Autodesk Maya* “GPU memory limit exceeded” Error with Built-In Intel® Arc™ Pro GPUs

When using Autodesk Maya* on a mobile workstation system with the latest Built-in Intel® Arc™ Pro GPU in select Intel® Core™ Ultra Processors, the following message may appear: 

“Warning: GPU memory limit exceeded.” 

We recommend setting a dedicated amount of system memory for the Built-In GPU to use with Autodesk Maya if you receive this message. You can do so via Autodesk Maya’s Environment Variable settings. Environment Variables are commonly used and allow you to modify the default behavior of Autodesk Maya, in this case, the GPU memory limit. 

Built-in Intel® Arc™ Pro GPUs in select Intel® Core™ Ultra Processors will dynamically allocate up to half the shared memory on Windows® 10 and Windows 11* host systems. For example, a 32GB host system can have a 16GB (32/2=16) maximum dynamically allocated to the Built-In Intel Arc Pro GPU by the Operating System (OS). When using Autodesk Maya*, this setting needs to be forced to an explicit value to help Autodesk Maya* perform specific software functions correctly.  

This action is unnecessary when using Autodesk Maya* with discrete Intel® Arc™ Pro GPUs or Intel® Arc™ add-in GPUs with pre-defined amounts of dedicated memory on the graphics boards. 

1. Quickly configure an Autodesk Maya* GPU Memory Environment Variable using a command line within the application. Set the following value, updating your preferred MB value, within the command line:

   putenv “MAYA_OGS_GPU_MEMORY_LIMIT=<num_of_MB>

   A suggested starting amount for the memory limit is 4096 MBs; for example MAYA_OGS_GPU_MEMORY_LIMIT=4096 

   You may want to increase the memory limit amount. However, this is determined by your usage and workflows, for example, how many sessions are open and what other applications are in use on your host system. 

2. Once the Environment Variable is updated, you must restart Autodesk Maya* for it to take effect.

You can find more details on Autodesk Maya* Environment Variables on Autodesk’s help site at Maya Help | Environment Variables | Autodesk.

Intel is investigating whether this resolution affects a known issue where Built-In Intel® Arc™ and Built-In Intel® Arc™ Pro Graphics users may experience a crash with the SPECapc* for Maya* 2024 benchmark. Contact Intel Customer Support for more information.