The Oxygen VX1-16 Graphics Accelerator User’s Guide TM 3Dlabs,® Inc. 480 Potrero Avenue Sunnyvale, CA 94086 408 - 530 - 4700 www.3dlabs.
Copyright 2000 by 3Dlabs, Inc. 3Dlabs, GLINT and Permedia are registered trademarks, and Oxygen and PowerThreads are trademarks of 3Dlabs, Inc. or 3Dlabs Inc. Ltd. Pentium is a registered trademark of Intel. OpenGL is a registered trademark of Silicon Graphics, Inc. Soft Engine is a trademark of Vibrant Graphics, Inc. AutoCAD is a registered trademark of AutoDesk Inc. Colorific is a registered trademark of Sonnetech Ltd. Microsoft and Windows NT are registered trademarks of the Microsoft Corporation.
CONTENTS Introduction......................................................................................................................... v Welcome to 3Dlabs!......................................................................................................... vi System Requirements .................................................................................................viii Software Partners ...................................................................................................
Monitor Resolutions .......................................................................................................22 Appendix B - Software License ...........................................................................................23 SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT........................................................................24 Software License and Restrictions................................................................................24 Limited Warranty ............................
INTRODUCTION
Introduction Welcome to 3Dlabs! ® ™ Thank you for selecting a 3Dlabs Oxygen graphics accelerator card! ® The Oxygen VX1-16 accelerator uses 3Dlabs’ new GLINT R3 graphics processor to deliver genuine, industrial strength workstation graphics at an affordable price. The Oxygen VX1-16 benefits from innovative 3Dlabs’ technologies, like PowerThreads™ SSE software to distribute OpenGL throughput across multiple processors, and Virtual Textures to shatter the limitations of on-board graphics memory.
Introduction Overview Your Oxygen card has the following features: • The GLINT R3 rasterization engine The GLINT R3 rasterization engine accelerates tasks like true-color shading, texture mapping, antialiasing, and transparency operations. • Virtual Textures Virtual Textures is a hardware-based, full demand-paged virtual texture storage sub-system. With it, your Oxygen card can cache up to 256MB of textures stored in main system memory.
Introduction System Requirements Your system needs the following features in order to support Oxygen VX1-16: viii • Intel or AMD compatible, 166 MHz (minimum) system • Windows 98, Windows NT 4.
Introduction Software Partners Your Oxygen VX1-16 is compatible with a variety of graphics software packages, several of which are listed below. As testing continues and performance optimizations are made, the results and techniques are posted on the 3Dlabs, as well as the appropriate software partner’s, website. Software Application Web Site Address AutoCAD Colorific 3D Studio MAX Lightscape LightWave 3D Maya MicroStation Pro/ENGINEER SDRC I-DEAS Softimage | 3D SolidWorks Unigraphics http://www.
CHAPTER 1 - INSTALLATION
Installation Getting Ready To successfully use your new Oxygen VX1-16 card, you must install the card and the accompanying driver software. Whether you install your new card or the driver first depends on whether a video card is already present in your system. If there is a video card in your system: Uninstall the drivers for the existing card, then install the Oxygen driver. Once the new driver is loaded, remove the old card and install your Oxygen VX1-16 card.
Installation Installing Hardware The Oxygen VX1-16 is an AGP form-factor card. Check the documentation for your system for the location of the AGP expansion slot in your system. To remove an old card from your system 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Make sure you have uninstalled any old drivers and installed the Oxygen driver in their place. Turn off and unplug the power source for your system and each of its peripherals. Unplug the monitor cable from the old card. Remove the cover from your system.
Installation 3. Determine which slot you are going to use and remove its slot cover. 4. Remove the card from its anti-static packaging. Write down the serial number for registration and future use. Place the card into the expansion slot and seat it firmly. 5. Important! See your system documentation for instructions on securing the card to the chassis. Loose cards and connections can cause grounding and operating problems. 6. 4 Replace the cover on your system.
Installation 7. Connect the video cable from your monitor to the video connector on the card. Standard monitor connector 8. VX1-16 Plug in and start up your system, including peripherals, and log on to your operating system.
