Intergraph AccellSTAR II User's Guide

Third Edition January 1998

Part Number 340-0506-03

Notice

This document and the hardware, software, and other products described or referenced in it are confidential and proprietary

products of AccelGraphics, Inc. (“AccelGraphics”). They are provided under, and subject to, the terms and conditions of a
written license agreement between AccelGraph ics and its customers, and may not be transferred, disclo s e d or other wise pro­vided to third parties, unless otherwise permitted by that agreement.

NO REPRESENTATION OR OT HER AFF IRMATION OF F ACT CONTAINED IN T HIS DOCUM ENT, I NCLUDING,
WITHOUT LIMITATION, STATEMENTS REGARDING CAPACITY, PERFORMANCE, OR SUITABILITY OR USE
OF HARDWARE OR SOFTWARE DESCRIBED HEREIN, SHALL BE DEEMED TO BE A WARRANTY BY ACCEL­GRAPHICS FOR ANY PURPOSE OR GIVE RISE TO ANY LIABILITY OF ACCELGRAPHICS WHA TSOEVER.
ACCELGRAPHICS MAKES NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND IN OR WITH REGARD TO THIS DOCUMENT,
INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANT ABILITY OR FITNESS FOR
A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

ACCELGRAPHICS SHALL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ERRORS THAT MAY APPEAR IN THIS DOCU­MENT AND SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES AR ISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THIS DOC U­MENT OR THE INFORMATION CONT AINED IN IT, EVE N IF ACCELGRAP HICS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE
POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

Restricted Rights Legend for Agencies of the U.S. Department of Defense

Use, duplication or disclosure by the Government is subject to restrictions as set forth in subparagraph (c)(1)(ii) of the
Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software clause at 252.227-7013 or the DOD Supplement to the Federal Acquisi­tion Regulation or the equivalent or successor clauses applicable to the subject agency and transaction.

AccelGraphics, Inc. 1873 Barber Lane, Milpitas, CA 95035 USA.

Restricted Rights Legend for Civilian Agencies of the U.S. Government

Use, reproduction or d isclo sure is subje ct t o restric tions set fo rth in su b parag raph (a ) th rough (d ) of the Commercial Co m­puter Software—Restricted Righ ts c lause at 52 .227 -1 9 of the Fe d era l A cquis iti on Re gula ti on or the equi vale nt or su c cess or
clauses appli cable to the subject agen cy and trans action , and the limitat ions set forth in AccelGr aphic s’ stand ard commerc ial
agreements for this software. Unpublished rights reserved under the copyright laws of the United States and foreign coun­tries.

The specifications and other information contained in this document may not be complete, current, or correct, and are sub­ject to change w ithout notice.

A design, AccelGraphics, AccelECLIPSE, AccelPRO, AccelSTAR, AccelR8, AccelVIEW, AG300, and AG500 are either
registered trademarks or trademarks of AccelGr aphics, Inc. in the U nited States and/o r other countries.

All other products or services mentioned in this document are identified by the trademarks, service marks,
or product names as designated by the companies who market those products. The trademarks and
registered trademarks are held by the companies producing them. Inquiries co ncerning such trademarks
should be made directly to those companies.

Copyright © 1996, 1997

AccelGraphics, Inc.

All Rights Reserved. Made in USA.

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide 2

Quick Con t en ts

This

QuickAccess

important information in this manual. Simply click on any word that is

underlined

See the detailed Table of Contents and/or the Index for specific topics.

to display that information.

