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Why is your computer using an Intel HD graphics chip instead of the dedicated graphics card?

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Lumion Support Center
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1. Here's why

Some PCs have got two graphics cards: a slow Intel HD graphics chip ("Integrated graphics") and a faster NVIDIA or AMD graphics card. 

     

1. Make sure that you have got a compatible graphics card

1.1: Click here to find out if your PC has got an NVIDIA or AMD graphics card.

1.2: Click here to see how many PassMark points your graphics card has got.

1.3: If it has got at least 2,000 PassMark points and at least 2 GB memory - and Lumion crashes or exhibits artifacts - it might be because the PC is using the slow Intel HD graphics chip in Lumion.

1.4: If the PC includes separate video output sockets (1 for the Intel HD chip and 1 or more for the NVIDIA/AMD graphics card) and you connect these sockets to separate monitors, it's very important that the Lumion window is only ever placed on the monitor that is connected to the fast NVIDIA/AMD graphics card. If the Lumion window is running on the monitor that's connected to the Intel HD chip, you should move the window to the monitor that's connected to the fast NVIDIA/AMD graphics card, and then quit and restart Lumion.

1.5: If the problem persists, please quit Lumion and follow the instructions in 2 or 3 below, depending on whether your PC uses an NVIDIA or an AMD graphics card:

 

2. NVIDIA graphics cards

2.1: Option A

  1. Right-click on the desktop and choose NVIDIA Control Panel.
  2. Manage 3D Settings -> Program Settings tab -> Add -> Locate Lumion.exe in the folder you installed Lumion in (usually in C:\Program Files\Lumion [Version])
  3. Select the preferred graphics processor for this program -> High-performance NVIDIA processor and start Lumion again:

        

2.2: Option B

  1. Open the folder you installed Lumion in, for example C:\Program Files\Lumion (Version).
  2. Right click on Lumion (or Lumion.exe).
  3. The Windows menu should show the option 'Run with graphics processor'.
  4. Select 'High-performance NVIDIA processor' if there are two active graphics systems running on the PC.

       

 

3. AMD graphics cards

3.1: Right-click empty space on the Desktop. 

3.2: From the menu select AMD Catalyst Control Center or AMD Radeon Settings - depending on what's available.

3.3: Follow the instructions on the following AMD web page in order to set Lumion.exe to 'High Performance', so that the fast AMD graphics card is used:

3.4: Start Lumion.

 

4. Verify that Lumion is using the fast NVIDIA or AMD graphics card

After making the change to the dedicated NVIDIA/AMD graphics card, Lumion may sometimes still display the Intel HD graphics chip on the Benchmark results screen. You can safely ignore this.

4.1: However, once you have run the Benchmark test again, the score should now be significantly higher which will indicate that the correct graphics card is used.

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