Installation Installing Software The Oxygen Product CD-ROM for the Oxygen VX1-16 includes Oxygen PowerThreads video driver software, which lets you set image quality and performance preferences for your card. This section describes the three software installation processes for supported Windows operating systems. To uninstall an old video driver 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. If there is an icon for the video card on the taskbar, desktop, or on the Control Panel, select the icon and then check for an uninstall option.
Installation Registering Oxygen VX1-16 When you register your Oxygen card you: • Activate your warranty • Receive notification of software updates • Qualify for technical support You can complete the registration card and return it to us in the mail, or register on-line once your hardware and software installations are complete. (You must have Internet access to register on-line.) 1. 2. 3. Open your Internet browser. Go to http://www.3dlabs.
CHAPTER 2 - SOFTWARE CONFIGURATION
Software Configuration The Oxygen VX1-16 Driver The Oxygen driver software lets you optimize the working relationship between your card, your system and your applications. The 3Dlabs Display Control Panel allows you to customize and create driver settings. The Taskbar based Configuration Manager provides quick and convenient access to most of the Display Control Panel features, and allows you to quickly switch between alternative driver settings.
Software Configuration The Display Control Panel When you first click the 3Dlabs tab in the Display Control Panel, this introductory page appears: It provides software version and basic hardware specifications, and a point-of-entry to the full set of Oxygen driver customization tools. Click the Advanced button for access to these panels: Information Setup Direct3D (Windows 98 only) OpenGL Support Monitor (Windows NT only) The following sections describe each in detail.
Software Configuration Information Screen The Information screen provides in-depth information about your selected (or the default) settings, as well as detailed hardware, software, and Direct3D specifications. This information can be especially useful if you should need to contact technical support about your Oxygen card.
Software Configuration Setup Screen The Setup screen lets you configure settings that are not specifically related to Direct3D or OpenGL. You can enable (check) and disable (uncheck) the 3Dlabs multi-monitor Windows Manager, which requires a system restart. This option is only available if there is more than one 3Dlabs display card in the system. You can enable (check) or disable (uncheck) the Taskbar based Configuration Manager with a mouse click. The default setting is enabled.
Software Configuration Direct3D Support Screen The Direct3D Support screen controls Direct3D application specific driver settings for Oxygen VX1 Windows 98 users, and lets you create your own settings. When the panel first appears, the Defaults, Add New and Remove Settings buttons, as well as the Advanced Options section, are hidden. They appear when you click the Advanced button.
Software Configuration For best performance this option should only be enabled for applications that will not operate correctly otherwise. Disable Direct3D Gamma Controls lets you turn off DirectX gamma control if you experience an extremely dark screen, potentially caused by an application’s use of an incorrect default. Gamma adjustment for this application affects the entire screen display.
Software Configuration OpenGL Support Screen This screen controls OpenGL-application-specific driver settings and enables you to create your own settings. When the panel initially appears the New and Remove Settings buttons, as well as the Advanced Options section, are hidden. They appear when you click the Advanced button at the top of the screen. Click Driver is optimized for application to reach a drop down list of applications, then select the one you want to use.
Software Configuration Wait for Vblank lets you determine whether the OpenGL driver will attempt to synchronize screen updates to the vertical blanking interval. Smooth animation of 3D applications can be achieved by rendering (drawing) to an off-screen window/ desktop-sized color buffer and copying or swapping the contents to the displayable front buffer at the completion of each frame. Visible “tearing” can occur if Wait for VBlank is not selected.
Software Configuration Monitor Screen This page allows Windows NT users to specify a monitor type and display the available settings, but it does not permit the actual selection of different monitor modes. To select modes, click the Settings tab at the top of the Display Properties panel. When you open the Display Properties panel and the DDC button is selected, your system automatically checks whether it is connected to a DDC-type monitor. If so, the available modes will be displayed.
CHAPTER 3 - TROUBLESHOOTING
Troubleshooting Troubleshooting If you have trouble using your Oxygen VX1-16 card or a 3D application, you may find the answer to your problem in the following sections. Always start your problem- solving efforts with the simplest solution and work up to the more complex ones. Monitors and Display Resolutions Question: My monitor is either blank, or the displayed image is distorted, scrambled or smaller than I expected.
