Skip navigation
Harbienator
Harbienator
Currently Being Moderated

Photoshop CS6 3D disabled

Dec 29, 2012 1:03 PM

Yesterday I signed up for Adobe Creative Cloud and delightedly started exploring the 3D features in Photoshop CS6. It worked perfectly well and there were no crashes.

 

This morning the Adobe Application Manager said there was an upgrade for Photoshop CS6 with "New Features". While it was downloading I watched some 3D tutorials.

 

Then when I opened a file in Photoshop with the intention of putting what I'd learned into practice, I got the following message:

 

"Photoshop has detected graphics hardware that is not officially supported for 3D, and has temporarily disabled 3D functionality. Updating the driver of your graphics card may resolve the issue.

 

Check the manufacturer's website for the latest software."

 

I have an iMac with an NVIDIA geforce 9400 256mb graphics card. It therefore cannot be upgraded as it is built-in, nor is there any sign of updated software either from Apple nor NVIDIA.

 

So this is my introduction to the Adobe Creative Cloud. Something works for one day and then is "upgraded" and ceases to do so!

2628 Views   14 Replies   Latest reply: pwhiteheadnj732, Dec 30, 2012 4:18 AM
 
Replies
  • Curt Y
    Currently Being Moderated
    1. Curt Y,
    Dec 29, 2012 11:34 AM   in reply to Harbienator
    Report

    Some 3D features require 512mb VRAM on the video card.

     
    |
    Mark as:
  • John Waller
    Currently Being Moderated
    2. John Waller,
    Dec 29, 2012 12:16 PM   in reply to Harbienator
    Report

    If it's any consolation, you're not the first person to be affected by this change in hardware requirement between dot releases.

     

    http://blogs.adobe.com/crawlspace/2012/10/heads-up-photoshop-system-re quirement-changes.html

    http://forums.adobe.com/message/4937784

    http://forums.adobe.com/message/4946088

     

    The blog post (first link) says

    "Please note: The system requirements for Photoshop CS6 Extended have always indicated that you need 512 MB of vRAM, but this wasn’t a hard enforcement."

     

    I can only see subtleties like that (then enforcing the requirement in a subsequent dot release so that functionality is suddenly disabled for some customers) creating grief and confusion for customers, as your post indicates.

     

    The engineering effort is to be applauded but the timing and execution of introducing the new requirements is poor.

     
    |
    Mark as:
  • Noel Carboni
    20,949 posts
    Dec 23, 2006
    Currently Being Moderated
    3. Noel Carboni,
    Dec 29, 2012 12:15 PM   in reply to Harbienator
    Report

    Time to upgrade the computer, assuming you want to keep up to date with the latest state of the art graphics software.

     

    You're not the first to mention being limited by the more stringent enforcement of minimum system requirements...

     

    http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1120661

     

    -Noel

     
    |
    Mark as:
  • John Waller
    Currently Being Moderated
    4. John Waller,
    Dec 29, 2012 12:18 PM   in reply to Noel Carboni
    Report

    Noel Carboni wrote:

     

    Time to upgrade the computer

    True but what happens if you're a Cloud member and you've got a working laptop where a feature worked yesterday and is disabled today following a dot release update?

     
    |
    Mark as:
  • Noel Carboni
    20,949 posts
    Dec 23, 2006
    Currently Being Moderated
    5. Noel Carboni,
    Dec 29, 2012 12:30 PM   in reply to John Waller
    Report

    You can uninstall, then reinstall from the original media and only update to the point revision that supported the facilities you needed (e.g., 13.0.1), and ignore further updates.  Certainly not ideal by any means, but you can get there from here.

     

    Adobe should have implemented direct downgrade capability.

     

    And just to be clear, it's a different feature (although admittedly very similar) that's not working today.  The 3D facilities are getting ongoing development.

     

    -Noel

     
    |
    Mark as:
  • conroy
    Currently Being Moderated
    6. conroy,
    Dec 29, 2012 12:46 PM   in reply to Noel Carboni
    Report

    I'd be seriously p*ssed off if I was a new Creative Cloud subscriber who has to choose between

    a) buying a new iMac, or

    b) 3D and no bug-fixes, or

    c) bug-fixes and no 3D

    for the remainder of their subscription. I hope that's not 364 days!

     
    |
    Mark as:
  • Noel Carboni
    20,949 posts
    Dec 23, 2006
    Currently Being Moderated
    7. Noel Carboni,
    Dec 29, 2012 1:08 PM   in reply to conroy
    Report

    I have to agree that caught off guard it would be kind of an irritating discovery, but consider this:

     

    Creative Cloud subscribers signed up to get the "latest and greatest" software technology ASAP - on purpose, right?

     

    Why would a person wanting to keep up to date with the latest and greatest software not expect to have to keep their hardware up to date?  It's not like Adobe Photoshop has ever been known for running well on much less than state-of-the-art hardware.

     

    Does YOUR computer run the latest Photoshop release?  If so, why?

     

    In my case, it's because I researched my needs, read system requirements, and thought about things that would help make the system more future-proof.  I've had video cards with 1 GB of VRAM or more since 2006.

