c++ - shared_ptr: horrible speed

Question

When comparing two variants of pointers—classic vs. shared_ptr—I was surprised by a significant increase of the running speed of the program. For testing 2D Delaunay incremental Insertion algorithm has been used.

Compiler settings:

VS 2010 (release) /O2 /MD /GL, W7 Prof, CPU 3.GHZ DualCore

Results:

shared_ptr (C++ 0x00):

N[points]         t[sec]  
100 000                6  
200 000               11  
300 000               16  
900 000               36  

Pointers:

N[points]         t[sec]  
100 000              0,5  
200 000               1  
300 000               2  
900 000               4   

Running time of the shared_ptr versions is approximately 10 times longer. Is this caused by the compiler settings or C++ 0x00 shared_ptr implementation is so slow?

VS2010 Profiler: For raw pointers about 60% of the time is spent by heuristic searching of the triangle containing inserted point (it is OK, it is a well-known fact). But for the shared_ptr version approx 58% of the time is spent using shared_ptr.reset() and only 10% is used for heuristic searching.

Testing code with raw pointers:

void DT2D::DT ( Node2DList *nl, HalfEdgesList *half_edges_dt, bool print )
{
    // Create 2D Delaunay triangulation using incremental insertion method
    unsigned int nodes_count_before = nl->size();

    // Remove duplicit points
    nl->removeDuplicitPoints();

    // Get nodes count after deletion of duplicated points
    unsigned int nodes_count_after = nl->size();

    //Print info
    std::cout << "> Starting DT, please wait... ";
    std::cout << nodes_count_after << " points, " << ( nodes_count_before - nodes_count_after ) << " removed.";

    // Are in triangulation more than three points
    try
    {
            //There are at least 3 points
            if ( nodes_count_after > 2 )
            {
                    // Create simplex triangle
                    createSimplexTriangle ( nl, half_edges_dt );

                    // Increment nodes count
                    nodes_count_after += 3;

                    // Starting half edge using for searching
                    HalfEdge *e_heuristic = ( *half_edges_dt ) [0];

                    // Insert all points into triangulation using incremental method
                    for ( unsigned int i = 3; i < nodes_count_after; i++ )  // Jump over simplex
                    {
                            DTInsertPoint ( ( *nl ) [i], &e_heuristic, half_edges_dt );
                    }

                    //Corect boundary triangles (swap edges in triangles adjacent to simplex triangles).
                    //They are legal due to DT, but not creating the convex hull )
                    correctBoundaryTriangles ( nl, half_edges_dt );

                    // Remove triangles having simplex points
                    removeSimplexTriangles ( nl, half_edges_dt );
            }

            //Print results
            std::cout << " Completed." << std::endl;
    }

Insert point procedure:

void DT2D::DTInsertPoint ( Point2D *p, HalfEdge **e1, HalfEdgesList *half_edges_dt )
{
    // One step of the Delaunay triangulation, incremental insertion by de Berg (2001)
    short   status = -1;

    //Pointers
    HalfEdge *e31 = NULL;
    HalfEdge *e21 = NULL;
    HalfEdge *e12 = NULL;
    HalfEdge *e32 = NULL;
    HalfEdge *e23 = NULL;
    HalfEdge *e13 = NULL;
    HalfEdge *e53 = NULL;
    HalfEdge *e44 = NULL;
    HalfEdge *e63 = NULL;

    try
    {
            // Test, if point lies inside triangle
            *e1 = LawsonOrientedWalk::findTriangleWalk ( p, &status, *e1, 0 );

            if ( e1 != NULL )
            {
                    // Edges inside triangle lies the point
                    HalfEdge *e2 = ( *e1 )->getNextEdge();
                    HalfEdge *e3 = e2->getNextEdge();