About This Manual
About the AccelSTAR II
How to Install the Hardware and Software (Drivers)

Table of Contents contains direct links to the most

How to set up for Dual

Screens

How to Configure Applications
How to Set the Jumpers

Technical Information about the AccelSTAR II

I

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide 3

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AccelSTAR II User’s Guide

4

Contents

Quick Contents

How to use this on-line document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

How To Print This Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Contents
About This Manual

User’s Guide Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Important Information

Related Manuals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

FCC Notice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

AccelGraphics Product Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Software License Agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide 5

Welcome to AccelSTAR II

About the AccelSTAR II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2

Operating Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3

2D (SVGA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3

2D Rendering functions:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3

3D (High Resolution) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3

3D Rendering functions:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4

Supported Processors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5

Supported Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5

Supported Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5

Software Distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6

Supported Monitors and Output Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6

Automatic Monitor Compatibility Testing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6

AccelSTAR II Display Mode Tables (Windows NT) . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7

AccelSTAR II Display Mode Tables (Windows 95) . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8

AccelSTAR II Color Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9

Installing the AccelSTAR II

Before Installing the AccelSTAR II Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2

Task Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3

Hardware Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3

Software Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4

Save the Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4

Make Sure You Have Everything . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4

Installing the AccelSTAR II Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5

Tools Needed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5

Back Up Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6

Turn Off the PC and Ground Yourself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6

Disconnect Cables and Open the PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7

Remove Existing Video Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7

Install the AccelSTAR II Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7

Close the PC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8

Connect the Video Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8

Connect the Remaining Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8

Turn on the PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8

Dual Screen Installations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9

Hardware Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9

Hardware Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10

Software Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 -11

6 AccelSTAR II User’s Guide

Installing the Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 -12

RAM Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 -12

Automatic Monitor Compatibility Testing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12

Driver Installation Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12

Installing the Software From a CDROM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12

Alternate installation Method. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13

Installing the Software From the Hard Disk . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14

Changing Driver Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 -14

Deinstalling the AccelSTAR II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15

Hardware Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15

Software Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 -15

Configuring the AccelSTAR II

About the AccelPanel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2

Starting AccelPanel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2

AccelPanel Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2

Windows 95 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3

The AccelPanel page (Windows 95). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4

The OpenGL Page (Windows 95). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5

The System Setup Page (Windows 95).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7

The Direct3D Page (Windows 95).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8

Windows NT 4.0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9

The AccelPanel Page (Windows NT 4.0). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10

The OpenGL Page (Windows NT 4.0).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11

The Applications Page (Windows NT 4.0). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-13

The System Setup Page (Windows NT 4.0). . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-14

Configuring Applications

Important Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-2

Setting Up the Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-2

Use AccelPanel (Applications - Windows NT only) . . . . . . . . . . .A-2

Use a Double-Buffered Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-3

Checking the SGRAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-3

Configuring Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-4

AutoCAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-4

Solidworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-4

3D Studio Max . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-5

Photoshop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-7

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide 7

Technical Information

Hardware Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-2

Mechanical and Electrical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-3

Mechanical Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-3

Electrical Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-3

Video Connectors and Pin Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-4

RGB Video Connector (out) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-4

Feature Connector - Video In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-4

Feature Connector - Video Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-5

Environmental and Safety Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-6

Mechanical Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-6

Product Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B-6

8 AccelSTAR II User’s Guide

This manual provides detailed information on how to configure, test, and run

the AccelGraphics Acce lSTAR™ II graphics accelerator card. This manual
can guide you thr ough the installati on and c onfiguratio n of t he card
and associat ed soft ware. It is not intended to teach the basics of PC

operation or use and does not contain tutorial information.

In This Section

This section contains the following information:

• User’s Guide Organization

• Related Manuals

• Conventions (text types, etc.)

• FCC Notice

About This Manual

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide 9

User’s Guide Organization

This manual contains three chapters and two appendixes, as follows:

Chapter 1: Welcome To AccelSTAR II

This chapter briefly de scribes the AccelSTAR II hardware and software,
including its feat ures and benefits.

Chapter 2: Ins t alling AccelSTAR II

This chapter provide s detailed instructions for installing the AccelSTAR II
hardware and software.

Chapter 3: Configuring the AccelSTAR II

This chapter provi des information on how to use the AccelPanel to configure
the AccelSTAR II and certain system parameters for optimum performance
and picture quality.