     

    -Noel

     
    |
    Mark as:
  • Harbienator
    Currently Being Moderated
    8. Harbienator,
    Dec 29, 2012 1:28 PM   in reply to conroy
    Report

    You've summed it up perfectly correctly. I have 28 days in which I can cancel my Creative Cloud without penalty and this is under consideration.

     

    It's like Adobe has said: "Good morning! Overnight your iMac has become obsolete."

     

    I wouldn't have minded if the 3D hadn't been working yesterday and that makes it clear they've deliberately added something to break it for people from whom they are withdrawing "official support". It smells like sabotage for commercial purposes.

     

    I've done my best to carry on exploring the other delights that Photoshop CS6 has to offer, but it's always going to rankle having a 3D tab filled with greyed-out menu items and the only option being to "Get more content"!

     

    Get more content? That's really rubbing it in!

     
    |
    Mark as:
  • conroy
    Currently Being Moderated
    9. conroy,
    Dec 29, 2012 2:08 PM   in reply to Noel Carboni
    Report

    Noel Carboni wrote:

     

    Does YOUR computer run the latest Photoshop release?  If so, why?

     

     

    All of 13.0.1 Extended is available to me. (Haven't tried the botched 13.0.2 and 13.0.3 which wreck the licencing, but I expect the 3D will still work on my computer.) My computer has only 256 MB VRAM but that doesn't prevent the 3D features from being available and running. The 3D of 13.1.1 would be unavailable to me but maybe it would run if it were available. After all, I've been told the 3D of 13.0.x shouldn't run on my computer but it certainly does.

     
    |
    Mark as:
  • Noel Carboni
    20,949 posts
    Dec 23, 2006
    Currently Being Moderated
    10. Noel Carboni,
    Dec 29, 2012 2:33 PM   in reply to conroy
    Report

    I don't know whether 13.0.2+ enforces the 512MB VRAM requirement where 13.0.1 did not.  All the blogs, etc. seem to indicate 13.1 is where that happens.  I only mention this because 13.0.2 contained not only bugfixes but some feature development to support Retina displays.  As a PC user I cannot have personal experience with 13.0.2 or 13.0.3 myself, as they (probably thankfully) haven't released those updates to PC users.

     

    You're probably wise to stay on 13.0.1 for now on  your Mac.

     

    Assuming 13.0.2 and beyond (in the 13.0 series) will still allow 3D work on a 256 MB VRAM-equipped system, then your having purchased a "Perpetual" license is right in line with your system's capabilities.  I assume you downloaded the evaluation version, saw that it worked, then ponied up the cash.  Notably you did not opt for a Creative Cloud membership and all the benefits (and other issues) therunto appertaining.

     

    That's key here:  There's no way to "evaluate" 13.1 before accepting it for installation, and there's no easy way back.

     

    -Noel

     
    |
    Mark as:
  • conroy
    Currently Being Moderated
    11. conroy,
    Dec 29, 2012 3:08 PM   in reply to Noel Carboni
    Report

    Noel Carboni wrote:

     

    I assume you downloaded the evaluation version, saw that it worked, then ponied up the cash.

     

     

     

    Yep, exactly. Same as I do with all apps.

     

    There's no way to "evaluate" 13.1 before accepting it for installation, and there's no easy way back.

     

    It could be installed in a clone of the system volume and evaluated without risk to the primary installation. Maintaining bootable clones of the system is a piece of cake with a Mac and provides for almost immediate disaster recover.

     
    |
    Mark as:
  • pwhiteheadnj732
    Currently Being Moderated
    12. pwhiteheadnj732,
    Dec 30, 2012 4:31 AM   in reply to Noel Carboni
    Report

    Noel Carboni wrote:

     

    Time to upgrade the computer, assuming you want to keep up to date with the latest state of the art graphics software.

     

    You're not the first to mention being limited by the more stringent enforcement of minimum system requirements...

     

    http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1120661

     

    -Noel

    Heres what i'm confused about and your getting back to my point.  If the features still work to our abaility why is adobe forcing the restrictions on us?  No one has been able eto answer this one question for me yet. 

     

    Again is it because adobe was blamed for not doing it in the past and GPU's were frying with people like me and others using min requirments.  I threw this at an adobe person on the phone and he was silent.

     
    |
    Mark as:
  • pwhiteheadnj732
    Currently Being Moderated
    13. pwhiteheadnj732,
    Dec 30, 2012 4:16 AM   in reply to Noel Carboni
    Report

    yes but back then in 2006 1g of graphic was almost as much as the processor was.  Most people couldnt afford that and the programs after adobe got into the web world, buying out macromedia and scaling up the prices on the software.

     
    |
    Mark as:
  • pwhiteheadnj732
    Currently Being Moderated
    14. pwhiteheadnj732,
    Dec 30, 2012 4:18 AM   in reply to Noel Carboni
    Report

    13.0 it isnt enforced, but 13.1 is strictened.  people with 350 to 400 mb ram are lucky that 13.1 its working but i was told by adobe if u dont have that 512mb + everyone will be effected in 13.2

     
    |
    Mark as:
Actions

More Like This

  • Retrieving data ...

Bookmarked By (0)

Answers + Points = Status

  • 10 points awarded for Correct Answers
  • 5 points awarded for Helpful Answers
  • 10,000+ points
  • 1,001-10,000 points
  • 501-1,000 points
  • 5-500 points