For documentation on the current version, please check Knowledge Base.
Requirements for Orbit Desktop
The Orbit Mapping solutions do not require special hardware.
Do make smart choices in relation to the volume of data to be processed and the desired performance.
Operating System & Java
OSX or Windows. Technically Linux is supported as well.
Operating System and Software Requirements.
Computing Power
Depending your expectations, type and volume of used resources (e.g. point cloud, imagery, base maps, … ), here's a guideline :
- Minimum : 64 Bit OS, 4 GB ram, Dual core processor(s)
- Recommended : 64 Bit OS, 8 GB ram or more, Quad core processor
Software
Next to Java, no special requirements.
Graphics Card
Orbit desktop products use the Java Runtime Engine (JRE) and CPU to process graphic requests.
Orbit desktop products will use the 3D graphics card (GPU) to render complex 3D graphics, e.g. 3D tin models.
If no 3D graphics card is available, complex 3D requests will be processed by the JRE using CPU.
Virtual environments (like Citrix, Virtualbox, VMWare, etc.) are still struggling to incorporate movies or the use of moving high resolution images and may thus cause the Client to act slower.
For example, smooth viewing and roaming through high resolution spherical images or free navigating through a 3D point cloud requires an adequate frame refresh rate. These actions can be compared with watching a HD movie.
When using Citrix we do advise XenApp, including video optimization and a 1GB network connection.
Internet Connectivity
The Orbit desktop Standalone requires online connectivity to the Orbit License Service to operate, see Orbit Online License Activation.
Orbit desktop Clients do not require online access but require connectivity with their Orbit Server, see Requirements for Orbit Server.
Disk space
No special requirements for the Orbit software installation. A clean install is about 300MB.
More attention is required to organize the huge volume of mapping resources.
Data Storage and File Access
Storage
Orbit requires a file-based storage system. Can be either local or network storage system that supports direct file access.
On importing Orbit will process all mapping data into performance-optimized resource files, which may need a bit more storage capacity. The optimized storage reduces other hardware requirements.
File Access and Disc
Orbit requests result in direct file access, performance is particularly determined by the disc speed and disc access.
Slow discs or slow connections will create a bottleneck.
Big files
When processing large mapping datasets your file system should be able to store big files. Processing errors may occur due to (1) lack of disk-space to complete, (2) file size limitation of file system (FAT32 is limited up to 4GB, NTFS is advised) and (3) extremely fragmentation of storage volume.
Single operator
For standalone systems or other small setups you may want to store the data on external discs.
The use of a high-speed interfaces like eSATA or USB3 are highly recommended.
Multi operator
For larger volumes of data we advise to use one optimized central storage system (e.g. raid systems on server side) conform the volume of data and expected number of users. Make a wise decision, the slowest link will define the speed of use. This could be your network and not the data storage.
Note that you may host the mapping data on hardware other than the Orbit desktop installation. As long as there is a fast connection (1gb or more) between both, this will be no problem.
Example configuration
- Viewing Purposes :
64bit, dual core, intel i5 processor or equivalent, 4 GB memory, 2 USB3 connections.
- Processing Purposes :
64bit, quad core, Intel i7 or equivalent, 8GB Ram or more, 1TB hard disk, 2 or more USB 3 connections.
- Heavy Duty Processing Purposes :
64bit, quad core or more, Intel i7 or equivalent, 16 or 32GB Ram, 1TB SSD, 4 or more USB 3 connections.