FreeForm Systems - System Requirements
It is our policy to continually evaluate and qualify new computer systems and hardware subsystems as they become available. For the latest information about hardware compatibility
and qualification notes, please revisit this page or contact your local SensAble reseller. Product:
FreeForm Modeling and FreeForm Modeling Plus systems Current Shipping Versions:
FreeForm Modeling v10 SP3, 32-bit
FreeForm Modeling Plus v10 SP3, 32-bit
FreeForm Modeling v10 SP3, 64-bit
FreeForm Modeling Plus v10 SP3, 64-bit
Important: Using the FreeForm system with one or more discrete components of a fully qualified configuration (graphics card, for example) as part of an a la carte configuration does not imply qualification of any kind, partial or otherwise. Graphics Cards - Want information about compatible graphics cards? Visit Support > Graphics Cards.
Window 7 Support Full Windows 7 support is planned for the next release of FreeForm targeted for general release mid 2010. We welcome your feedback as to your experiences with Windows 7 and will share our results as well.To date we have successfully installed PDD 4.2.122 and FreeForm Modeling Plus v10 on Windows 7 32-bit. We have done some preliminary testing and some issues have been noted. Support for FireWire devices (OMNI and Desktop using PCC) seems adequate. We are working with our partners to provide add-in parallel port cards and drivers that are compatible with Windows 7. For more information about Windows 7 support, visit the discussion on the user forum at www.freeformthreads.com.
Qualified Configurations
FreeForm Modeling and Modeling Plus – 32-bit Editions Minimum System Requirements
FreeForm Modeling and Modeling Plus – 64-bit Editions Minimum System Requirements
Important Notes
SensAble has tested and qualified the following specific configurations. Choosing one of these configurations will ensure the best possible experience when running the FreeForm system. The qualified systems can be configured for Windows XP Professional 32 or 64-bit or Windows Vista 32 or 64-bit. We do not recommend using the home editions of the operating systems. The qualified systems are robust high –performance workstations and can be downgraded for economic considerations by reducing the number of processors from two to one, reducing memory and selecting a mid-range graphics card from the FreeForm-compatible graphics cards. If the user changes the processor or component types then the system is no longer qualified. Desktop Workstations HP xw8600 with two Quad core E5440 processors (2.83 GHz) - 16 GB RAM
- SATA hard drive
- A SensAble-compatible graphics card
- Haptic device connectivity:
- PHANTOM Desktop with PHANTOM Communication Converter connected to onboard Firewire port.
- PHANTOM Omni connected to onboard Firewire port.
HP xw6600 two Quad core E5440 processors (2.83 GHz) - 8GB RAM
- SATA hard drive
- A SensAble-compaitble graphics card
- Haptic device connectivity:
- PHANTOM Desktop with PHANTOM Communication Converter connected to onboard Firewire port.
- PHANTOM Omni connected to onboard Firewire port.
Dell Precision T7400 Mini-Tower with two Quad Core Xeon E5430 processors, 2.66GHz, 2X 6MB L2 Cache,1333MHz - 4GB, DDR2 ECC SDRAM Memory 667MHz, 4X1GB
- nVidia Quadro FX1700 512MB dual DVI Graphics Card
- 146GB 3Gbps SAS, 15K RPM Hard Drive, 3.5 Inch
- Haptic device connectivity
- PHANTOM Desktop connected to onboard parallel port
- PHANTOM Desktop with PHANTOM Communication Converter connected to onboard Firewire port.
- PHANTOM Omni connected to onboard Firewire port.
HP Z600 with dual quad-core XEON X5550 CPU (2.66 GHz) - 4GB RAM
- SATA Hard Drive
- A SensAble-approved graphics card
- Haptic Device Connectivity
- PHANTOM Omni requires HP optional FireWire A card (NM981AV 1394-a)
- PHANTOM Desktop with PHANTOM Communicaton Converter (PCC), available from SensAble, requires HP optional FireWire A card (NM981AV 1394-a)
- PHANTOM Desktop requires third-party Parallel card (Axxon)
Note: The Axxon Parallet Port card (IC0534KB PCI/PCI-X) is the only full EPP card that provides the appropriate level of quality communications required for the SensAble haptic devices. The card works with Windows XP 32- and 64-bit. There have been some compatibility issues and we recommend that you check with Axxon to see if the card is compatible with your computer.
