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 Unpublished rights reserved under the copyright laws of the United States and foreign countries.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.

AccelGraphics, Inc.

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

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide 3

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AccelSTAR II User’s Guide

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

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

Supported Monitors and Output Formats

The table below sho ws the operating modes and th e available buffers and texture memory in each. The driver will pr ovide double-buffering by default whenever sufficient memory is available.

AccelSTAR II Display Mode Tables (Windows NT)

Resolution 2D 3D Colors Z-buffer

8-bit

640 x 480 Yes Yes

800 x 600 Yes Yes

1024 x 768 Yes Yes

Yes

1152 x 864 Yes

1280 x 1024 Yes

1600 x 1200 Yes No 1920 x 1080

1920 x 1200 1920 x 1440 Yes No

Yes

No 32-bit* n/a

Yes No

16-bit 6.3 24-bit 5.7 32-bit 5.1

8-bit 16-bit 5.3 24-bit 4.4 32-bit 3.6

8-bit 16-bit 3.6 24-bit 2 32-bit 0.5

8-bit 16-bit 3.2 24-bit n/a

32-bit* n/a

8-bit 16-bit 3.1

8-bit n/a 16-bit n/a

16-bit

Texture

Memory (MB)

6.5

6.1

4.2

Refresh Rate

60/72/75/85/100

60/72/75/8 5/100

60/72/75/85/10016-bit 16-bit 0.5

60/72/75

60/72

Welco m e t o

AccelSTAR II

* Note: In 1152 x 864 and 1280 x 1024, 32-bit modes, colors are actually rendered in 24-bit color. The extra 8 bits help to

make data transfers faster.

BPP = Bits Per Pixel. Exampl e: 8 Bits Per Pixel = 8-bit colo r = 28 colors = 256 colors.

32K colors = 15BPP, 16.7M colors = 24BPP

See the next page for the Windows 95 display mode table.

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide 1-7

AccelSTAR II

Supported Monitors and Output Formats

Welcome t o

AccelSTAR II Display Mode Tables (Windows 95)

Resolution 2D 3D Colors Z-buffer

8-bit

640 x 480 Yes Yes

800 x 600 Yes Yes

Yes

1024 x 768 Yes

1152 x 870 Yes

1280 x 1024 Yes

1600 x 1200 Yes No 1920 x 1080

1920 x 1200 1920 x 1440 Yes No

Yes No

Direct3D

Only

OpenGL

Only

No 32-bit* n/a

Yes

No 32-bit* n/a n/a 60

32-bit 5.1

8-bit 16-bit 5.3 32-bit 3.6

8-bit 16-bit 3.6 32-bit 0.5

8-bit

16-bit 3.2

8-bit 16-bit 0.5

8-bit 16-bit

8-bit n/a 16-bit n/a

16-bit

n/a n/a 60

Texture

Memory

6.5

6.1

4.2

3.1

Refresh Rate

60/72/75/ 85/10016-bit 6.3

56/60/72/75/85

/100

60/70/75/85/100

60/70/75/85

60/70/75/85OpenGL

60/70/75/ 85

60/72

* Note: In 1152 x 864 and 1280 x 1024, 32-bit modes, colors are actually rendered in 24-bit color. The extra 8 bits help to

make data transfers faster.

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide

1-8

AccelSTAR II Color Modes

The AccelSTAR II card has the following maximum color modes available:

• True (24-bit) Color for 2D windows (windows that are not double buffered and Z buffered)

• 32K colors (15- bit) or 65K col ors (16 bit s) fo r 3D windows (windows that are double buffered and Z buffered)

It is easy to change color modes to suit the 2D and 3D applications you use, as Windows NT allows changing display settings “on the fly”, that is, without reboot ing. You can make good use of this capability by changing the AccelSTAR II color settings to fit the application you are using.

For example, change the display settings to either 1024x768 or 800x600 resolution, an d True Color. Concurren tly, all 3D windows such a s those for 3D Studio MAX or Lightwave will run in 32K or 65K color mode which is usually adequate for 3D modeling purposes. You can always switch to the 24 bit mode to view/playback your fina l rende rings.

