[metapost] Metapost capacity exceeded

[Taco Hoekwater]

Hi,

Steve Mohr wrote:
>   Hi
> 
> I'm trying to make a large number of plots in Mpost (~1000 of the type 
> below)
> I'm getting an error of
> 
> ! MetaPost capacity exceeded, sorry [independent variables=33554431].
> 
> Sample code below
> 
> Any ideas how to get around the issue? 

Splitting the plots into multiple files is the only option.

> is there a way to unassign variables?

No. The message is not really about variables, it is about unique
instances of variable objects (but that would be quite a mouthful
for an error message).

Due to the linear equation solving, the number if instances grows
faster than the number of variables, and there is a definite limit
that cannot be enlarged (overflow would occur).

This is one of the issues that will be solved by MetaPost 2.0
(expected late summer).

Best wishes,
Taco