Appendix A: Configuring Applications

This appendix describe s the procedures to configure various applic ations to
use the AccelSTAR II card.

Append ix B: Te c hnical Infor m at ion

This appendix lists the specif ications for the AccelSTAR II Accelerator card.

10 AccelSTAR II User’s Guide

Related Manuals

For further infor mation about inst alling hardware a nd software in y our PC, see

your PC owner’s manual and the following documents:

AccelSTAR II Release Notes
AccelGraphics FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions and answers)

Microsoft Windows NT User’s Guide
Microsoft Windows 95 User’s Guide

Conventions

The following conventi ons are used in this manual.

Convention How Used

bold Bold text in a sentence shows commands or menu choices tha t you

are to select or text or commands that you are to enter. It is also
used to highlight the firs t use of a new term. This term may be
defined in the Glossary or described i n the text where the wor d is
introduced.

italics Text in italics is used to call atte ntion to importa nt infor mation. I t

also distingui shes sof twar e funct ion terms and c ommands, librar y
names, file names, and director y path names.

screen text Plain screen text shows te xt that is displayed on the moni tor screen

(including the syste m prompts C:\>, etc.)

user en try Bold screen text in an ex ample shows text or commands that you

should enter. Example: Type a:\install.

user variable Italic and bol d screen te xt sh ows a variable that you are to r eplac e

with an actual value, such as a number or name. Example: enter

EASY

C:\<directory nam e>

Task difficulty or complex ity of informat ion

MEDIUM

MORE DIFFI CUL T MOST DIFFICU L T

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide 11

FCC Notice

Federal Communic atio ns Commi ssion

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device,
pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection
against harmful interf er ence in a resi dential installati on. This equipment generates, uses, and can
radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in
accordance with t he ins truct ion manual, may c ause harmful int erf erence to rad io or tele visio n com­munications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular instal­lation. If this equip ment does cause harm ful interferenc e to radio or tele vision recept ion, which can
be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is
encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:

• Reorient or relocate the radio or television receiving antenna.

• Move the compu ter or eq uipm ent away from the receiv er.

• Plug the computer or equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that which the radio
or television receiver is connected.

• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

Caution

Changes or modifications to this equipment or connecting cable not
expressly approved by AccelGraphics could void your authority to
operate this eq uipment.

DOC Notice

Canadian Department of Communications

This digital apparatus doe s not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emission s from digital ap­paratus set out in the Radio Interference Regula tion of the Canadian Department of Communica­tions. Operation in a residential area may cause unacceptable interference
to radio and TV reception requiri ng the owner or operator to take whatever steps are
nece ss a ry to co r r ect the int er f erence .

Cet équipment ne dépasse pas les limit es de Classe B d’émis sion de bruit s radioélec triques pour les
appareils numériques, telles que pre sc r ites par le Règlement sur le br ouillag
radioélectrique établi par le Minis tère des Communications du Canada. L’exploitation faite en mi­lieu rèsidentiel peut entraîner le brouillage de réceptions radio et té lé, ce qui obligerait le pro­priétaire ou l’opérateur à prenere les dispositions nécessaires pour en éliminer les causes.

12 AccelSTAR II User’s Guide

AccelGraphic s Pro duc t Wa rran ty

A. Warranted and Unwarranted Products; Exclusions

AccelGraphics’ Standard Graphics Accelerator Card Warranty and Standard Software Warranty and Cus­tomer’s sole and exclusive remedies for such warranties are specified below. ACCELGRAPHICS’ WARRAN­TIES STATED IN THIS SECTION ARE IN LIEU OF ALL OTHER WARRANTIES EXPRESSED,
IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY WARRANTY OF MER­CHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

No statement, including without limitation, representations regarding capacity, suitability for use or perfor­mance of Product(s), whether made by AccelGraphics employees or otherwise, shall be deemed to be a war­ranty by Acc elGraphics for any purpos e or give rise t o any liability of AccelGraphics unless expressly
contained in this Warranty.