Troubleshooting 4. Choose Exit and Save Settings. 5. Shut down, remove your old graphics card, and reinstall your Oxygen card. 6. Make sure that you are not using an old graphics board driver, and that you have uninstalled any other graphics drivers — particularly those provided by other companies using 3Dlabs chipsets. 7. Please see the Oxygen and Permedia System Integration Guide in the Troubleshooting FAQ section at http://www.3dlabs.com/support 8. You may need to update your system BIOS.
APPENDIX A - SPECIFICATIONS
Specifications Oxygen VX1-16 Specifications Item Specification Card size Power requirement Geometry processing Rasterizer RAMDAC frequency Memory NLX shortcard, AGP or PCI, single-slot 10.25 W @ 3v3, 1.
APPENDIX B - SOFTWARE LICENSE
Software License SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT THIS IS A LEGAL CONTRACT BETWEEN YOU, THE END USER, AND 3DLABS, INC. BY USING THE SOFTWARE ACCOMPANYING THIS GUIDE OR PRE- INSTALLED ON YOUR SYSTEM, YOU ARE ACCEPTING AND AGREEING TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS OF THIS SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT.
Software License Limited Warranty 3Dlabs, Inc. warrants that the SOFTWARE AND FEATURES licensed to you under this AGREEMENT will perform in accordance with 3Dlabs, Inc. published specifications for use on the same operating system as used by you at the time of purchase of the SOFTWARE or the system on which the SOFTWARE is initially mounted or installed (WARRANTY) for a period of ninety (90) days after the date of delivery to you as evidenced by your receipt (WARRANTY PERIOD).
Software License General This AGREEMENT will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of California without regard to conflicts of law principles or the UN Convention on the Sale of Goods.
APPENDIX C - REGULATORY STATEMENTS
Regulary Statements Declaration of Conformity We, 3Dlabs, Incorporated, 480 Potrero Avenue Sunnyvale, CA 94086 Phone 408-530-4700 Fax 408-530-4701 United States of America declare under our sole responsibility that the products ® ™ 3Dlabs Oxygen VX1-16 to which this declaration relates are in conformance with the following standards: EN 55024:1998, clause 4.2.1 EN 55024:1998, clause 4.2.2 EN 55024:1998, clause 4.2.3 EN 55024:1998, clause 4.2.3.2 EN 55024:1998, clause 4.2.
APPENDIX D - GLOSSARY
Terms and Definitions AGP Advanced Graphics Port. A dedicated graphics bus that transfers data at significantly higher speeds than the PCI bus. Alpha Blending This means to create transparent objects by allowing for the blending of pixels to simulate the transparency characteristics of an object. With alpha information, an object can be designed from being totally transparent to opaque. Alpha Buffer A portion of the frame buffer used to define the transparency value of a pixel in the frame buffer.
DirectX Microsoft’s APIs developed to access various system hardware. Direct 3D Microsoft’s API dedicated to 3D graphics, and a component of DirectX. Dithering The process of converting an image with a certain bit depth to one with a lower bit depth. Dithering enables the application to convert an image’s colors that it cannot display into two or more colors that closely resemble the original. Dithering works because the mind is tricked by the pattern of colors into thinking it’s a different color.
Heidi The API developed by Autodesk to work with its products, such as 3D Studio MAX and AutoCAD. MIP-Mapping (for texture processing) A feature that delivers photo-realistic images by wrapping 2D bitmaps around 3D objects closely matching the texture to the object. MIP-Mapping allows different versions of a texture to be used for objects of different sizes. It also enables faster performance as textures do not need to be scaled in real time.
Streaming SIMD An instruction set developed by Intel for Pentium III-processor based systems. Streaming SIMD can improve 3D vertice transformation and lighting, among other operations. SVGA Super Video Graphics Array. SVGA runs at 800 x 600. Tessellation The initial part of the 3D pipeline where the object is described by a set of triangles. Texture Mapping A technique that enables 2D graphic images to be “wrapped” around or “pasted” on to a 3D primitive.
INDEX Gouraud shading .....................................................31 A accelerator, graphics................................................31 AGP.........................................................................30 alpha blending .........................................................30 alpha buffer .............................................................30 anti aliasing .............................................................30 API ..............................................
troubleshooting........................................................19 S screen information.............................................10, 11 SDTP .......................................................................32 setup screen .......................................................10, 12 AGP.........................................................................vii software license agreement......................................24 software partners ..............................................
