Page 1
ELSA GLADIACTM5II
Page 2
© 2001 ELSA AG, Aachen (Germany)
While the information in this manual has been compiled with great care, it may not be deemed an assurance of product
characteristics. ELSA shall be liable only to the degree specified in the terms of sale and delivery.
The reproduction and distribution of the documentation and software supplied with this product and the use of its contents
is subject to written authorization from ELSA. We reserve the right to make any alterations that arise as the result of
technical development.
ELSA is DIN EN ISO 9001 certified. The accredited TÜV CERT certification authority has confirmed ELSA conformity to the
worldwide ISO 9001 standard in certificate number 09 100 5069, issued on June 15, 1998.
You can find all declarations and approvals for the products, as long as they were available at the time of publication, in
the appendix of this documentation.
Trademarks
®
Windows
OpenGL
, Windows NT® and Microsoft® are registered trademarks of Microsoft, Corp.
®
API is a registered trademark of Silicon Graphics, Inc.
The ELSA logo is a registered trademark of ELSA AG. All other names mentioned may be trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective owners.
Subject to change without notice. No liability for technical errors or omissions.
ELSA, Inc.
1630 Zanker Road
San Jose, CA 95112
52070 Aachen
USA
www.elsa.com
Germany
www.elsa.de
This product incorporates copyright protection technology that is protected by method claims of certain U.S. patents and
other intellectual property rights owned by Macrovision Corporation and other rights owners. Use of this copyright
protection technology must be authorized by Macrovision Corporation, and is intended for home and other limited viewing
uses only unless otherwise authorized by Macrovision Corporation. Reverse engineering or disassembly is prohibited.
Page 3
|
Preface
Thank you for placing your trust in this ELSA product.
In choosing the ELSA GLADIAC 511, you have selected a graphics board
which is just as well suited to professional users as to ambitious players.
ELSA products are subject to the highest of standards in production and
quality control which are the foundation for consistently high product quality.
This manual provides all the information you will need to get the best out of
your ELSA graphics board. For instance, which resolution is best for which
monitor, or how is the board upgraded? The accompanying utility programs
are described, and you will find detailed information about 3D acceleration.
This documentation was compiled by several members of our staff from a
variety of departments in order to ensure you the best possible support when
using your ELSA product.
Further information on the Internet at 'www.elsa.com'
Our online services 'www.elsa.com' are available to you around the clock
should you have any queries regarding your ELSA GLADIAC 511 or require any
further support.
Our KnowledgeBase can be found at 'www.elsa.com/support'. In the
'Support' file section under 'Know-How', you can find answers to frequently
asked questions (FAQs). Current drivers, firmware, tools and manuals can be
downloaded at any time.
EN
ELSAGLADIAC 5II
|
|
Page 4
EN
|
ELSAGLADIAC 5II
|
Before you read on...
The installation of the ELSA GLADIAC 511 hardware and software drivers is
described in full in the Installation Guide which accompanies this manual.
You should refer to that document before attempting to install your board, and
before reading this manual.
|
Page 5
Contents
|
1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1.1 Highlights of the ELSA GLADIAC 511. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1.2 What's in the box? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.3 What hardware do I need?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2 After installing the drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.1 Software installation from the CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.2 The right settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.2.1 What are your options?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2.2.2 What is best for what situation? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2.3 Changing the resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.3.1 Settings for Windows 95 and Windows 98/Me. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.3.2 Windows 2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.3.3 Windows NT 4.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
3 TV-Out Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3.1 One Interface – many possibilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3.1.1 From the VGA signal to the TV signal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3.1.2 What kind of device can be attached? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3.1.3 Direct connection of S-video devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
3.1.4 Connecting TV devices with the adapter cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
4 Graphics know-how. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
4.1 3D graphics representation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
4.2 3D interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
4.2.1 What APIs are available? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
4.2.2 Direct 3D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
4.2.3 OpenGL API . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
4.3 Color palettes, TrueColor and gray scales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
4.3.1 VGA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
4.3.2 DirectColor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
4.3.3 VESA DDC (Display Data Channel) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
4.3.4 DDC2B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
4.3.5 DDC2AB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
EN
ELSA GLADIAC 5II
|
|
Page 6
EN
|
5 Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
5.1 Characteristics of the graphics boards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
5.2 The ELSA graphics board addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
5.3 Ports on the graphics boards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
5.3.1 ELSA GLADIAC 511TV-OUT (32 and 64MB RAM) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
5.3.2 ELSA GLADIAC 511 TWIN and ELSA GLADIAC 511PCI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
5.3.3 ELSA GLADIAC 511DVI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
5.3.4 The VGA D-shell socket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
5.3.5 The S-video connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
5.3.6 The DVI Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
6 Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
6.1 CE conformity and FCC radiation standard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
6.1.1 European Council (CE). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
6.1.2 Federal Communications Commission (FCC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
6.2 Warranty conditions for Europe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
6.3 Warranty conditions for North America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
7 Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
8 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
ELSA GLADIAC 5II
|
|
Page 7
1 Introduction
Introduction
|
7
“Reading the manual is a waste of time.” A prejudice you are proving to be
wrong right now by reading this manual. And rightly so. In this case it’s really
worth the effort. Because the ELSA GLADIAC 511 has some smart features
that are only described here in the manual.
So only those who read the manual will truly be taken with this card. We'll
make it as short and easy as we can, promise.
1.1 Highlights of the ELSA GLADIAC 511
With the new ELSA GLADIAC 511 product family, ELSA offers the low-priced
entrance into the graphics boards technology with the Transform&Lighting
unit. It is based on the new NVIDIA GeForce2 MX 400 graphics processor and
supplies outstanding representation quality and performance e.g. for presentations, office and Internet applications or PC games. The operating systems
Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, and Windows Me are supported.
Five versions of the ELSA GLADIAC 511 cover the most areas of application
perfectly: The ELSA GLADIAC 511TV-OUT with onboard TV-out interface for
output of presentations, games or DVD movies on TV, VCRs or projectors
available with two memory outfits with 32 or 64 MB SDRAM. As well as a
second VGA output and the TV-out interface the ELSA GLADIAC 511PCI offers
almost GeForce AGP performance with a virtual AGP bus: Ideal for upgrading
older Pentium systems or PCs with onboard graphics chips without an AGP
slot. The ELSA GLADIAC 511TWIN offers high-quality multi-monitor solutions
with all standard monitors with full usage of the AGP performance.
The ELSA GLADIAC 511DVI is only available as a special solution for system
integrators. Modern digital monitors can also be connected to its DVI-I port
or extra monitors can be connected with the supplementary VGA output.
The retail versions, the GLADIAC 511TV-OUT, GLADIAC 511PCI and GLADIAC
511TWIN include an attractive software package, including ELSAmovie 2000
software DVD player and the latest games bundle.
쎲 The latest 3D graphics technology with the NVIDIA GeForce2 MX 400
GPU (graphics processing unit) processor
쎲 32 or 64-MB SDRAM depending on model
EN
ELSA GLADIAC 5II
|
|
Page 8
Introduction
8
EN
|
쎲 High-definition picture—high performance with up to 2048 x 1536 pixels,
over 16 million colors and refresh rates of up to 200Hz provide an
astounding picture—ideal for 19" to 24" monitors
쎲 Support via Internet and hotline
쎲 Three-year warranty
1.2 What's in the box?
You will notice if your graphics board is missing. But you need to check that
the box contains all of the following:
쎲 Graphics board
쎲 Installation Guide
쎲 CD-ROM with installation and driver software, utilities and electronical
documentation
If any part is missing please contact your dealer. ELSA reserves the right
to vary the products supplied without prior notice. The current package
contents are described on our web site.
1.3 What hardware do I need?
ELSA GLADIAC 5II
|
쎲 Computer: A system with an Intel Celeron, Pentium, AMD Athlon or
Duron processor (300 MHz or higher) and a minimum of 32 MB RAM is
required. Approx. 100 MB free disk space and a CD-ROM drive are
required for the installation.
쎲 Bus: The ELSA GLADIAC 511 is available in AGP or PCI formats. For AGP
your computer must have a free AGP slot, and must support the AGP
standard as specified in version 2.0 or higher.