Supported Monitors and Output Formats

Welco m e t o

AccelSTAR II

To run Photoshop at 1280x1024, use the Accelpa nel

to select 1280x1024

single buffered resolution. When you have fini shed using Photoshop, set the display to 1280x1024 x

32K or 65K colors, double buffered mode to use with your Lightwave 3D, 3D Studio MAX or other 3D application.

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide 1-9

Installing the Ac celSTAR II

In This Chapter:

This chapter contains information about the following:

• Before Installing the Card

• Installing the Hardware

• Dual Screen Installations

• Installing the Soft ware

• Using AccelPanel

• Deinstalling the AccelSTAR II

Installation

EASY MEDIUM MORE DIFFICULT MOST DIFFICULT

Task difficulty or complexity of information

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide 2-1

Before Installing the AccelSTAR II Card

Installing the card is usually simple, easy, and fast. The jumpers on the card are preset at the factory and do not normally need changing.

However, there are a few things you should know befor e you inst all the card.

• The AccelSTAR II card comes in two versions, AGP and

PCI. The illustration below shows the two types of edge

connectors. Check the edge connector on your card to verify

Installation

which type you have.

PCI

Figure 2-1. AccelSTAR II AGP and PCI connectors

• A few types of machines may require special procedure s to install

the AccelGraphics hardware and/or software. See the Releas e

Notes before i nstalling t he AccelSTAR II card. The Release Not es and answers included in the list of Frequently Asked Questions are viewable on line by clicking on the respective menu items in the AccelGraphics folde r.

• You must remove any existing video card(s) from your system

before insta lling th e Ac cel ST A R II. They may cause conflicts with

the on-boar d VGA on the Accel STAR II card, and the syst em may not boot or Windows NT may not boot.

• When installing the PCI version of the AccelSTAR II card in a

PCI system, install it in the “Master” PCI slot. This is usua lly the

lowest numbered PCI slot. This is necessary to accommodate the BIOS, which may otherwise incorrectly configure the card. If the BIOS incorrectly confi gur es the card, either the system may hang during system boot or Windows NT may hang when it tries to start.

Key

AGP

• The examples in this chapter show a “typical” PC with a

mini-tower case. Your PC may be different from those shown

here. See your PC manual for specific instructions and examples.

Key

2-2

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide

Task Overview

The following table lists the tasks you must complete to install the AccelSTAR II card.

Tas k Deta il e d Info

Task Overview

Table 2-1 Installation Tasks

Save files, halt software, power off and ground yourself.

Disconnect cables, open the PC. Remove any existing VGA cards. Install an AccelSTAR II card. Close the PC and connect the video cable(s). Reconnect the remaining cables, power on,

and wait for the PC to boot. Install the software.

Hardware Requirements.

Before installing the AccelSTAR II Card, make sure that your PC has at least the following hardware and software:

Table 2-2 Hardware Requirements

PC Intel-Based

CPU Intel Pentium or Pentium Pro

See page 2-6 See page 2-7

See page 2-7

Installation

See page 2-7 See page 2-8

See page 2-8 See page 2-9

Alpha-based - See Release

Notes for availability

21064, 21164, or other

DECChip RAM BUS PCI PCI

Hard Drive 200 MB or greater 200 MB or greater

Monito r

4 MB minimum. See Software Installation for other RAM requirements

A color multisync monitor or a color monitor capable of displaying 640x480, 1800x600, 024x768, 1152x870, 1280x1024, or 1600x1200 pixels, and vertical refresh rates of 60, 72, 75, or 85 Hz.

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide 2-3

Task Overview

Software Requirements

See page 2-10, Installing the Soft ware, for softw a re requirements.

Save the Box

Save the box and packing materials in case you need to return the board for any reason. Shipping damage is NOT covered under the AccelGraphics warranty.

Make Sure You Have Everything

Installation

The AccelSTAR II graphics accelerator package should contain the items shown in the illustration below. Contact your authorized AccelGraphics reseller if any of these items is missing.

AccelSTAR II grap h ics accelerator card in antistatic bag

Note: The Release Notes answers to Frequent ly Asked Questions, and Software Upgrade Information can be accessed from the icons in the AccelGraphics program group or f older.