                    // Point lies inside the triangle
                    if ( status == 1 )
                    {
                            // Create first new triangle T1, twin edges set after creation
                            e31 = new HalfEdge ( p, *e1, NULL );
                            e21 = new HalfEdge ( e2->getPoint(), e31, NULL );
                            ( *e1 )->setNextEdge ( e21 );

                            // Create second new triangle T2, twin edges set after creation
                            e12 = new HalfEdge ( p, e2, NULL );
                            e32 = new HalfEdge ( e3->getPoint(), e12, NULL );
                            e2->setNextEdge ( e32 );

                            // Create third new triangle T3, twin edges set after creation
                            e23 = new HalfEdge ( p, e3, NULL );
                            e13 = new HalfEdge ( ( *e1 )->getPoint(), e23, NULL );
                            e3->setNextEdge ( e13 );

                            // Set twin edges in T1, T2, T3
                            e12->setTwinEdge ( e21 );
                            e21->setTwinEdge ( e12 );
                            e13->setTwinEdge ( e31 );
                            e31->setTwinEdge ( e13 );
                            e23->setTwinEdge ( e32 );
                            e32->setTwinEdge ( e23 );

                            // Add new edges into list
                            half_edges_dt->push_back ( e21 );
                            half_edges_dt->push_back ( e12 );
                            half_edges_dt->push_back ( e31 );
                            half_edges_dt->push_back ( e13 );
                            half_edges_dt->push_back ( e32 );
                            half_edges_dt->push_back ( e23 );

                            // Legalize triangle T1
                            if ( ( *e1 )->getTwinEdge() != NULL )
                            {
                                    legalizeTriangle ( p, *e1 );
                            }

                            // Legalize triangle T2
                            if ( e2->getTwinEdge() != NULL )
                            {
                                    legalizeTriangle ( p, e2 );
                            }

                            // Legalize triangle T3
                            if ( e3->getTwinEdge() != NULL )
                            {
                                    legalizeTriangle ( p, e3 );
                            }
                    }

                    // Point lies on the edge of the triangle
                    else if ( status == 2 )
                    {
                            // Find adjacent triangle
                            HalfEdge *e4 = ( *e1 )->getTwinEdge();
                            HalfEdge *e5 = e4->getNextEdge();
                            HalfEdge *e6 = e5->getNextEdge();

                            // Create first new triangle T1, twin edges set after creation
                            e21 = new HalfEdge ( p, e3, NULL );
                            ( *e1 )->setNextEdge ( e21 );

                            // Create second new triangle T2, OK
                            e12 = new HalfEdge ( p, e2, e4 );
                            e32 = new HalfEdge ( e3->getPoint(), e12, e21 );
                            e2->setNextEdge ( e32 );

                            // Create third new triangle T3, twin edges set after creation
                            e53 = new HalfEdge ( p, e6, NULL );
                            e4->setNextEdge ( e53 );

                            // Create fourth new triangle T4, OK
                            e44 = new HalfEdge ( p, e5, *e1 );
                            e63 = new HalfEdge ( e6->getPoint(), e44, e53 );
                            e5->setNextEdge ( e63 );

                            // Set twin edges in T1, T3
                            e21->setTwinEdge ( e32 );
                            ( *e1 )->setTwinEdge ( e44 );
                            e53->setTwinEdge ( e63 );
                            e4->setTwinEdge ( e12 );

                            // Add new edges into list
                            half_edges_dt->push_back ( e21 );
                            half_edges_dt->push_back ( e12 );
                            half_edges_dt->push_back ( e32 );
                            half_edges_dt->push_back ( e53 );
                            half_edges_dt->push_back ( e63 );
                            half_edges_dt->push_back ( e44 );

                            // Legalize triangle T1
                            if ( e3->getTwinEdge() != NULL )
                            {
                                    legalizeTriangle ( p, e3 );
                            }

                            // Legalize triangle T4
                            if ( e5->getTwinEdge() != NULL )
                            {
                                    legalizeTriangle ( p, e5 );
                            }