The warranties in th is section do not apply to any P roduct(s) which has been (i ) altered, except by Accel­Graphics or by another party adhe ring to AccelG raphics’ inst ructions, (ii) used in conjunction with another
vendor’s product result ing in a defect, or (iii) dama ged by improper electrica l power or environment, abuse,
misuse, accident or negligence.

B. Limited Graphics Ac c elerator Card Warra nt y

AccelGraphics warrants to Customer that the Graphics Accelerator Card covered by the Standard Graphics
Accelerator Card Warranty will be free from defects in workmanship and materials for a period of thi rty-six
(36) mont hs from Custome r’s receipt of the Graphics Accelerator Car d.

Customer ’s exclusive remed y, and Acce lGr ap hic s’ sole obliga ti on for any G raphi cs Acc el erat or Ca rd fa ili ng to
meet this standard Graphic s Accelerator Card w arranty shall be as fo llows:

In the eve nt of a defec t i n wor kmans hi p or mat er ials , Acc el Gra phi cs, at it s opti on, sha ll at temp t t o eit he r repai r
or repla ce the defective Graphics Acceler ator Card or com ponent and return it to Custom er within (ten) 10
working days from receipt at AccelG raphics’ designated factory or depot for reinstallation by Customer. All
replaced Graphics Accelerator Card or components shall become AccelGraphics’ property. AccelGraphics,
after using all reasonable eff o rts to repair a defect ive Graphics A c celerator Card component shall replace the
defect ive Graphics A ccelerat or Card compone nt or Graphics Accelerator Card with a te sted, operational ne w
Graphics Accelerator Card component or Graphics Accelerator Card. Such G raphics Accelerator Card or
Graphics Accelerator Card component to be replaced by AccelG raphics w ill be repl aced with Gr aphics Acc el­erator C a rd/Grap h ics Accelerator Card components at the then current revision level of the applicable Graph­ics Accelerator Card/ components. All in -w arranty repairs or replacements will be warranted for a period of
time equal to either the resi dual warranty period rem aining under the thirt y -six (36) month warranty or the
standard repair warranty of six (6) months, whichever is longer.

C. Limited Software Warranty

AccelGraphics warrants to Customer that Software covered by the Standard Software Warranty, as delivered
by AccelG raphics and properly installed and operated on a Designated System, will substantiall y conform to
its specificati ons as stated i n the Documenta tion provide d w ith the Software for a period of thirty-six (36)
months from Custo mer’s receipt of the Software. Accel G raphics does not warrant that any item of Software is
error-free or that its use will be uninterrupted.

If any it em of Software fails to conform to its specifica tions as stated in the Docum entation during this war­ranty period, Customer shal l promptl y notify an approved AccelGraphics dea ler or AccelGraphics of, and ade­quatel y describe, the failure. Customer’s exclusive remedy and Ac celGraphics’ sole obligation shall be that
AccelGraphics will use reasonable effo rts to correct any such failure which is reported to AccelG raphics
within the warra nty period.

AccelGraphics shall not be obligated to remedy any Software defect which cannot be adequately repeated at
either A ccelGraph ics’ or Customer’s facil ity.

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide 13

Software License Agreement

READ THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THIS LICENSE CAREFULLY BEFORE USING THIS
SOFTWARE. BY USING THIS SOFTWARE, YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS OF THIS
AGREEMENT, WHICH INCLUDE THE SOFTWARE LICENSE AND THE LIMITED WARRANTY (col-

lectively, the “Agreement”). IF YOU DO NOT ACCE PT OR AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS OF
THIS AGREEMENT, RETURN THE SOFTWARE IN IT’ S UNOPENED CONTAINER WITHIN FI FTEEN
(15) DAYS OF PURCHASE FOR A REFUND. INCLUDE A COPY OF THE SALES RECEIPT.