Figure 2-2. AccelSTAR II Package Components

2-4

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide

AccelSTAR II software and documentation

Installing the AccelSTAR II Card

Installing the Acce lSTAR II Card

STOP! If you have not read Before Installing The

AccelSTAR II CARD, see page 2-2.

Tools Needed

• A Phillips and/or a flat-bladed screwdriver to remove and reinstall the PC cover screws and card mounting screws. See your PC manual for specific requirements.

• An antistatic wrist strap (recommended but not required.)

• AccelSTAR II Software Disk(s)

Warning Possibility of Electric Shock: The power supply in your PC

contains high voltage. Do not remove cables or open the unit while the power is on. Turn off the power and wait at least 10 seconds before removing cables or opening the unit.

Installation

Caution

WATCH OUT FOR STATIC ELECTRICITY!

Although the AccelSTAR II card is reasonably protected against static electricity, we recommend that you do not take the card out of the s tatic-protective bag until you are grounded. You can ground yourself by touching unpainted metal on your PC chassis while it

is plugged in but not turned on, or by using an antistatic ground strap. See the information on static electricity near the beginning of this manual.

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide 2-5

Installing the AccelSTAR II Card

Back Up Data

1. Exit any applications you are running and back up working data. Although the installation procedure automatically backs up any files it changes, it is always a good idea to back up system and configuration files before installing new hardware or software.

Turn Off the PC and Ground Yourself

2. After completing step 1, turn off the power to the PC and all

Installation

peripherals (monitors, printers, scanners, etc.) connected to it. Ground yourself to the PC and the AccelSTAR II card before removing the card from the static-protective bag:

3. Make sure the power to the PC and to the monitor is OFF.

4. Touch the antistatic plastic ba g that the card is packaged in and the back or other unpainted metal on the PC for at least one second.

OR, use an antistatic ground strap.

This will discharge any static electricity buildup in your body and will help prevent damage to the card from static electricity.

2-6

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide

031

Figure 2-1. Discharging Static Electricity

Disc onnect Cables and Open the P C

5. Disconnect the power cord. Disconnect the monitor video cable and other cables as needed to be able to remove the PC cover. Be careful not to pull on the wires themselves. Gently rock the connectors out of their sockets.

6. Remove the PC cover retaining screws and remove the cover. See your PC manual for details.

Remove Existing Video Cards

7. Remove any installed video card, as the VGA chip on it will cause a hardware conflict with the VGA chip on the AccelSTAR II and the system will probably hang as soon as it tries to boot.

Install the AccelSTAR II Card

8. Remove the mounting screw from the cover over the slot where you want to install the AccelSTAR II card and remove the cover. Save the screw for use when installing the AccelSTAR II card. NOTE: Some sy stems use spr i n g cli p s i nst ead o f screws.

Installing the AccelSTAR II Card

Installation

032

Figure 2-2. Installing the AccelSTAR II Card

9. Remove the card from its static-protective bag. Install it in a master PCI slot in your system

(see page 2-2). Use the mounting screw from step 8 to fasten

the card’s bracket to the PC frame. See your PC manual for specific instructions on how to install a PCI option card and for information regarding the master slot if needed.

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide 2-7

Installing the AccelSTAR II Card

Close the PC.

10. Before closing the PC, make sure that the AccelSTAR II card is

11. Replace the cover and install the mounting screws. See your PC

Connect the Video Cable

Installation

12. Connect the video cable as shown in the illustration below.

fully seated in its connector, the screw holding the card mounting bracket to the PC frame is securely tightened, and the card is not touching any other card or devices in the computer.

manual for specific instructions if needed.

AccelSTAR II

Card

Video O ut

Monitor Video Cable

Figure 2-3. Connecting the monitor cable to the AccelSTAR II

Connect the Remaining Cables

13. Connect the data cables to your printer and other peripherals.

14. Plug in the power cords to the PC, monitor, and other peripherals.

Turn on the PC

15. Turn the PC and monitor power back on. Turn on other peripherals as desired.

2-8

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide

Dual Screen Installations

The AccelSTAR II card supports dual screen installations, as needed with certain applications to provide more room for graphics and text displays.

