Introduction
Whenever Adobe or Blackmagic releases an update, we check for any issues with our Puget Bench tests. Most of the time, there are no problems. Occasionally, an API or project version change requires us to release a minor update. And in rare cases, our benchmarks uncover a performance or stability bug in the host application that requires a fix from the software developer. In After Effects v26.5, we have an example of the third situation.
Puget Bench tests a wide range of compositions, including a 4K comp using the Advanced 3D Renderer with an Environment Light and three Spot Lights. While this is a fairly heavy workload for After Effects, we have never had any issues with previous versions of the application.
Unfortunately, in After Effects v26.5 (and the latest v27.0-beta), there is a bug that can cause the application to crash when rendering this type of project with a generic “19970” error. This specifically affects the “Render – 3D Camera Explode” test in the Extended preset of the Puget Bench for After Effects 1.x benchmark. We are actively working with Adobe to fix the issue that our benchmark has exposed, but we do not yet have an ETA for a resolution.
Recommended Solutions
Since this issue requires a fix from Adobe, the full “Extended” benchmark preset cannot currently be completed in After Effects v26.5 (or the current v27.0-beta). At the moment, we suggest doing one of the following:
- Downgrade to After Effects v26.3. This will allow the benchmark to run, and is a good solution while we work with Adobe to fix the issue in v26.5.
- Use the Standard benchmark preset. Since the “3D Camera Explode” test is only in the Extended benchmark preset, you can run the benchmark using the Standard preset instead. It will not run the full suite of tests, but in most cases is more than enough to evaluate the performance of your system.
Conclusion
Issues like this are an unfortunate reality with complex applications like After Effects. The good news is that this is also a great example of how real-world benchmarks like Puget Bench can uncover stability issues that might otherwise go unnoticed!
For now, we have released a hotfix for the current Puget Bench for After Effects benchmarks to warn users about the issue when selecting the Extended preset with After Effects v26.5 or v27.0-beta. We are also working directly with the After Effects team to diagnose the root cause and implement a fix. When that is ready, we will update this post with more information.
If you’re using After Effects and want to see how your system performs, Puget Bench is completely free for end users. Run the benchmark and compare your results against thousands of systems in our After Effects benchmark database.
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