1. License t o Use . Ac ce lGraph ics , Inc. (" AGI" ) gra nt s yo u ("Cu st omer") a none xclus iv e an d nontr an sf erabl e
licens e ("License") to use the enclosed AGI graphics software library and accompanyin g documentat ion
("Software") to develop and compile software applications that use the Software ("Applicati o ns"). Thi s
License does not grant the right to distribute any form of the Software with or without Applications

2. Restrictions. The Sof tware is copyrighted and title to all copies is retained by AGI. This program is
licensed to you for use under the terms of this Agreement. This license is not a sale. Title and copyrights to the
softwar e and any copy of the software made by you re m ain with AGI. U nauthorized copying of the Software,
or failure to comply with the restrictions below, will result in automatic termination of the license and will
make avail able to AGI other legal remedies.

You May:

• Make one (1) copy of the Software in machine readable form solely for backup purposes, provided

that you reproduce all copyright and proprietary notices on the copy.

You May Not:

• Make copies of the documentation or program disks except for the one (1) backup copy.

• Distr ibut e S oftw are or Appl ic atio ns wh ich inc orp ora te th e S oftw are in any ma nne r.

• Loan, rent, sell, sublicense or otherwise transfer the software and/or documentation.

• Modify, translate, reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, create derivative works based on or

copy (except for the backup copy) the Software.

• Remove any proprietary notices, labels or marks on the Software of AGI or its licensors.

• Export or reexport, whether directly or indirectly, the Software, or any direct or derivative products

thereof, outside the United States without first obtaining the appropriate government export
licenses and approvals, and obtaining an export license from AGI.

3. Limited Warranty. AGI warrants that the media on which the Software is f urn is hed will be free of defects
in mater ials and workm anship under normal use for a period of thirty-six (3 6) months from the date of pur­chase, as evidenced by a copy of your receipt. Othe rw ise, the Software is pr ovided “AS IS,” without a war­ranty of any kind. This warranty extends only to Customer as the original licensee. AGI's entire liability and
Customer's exclusiv e remedy under this warr anty will be the correction of defects in media or rep lacement of
the media, or if correction or rep lacement is not reasonabl y achievable by AGI, the refund to Customer of the
license fee, upon return of the software.

4. Disclaimer of Warranty. EXCEPT AS SPECIFIED IN THIS LICENSE AGREEMENT, ALL

EXPRESS OR IMPLIED REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED
WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR
NON-INFRINGEMENT, ARE HEREBY EXCLUDED. AGI DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE
OPERATION OF THE SOFTWARE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE.

5. Limitation of Liability. IN NO EVENT WILL AGI BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOST REVENUE,
PROFIT, OR DATA, OR FOR SPECIAL, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL OR PUNI­TIVE DAMAGES HOWEVER CAUSED AND REGARDLESS OF THEORY OF LIABILITY ARISING
OUT OF THE USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE SOFTWARE, EVEN IF AGI HAS BEEN
ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

6. Confidentiality. The Software is confidential and proprietary information of AGI and/or its licensors.
Customer agrees to ta ke adequate steps to prote ct the Software from unauthorized di sclosure, copying or use .

14 AccelSTAR II User’s Guide

7. Termination. This License is effective until ter m inated. Customer may te rminate th is License by destroy­ing all copies of the Software including accomp anying docume ntation. Thi s license will terminate immedi­ately wi thout notice from AGI if Customer fails to comply with any provisi on of this License. Upon
termination, Custom er must destroy all copies of Software

8. U.S. Government Restricted Righ ts. If Custome r is acquiri ng the Software on behalf of the U.S. Govern-
ment, the following provisions apply. If the Software is supplied to the Department of Defense ("DOD"), the
Software is subject to "Restricted Rights" as that term is defined in the DOD Supplement to the Federal Acqui­sition Regulations in paragra ph 252.227-7013(c). If t he Software is supplied to any unit or agency of the
United States Government other than DOD, the government’s rights in the Software will be defined in para­graph 52.227-19(c)(2) of the Federal A cquisition Regulations. Use, duplication, reproduction or disclos ure by
the Government is subject to such restriction. Contractor/Manufacturer is:

AccelGraphics, Inc., 1873 Barber Lane, Milp itas, CA 95035 USA .