Dual Scr een Installations

Hardware Requirements

Dual screen installations require the following hardware:

• AccelSTAR II Cards: One AGP AccelSTAR II card and one PCI AccelSTAR II card with the same memo ry co nfigu rat ion.

-OR-

Two AccelSTAR II PCI cards with the same me mo ry configuration.

• System: A Pentium or Pentium PRO-based PC system with one AGP slot and one free PCI slot, or a PCI system with at least two free PCI slots. Alpha systems are not currently supported.

• Monitors: Two color multisync monitors which can run the same resolu t ions (from 800x600 to 1600x1200) and re fre sh rates of 60 to 85 Hz. Both mo nitors shoul d either suppor t the DDC2B standard or neither should.

Note

Card models cannot be mixed; for example, you cannot use one AccelSTAR II and one AccelECLIPSE II card).

Installation

Software Requirements

Dual screens are supported in the AccelSTAR II driver release

4.6.06 and later onl y. This d river ca n be downloaded f rom either

the AccelGraphics Web site, FTP site, or BBS. Information

about these sites is located on page 13 of this manual.

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide 2-9

Dual Screen Installations

Hardware Setup

The Primary Card

Installation

The Secondary Card

The two AccelSTAR cards are used as described below:

The primary card can be either an AGP card, or a PCI card with VGA enabled. It is connected to the primary monitor. This card

has VGA enabled and provides video during startup as well as after Windows boots.

If using a PC I card as th e pr imary card, ch e ck j u mper JP2 and make sure it connects pins 1 and 2 as shown in the illustration below.

The secondary card must be a PCI card with VGA disabled (AGP

cards do not ha ve jum pers) . T he m onitor connected to it wi ll not display video until after Windows boots.

To disable VGA, move jumper JP2 to connect pins 2 and 3 as shown in the illustration below

2-10

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide

VGA BIOS

JUMPER

JP1 JP2

VGA

3 2 1

VGA Enabled

(Primary C a rd)

JP3

3 2 1

VGA Disabled

(Secondary Card)

Note

See Appendix B, Technical Information, for instructions on setting

all the jumpers on the card.

Installing the Cards

The Primary Card

• If the primary card is an AGP card, install it in the AGP slot in your system.

• If the primary card is a PCI card, install it in the Master (lowest numbered) PCI slot in your system. Make sure that VGA is enabled on this card (see previous page).

The Secondary Card

Install the seconda ry AccelSTAR II card in any PCI slot that has a higher number than the slot the primary card is in.

Dual Scr een Installations

Monitors

Connect the primary (left) monitor video cable to the primary AccelSTAR II card and connect the secondary (right) monitor video cable to the secondary AccelSTAR II card as shown in the

illustration below.

Software Setup

Other than using release 4.6 .0 6 or la ter of the driver, no special software setup is required. The AccelGraphics driver scans the bus when Windows boots and detects the number and type of AccelSTAR II cards that are insta lled. The driver then operates accordingly.

Primary Monitor Video Cable

(LEFT side of picture)

AccelSTAR II #1 (VGA ENABLED)

AccelSTAR II #2

(VGA DISABLED)

Secondary Monitor Video Cable

(RIGH T sid e of pi cture)

Installation

For further information about the AccelSTAR II drivers, see Installing the Software on the next page.

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide 2-11

Installing the Software

Note

If you install the software before you install the AccelSTAR II card, Windows will default to the VGA mode on bootup.

RAM Requirements

Your system should contain at least the amount of RAM specified in

Installation

Automatic Monitor Compatibility Testing

the following table.

RAM USE

32 MB Windows 95 or NT and 2D applications 64 MB CAD applications under Windows 96 MB

or more

CAD appli cations under Windows, best performance

(see

Driver Installation Procedure

Installing the Software From a CDROM

1. Insert the CDROM provided with your AccelSTAR II card in the CDROM drive.

2. Using either File Manager or Explorer, change directories to the root directory of the CDROM.

3. Locate and double click on the file SETUP.EXE. The installer (Installshield) will take a few seconds to load. The installer examines the system and gets information about the processor type and operating system being used, and automatically installs the appropriate driver files in the correct directories.

