FAQ: Installations

What are the current system requirements?

The minimum system requirement for AVA 5.9 is Mac®OS 12.4.

Most users have hardware that supports the latest Mac®OS, and can update for free by downloading it directly from Apple’s app store.
We always recommend that users keep up to date with Mac®OS updates in order to achieve the best operational performance possible. These updates are free from Apple, and will often include functionality and performance enhancements alongside the usual list of new and exciting features.

With Mojave being our minimum system requirement, we can provide you with the very latest features in a timely manner. A huge part of our development is debugging and testing, and this has to be done on each platform we support. Therefore, the fewer Mac®OS’s we support, the more focussed and thorough our testing process becomes, ensuring AVA’s products are more stable than ever before.
If you need any assistance with updating, or need advice on new hardware, please contact AVA Technical Support.

Mac®OS Version		AVA Version
12.4	Monterey	5.9
12.0	Monterey	5.8
11	Big Sur	5.7
10.15	Catalina	5.6
10.14	Mojave	5.5
10.13	High Sierra	5.4
10.12	Sierra	5.3
10.12	Sierra	5.2
10.12	Sierra	5.1
10.11	El Capitan	5.0
10.11	El Capitan	4.16
10.10	Yosemite	4.15

How can I set up AVA and the Mac®OS to use my preferred language?

AVA supports eight languages and whilst we don’t currently support everybody’s preferred language, there is a way of running AVA in one of the supported languages, whilst retaining the rest of the Mac®OS® in a preferred language.

Mac®OS® Monterey and below

Go to the  Menu > System Settings > Languages and Region.

As AVA will only use one of its seven supported languages, by placing one of the supported languages second in the list it is possible then to run the rest of the Mac®OS® in a preferred language.

Example

If you have your system in German, but want to have AVA in English, you would put Deutsch at the top of the Preferred languages list and English next:

System in Chinese and AVA in English

If you had your preferred language for the system set to Chinese (Simplified) there is no way to have AVA in English, as Chinese (Simplified) is supported.

You could though have the System’s preferred language set to Chinese (Traditional) and English second in the list. As Traditional Chinese is not supported by AVA, it will run in English.

Delete

Mac®OS Ventura

Go to the  Menu > System Settings > General > Languages and Region.

As AVA will only use one of its seven supported languages, by placing one of the supported languages second in the list it is possible then to run the rest of the Mac®OS® in a preferred language.

Example

If you have your system in German, but want to have AVA in English, you would put Deutsch at the top of the Preferred languages list and English next:

System in Chinese and AVA in English

If you had your preferred language for the system set to Chinese (Simplified) there is no way to have AVA in English, as Chinese (Simplified) is supported.

You could though have the System’s preferred language set to Chinese (Traditional) and English second in the list. As Traditional Chinese is not supported by AVA, it will run in English.

Delete

Why is it important to note that AVA is a signed gatekeeper application?

Gatekeeper (Mac® OS 10.8 and above) is a malware avoidance technology and works with applications being digitally signed from trusted developers.

AVA has been an approved and trusted Apple®developer for years, and we have signed the AVA application (AVA 4.7 and above) for your protection. This means if a malicious party such as a virus modifies the application, Gatekeeper will block its installation, thus keeping your Mac® safe.

Activate Gatekeeper by following these simply instructions;

Go to the Apple®Menu > System Settings > Security and Privacy, and click on the General tab
In the bottom section of this pane, you will see ‘Allow apps downloaded from:’. Click the padlock at the very bottom of the pane, and enter your user password. This will allow you to edit these settings
Choose ‘App Store and identified developers’. Click the padlock to lock these settings and close the window

How do I set AVA up to take advanced of the Mac®OS Sidecar feature?

Extend your desktop using your iPad on macOS Catalina (or higher). Sidecar lets you extend your workspace by using your iPad as a second display. Work in one app while you reference another, or view your artwork on your Mac while you store tools, windows and palettes on your iPad.

You can mirror the two screens so they both display the same content, making it perfect for precise painting or sharing exactly what you see with others. Sidecar works particularly nicely with AVA 3D Designer.

How does Sidecar work?

Sidecar works both wirelessly and through a wired connection. A wired connection has the small advantage of offering a slightly faster refresh, and it will charge your iPad while you work. A wireless connection requires WIFI, but you do not have to be connected to the internet.

Initiating Sidecar

Sidecar can be initiated in three ways:

Click the AirPlay button, and in the drop down menu you will see a section labeled Connect to that includes any device in range to which you can AirPlay.
From the Displays section of your Mac’s System Preferences, select your iPad from the list, and a new Mac Desktop appears on your iPad.
From the Sidecar section of a Mac’s System Preferences, which offers a drop down list of just the available iPads.

Why might my Mac® be running slow?

Do you feel that your Mac® is slower after running a Mac®OS update, or that is it is generally worse in performance than previous versions of the Mac®OS? There is often a reason for the Mac® to run a little slower upon installing new versions of the OS, and the steps below will help you to identify these issues and will help you to resolve them.

Do you feel your Mac® is performing slower than usual?

If you recently updated the OS and you feel the Mac® is slower than usual, we recommend keeping the Mac® awake and plugged in (if it’s a laptop) overnight. This is because, after a major Mac®OS update, the Mac® performs various maintenance routines behind the scenes such as reindexing the drive for Spotlight and Siri, and apps like Photos may reindex too, and this can take time. Therefore, leaving the Mac® on overnight gives it the chance to do all of these things while you are not trying to use it. Depending on how much reindexing it has to do, you may benefit from leaving it on for several nights. Once the reindexing and optimisation processes are complete, you should see a significant improvement in its performance.

Refrain from cluttering your desktop

If your desktop is filled to the rim with files and folders, this can result in general sluggishness of the Mac®. This is because each file or folder on the desktop requires resources to draw each thumbnail and keep it rendered on the screen. Therefore, having fewer of these items on the screen uses less system resources.

Keep up-to-date with the Mac®OS updates

Each software update includes bug fixes and enhancements, and if there are any known performance issues these will be addressed in the updates. We recommend running a backup your Mac® before installing any system software update.

Keep up-to-date with the application updates

Updating Mac® apps can also help improve performance, so don’t forget to update them too.

What are usage statistics and why does AVA want them?

AVA collects anonymised usage logs of how the application is used. By having these logs we can determine which parts of the software are the most popular, as well as determining which areas could do with improvements for future releases.

We would be most grateful if you allowed these logs to be obtained for the collective benefit of the entire AVA community. However, if you would prefer we did not collect them, this option can be changed at any time in the Feedback section of AVA Settings . If you have any questions, please contact AVA Support.

To switch the Usage Statistics on or off

Go to the AVA Menu and select Settings
From the window which opens, click on the Navigator button at the top of the Window
Click on the Feedback button, and select 'Send Anonymised Usage Statistics To AVA', or if you would prefer us not to gather this information from you, simply select None

AVA Knowledge