쎲 Monitor: The ELSA GLADIAC 511 works with a standard IBM VGA
compatible horizontal scan frequency of 31.5kHz while booting and in
DOS operation.
|
Page 9
After installing the drivers
|
2 After installing the drivers
9
In this chapter you will find descriptions of
쎲 where you can find the software for operating your ELSA graphics board,
쎲 the performance characteristics of your graphics board, and
쎲 the most effective tuning for the combination of monitor and ELSA
graphics board.
2.1 Software installation from the CD
The ELSA graphics board is normally supplied with software on a CD-ROM.
You will find all the utilities described in this manual on the GLADIAC 511
CD—unless they are a component of the operating system.
Once you have successfully completed the steps described in the Installation
Guide, your ELSA GLADIAC 511 is integrated into your computer system with
installed drivers. If the autostart function for your CD-ROM drive under Windows has been switched off, the setup program on the GLADIAC 511 CD will
not start automatically. It can be found and started manually from the root
directory of the CD and is called SETUP.EXE.
The greater part of the installation is automated; ELSA setup detects the
installed operating system and ELSA graphics board(s). First of all select the
language for the installation and then the components you wish to install.
2.2 The right settings
EN
Our tip is: Invest a little time at this stage and you won’t regret it. Take your
time to set up your system just right. Your eyes will thank you for it, and you
are guaranteed to have more fun in front of your screen.
To set up your system properly, the following questions should be answered:
쎲 What is the maximum resolution I can set on my system?
쎲 Which color depth do I want to use?
쎲 How high should the refresh rate be set?
To help you find the answers to these questions, this chapter has been
divided according to the operating systems available. Just look for the
section about the operating system you use. All you need to know you will
ELSA GLADIAC 5II
|
|
Page 10
After installing the drivers
10
|
find there. All the software you need, if not already a part of your operating
system, is on the ELSA GLADIAC 511 CD.
EN
2.2.1 What are your options?
The tables below show the maximum possible resolutions for the
ELSA GLADIAC 511. Please note that these resolutions cannot be achieved
under all operating conditions.
Color depth 256 colors (8 bit) HighColor (16 bit) TrueColor (32bit)
2048 x 1536 60 – 75 60 – 75 60 – 75
1900 x 1440 60 – 85 60 – 85 60 – 85
1600 x 1200 60 – 120 60 – 120 60 – 100
1280 x 1024 60 – 170 60 – 170 60 – 150
1024 x 768 60 – 200 60 – 200 60 – 200
800 x 600 60 – 200 60 – 200 60 – 200
640 x 480 60 – 200 60 – 200 60 – 200
HighColor = 65,536 colors, TrueColor = 16.7 million colors
Max. refresh rate (Hz)
2.2.2 What is best for what situation?
There are some basic ground rules for you to follow when setting up your
graphics system. On one hand, there are the ergonomic guidelines, although
nowadays these are met by most systems, and on the other hand there are
limitations inherent to your system, e.g. your monitor. The question of
whether your applications need to run using large color depths—perhaps
even TrueColor—is also important. This is an important condition for many
DTP or CAD workstations.
“More pixels, more fun”
This is an opinion which is widespread, but which is not entirely true under
all circumstances. The general rule is that a refresh rate of 85 Hz meets the
minimum ergonomic requirements. The resolution to be selected also
ELSA GLADIAC 5II
|
|
Page 11
After installing the drivers
|
11
depends on the capabilities of your monitor. The table below is a guide to the
resolutions you might select:
EN
Monitor
size
17" 15,5"–16,0" 800 x 600 1024 x 768 1024 x 768
19" 17,5"–18,1" 1024 x 768 1280 x 1024 1152 x 864
20"/21" 19,0"–20,0" 1024 x 768 1600 x 1200 1280 x 1024
24" 21,0"–22,0" 1600 x 1000 1920 x 1200 1600 x 1000
Typical
image size
Minimum
resolution
Maximum
resolution
2.3 Changing the resolution
You set the resolution of your graphics board in the Control Panel under
Windows.
2.3.1 Settings for Windows 95 and Windows 98/Me
Once you have specified the graphics board model and the monitor data, the
program will automatically detect which settings are possible and which are
not. This means, for instance, that it is impossible for you to select an
incorrect refresh rate which might damage your monitor.
햲 Click on Start, then select Settings 왘 Control Panel.
햳 You will find the Display icon in the Control Panel. When you start this
program, you are shown a dialog box where you can modify the display
settings.
Ergonomic
resolution
햴 Click here on the 'Settings' tab.
2.3.2 Windows 2000
The settings for the graphics driver are included in the Control Panel under
Windows 2000. Use the command sequence
Start 왘 Settings 왘 Control Panel
to call the dialog window where you should find the icon for Display. Double
click on this symbol to open the window with its various tabs.
햲 Click on the 'Settings' tab.
ELSA GLADIAC 5II
|
|
Page 12
After installing the drivers
12
|
햳 Click Advanced... in the 'Settings' dialog.
EN
햴 Select the 'Graphics Board' tab in the dialog that opens.
햵 A button labeled Display mode... is located in the lower part of the
window. Click it to view a list of all configurable combinations of
resolution, color depth and refresh rate. The values in the list depend on
the capabilities of the monitor and graphics board. Select the desired
combination and confirm by pressing OK.
햶 When finished, click Apply... to check the new settings. You are then
given the option of selecting or canceling the chosen settings. If you are
satisfied with the new combination, confirm your selection by pressing
OK.
You will find further information on how to customize your graphics settings
under Windows 2000 in your system manual.
2.3.3 Windows NT 4.0
The settings for the graphics driver are included in the Control Panel under
Windows NT 4.0. Use the command sequence
Start 왘 Settings 왘 Control Panel
to call the dialog window where you should find the icon for Display. Double
click on this symbol to open the window with its various tabs. Click on the
'Settings' tab.
You can select the possible settings for 'Color palette', 'Font size',
'Resolution' and 'Display frequency' from this dialog box. The available
selection is determined by the ELSA driver you have installed. You should
always check the configuration you have selected by clicking on the Test
button.
You will find further information on how to customize your graphics settings
under Windows NT 4.0 in your system manual.
ELSA GLADIAC 5II
|
|
Page 13
TV-Out Interface
|
13
3
TV-Out Interface
This chapter describes the possibilities available with the TV-out adapter.
3.1 One Interface – many possibilities
The TV-out interface enables a whole new range of uses for the
ELSA GLADIAC 511. Here are some tips and ideas to get you started:
쎲 With your television, you can
쑗 finally experience the real action of the games. A sound card will
make your game playing a multimedia pleasure.
쑗 enjoy the DVD films in full view.
쎲 A professional projector with video input
쑗 brings your games and DVD films to the screen. You will really have
a movie theater in your living room!
쑗 displays your presentations in large format for a large group of inter-
ested viewers.
쎲 With your video recorder, you can
record games sequences as video. Your heroic campaign against the
쑗
Orcs can be preserved for posterity on video tape. Or incorporate
some digital specials into your tape of your family.
3.1.1 From the VGA signal to the TV signal
EN
Unlike a computer monitor, a television set is not able to process the VGA signals from a graphics board. This is obvious if the 15-pin monitor output on the
back of the graphics board is compared with a TV antenna cable. The signals
travel in fundamentally different ways. The TV-out interface of the
ELSA GLADIAC 511 is thus equipped with its own "interpreter", a chip which
converts VGA signals for the television. This TV signal is of course also recognized by other devices—such as a projector with TV signal input or a video
recorder.
3.1.2 What kind of device can be attached?
You can connect any standard TV or video device to the TV-out interface for
the ELSA GLADIAC 511. The TV output works in accordance with the S-video
standard. Modern devices with an S-video interface (compatible to Hi-8 sig-
ELSA GLADIAC 5II
|
|
Page 14
TV-Out Interface
14
|
nal) can therefore be connected to the TV-out interface. Older devices often
have only a composite input (also referred to as an FBAS input). An adapter
EN
cable is included so that you can also connect these devices to the TV-out
interface.
The best choice for devices that have both an S-video and a composite input
is the modern S-video connection. This will give you a better display quality.
The TV-out interface can generate signals conforming to the PAL and NTSC
standards. Refer to the operating instructions for your television or video
device to find out what signal standards it supports.
