you upload a file that gets slow?

Does the slowness persist if you close the file, and all other Inkscape windows, then start Inkscape again and continue drawing in the file?

[the Labelmaker]

If I close everything and open the same file again, the problem disappears for a while and then everything goes the old way.
I also "discovered" a hidden feature - when it is too slow, I use the side scroll bars (no mater horizontal or vertical) to move to clear area for a second, and the go back to the place where my drawing is - this solves the problem for a while again, than the issue repeats...

[Moini]

Eek. That sounds annoying - but it now seems this doesn't have to do with the file itself, but with how Inkscape works with it.

What theme are you using on your Windows tablet? Does it go away if you switch from Aero to something else (e.g. Classic)?

Here's a guide where to set the theme (in this case, the guide sets Aero, but you'd need to test setting a different theme):
http://www.technorms.com/5094/windows-7-aero

[brynn]

Sorry I was out with the flu.  I was worried about this topic the whole time!  But  I'm glad Moini seems to have a better idea about this, than I do.  It's starting to sound like there might be a bug (in Inkscape)....or maybe not so much of a bug, but maybe just that Inkscape hasn't caught up to that technology yet.

Just for my own info -- If the tablet has its own operating system as well as Inkscape installed, why do you need the PC anymore?  What role does the PC play?

And so, when you're drawing on the screen of the tablet, are you also drawing directly onto the Inkscape canvas? 

The last time I tried to learn about graphics tablets, I was told you couldn't see what you were drawing on the tablet, that you could only see it in Inkscape, on the PC screen.  So things have changed apparently.

It was at that time that I learned some weird things can happen if you rest the PC mouse on the tablet.  That couldn't be the problem, could it?

Did you say this is happening eventually with all files?  Or is it just one file?  Is there anything else in the files, besides your Calligraphy (such as imported raster images)?  A sample test file which shows the problem would be helpful.  Even if the problem is happening in every file, there still could be something you just didn't think of.  Like for example, do you use a custom default template?

I wonder if the Input Devices dialog (Edit menu) might have some helpful options?  When you said how you can scroll away to clear the screen, and then scroll back, it seems to temporarily fix it, makes me wonder.  I don't understand much about the Input Devices dialog, but the Mode dropdown menu seems to have options which define the active area.  Maybe it needs to be set to the Window?  Maybe if it's trying to consider the whole screen, it's too much for inkscape?  Or maybe it's the other way around?  I see there's an option for pressure sensitivity there.  So if it's not checked, you could try it.

It probably has nothing to do with it.  But it would just take a moment or 2 to try it.

Edit
I was just checking on the control bar, since I don't use that tool very often.  If you're using a preset style, you could try not using it, just in a test file.  Just select No Preset.  Same if you're using a custom profile.