2-12

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide

4. Follow the directions on the screen. The installation program will guide you through a few easy questions and then automatically install the driver files for you.

5. Note that default directories are provided, but you do have the option to edit the pathnames for custom installations.

6. When the installation is complete, a confirmation dialog box is displayed. Select OK.

7. Restart Windows when prompted to do so.

Alternate installation Method

1. Pla ce the cur sor i n t he desktop a rea and pres s t he right mouse button to display the main menu.

2. Select

3. Select Settings to display the Settings page.

4. Select

5. Select Change to open the Change Display window.

6. Select

7. If the drivers are on CDROM, either use Browse to locate the Win 95

8. If the files are on the hard drive, use

9. A progress indicator (“thermometer”) is displayed showing the files

10. Restart Windows NT when prompted to do so.

Properties to open the Display Properties window.

Display Type to open th e Display Type window.

Have Disk to open the Install from Disk window.

directory, -or- enter the pathname of the director y, then select (For Windows NT, select Win NT 4.0.)

where the files are, -or- enter the pathname of the directory, then select

Open.

being loaded. When the files are loaded, a confirmation dialog box is displayed. Select

Installing the Software

Installation

Open.

Browse to loc at e the directory

OK.

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide 2-13

Installing the Software

Installing the Software From the Hard Disk

1. If you have downloaded the driver file from the Web site, FTP site, or BBS, put it in an empty directory on your hard disk.

2. Expand the file by either double-clicking on the filename in either Windows NT Explorer or File Manager, or by typing the filename in a DOS window.

Installation

Note

Some versions of the insta llation program will automatically s tart as soon as the file has expanded. If this happens, skip step 3 and continue with step 4.

3. When the file has expanded, find SETUP.EXE and double-click

4. Follow the directions on the screen. The installation program

5. Restart Windows NT when prompted to do so.

6. When the installation is complete, a confirmation dialog box is

Changing Driver Settings

Use the Setti ngs and AccelPanel page s of the Windows Prope rties applet, to change driver settings.

1. Pla ce the cur sor i n t he desktop a rea and pres s t he

on it to start the installation program (Installshield).

will guide you through a few easy questions and then automatically install the driver files for you.

displayed. Select OK.

right mouse button

to display the main menu.

2-14

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide

2. Select

3. Select

4. Select the AccelPanel tab to change other setti ngs. See Chapter 3 for

Properties to open the Display Properties window. Settings to display the Settings window, then select the

resolution, refresh rate, and color depth desired. You do not need to restart Windows to make these changes.

information on using the AccelPanel with AccelPanel, restart Windows when prompted to do so.

. To effect changes made

Deinstalling the AccelSTAR II

Caution

Turn the power off to the PC and the monitor before r emoving or i nstalling the video cable. You may damage the AccelSTAR II card if you remove or install the video cabl e with the power on.

Hardware Procedure

When removing an AccelSTAR II from your system, you must replace the card with another video card or your system will not run.

Software Procedure

No special software deinstallation procedure is needed when deinstalling the AccelSTAR II card as the driver detects the presence or absence of the card. If the driver finds an AccelSTAR II card, it runs the selected settings for the installed card. If it does not find an AccelSTAR II card in the system, it defaults to the VGA driver.

Deinsta lling th e Acc el S TA R II

Installation

Note

Depending on the video card you use to replace he AccelSTAR II card with, it may be necessary to install a driver for that card.

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide 2-15

Configuring the Acc elSTAR II

In This Chapter:

This chapter contains information about the following:

• About the AccelPanel

• Starting the AccelPanel

• AccelPanel Pages for Windows 95

• AccelPanel Pages for Windows NT 4.0

AccelSTAR II

Configu ring the

EASY

Task difficulty or complexity of information

MEDIUM

MORE DIFFICULT MOST DIFFICULT

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide 3-1

About the AccelPanel

The AccelPanel is a control apple t that is installed on your system when you install the drivers for the AccelSTAR II card. It is integrated into the Microsoft dis play property she ets and contains four pa ges for Windows 95 and four pages for Windows NT 4.0. These provide the capability of reviewing and changing seve ral types of information and settings.