3.1.3 Direct connection of S-video devices
Devices with S-video input can be connected directly to the TV output. Use
an S-video cable with two mini-DIN connectors. These cables can be
obtained form any dealer.
ELSA GLADIAC 5II
|
|
Television
Video
Projector
S-video cable
with mini-DIN
connectors
ELSA GLADIAC 511 with
TV-out interface
Page 15
TV-Out Interface
|
3.1.4 Connecting TV devices with the adapter cable
15
To connect TV devices with composite or FBAS input use the adapter cable
included with your ELSA GLADIAC 511.
Cinch socket for devices
with composite input
Television
Mini-DIN connector
for connecting the
TV-out interface of
the GLADIAC 511
Video
Projector with video input
EN
ELSA GLADIAC 5II
|
|
Page 16
EN
TV-Out Interface
16
|
ELSA GLADIAC 5II
|
|
Page 17
4 Graphics know-how
Graphics know-how
|
17
This is the chapter where we really get stuck in. Anyone who wants to know
more about graphics—especially in connection with the ELSA GLADIAC
511—will find a whole load of technical stuff right here.
4.1 3D graphics representation
Today it is considered de rigueur to know all about 3D. Your curiosity will be
aroused as soon as you experience the first visual wizardry generated by your
new graphics board. Two features of the 3D display will leap out at you: it's
both realistic and fast. The amount of work required here is known only to the
processor, but we will describe it in detail to you below.
The 3D pipeline
What actually happens when a monitor displays a 3D object? The data
describing the 3D object are passed through what is known as the 3D
pipeline, in which the mathematical calculations for its representation in
space and perspective on the monitor are carried out. What happens in
detail?
Object data
Start: The object data
The pipeline starts at the object. The object description is made up of the data
(points). The basic geometric primitive is the triangle. The corner points of the
object's triangles are described using coordinate points (x, y and z), where the
'z' value represents the depth information. Depending on the display
representation, these points are assigned additional data regarding material,
texture, special effects and much more. As a result, an enormous amount of
data is sent into the pipeline.
Geometrical
transformation
Rendering
EN
Display on
the monitor
Geometrical transformation
This part of the 3D pipeline is very processor-intensive, as all the calculations
for the 3D scene are carried out at this stage. Simplified, it comprises the
following steps:
ELSA GLADIAC 5II
|
|
Page 18
EN
Graphics know-how
18
|
쎲 Transformation—In transformation, the objects are aligned in
perspective as seen from the observer's point of view.
쎲 3D clipping—In this process, each polygon is checked to determine
whether it is partially or fully invisible. The invisible faces or parts of
objects will be removed.
쎲 Back-face culling—This process computes hidden surfaces resulting
from the observation perspective chosen. Any object having an invisible
front surface is omitted.
쎲 Illumination—The illumination of the scene by different light sources is
calculated.
쎲 Scaling on the screen—The above steps are now calculated for three-
dimensional space using normalized coordinates. The on-screen image
coordinates will only now be computed.
RenderingRasterization
At this stage, the 3D scene is filled with color shades and textures are
applied. Different processes and methods are also applied here.
쎲 Shading—Shading takes account of the effects created by different
light sources on the 3D object and provide for a very realistic overall
impression. Here, too, there are different methods which are more or less
processor-intensive:
쑗 Flat shading assigns a color value to each polygon. This results in a
faceted representation, which requires only short computation times.
쑗 In Gouraud shading, all the vertices of the polygons are assigned a
color value. The remaining pixel information for the polygon is
interpolated. This method gives a very gentle color transition, even
with fewer polygons than are required for flat shading.
쎲 Texture mapping—At this stage, the 3D object undergoes a sort of
”face lift”. The materials and textures are assigned. Different methods
are used here to make the textures appear realistic, even when enlarged
or reduced. As a first step, the textures are computed:
쑗 Point sampling is the simplest method. A pixel-by-pixel comparison is
made between the texture template and the surface to be filled. This
method leads to a very coarse representation, especially when
enlarged.
쑗 In linear mapping, a new color value is interpolated from the adjacent
pixels (or texels) of a texture. This gives better results than point
sampling, as the hard boundary between the coarse pixels is blurred.
ELSA GLADIAC 5II
|
|
Page 19
Graphics know-how
|
쑗 The MIP mapping method stores a large number of enlargement
stages for the texture. The depth information of a primitive is then
used to determine which enlargement stages of the texture will be
used in drawing. Information concerning the transparency of the
texture is carried in the alpha channel. Finally, a distinction is made
in MIP mapping between bilinear and trilinear filtering. Bilinear
filtering interpolates between two pixels of two textures, trilinear
filtering interpolates between four pixels for each of two textures.
쑗 Bump mapping introduces a new dimension. Relief or raised textures
can only be generated with the other methods in two dimensions
using light and shadow effects.
The staircase effect is corrected by anti-aliasing. This is either done by
interpolating mixed pixels, in which a new color value is computed from
two adjacent color values.
쎲 The frame buffer
The finished image will not be written to the frame buffer until this
complex sequence of steps is completed. The frame buffer is made up of
front and back buffer. The back buffer acts as a buffer page, in which the
next image to be displayed is built up. The front buffer is the memory
area where the image that appears on the monitor is located. This
prevents the process of image drawing being visible. The duplicate
storage method is also known as double buffering.
19
EN
Buffer swapping: Display on the monitor
Two possibilities exist for transferring a completed image from the back to
the front buffer, and thus to the display. The obvious method is to copy the
contents to the front buffer one byte at a time, a process known as “blitting”.
Page flipping is significantly faster: in this case the content of the buffer is
not rewritten—the addresses of the front and back buffers are simply
exchanged. As a result, only tiny data volumes are transferred.
The buffer swapping will only ever be performed once the image drawing
process in the back buffer is completed. This procedure should be repeated
at least 20 times a second to give a smooth representation of 3D scenarios.
In this context, we speak of frames per second (fps). This is a very important
value especially for 3D applications. A cinema film runs at 24fps.
ELSA GLADIAC 5II
|
|
Page 20
Graphics know-how
20
|
4.2 3D interfaces
EN
Software interfaces, including 3D interfaces, are known as APIs (Application
Programming Interface). The question is what these interfaces are used for
and how they work.
In simple terms: They make developers' work easier. In the past it was
necessary to address the various hardware components directly in
programming if you wanted to exploit their capabilities to the full. The APIs
are a kind of translator operating between the hardware and the software.
The specification of standard definitions was the precondition for the proper
function of these translation routines. These definitions are implemented by
the hardware manufacturers during development and optimized for the
hardware concerned. Developers can implement complex procedures
relatively easily by using these definitions. They can use a uniform command
set when programming and do not need to know the characteristics specific
to the hardware.
4.2.1 What APIs are available?
There are a good dozen more or less commonly found 3D APIs. However, in
recent years, two formats have established themselves as the favorites:
Direct3D and OpenGL. ELSA graphics boards support these commonly found
3D interfaces. The functional differences between the interfaces are slight.
Your ELSA GLADIAC 511 supports the following APIs.
4.2.2 Direct 3D
ELSA GLADIAC 5II
|
As a development of Mode X and DirectDraw under Windows 3.1x, Direct 3D
is a branch of the DirectX multimedia family which was developed directly for
Windows 95 to accelerate the slow 3D display characteristics of the
operating system. Direct 3D cooperates with Direct Draw in two-dimensional display. A typical situation would be, for instance, rendering a 3D
object while Direct Draw is placing a two-dimensional background bitmap.
Immediate mode and retained mode
As can be assumed from the two terms, immediate mode is a programming
mode that is close to the hardware. Retained mode, on the other hand, is a
programming mode that is largely predefined through an API interface. What
does this mean in detail? Looking at the two systems hierarchically, the
immediate mode is also known as the low-level mode. The programming
|
Page 21
interface level is close to the hardware level and permits the programmer
direct access to special functions in the hardware component concerned. The
retained mode (high-level mode) makes it possible, for example, to load a
defined 3D object with textures into a Windows application. Here it can be
manipulated and moved using simple API commands. Translation takes place
in real time, without the need to know the technical structure of the object.
