Improve the performance of the tours with 3D models by ensuring that Chrome uses the Dedicated Graphics Card

In certain situations, virtual tours created in 3DVista, especially those containing 3D models or demanding multimedia like Stereo Video, may not work well. They may appear less fluid or smooth, or with jerky movements. This depends on many factors such as the device used, the complexity and size of the 3D models, etc. However, one particular factor we want to address in this article is having the correct configuration of the Chrome browser regarding the graphics card it uses to process and display these tours. We have observed that in many cases, users with good dedicated graphics cards were not getting good playback, and the problem was solely in this area. Chrome was actually using the integrated graphics card and not the dedicated one (the more powerful one). For this reason, even after optimizing the tours and 3D models with the tips we previously offered in this tutorial, the experience was not satisfactory. Similarly, this could be happening to some customers, which is a problem since it is something beyond our control. Moreover, it is relatively unknown to a large part of the public.

For all these reasons, here we explain how to configure the Chrome browser to ensure it uses the dedicated graphics card in the most optimal way and thus improve the performance, not only of 3DVista tours, but of any other content as well.

Steps to follow for the correct Chrome configuration:

1. Click on the settings button in the upper right corner (the three dots in a line).

2. Select the "Settings" option (at the bottom of the list).

3. In the left side menu that appears, select "System". Or go to "Advanced" and then "System" (in older versions).

4. Finally, if it is disabled, click to activate the "Use hardware acceleration when available" option.

You're done, but you'll need to close and reopen the browser to notice the changes applied.

Advanced Chrome settings that can also improve performance (flags):

Although enabling the above option is the one that can have the most impact, there are other settings that can also help squeeze the properties of your dedicated graphics card even more and thus improve performance.

This involves activating certain advanced GPU flag options. Here are the steps:

1. Type: Chrome://flags in the Chrome browser navigation bar and press enter.

2. On the page that appears, there is a search bar at the top, type the word "gpu".

3. Although many options will appear to enable, we recommend activating these two: "Override software rendering list" and "GPU rasterization". Then press the "Relaunch" button in the lower corner to apply the changes.

Force Windows to use the External Graphics Card in Chrome

For Windows 10 or 11 users, if the above changes have not taken effect, you can also try this other solution:

1. Go to the windows search bar or press the windows key to make it appear, and type "Graphics Settings" and press to open it.

2. In the list of applications that have access to the GPU, look for Google Chrome.

3. Select the application and click on the "options" button.

4. Now, in the "What do you prefer for graphics performance?" section, select the "Specific GPU" option and choose your dedicated graphics card.

5. Finally, restart your computer for the change to take effect.

Force Chrome to use an Nvidia Card

For users with Nvidia graphics cards, there is also the alternative of manually forcing Chrome to use it.

To do this, make sure you have updated the drivers for your card and follow these steps:

1. Go to the windows search bar or press the windows key to make it appear, and type "Nvidia Control Panel" and press to open it.

2. In the left panel, expand the first section "3D Settings" and choose the option "Manage 3D Settings".

3. On the right side, select the "Program Settings" tab and choose Google Chrome from the programs list.

4. In the "Select the preferred graphics processor for this program:" section, choose your Nvidia Card.

5. Click the "Apply" button in the lower corner and restart your computer.

That's it, we hope these simple steps help improve performance for those users experiencing display problems even with dedicated or external graphics cards.

In some cases, some options may vary slightly depending on the version of the operating system you have installed, or may not even be available if you only have a single graphics card, even if it is not integrated.