Starting AccelPanel

1. To st art the AccelP anel , place the cur sor in the desktop ar ea and press the

right mouse button to display the main menu.

AccelSTAR II

2. Select

3. Sel ect the AccelPanel tab. When the panel starts, it checks to see

Configu ring the

AccelPanel Pages

The AccelPanel contains fo ur page s for Windows 95 and four pages for

Windows NT 4.0, as shown in the foll owing table. The foll owing sections

describe these page in deta il.

Windows 95 W indows NT 4.0 Description

AccelPanel AccelPanel

OpenGL OpenGL System Set up System Setup Direct3D

Properties to open the Display Properties window.

which operati ng system is running an d displays only the windows for that operating system.

Displays system hardware and software information and allows you to select the default factory settings or open the con figuration pages described below.

Displays OpenGL settings and allows you to change them as desired

Displays current 3D driver settings and allows you to change them as desired

Applications

Displays current 3D driver settings and allows you to change them as desired.

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide

3-2

Note

When prompted to do so, you mu st resta rt Windows for cha nges made via AccelPanel to ta ke effect.

Windows 95

AccelPanel Pages

AccelPanel for Windows 95 contains four pages:

• The AccelPanel information and allows you to select the default factory settings or open the configuration pages described below.

• The OpenGL page displays OpenGL settings and allows you to change them as desired.

• The System Setu p allows you to change them as desired.

• The Direct 3D you to change them as desired.

These are descsribed in detail in the following section.

page displays system hardware and software

page displays current 3D driver settings and

page displays current 3D driver settings and allows

Note

When prompted to do so , you must res tart Windows NT for changes made via AccelPanel to take effect.

AccelSTAR II

Config uring the

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide 3-3

AccelSTAR II

AccelPanel Pages

The AccelPanel page (Windows 95)

Configu ring the

Figure 2-1. AccelSTAR II Windows 95 AccelPanel - Page 1

Feature Title Description

Miniport Version Displays the version of the miniport driver. Driver Version Displays the version of the AccelGraphics driver. Resolut ion Disp lays the current scre en resolution.

Pixel Depth Refresh Rate Displays the cur rent refresh r ate.

Adapter Displays the name of the graphics board installed in the system. Video Memory Displays the number of MB of SGRAM installed on the card. OpenGL Version Displays the version of the installed OpenGL API. Chip Type Displays the name of the Graphics processor on the graphics board. DAC Displays the type of the Permedia II chip’s internal Digital to Analog Converter

Factory Settings Resets all the choices in the AccelPanel to the default factory settings. Configure Opens the AccelPanel configuration pages and displays t hem on the screen OK Saves changes and closes the AccelPanel. Cancel Ignores changes and closes the AccelPanel. Help Displays the on-line help for AccelPanel on the screen.

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide

3-4

Displays the current pixel depth (Bits-Per-Pixel, or number of colors). See the

resolution table

in chapter 1 for information on BPP and number of colors.

The

OpenGL

Page (Windows 95)

Figure 2-2. AccelSTAR II Windows 95 AccelPanel - Page 2, OpenGL

Feature Title Description

Force Nearest Neighbor Filtering- Setting this registry value will ensure that

OpenGL performs only nearest neighbor texturing operations. In some applications , this can produce higher performance, though the v ideo may be slight ly degraded. Note that t extures will still be rendered with perspective correct io n. Sele ct t his bo x i f you ar e happ y w it h t h e per f orm an ce and/ or te xt uri ng qualit y that is achieved with your application .

Enable Texture Compression - Setting this registry value will force OpenGL to

shrink 2D textu re ma ps as the y are load ed to re duce the memo ry ne eded to stor e them. T ex tur e m aps are hal ve d i n b oth x an d y d ime ns io ns so th at th ey requ i re a quarter of th e or igin al me mory. The s ettin g has no ef fect o n 1D or pal ett ed tex tur e

Texture Configuration

Export PFD_SUPPORT_GDI

maps. This setting applies to all hardware configurations.

Perspective Correction - The accuracy of the perspective-correction calculations

performed during textured rendering can be varied in the following ways:

Force Nicest, the default option, enforces that the most accurate division always

operates, resulting in the best image quality.