For further information see the Internet site www.microsoft.com/directx
4.2.3 OpenGL API
Since the OpenGL API was introduced in 1992, it has grown into the industry's
leading cross-platform 2D and 3D graphics API and its presence continues to
grow every day.
OpenGL is platform-independent and makes a distinction between immediate
and display list modes. A display list stores specific sequences that can be
recalled again later. The object descriptions can then be taken directly from
the list, resulting in very high performance. However, if objects need to be
manipulated frequently, the display list will have to be generated again from
new. The OpenGL API provides a wide range of graphics features, from
rendering a simple geometric point, line, or filled polygon, to the most
sophisticated representations of curved surfaces with lighting and texture
mapping. The some 330 routines of OpenGL provide software developers
access to these graphics capabilities:
For further information see the Internet site www.sgi.com/software/opengl
Graphics know-how
|
21
EN
.
.
ELSA GLADIAC 5II
|
|
Page 22
Graphics know-how
22
|
4.3 Color palettes, TrueColor and gray scales
EN
4.3.1 VGA
Common graphics modes are listed in the following table. Not all graphics
modes are available on the ELSA boards:
Graphics
mode
VGA 0x12
VGA 0x13
Standard 8
HighColor 15
TrueColor 24
(bpp = bits per pixel; bpg = bits per gun)
bpp bpg
4
6+6+6
8
6+6+6
6+6+6
8
6+6+6
16
16
32
5+5+5
6+6+4
5+6+5
8+8+8
8+8+8+8
Colors
(from palette)
16 of 262,144
256 of 262,144
256 of 262,144
256 of 16.7 million
32,768
65,536
65,536
16.7 million
16.7 million
Max. gray levels
16
64
64
256
32
16
32
256
256
In VGA graphics boards, the digital color information stored in the video
memory (4 bits for 16 colors or 8 bits for 256 colors) is converted into a digital
18-bit value in the graphics adapter in a CLUT (ColorLookUpTable). The 3 x 6
bits are converted separately for R/G/B (red/green/blue) in the RAMDAC (D/
A converter) and transferred to the monitor as analog signals on just three
lines (plus sync lines). The original color values are converted into completely
different values by means of a translation table. The value stored in the video
memory is thus not a color value, but only a pointer to a table in which the
actual color value is found. The advantage of this method: Only 8 bits need to
be stored for each pixel, although the color values are 18 bits wide; the
disadvantage: Only 256 colors can be displayed simultaneously from a
palette of 262,144 possible colors.
4.3.2 DirectColor
The situation is different in the case of DirectColor (TrueColor, RealColor and
HighColor). In this case, the value stored in the video memory is not translated but is passed directly to the D/A converter. This means that the full
ELSA GLADIAC 5II
|
|
Page 23
Graphics know-how
|
color information must be saved for each pixel. The meanings of the terms
RealColor, TrueColor, and HighColor can be confused, as they are not always
used unambiguously.
HighColor and RealColor
HighColor and RealColor usually describe a 15 or 16-bit wide graphics mode,
while TrueColor should only be used for the more professional 24-bit mode
(or 32-bit) mode.
15 bits provide 5 bits each for the red, green and blue values, resulting in 32
levels per RGB component and thus 32,768 (= 32 x 32 x 32) different color
hues.
The 16-bit graphics modes are organized differently. Most common are (R-GB) 5-6-5 (e.g. XGA) and 6-6-4 (e.g. i860). 5-6-5 means that 5 bits are used for
each of red and blue and 6 bits are used for green. In the case of 6-6-4, 6 bits
are used for red and green and 4 bits for blue. Both ways of assigning the bits
correspond to the color sensitivity of the human eye: this is highest for green
and lowest for blue. 65,536 different colors can be displayed.
TrueColor
The TrueColor mode is more complex, using 24 bits per pixel. Here, 8 bits are
available for each color component (256 levels), resulting in 16.7 million
different color hues. There are more colors available than pixels on the screen
(1.3 million pixels at a resolution of 1280 x 1024).
23
EN
4.3.3 VESA DDC (Display Data Channel)
The Display Data Channel provides a serial data channel between the
monitor and the graphics board, as long as both support DDC and the monitor
cable includes the additional DDC wire. An extended monitor cable is used.
This feature allows the monitor data to be sent automatically to the graphics
board (e.g. name, type, max. horizontal frequency, timing definitions etc.) or
even for the graphics board to send instructions to the monitor.
There are various standards; DDC2B and DDC2AB.
4.3.4 DDC2B
A bi-directional data channel based on the I2C access-bus protocol is used for
the communication between monitor and graphics board. In the case of a
standard IBM VGA compatible 15-pin monitor connector, pin 12 (formerly
ELSA GLADIAC 5II
|
|
Page 24
Graphics know-how
24
EN
4.3.5 DDC2AB
|
used as monitor ID bit 1) is used for data transmission (SDA), and the pin 15
(formerly used as monitor ID bit 3) is used as transmission clock (SCL). The
graphics board can request the short EDID information (see DDC1) as well as
the more comprehensive VDIF information (VESA Display Identification File).
With DDC2AB additional to DDC2B, the computer can send commands for
controlling the monitor, e.g. for adjusting the screen position or the
brightness (similar to ACCESS bus). Modern monitors and graphics boards no
longer use this standard.
The pin assignment of the VGA D-shell socket can be found in the chapter
'Technical data'.
ELSA GLADIAC 5II
|
|
Page 25
5 Technical data
Technical data
|
25
Those with a technical interest will find more detailed information regarding
the ELSA GLADIAC 511 in this chapter. All interfaces and their assignments
are described in detail.
5.1 Characteristics of the graphics boards
ELSA GLADIAC 511
Graphics processor
On-board memory
RAMDAC pixel clock
Bus system
BIOS
VESA DDC
NVIDIA GeForce2 MX 400
32 or 64-MB SDRAM
350MHz
AGP 2.0 or PCI 2.1 depending on model
Flash BIOS with VBE 3.0 support
DDC2B
5.2 The ELSA graphics board addresses
The ELSA GLADIAC 511 graphics boards are 100% IBM VGA compatible and
occupy the same memory area and specific addresses in the I/O range. The
memory range above 1MB is automatically assigned through the PCI BIOS
interface.
If you come across any address conflicts, try to modify the I/O address of the
expansion board causing the conflict. The addresses of the graphics boards
cannot be changed! The ELSA graphics board also requires an interrupt (IRQ)
which is free. This may have to be reserved in the computer’s BIOS. For help
with this theme, refer to the manual for your mainboard.
EN
To ensure that your system functions properly, the addresses and ranges
occupied by the graphics board must not be accessed simultaneously by other
hardware components. The following addresses are assigned:
쎲 I/O addresses:
Standard VGA I/O (3B0-3DF)
쎲 Memory addresses:
Video RAM (A0000-BFFFF)
Video BIOS-ROM (C0000-C7FFF)
ELSA GLADIAC 5II
|
|
Page 26
Technical data
26
|
5.3 Ports on the graphics boards
EN
5.3.1 ELSA GLADIAC 511TV-OUT (32 and 64MB RAM)
S-video connector (Mini-DIN 4 pin);
VGA D-shell socket
connector socket for the monitor
TV-out
(15 pin)
5.3.2 ELSA GLADIAC 511 TWIN and ELSA GLADIAC 511PCI
VGA D-shell socket
connector socket for a monitor
S-video connector (Mini-DIN 4 pin);
VGA D-shell socket
connector socket for a monitor
(15 pin)
TV-out
(15 pin)
ELSA GLADIAC 5II
|
|
Page 27
5.3.3 ELSA GLADIAC 511DVI
Technical data
|
27
EN
combined digital/analog connector
socket for the monitor
connector socket for monitor
DVI socket
(29 pin)
VGA D-shell socket
(15 pin)
5.3.4 The VGA D-shell socket
Pin assignments
Pin Signal Pin Signal
1red 9+5V
2 green 10 sync ground
3 blue 11 not assigned
4 not assigned 12 bidirectional data (SDA, DDC2)
5 ground 13 horizontal synchronization
6 red ground 14 vertical synchronization
7 green ground 15 data clock (SCL, DDC2)
8 blue ground
The ELSA GLADIAC 511 issues analog signals in accordance with the
requirements of directive RS-170. The synchronization information is sent
separately. If your monitor supports the switching of input impedance, the '75
Ohm' setting (= '75Ω') should be chosen for the R, G and B video inputs and
the '2 kOhm' setting (= '2kΩ') should be set for the sync inputs. You should
not try other switch settings at the sync inputs unless your monitor expects a
sync level that differs from that of most common monitors and does not
ELSA GLADIAC 5II
|
|
Page 28
Technical data
28
EN
|
produce a stabile image. In some cases, the switch settings are labeled only
with 'Low' and 'High'. If this is the case, either you can look up the Ohm values
for the switch settings in the user manual provided with your monitor or you
can try both settings to see which one produces a stabile image in all of the
graphic display modes you require.
