Computer Specification Recommendations

To run Hero effectively on your computer across most typical projects including single & multi-residential, some typical performance specifications are suggested below.

Note a 'light' or casual user using Hero occasionally or just for single dwelling projects are unlikely to require such performance levels and should find completely acceptable performance for computers below the suggested specifications. The most intensive uses of Hero include large multi-dwelling projects, and large or high quality PDF imports. Likewise we continue to focus on improving performance of the software and optimising our code-base such that lower specification machines can perform better.

Suggested Performance Specifications:

CPU:

• Latest generation CPUs recommended
• Multicore  (4-core minimum recommended, 8-core+ better)

The performance of your CPU will improve general performance across the applications, speed of changes to the model, running intensive calculations (such as geometry splitting, wing-wall and shading calculations etc) and user-interface updates.

The number of cores of your machine will allow more simulataneous parallel simulations to be performed for multi-dwelling projects, Whole of Home projects (where an additional 2x simulations are required beyond the star-rating one), and Optimisation batch simulations.

 RAM:

• 8gb minimum recommended
• 16gb+ preferred (particularly for large multi-residential projects or using many applications simultaneously)

The amount of RAM of your machine is particularly important for large, multi-dwelling or multi-level projects. 

Video Card:

• Dedicated 2-4gb+ graphics card recommended (preferred over onboard graphics cards)

A dedicated graphics card will improve general rendering of Hero, particularly the visual view.

Display:

• Dual monitor or single large monitor recommended to enable multiple views of Hero visible simultaneously, along with supporting applications such as PDFs, CAD or office suite applications to be open and visible.

Software Settings:

• Windows scaling 100% recommended

Hero is designed for 100% scale, operating Hero on a higher Zoom settings on Windows can cut off some screens or making them difficult to interact with. Change this setting by right-clicking your desktop and clicking Display Settings.

Improving Hero performance

To improve Hero performance, you might want to consider the following:

• If you machine has low RAM or insufficient memory, then consider reducing the quality of your background images; turn off saving of results (if on); and consider splitting multi-dwelling projects into smaller projects such as per level/floor-plate projects.
• Restarting your machine or Hero can sometimes clear system resources and improve performance
• Reduce the number of Hero views visible on screen (i.e. multiple windowed popped out views of each major Hero view).
• Close other applications or processes running in the background
• If your machine becomes substantially unresponsive during simulation, you may wish to turn on cloud simulations to free up system resources.