                            // Legalize triangle T3
                            if ( e6->getTwinEdge() != NULL )
                            {
                                    legalizeTriangle ( p, e6 );
                            }

                            // Legalize triangle T2
                            if ( e2->getTwinEdge() != NULL )
                            {
                                    legalizeTriangle ( p, e2 );
                            }
                    }
            }
    }
    //Throw exception
    catch ( std::bad_alloc &e )
    {
            //Free memory
            if ( e31 != NULL ) delete e31;
            if ( e21 != NULL ) delete e21;
            if ( e12 != NULL ) delete e12;
            if ( e32 != NULL ) delete e32;
            if ( e23 != NULL ) delete e23;
            if ( e13 != NULL ) delete e13;
            if ( e53 != NULL ) delete e53;
            if ( e44 != NULL ) delete e44;
            if ( e63 != NULL ) delete e63;

            //Throw exception
            throw ErrorBadAlloc ( "EErrorBadAlloc: ", "Delaunay triangulation: Can not create new triangles for inserted point p." );
    }

    //Throw exception
    catch ( ErrorMathZeroDevision &e )
    {
            //Free memory
            if ( e31 != NULL ) delete e31;
            if ( e21 != NULL ) delete e21;
            if ( e12 != NULL ) delete e12;
            if ( e32 != NULL ) delete e32;
            if ( e23 != NULL ) delete e23;
            if ( e13 != NULL ) delete e13;
            if ( e53 != NULL ) delete e53;
            if ( e44 != NULL ) delete e44;
            if ( e63 != NULL ) delete e63;

            //Throw exception
            throw ErrorBadAlloc ( "EErrorMathZeroDevision: ", "Delaunay triangulation: Can not create new triangles for inserted point p." );
    }
}

Testing code with shared_ptr:

Code was rewritten without any optimization...

void DT2D::DTInsertPoint ( std::shared_ptr <Point2D> p, std::shared_ptr <HalfEdge> *e1, HalfEdgesList * half_edges_dt )
{
    // One step of the Delaunay triangulation, incremental insertion by de Berg (2001)
    short   status = -1;

    //Pointers
    std::shared_ptr <HalfEdge> e31;
    std::shared_ptr <HalfEdge> e21;
    std::shared_ptr <HalfEdge> e12;
    std::shared_ptr <HalfEdge> e32;
    std::shared_ptr <HalfEdge> e23;
    std::shared_ptr &lt

Answer 1

shared_ptr are the most complicated type of pointer ever:

• Ref counting takes time
• Multiple allocation (there are 3 parts: the object, the counter, the deleter)
• A number of virtual methods (in the counter and the deleter) for type erasure
• Works among multiple threads (thus synchronization)

There are 2 ways to make them faster:

• use make_shared to allocate them, because (unfortunately) the normal constructor allocates two different blocks: one for the object and one for the counter and deleter.
• don't copy them if you don't need to: methods should accept shared_ptr<T> const&

But there are also many ways NOT to use them.

Looking at your code it looks like your doing a LOT of memory allocation, and I can't help but wonder if you couldn't find a better strategy. I must admit I didn't got the full figure, so I may be heading straight into a wall but...

Usually code is much simpler if you have an owner for each of the objects. Therefore, shared_ptr should be a last resort measure, employed when you can't get a single owner.

Anyway, we're comparing apples and oranges here, the original code is buggy. You take care of deleting the memory (good) but you forgot that these objects were also referenced from other points in the program e1->setNextEdge(e21) which now holds pointers to destructed objects (in a free'd memory zone). Therefore I guess that in case of exception you just wipe out the entire list ? (Or somehow bet on undefined behavior to play nice)

So it's hard to judge on performances since the former doesn't recover well from exceptions while the latter does.

Finally: Have you thought about using intrusive_ptr ? It could give you some boost (hehe) if you don't synchronize them (single thread) and you would avoid a lot of stuff performed by the shared_ptr as well as gain on locality of reference.