5.3.5 The S-video connector
Pin assignments
Pin Signal Pin Signal
1 GND, mass (Y) 3 GND, mass (C)
2 Y, intensity (luminance) 4 C, color (chrominance)
5.3.6 The DVI Interface
The combined Digital Visual Interface (DVI-I) provides a high-speed digital
connection for digital monitors and also supports the connection of analog
monitors. DVI enbles hot plug&play and is also display-technology independent. Combined DVI enables:
쎲 Loss-free digital transfer from PC to monitor;
쎲 Digital and analog support in a single connector;
쎲 Plug&play using hot plug detection, EDID and DDC2B.
ELSA GLADIAC 5II
|
The combined connector includes 29 signal contacts, divided into a digital
section consisting of three rows of eight contacts and an analog section consisting of five contacts for analog signals. The DVI-I interface accomodates a
12 or 24 pin DVI plug connector or a new type of analog plug connector that
uses four additional pins, plus a ground plane plug to maintain constant
impedance for the analog RGB signals.
A DVI connector can only be inserted into the DVI-I interface. It cannot be
plugged into the analog interface. Likewise, an analog plug connector cannot
be inserted into a DVI-I interface without the supplied DVI/VGA adapter.
|
Page 29
Technical data
|
29
Pin assignment
1
8
C1
The ELSA GLADIAC 511 offers
the following assigment via a
9
29 pin port:
17
Pin Signal assignment Pin Signal assignment
1 TMDS Data 2- 13 TMDS Data 3+
2 TMDS Data 2+ 14 +5 V Power
3 TMDS Data 2/4 Shield 15 Ground (for +5 V)
4 TMDS Data 4- 16 Hot Plug Detect
5 TMDS Data 4+ 17 TMDS Data 0-
6 DDC Clock 18 TMDS Data 0+
7 DDC Data 19 TMDS Data 0/5 Data0/5 Shield
8 Analog Vertical Sync 20 TMDS Data 5-
9 TMDS Data 1- 21 TMDS Data 5+
10 TMDS Data 1+ 22 TMDS Clock Shield
11 TMDS Data 1/3 Shield- 23 TMDS Clock+
12 TMDS Data 3- 24 TMDS Clock-
C1 Analog Red C2 Analog Green
C3 Analog Blue C4 Analog Horizontal Sync
C5 Analog Ground (analog R,G, & B
return)
TMDS = Transition Minimized Differential Signalling
24
C3
C5
C2
C4
EN
ELSA GLADIAC 5II
|
|
Page 30
EN
30
Technical data
|
ELSA GLADIAC 5II
|
|
Page 31
Appendix
|
6 Appendix
6.1 CE conformity and FCC radiation standard
31
EN
CE
FCC
CE and FCC
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits of the
European Council Directive on the approximation of the laws of the member
states relating to electromagnetic compatibility (89/336/EEC) according to
EN 55022 class B.
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a
Class B digital device pursuant to Part 15 of the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) Rules. The following procedures were applied during
conformity testing:
These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against radio
frequency interference in a residential installation. This equipment
generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy. It may interfere
with radio communications if not installed and used in accordance with the
instructions. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur
in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause interference to radio
or television reception (this can be determined by turning this equipment off
and on), the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or
more of the following measures:
쎲 Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
쎲 Increase the distance between this equipment and the receiver.
쎲 Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit other than that to which
the receiver is connected.
쎲 Consult your dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician.
쎲 Caution: To comply with the limits for an FCC Class B computing device,
always use a shielded signal cable.
Caution to the user: The Federal Communications Commission warns the user
that changes or modifications to the unit not expressly approved by the party
responsible for compliance could void the user's authority to operate the
equipment.
ELSA GLADIAC 5II
|
|
Page 32
Appendix
32
|
6.1.1 European Council (CE)
EN
ELSA GLADIAC 5II
|
|
Page 33
|
6.1.2 Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
Appendix
33
ELSA GLADIAC 511
ELSA GLADIAC 511TV-OUT
EN
ELSA GLADIAC 5II
|
|
Page 34
Appendix
34
|
6.2 Warranty conditions for Europe
EN
The ELSA AG warranty is given to purchasers of ELSA products in addition to the warranty conditions provided by law and in accordance with the following conditions:
1 Warranty coverage
f) The warranty covers the equipment delivered and all its parts. Parts will, at our sole discre-
tion, be replaced or repaired free of charge if, despite proven proper handling and adherence to the operating instructions, these parts became defective due to fabrication and/or
material defects. Also we reserve the right to replace the defective product by a successor
product or repay the original purchase price to the buyer in exchange to the defective product. Operating manuals and possibly supplied software are excluded from the warranty.
g) Material and service charges shall be covered by us, but not shipping and handling costs
involved in transport from the buyer to the service station and/or to us.
h) Replaced parts become property of ELSA.
i) ELSA are authorized to carry out technical changes (e.g. firmware updates) beyond repair
and replacement of defective parts in order to bring the equipment up to the current tech-
nical state. This does not result in any additional charge for the customer. A legal claim to
this service does not exist.
2 Warranty period
The warranty period for ELSA products is three years. This period begins at the day of delivery
from the ELSA dealer. Warranty services do not result in an extension of the warranty period nor
do they initiate a new warranty period. The warranty period for installed replacement parts ends
with the warranty period of the device as a whole.
3 Warranty procedure
a) If defects appear during the warranty period, the warranty claims must be made immedia-
tely, at the latest within a period of 7 days.
b) In the case of any externally visible damage arising from transport (e.g. damage to the hou-
sing), the transport company representative and ELSA should be informed immediately. On
discovery of damage which is not externally visible, the transport company and ELSA are to
be immediately informed in writing, at the latest within 7 days of delivery.
c) Transport to and from the location where the warranty claim is accepted and/or the repaired
device is exchanged, is at the purchaser's own risk and cost.
d) Warranty claims are only valid if the original purchase receipt is returned with the device.
ELSA GLADIAC 5II
|
4 Suspension of the warranty
All warranty claims will be deemed invalid
a) if the device is damaged or destroyed as a result of acts of nature or by environmental influ-
ences (moisture, electric shock, dust, etc.),
b) if the device was stored or operated under conditions not in compliance with the technical
specifications,
c) if the damage occurred due to incorrect handling, especially to non-observance of the sy-
stem description and the operating instructions,
d) if the device was opened, repaired or modified by persons not authorized by ELSA,
e) if the device shows any kind of mechanical damage,
|
Page 35
Appendix
|
f) if in the case of an ELSA Monitor, damage to the cathode ray tube (CRT) has been caused
especially by mechanical load (e.g. from shock to the pitch mask assembly or damage to the
glass tube), by strong magnetic fields near the CRT (colored dots on the screen), or through
the permanent display of an unchanging image (phosphor burnt),
g) if, and in as far as, the luminance of the TFT panel backlighting gradually decreases with
time, or
h) if the warranty claim has not been reported in accordance with 3a) or 3b).
5 Operating mistakes
If it becomes apparent that the reported malfunction of the device has been caused by unsuitable
software, hardware, installation or operation, ELSA reserves the right to charge the purchaser
for the resulting testing costs.
6 Additional regulations
a) The above conditions define the complete scope of ELSA’s legal liability.
b) The warranty gives no entitlement to additional claims, such as any refund in full or in part.