HP Z800 with dual quad-core XEON X5520 CPU (2.27 GHz) - 12GB RAM
- SeaGate Hard Drive
- A SensAble-approved graphics card
- Haptic Device Connectivity
- PHANTOM Omni connected to onboard FireWire A 1394 port
- PHANTOM Desktop with PHANTOM Communicaton Converter (PCC), available from SensAble, to onboard FireWire A 1394 port
- PHANTOM Desktop requires third-party Parallel card (Axxon)
Note: The Axxon Parallet Port card (IC0534KB PCI/PCI-X) is the only full EPP card that provides the appropriate level of quality communications required for the SensAble haptic devices. The card works with Windows XP 32- and 64-bit. There have been some compatibility issues and we recommend that you check with Axxon to see if the card is compatible with your computer.
Laptops
SensAble has qualified only the following laptops for use with FreeForm. These laptops are suitable for demonstrations and working at home, for optimum performance we recommend using one of the qualified desktop workstations. HP 8730w Quadro FX3700M X9100 (3.06GHz); Extreme Edition; 6MB L2 Cache; 1066MHz FSB Qualified for Windows XP and Vista 32 and 64-bit operating systems. For Windows XP 64bit use the NVIDIA graphics driver 176.87 dated Jan. 6, 2009.
HP 8730w Quadro FX2700M X9100 (3.06GHz); Extreme Edition; 6MB L2 Cache; 1066MHz FSB Qualified for Windows XP and Vista 32 and 64-bit operating systems. For Windows XP 64bit use the NVIDIA graphics driver 176.87 dated Jan. 6, 2009.
HP 8530w Quadro FX770M T9400, 2.53GHz; 6MB L2 Cache; 1066MHz FSB
The 32-bit editions of the FreeForm software are designed to run on the Microsoft®
Windows® XP Professional (32 bit edition) or Windows Vista (32 bit edition).
We do not recommend using the home editions of the operating systems. Running the system requires the following: Additionally, your machine must meet the following requirements: *The PHANTOM Omni device is IEEE 1394a compliant. However, SensAble is aware of customers that have experienced difficulties. See Important Notes below for more information.
The 64-bit editions of the FreeForm software are designed to run on the Microsoft®
Windows® XP Professional (64 bit edition) or Windows Vista (64 bit edition).
We do not recommend using the home editions of the operating systems. Running the system requires the following: Additionally, your machine must meet the following requirements:
* The PHANTOM Omni device is IEEE 1394a compliant. However, SensAble is aware of customers that have experienced difficulties. See Important Notes below for more information. If you run FreeForm on a non-qualified system that meets the system requirements described above and experience problems, SensAble support will make every effort to help solve the problems but cannot guarantee resolution.
SensAble has tested a variety of hardware platforms in combination with the graphics subsystems listed above. While we make every attempt to be as thorough as possible, hardware manufacturers change their products frequently and may be shipping newer products or have discontinued active support for others. Some SensAble FreeFrom users have had success running system configurations that deviate from the above. In such cases, these configurations are not officially supported by SensAble Technologies, Inc. The PHANTOM Omni device is IEEE 1394a compliant. However, SensAble is aware of customers that have experienced difficulties with the PHANTOM Omni device with certain IEEE 1394a chipsets such as those from Texas Instruments, Agere, and NEC. At SensAble, we have had great success with VIA chipsets. The reasons behind this are complex but our experience is that certain manufacturer's implementations of the IEEE specification for 1394a can vary widely. Manufacturers may use an assortment of chipsets when making their cards. Our test results indicate that VIA exceeds most or all IEEE standards. PHANTOM Omni devices, which require high I/O for the servo loop maintained for haptics, behave well with brand name manufacturers that use VIA chips. "No name" FireWire® cards and others do not test as well and packet loss is sometimes observed. SensAble does not officially qualify any particular manufacturer's card and chipset but is working with the IEEE organization and industry leaders to improve 1394. Additionally, SensAble highly recommends that customers using the PHANTOM Omni device purchase a 1394a FireWire card with VIA chipset. The Axxon Parallel Port card (IC0534KB PCI/PCI-X) is the only full EPP card that provides the appropriate level of quality communications required for the SensAble haptic devices. The card works with Windows XP 32 and 64bit. There have been some compatibility issues and we recommend that you check with Axxon to see if the card is compatible with your computer.
back to top
|