9. Governi ng Law. This Licens e is made under and w ill be governe d by the laws of the State of California,
USA, excluding its choice of law pr ovisions.

10. Integration. This Agreement between Customer and AGI is the entire agreement between Customer and
AGI relat ing in any way to the Software. This Agree m ent supersedes any proposal or prio r agreement, oral or
writt en and any other com municati on relating to the subject matter of this Agreement. No variatio n of the
terms of this Agreement or different terms will be enforceable against AG I unless AGI gives its express con­sent, inc l u di n g an ex pr e ss wa iv er of the terms of this A gr ee m e n t, signed in writing by an of fic e r of AGI.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS LICENSE, PLEASE CONTACT US IN WRITING AT:

ACCELGRAPHICS, INC.
1873 Barber Lane
MILPITAS, CA 95035 USA
Attention: Customer Support

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide 15

Welcome to Ac celSTAR II

In this Chapter:

This chapter contains a brief description of the capabilities of

AccelGraphics’ AccelSTAR II accelerator card. Topics include:

• About the AccelSTAR II

• Operating Modes

• Supported Processor s

• Supported Software

• Supported Applications

• Supported Monitors and Format s

• Software Distribu tion

• Display Modes

• Color Modes

1

Welco m e t o

AccelSTAR II

Note

You do not need to know the information containe d in this c hapter to use
your AccelSTAR II card, but you may need the information a bout
resolutions, color depths, buffering, and textur e mapping when you
configure the driver.

Task difficulty or complexity of information

EASY MEDIUM MORE DIFFICULT MOST DIFFICULT

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide 1-1

AccelSTAR II

About the AccelSTAR II

Welcome t o

About the AccelSTAR II

The AccelSTAR II is a high-performance graphics accelerator designed
for professional CAD users who require workstation- class screen
resolution, visual depth, and performance. It provides optimum
performance for 3D animation, 3D game users, and for smaller
applications whic h require less power than high-end ones. The card
features integra ted SVGA (generated within the Permedia chip),
eliminating the need for a video pass-through cable an d a separate (S)VGA
card in the system.

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide

1-2

The AccelSTAR II is configured with 8 MB industry-standard SGRAM
(Synchronous Grap hics RAM). The SGRAM is automatically partitioned
into front buffer, back buffer (for d oubl e- b uf fere d opera t ions), local (Z)
buffer, and texture memory, depending on the resolution and color depth
selected. The buffer configurations are described at the end of t his chapter .
Refresh rates of 60, 72, 75, 85, and 100 Hz are available at all color depths,
as these are set by the internal RAMDAC and are independent of the
SGRAM.

Note

Not all refresh rates are availa ble at all resolutions. See the table on

page 1-7 for details.

A detailed descripti on of the car d is located in Appendix B, “Technical
Specificatio ns”.

Operating Modes

2D (SVGA)

During system sta rt-up (unt il Windows st arts), the Ac celSTAR II provides
SVGA video to the monitor. The SVGA video is generated in t he Permedia
engine, and there is no separate VGA chip on the card. This mode is also
used when you run Windows in (S)VGA mode.