Compensation claims, regardless of the legal basis, are excluded. This does not apply if e.g.
injury to persons or damage to private property are specifically covered by the product lia-
bility law, or in cases of intentional act or culpable negligence.
c) Claims for compensation of lost profits, indirect or consequential detriments, are excluded.
d) ELSA is not liable for lost data or retrieval of lost data in cases of slight and ordinary negli-
gence.
e) In the case that the intentional or culpable negligence of ELSA employees has caused a loss
of data, ELSA will be liable for those costs typical to the recovery of data where periodic
security data back-ups have been made.
f) The warranty is valid only for the first purchaser and is not transferable.
g) The court of jurisdiction is located in Aachen, Germany in the case that the purchaser is a
merchant. If the purchaser does not have a court of jurisdiction in the Federal Republic of
Germany or if he moves his domicile out of Germany after conclusion of the contract, ELSA’s
court of jurisdiction applies. This is also applicable if the purchaser's domicile is not known
at the time of institution of proceedings.
h) The law of the Federal Republic of Germany is applicable. The UN commercial law does not
apply to dealings between ELSA and the purchaser.
35
EN
6.3 Warranty conditions for North America
ELSA'S SIX YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY
ELSA provides the following limited warranty to purchasers of ELSA products within the United
States, and ELSA's warranty obligations are limited to the terms set forth below:
i) ELSA AG and ELSA Inc. (jointly “ELSA”) warrant this ELSA product and its parts (jointly
“Product”) against defects in material and workmanship for a period of THREE (3) YEARS
from the date of delivery of the Product by an ELSA dealer to the purchaser.
j) ELSA's entire liability and Customer's exclusive remedy will be, at ELSA's sole discretion,
the repair, replacement, replacement by a successor product or refund of the original pur-
chase price of the Product not meeting ELSA's limited warranty if the Product is returned
within the warranty period with a copy of proof of purchase, such as the original purchase
receipt, to ELSA or ELSA's dealer. ELSA will not be responsible for shipping or handling
ELSA GLADIAC 5II
|
|
Page 36
EN
36
Appendix
|
charges involved in shipping the Product to and from ELSA or ELSA's dealer, and purchaser
must prepay all shipping charges.
k) ELSA will not be responsible for replacing Product that is damaged by:
i) Accident, abuse, misapplication, mishandling, alteration, electrical current fluctuations,
incompatible hardware or software, improper installation or operation, or improper packaging while the Product is in the possession of the purchaser,
ii) The purchaser's failure to follow operating, maintenance, storage, or environmental in-
structions as set forth in the Product manual and specifications.
l) The warranty also does not apply if purchaser has submitted the Product for opening, mod-
ifications or repairs to persons other than ELSA or an authorized ELSA dealer.
m) ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES ON THE PRODUCT, INCLUDING THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ARE LIMITED IN DURA-
TION TO THE EXPRESS LIMITED WARRANTY PERIOD OF SIX (6) YEARS AS SPECIFIED
ABOVE.
n) THE FOREGOING WARRANTIES ARE IN LIEU OF ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANT-
ABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. ELSA DOES NOT WARRANT THAT
THE PRODUCT WILL MEET CUSTOMER'S REQUIREMENTS, OR THAT THE OPERATION OF
THE PRODUCT WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE. FURTHERMORE, ELSA DOES
NOT WARRANT OR MAKE ANY REPRESENTATIONS REGARDING THE USE OR THE RE-
SULTS OF USE OF THE PRODUCT OR RELATED DOCUMENTATION IN TERMS OF THEIR COR-
RECTNESS, ACCURACY, RELIABILITY, OR OTHERWISE. NO ORAL OR WRITTEN
COMMUNICATIONS BY ELSA OR ELSA'S AUTHORIZED DEALERS OR REPRESENTATIVES
SHALL CREATE A WARRANTY OR IN ANY WAY INCREASE THE SCOPE OF THIS WARRANTY.
(SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES. THEREFORE
THE ABOVE EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU).
o) NOTWITHSTANDING ANYTHING TO THE CONTRARY CONTAINED HEREIN, ELSA ENTITIES
SHALL NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, BE LIABLE TO PURCHASER FOR CONSEQUEN-
TIAL, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT OR SPECIAL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM BREACH OF WAR-
RANTY OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO DAMAGES
ARISING OUT OF OR CAUSED BY ANY MALFUNCTION, DELAY, LOSS OF DATA OR PRO-
GRAMS, LOSS OF PROFIT, INTERRUPTION OF SERVICE, DAMAGE TO OR REPLACEMENT OF
EQUIPMENT OR PROPERTY, OR LOSS OF BUSINESS OR ANTICIPATORY PROFITS, EVEN IF
ELSA OR ELSA DEALERS OR AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVES HAVE BEEN APPRISED OF
THE LIKELIHOOD OF SUCH DAMAGES OCCURRING. ELSA SHALL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE
FOR DAMAGES IN EXCESS OF THE PURCHASE PRICE OF THE PRODUCT.
p) THIS LIMITED WARRANTY SHALL NOT EXTEND TO ANYONE OTHER THAN THE ORIGINAL
PURCHASER OF THE PRODUCT OR THE PERSON FOR WHOM IT WAS PURCHASED AS A
GIFT, AND STATES THE EXCLUSIVE REMEDY HEREIN.
ELSA GLADIAC 5II
|
|
Page 37
7 Glossary
Glossary
|
37
쎲 3D – Three-dimensional.
쎲 3D clipping – A process within geomet-
ric transformation in which invisible areas
or portions of a 3D object are removed.
쎲 3DNow! – Extended command set used
by AMD in the K6-2, K6-3 and K7 processors. 21 additional commands are intended above all to accelerate the floatingpoint operations that are especially important for 3D games.
쎲 3D pipeline – The sum of all steps re-
quired in displaying an imaginary 3D
scenario on the monitor. Included in this
Geometrical transformation and
➟
are
Refresh rate.
쎲 AGP bus – Abbreviation for Accelerated
Graphics Port—a relatively new interface
standard within the PC platform. Graphics
boards take advantage of its high transfer
rates for the display of 3D and full-motion
video sequences.
쎲 Aliasing – The well-known staircase ef-
fect. There is often a jagged transition between adjacent pixels when displaying
slanted or curved lines. The rough transitions can be smoothed using anti-aliasing.
쎲 Alpha blending – Supplementary infor-
mation per pixel for generating transparent material.
➟
filtering takes into account that such surfaces require a greater number of texture
pixels for a clean display than surfaces
that are perpendicular to the viewer. This
especially enhances the legibility of text
on angled planes (“Star Wars text”).
쎲 Anti-aliasing – Methods for the reduc-
tion of
쎲 API – Application Programming Interface.
Software interfaces that provide applications with complete packages of functions. The most important 3D APIs are
Direct3D and ➟ OpenGL API.
쎲 Back buffer – A portion of the graphics
memory that is used to construct the
image that is to appear on the monitor
next. The back buffer is also used to calculate transparency effects.
쎲 Back-face culling – Leaving out invisi-
ble areas.
쎲 Bilinear filtering – In this case, a
weighted average is calculated from four
neighboring
matrix).
쎲 BIOS – Abbreviation for basic input/
output system. A code stored in the computer's memory (ROM), which carries out
the self test and various other functions
when the system is started.
Aliasing effects.
➟
Pixels or ➟ Texels (2x2
➟
➟
EN
쎲 Anisotropic filtering – Method de-
signed to reduce texture aliasing effects
on surfaces at an angle to the viewer. Un-
Bilinear fil-
like other methods (such as
tering,
Trilinear filtering) anisotropic
➟
➟
쎲 Blitting – traditional method for
fer swapping: the contents of the
buffer is copied to the
slower than
Page flipping.
➟
Front buffer;
➟
ELSA GLADIAC 5II
|
➟
➟
Buf-
Back
|
Page 38
38
Glossary
|
쎲 Buffer swapping – The image prepared
Back buffer is displayed.
➟
in the
EN
쎲 Bump mapping – A technique that pro-
vides textures with depth information,
which can be applied to display relief or
embossed structures.
쎲 Bus system – A system of parallel con-
ductors for transferring data between individual system components, especially to
expansion cards, such as ISA
ping and
쎲 Chrominance – Color information in the
transfer of video signals.
쎲 Clipping – Reduces the number of
Primitives to be calculated. All primitives
outside the limits of the screen (2D) or outside of the
clipped or removed.
