TeX Configuration – Why is TeX Ignoring texmf.cnf?

texmftikz-pgf

I got the following error:

TeX capacity exceeded, sorry [main memory size=3000000]

while compiling a TikZ path containing ~10,000 points. So i decided to increase this memory limit of TeX. I edited the /usr/share/texmf/web2c/texmf.cnf file. Now it contains the following lines:

main_memory.latex = 30000000

main_memory.pdflatex = 30000000

main_memory.xelatex = 30000000

But the pdflatex or xelatex dies with the same error, and it says, that the main memory size is still 3,000,000. I was searching for other texmf.cnf files, and there is one here: /etc/texmf/web2c/texmf.cnf. But it's just a link, the changes what i made, appeared also in that file. So why does TeX ignore it?

I'm using TeX Live 2010/Arch Linux.

Best Answer

When you change the array size values in texmf.cnf, the formats need to be regenerated, since these values are stored into the formats themselves. The command used to recreate the formats is:

fmtutil-sys --all
Related Question