2D Rendering fun ctio ns :

The AccelSTAR II provides the following 2D rendering functions:

• Full Primitive Support

• Window Clipping

• Ultra fast solid fill a nd monochr ome expansion

• High speed monochrome and color brushes

• Color translation

• Raster operations

• Fast upload and download

• High speed monochrome download

• Fast BLTs

• High speed stretch BLT

• Boolean Raster Operations

• Flexible font caching suppor t

• 24-bit True Color (in singl e-buffered mode)

• Stippling

Operating Modes

Welco m e t o

AccelSTAR II

3D (High Resolution)

This mode is available only after the AccelSTAR II drivers have been
installed. When Win dows starts, the AccelSTAR II dri vers switch the c ard
to 3D mode. The card can then be set to provide accelerated 3D video at
several combinati ons of resolut ions, color s, and refresh rates. See the table
at the end of this chapter for specific information. In 3D mode, any
application whic h uses OpenGL, Direct3D, or the He idi 3D graphics API
will use the hardware acceleration provided by the AccelSTAR II.

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide 1-3

AccelSTAR II

Operating Modes

Welcome t o

3D Rendering fun ctio ns :

In addition to the 2D rendering functions listed above, the AccelSTAR II
provides the followi ng 3D rendering f unctions:

• Full primitive support

• Overlays

• Generalized point s, lines, triangles

• Gouraud and flat shading

• Z buffering in hardware

•Fog

• Transparency

• Alpha blending

• Scissors test

• Stipple-masking

• Texture functions: Ne arest neighbor and Bilinear interpolation

• Fast hidden surface elimi na tion

• Arbitrary cutout and multi- pass rendering

• High quality, rendering, textures, and lighting at any color depth

• Anti-aliased sprites

• Fast buffer clears

• 8, 15, or 16 bit rendering. The internal pr ecision of the rendering
engine is 15 bits. Therefore 24-bit 3D is not possible.

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide

1-4

Note

In 1024x768 true color (24-bit) mode, the 3D rendering actually occurs
with 15 bit accuracy; however, any single buffered window will enjoy
24-bit accuracy. This is useful in situations when an animator is working
with 3D programs for which 15-bit accuracy is adequa te, but wants to also
run Adobe Photoshop whic h is 2D, but re quires 24-bit t rue color a ccuracy.

Supported Processors

The AccelSTAR II drivers support the following processor(s):

Supported Processors

• Intel 1386 architectu res including P entium a nd Pentium PRO, on both

AGP and PCI buses.

• Alpha architecture s, PCI bus only

Supported Software

The AccelSTAR II supports the fol lowing operating systems and drivers :

• Windows NT 4.0

• Windows 95

• Miniport

• Display Driver

• AccelPan el

• OpenGL

• Heidi

• Direct3D

Supported Applications

The AccelS TA R II w ill accel e rat e most applications which use the
OpenGL, Direct3D, or Heidi graphics APIs, including those lis ted below.

Welco m e t o

AccelSTAR II

• AutoCAD

• AVS

• I-DEAS Master Series

• Microstation

• Pro/ENGINEER

• Solid Designer

• Solidworks

• Unigraphics

• 3D Studio MAX

Drivers are currently being developed for other applications. See the
AccelGraphics web site for the latest information.

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide 1-5

AccelSTAR II

Software Distribution

Welcome t o

Software Distribution

Software for the AccelS TAR II is distributed with the card on CD-R OM.

Supported Monitors and Output Formats

The AccelSTAR II sup ports color multisync monitors and color monitor s
capable of displayin g up to 1600 X 1200 pixels at 100Hz . or moni tors
which can be set to the exact resolutions and refresh rates as shown in the
tabls on the next two pages.

Note

All monitors must support non-interlaced video per EIA RS343 video
specification, which defines separate red, green, b lue , h-s ync and v- s ync
signals. See Appendix B, Technical Information for detailed signal and
connector specifications.

Automatic Monitor Compatibility Testing

The AccelSTAR II card c omplies with the VESA DDC2B standard. If th e
monitor connected to it also suppor ts this standard, the AccelSTAR II
automatically te sts the monitor to see which resolut ion and refre sh rates it
can display. The AccelSTAR II then provides only those rates which the
monitor can use, preventing out- of-sync displays. Resolutions, refresh
rates, and colors can be changed dynamically via the AccelPanel
Chapter 3).

(see

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide

1-6