쎲 Composite video – A method of trans-
ferring video data signals, where the signals for
nance are combined (also called FBAS).
쎲 Cube environment mapping – In order
to represent realistic and undistorted reflections of the environment onto an object, six
faces of a cube. The textures show the
environment from the perspective of the
object. This gives the impression that the
environment is being reflected by the
object. CEM is an extension of sphere environment mapping. The advantage of
CEM is that no new textures need to be
calculated when the observer's point of
view changes and the texture is not distorted.
AGP bus.
➟
Viewing pyramid (3D) are
➟
Chrominance and ➟ Lumi-
➟
Textures are viewed as the sur-
➟
Page flip-
➟
쎲 D/A converter – Digital/analog convert-
er: A signal converter that converts digital
input to analog output.
쎲 DDC – Abbreviation for Display Data
Channel. A special data channel through
which a DDC-capable monitor can send its
technical data to the graphics board.
쎲 Direct3D – Software interface (
developed by Microsoft for the manipulation and display of 3D content.
쎲 DirectColor – Method to achieve the
HighColor, ➟ TrueCo-
high-resolution
lor and
➟
this case, the value stored in the video
RAM (
➟
passed directly to the D/A converter
A converter. This means that the full color
information must be saved for each
xel.
쎲 DirectDraw – Software interface (
API) developed by Microsoft for the dis-
play of 2D content such as videos.
쎲 Double buffer – Describes the presence
of doubled display memory. This permits
the next image to be generated first in the
invisible background (
soon as it is completely constructed, the
monitor display switches to the image that
has been residing in the background and
the preparation of the next image begins
on the other side.
쎲 DPMS – Abbreviation for
play Power Management Signaling. This
allows several stages of monitor power
saving mode. The graphics boards
described in this manual support VESA
DPMS.
➟
RealColor graphics modes. In
➟
VRAM) is not translated but is
Back buffer). As
➟
➟
VESA Dis-
➟
API)
➟
➟
D/
Pi-
➟
ELSA GLADIAC 5II
|
|
Page 39
Glossary
|
39
쎲 DDR SDRAM – Double Data Rate
SDRAM is a further development of
SDRAM memory technology. While
SDRAMs only provide data at the actual
system clock speed, DDR chips permit
data to be accessed at twice the system
clock speed.
쎲 DRAM – Abbreviation for Dynamic Ran-
dom Access Memory. Dynamic random
access memory with direct access.
쎲 EDO-RAM – Abbreviation for Extended
Data Output Random Access Memory
(hyper page mode). EDO-RAM is especially advantageous in graphics boards because the most recently required data remains held in memory. Image rendering involves multiple consecutive read access of
similar data, so EDO-RAM results in significantly faster speeds.
쎲 FBAS –
쎲 FCC – The FCC radiation standard states
that this device has been tested and meets
the requirements for digital class B devices in accordance with section 15 of the
guidelines as provided by the American
Federal Communications Commission
(FCC).
쎲 Fixed-frequency monitor – A monitor
that can only be operated with at a specific resolution and refresh rate.
쎲 FIFO method – Abbreviation for first in,
first out: A system used in batch processing and queues, in which the first arriving
signal is processed first.
쎲 Flat shading –
Composite video
➟
Shading
➟
➟
쎲 Frame buffer – Memory on the graphics
board containing display information, especially the
buffer
쎲 Front buffer – Refers to the visible im-
age area in the case of
쎲 Full-scene anti-aliasing – Describes a
type of
a complete frame. Two processes are used
in this form of anti-aliasing: Super
sampling and Accumulated buffers. In the
case of super sampling, a much higher resolution is calculated than the one to be
displayed and then reduced. With the accumulated-buffer process, several views
of a scene are drawn that are then combined to a single image.
쎲 Geometrical transformation – The po-
sition of the objects in space is determined
based on the observer.
쎲 Gouraud shading –
쎲 Graphics accelerator –
ELSA GLADIAC 511 is a graphics accelerator card that is especially well-suited for
the user environment that requires intense
graphics.
쎲 HighColor – Stands for a graphic display
mode with 15 or 16 bit color depth per pixel (32,768 or 65,536 colors).
쎲 Horizontal frequency – The monitor li-
ne frequency (horizontal scan frequency) in
kHz. This value must be set according to
the monitor's requirements to prevent the
monitor from being damaged in extreme
cases!
Front buffer and ➟ Back
➟
Double buffer.
➟
Anti-aliasing that is applied to
➟
Shading
➟
EN
ELSA GLADIAC 5II
|
|
Page 40
40
Glossary
|
쎲 Horizontal scan frequency – Horizon-
tal scan frequency, monitor line frequency
EN
in kHz. This value must be set according to
the monitor's requirements to prevent the
monitor from being damaged in extreme
cases!
쎲 Interpolation – When displayed, video
data must be stretched or shrunk to the
correct window size. If the individual pixels are simply multiplied when stretched,
unwanted blocks (the staircase effect,
Aliasing) occur. This can be prevented us-
ing a filtering interpolation technique (averaging). While horizontal interpolation is
easily accomplished, vertical interpolation
is more complicated and requires buffered
storage of the most recent image lines.
쎲 ISSE – Extended Intel command set cur-
rently used in the Pentium III processors.
70 additional commands are intended
above all to accelerate the floating-point
operations that are especially important
for 3D games.
쎲 Luminance – Black/white information in
the transfer of video signals.
쎲 MIP mapping – MIP mapping assigns
several textures with different resolutions
to an object based on distance. If the
observer gets closer to the object, the representation of the texture becomes more
detailed.
쎲 MMX – Extended Intel command set used
by 166 MHz and higher Pentium processors bearing this designation. 57 additional commands accelerate especially integer
operations.
쎲 Multifrequency (multisync) monitor –
A monitor that can be operated using different line frequency ranges and can
adjust itself to different image signals
(resolutions).
쎲 OpenGL API – 3D software interface (3D
API). Such as implemented in Windows NT
and optionally obtainable for Windows 95,
this is based on Iris GL from Silicon Graphics and is licensed by Microsoft and ELSA.
➟
쎲 Page flipping – In the faster Page flip-
ping method, only the buffer addresses are
exchanged. The slower method (
ting) copies the contents of the
buffer to the
쎲 PCI bus – Abbreviation for peripheral
component interconnect bus. A system of
parallel conductors for transferring data
between individual system components,
especially to expansion cards.
쎲 Phong shading –
쎲 Pixel – A picture element
쎲 Pixel frequency – Pixel cycle frequen-
cy: The number of drawn
second in MHz.
쎲 PolygonOffset –
쎲 Primitive – Simple, polygonal, geomet-
ric objects, such as triangles. In most
cases, 3D landscapes are broken down
into triangles.
쎲 RAM – Abbreviation for Random Access
Memory. Main memory and memory expansion in
ing on the graphics board.
Front buffer.
➟
Shading
➟
Z biasing
➟
VRAM or ➟ DRAM depend-
➟
➟
➟
Pixel per
➟
Blit-
Back
ELSA GLADIAC 5II
|
|
Page 41
Glossary
|
41
쎲 RAMDAC – On a graphics board, RAM-
DAC is responsible for converting digital
signals into analog signals. VGA monitors
can only process analog signals.
쎲 RealColor – In general, stands for a 15
or 16-bit-per-pixel-wide graphic display
mode (32,768 or 65,536 colors).
쎲 Refresh rate – Indicates (in Hz) how of-
ten the image on the monitor is rebuilt per
second.
쎲 Rendering – The calculative process for
representing 3D scenery, where position
and color are determined for each point in
space. The depth data are located in the
Z buffer while the color and size data
➟
are in the
쎲 Resolution – The number of pixels in
both horizontal and vertical directions (e.g.
640 horizontal x 480 vertical pixels).
쎲 RGB – Color data stored in red/green/
blue format.
쎲 ROM – Abbreviation for Read Only Mem-
ory. Solid state memory that can be read
from only.
쎲 S-video – Or S-VHS. A method of trans-
ferring video data signals, where the signals for
nance are separated. This results in im-
proved image quality.
쎲 SDRAM – Synchronous Dynamic Random
Access Memory. These memory chips are
based on standard DRAMs (
but are fast enough to permit data access
at the clock speed of the
This eliminates the wait states typical of
DRAMs. They consist of two separate
Frame buffer.
➟
Chrominance and ➟ Lumi-
➟
DRAM),
➟
Bus system.
➟
memory ranges, with one preparing data
for access while the other is actually still
being accessed.
쎲 Shading – The shading of curved areas
to make them appear as realistic as possible. To do so, the curved areas are divided
into many small triangles. The three most
important 3D shading methods differ by
how the color gradients within the triangles are represented: Flat shading: The triangles are colored uniformly. Gouraud
shading: The color gradient is determined
by the interpolation of the corner color values. Phong shading: The color gradient is
determined by the interpolation of the normal vector plus the calculation of the light
incidence for each pixel. These shading
methods are not supported directly in the
standard OpenGL API.
쎲 Single buffer – Unlike the
buffer, where there is doubled display
memory, single buffer mode does not allow access to the next prepared image,
resulting in animation that is not smooth.
쎲 Sphere environment mapping –
Cube environment mapping.
쎲 Stencil buffer – This buffer permits the
color information of the
plemented with further information. This
can be used to create stencils, volumetric
shadows and reflective surfaces, for example.
쎲 Strips and fans – Process for the reduc-
tion of data volume required for complex
3D objects. Strips are used for objects consisting of several parallel rows of triangles. Rather than calculating each indivi-
➟
Double
➟
➟
Pixel to be sup-
EN
ELSA GLADIAC 5II
|
|
Page 42
42
Glossary
|
dual triangle, the vertices are transferred
only once. A fan object is used when sev-
EN
eral triangles converge to a single point. In
this case, the vertices are also transferred
only once. These processes can reduce the
data volume by approximately a third.
쎲 Tearing – If there is no synchronization
with the monitor when switching between
images (pages) in
areas of the images can become offset. To
resolve this, the switching between pages
is synchronized with the monitor frequency (Wait on Vertical Blank).
쎲 Tesselation – Tessellation subdivides
objects into polygons (e.g. triangles) for 3D
rendering. For these primitives, the corner
point and color values as well as the transparency value if necessary are determined. Tessellation is currently performed
by the application, i.e. upstream of the
3D pipeline.
쎲 Texel – Individual pixel of a
쎲 Texture – The overlaying of a surface
with a texture with correction for perspective, such as a wood grain or the drawing
of a wall with wallpaper in a perspective
view. Videos, too, can be used as a texture.
쎲 Transformation & Lighting (T&L) – Us-
ing T&L, the main computer processor is
freed up from the consuming task of
computing geometric calculations. This
com-putational process, which includes all
Double buffer mode,
➟
Texture.
➟
of the coordinates of a 3D object during rotation, shifting, scaling and color, is taken
over by the graphics board processor.
쎲 Trilinear filtering – This is a mixture of
MIP mapping and ➟ Bilinear filtering.
➟
쎲 TrueColor – A graphic display mode
with max. 16.7 million colors, i.e. a color
depth of 24 or 32 bits per pixel.
쎲 VESA – Abbreviation for Video Electron-
ics Standards Association. A consortium
for standardizing computer graphics.
쎲 Viewing pyramid – Designation for the
part of a 3D space located within the viewer's field of vision.
쎲 VRAM – Abbreviation for Video RAM.
VRAM is a fast dual-ported memory especially for graphics baords. It can simulta-
➟
neously redraw the screen, while text and
images are drawn in the memory. This
makes it faster than single ported RAM
(DRAM).
Direct3D method for the
쎲 Z biasing –
correct display of various objects with the
same depth coordinates. A typical example is the display of a shadow on a wall:
both objects have the same Z (depth) coordinates, but the shadow must appear on
the wall (not vice versa). The included Z
bias value ensures the correct display.
Under
called PolygonOffset.
➟
OpenGL API, this functionality is
➟
ELSA GLADIAC 5II
|
|
Page 43
쎲 Z buffer – The 3D depth information of a
pixel (the position in the 3rd dimension).
Glossary
|
43
EN
ELSA GLADIAC 5II
|
|
Page 44
EN
44
Glossary
|
ELSA GLADIAC 5II
|
|
Page 45
|
Index
45
8 Index
쎲 Numerics
................................... 18, 37
3D clipping
3D pipeline
3DNow!
쎲 A
Accumulated buffers
Adapter cable
AGP
AGP bus
Aliasing
Alpha blending
Anisotropic filtering
Anti-aliasing
API
쎲 B
Back buffer
Back-face culling
Bilinear filtering
BIOS
Blitting
Buffer swapping
Bump mapping
Bus
쎲 C
CE
Chrominance
Clipping
Color palettes
Composite signal
Composite video
Computer
Cube environment mapping
................................... 17, 37
.............................................. 37
..........................39
.....................................15
.......................................................8
.............................................. 37
...............................................37
.................................... 37
............................37
.......................................19
................................................20, 37
................................... 19, 37
......................... 18, 37
.................................. 37
............................................. 25, 37
......................................... 19, 37
.......................... 19, 38
............................. 19, 38
................................................. 8, 25
........................................................ 31
.......................................38
...............................................38
.....................................22
................................ 15
.................................38
.............................................. 8
................38
쎲 D
.............................................. 23, 38
DDC
Direct3D
DirectColor
DirectDraw
Double buffering
D-shell socket
쎲 F
Fans
FBAS signal
FCC
Filtering
Flat shading
Frame buffer
Front buffer
Full-scene anti-aliasing
쎲 G
Geometrical transformation
Gouraud shading
Graphics accelerator
Grey scales
쎲 H
Hi-8 signal
HighColor
Horizontal frequency
쎲 I
Immediate mode
Interpolation
ISSE
쎲 L
Lighting
Luminance
....................................... 20, 38
................................... 22, 38
................................... 20, 38
..................................... 27
..................................................... 41
......................................... 15
............................................... 31, 39
...............................................19
...........................18, 39, 41
................................ 19, 39
......................................... 39
......................................... 22
........................................... 13
..................................... 23, 39
................................. 20
....................................... 40
..................................................... 40
...............................................42
........................................... 40
................................. 38
......................39
........ 17, 39
....................18, 39, 41
........................... 39
........................... 39
EN
ELSA GLADIAC 5II
|
|
Page 46
EN
Index
46
쎲 M
...............................................25
Memory
Memory addresses
Mini-DIN connector
MIP mapping
MMX
...................................................40
Mode X
Monitor
...............................................20
.................................................8
|
.............................25
............................14
................................19, 40
...................................... 41
Stencil buffer
Strips
Super sampling
Support
S-video
S-video output
S-video signal
System requirements
................................................... 41
................................... 39
................................................. 8
................................................41
.................................... 13
..................................... 14
........................... 8
쎲 N
...................................................14
NTSC
쎲 O
..................................21, 40
OpenGL API
쎲 P
Page flipping
PAL
PCI bus
Phong shading
Point sampling
PolygonOffset
Primitive
Products supplied
쎲 R
RAMDAC
Rasterization
RealColor
Refresh rate
Rendering
Resolution
Retained mode
쎲 S
Shading
Single buffer
Sphere environment mapping
................................19, 40
...................................................... 14
................................................40
............................. 40, 41
.................................... 18
.....................................40
....................................... 19, 40
......................................25, 41
.......................................18
..................................... 23, 41
........................................41
..................................... 18, 41
...........................................11
.................................... 20
........................................ 18, 41
.......................................41
.................................8
............ 41
쎲 T
................................................42
Tearing
Tesselation
Texel
Texture
Texture mapping
Transformation
Trilinear filtering
TrueColor
TV out
TV output
TV signal
쎲 V
VESA
VESA DDC
VGA
VGA signal
Viewing pyramid
쎲 W
Warranty
Warranty conditions for Europe
Warranty conditions for North America
35
쎲 Z
Z biasing
Z buffer
......................................... 42
................................................... 42
......................................... 17, 42
................................. 18
............................ 18, 42
................................. 42
...............................22, 23, 42
.................................................. 13
..................................... 13, 14
............................................. 13
................................................... 42
.................................... 23, 25
..................................................... 22
.......................................... 13
................................. 42
...............................................8
............................................. 42
...............................................43
......... 34
.
ELSA GLADIAC 5II
|
|
Loading...