Force Fastest switches to a reduced accuracy divide when Delta hardware is

present and no per spe ct iv e-c orr ec t ion a t a ll if D elt a i s n ot pre sen t. T hi s re su lt s in best performance at the cost of lower image quality.

GLHint gives control of the division ac curacy t o OpenGL appl ications through the

API. A smart application can vary the division accuracy used on a per-primitive basis, since primitives that are heavily perspected require higher accuracy for good image quality than those that are not.

These two check-boxes control whether the PFD_SUPPORT_GDI flags are exported for si ngle buffered and double buffer ed pixel formats.

AccelPanel Pages

AccelSTAR II

Config uring the

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide 3-5

AccelSTAR II

AccelPanel Pages

Configu ring the

Feature Title Descriptio n

Accelerate OpenGL - Selecting this box enables hardware acceleration. Disable MipMaps - Disables software levels of detail texturing mode. Disable

softwar e le vel s o f d et ail t ex t uri ng mo de .Th is fe atur e is u se d on .G lint 50 0 T X and

3D Accele ration

Advanced Options

OK Saves chan ges and closes the AccelPanel. Apply Saves changes but leaves the AccelPanel open. Cance l Ignores chan ge s and cl os es the AccelP anel. Help Displays the on-line help for AccelPanel on the screen. NOTE: When prompted to do so, you must restart Windows for changes made via the AccelPanel to take

effect.

MX only .

Export Alpha - Ensures that alpha blending is available to applications that request

it.

Use Fast Clear - Enables hardware aceleration of buffer initial ization (example:

texture buffers). Di sable software levels of d etail texturing mode.This feat ure is used on.Glint 500 TX and MX only.

Draw Line Endpoints - This option when set can impr ove the legibility of t ext

rendered by some applications using stroke fonts, such as Pro/ENGINEER.

Number of DMA Sub-Buffers - Each DMA buffer is sub-divided into sub-buffers

which are used in conjunction with an Interrupt DMA mechanism to reduce latency in the system. The number of sub-buffers can be set here, setting it to 2 will disable the interrupt mechanism.

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide

3-6

The

System Setu p

AccelPanel Pages

Page (Windows 95).

Figure 2-3. AccelSTAR II Windows 95 AccelPanel - System Setup Page

Feature Title Description

Force Single Bufferi ng Turns off double buffering and sets single buffering only. Number of D MA

Buffers DMA Buffer Size Sets the size of each DMA buffer.

Advanced Controls

OK Saves changes and closes the AccelPanel. Apply Saves changes but leaves the AccelPanel open. Cancel Ignores changes and closes the AccelPanel. Help Displays the on-line help for AccelPanel on the screen. NOTE: W hen prompted to do so, you must restart Windows for changes made via the AccelPanel to

take effect.

Sets the number of DMA buffers that the driver will allocate. To disable DMA, set to zero.

Font Cache - Sets the amount of memory allocated for the font cache. To

disabl e font caching, set this number to 0. Off Scr een bitmaps - Enables the use of of fscreen bitmaps for faster perfor mance. Enable Auto Monitor Detect - uses the DDC2B function to test the monitor and determine which resolutions and refresh rates it can accept. Performance - Enables performance over pixel accuracy.

Interrupt Enable - Enables interrupts for DMA operations.

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide 3-7

AccelSTAR II

Config uring the

AccelSTAR II

AccelPanel Pages

The

Configu ring the

Direct3D

Page (Windows 95).

Figure 2-4. AccelSTAR II Windows 95 AccelPanel - Direct3D Page

Feature Title Description

Available Texture Formats

Advan c ed Options

OK Saves changes and closes the AccelPanel. Apply Saves changes but leaves the AccelPanel open. Cancel Ignores changes and closes the AccelPanel. Help Displays the on-line help for AccelPanel on the screen. NOTE: W hen prompted to do so, you must restart Windows for changes made via the AccelPanel to

take effect.

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide

3-8

8 Bit RGB Textures - Enables 8-bit RGB textures. Sets Direct3D so that the

Direct3D Retained Mode chooses the texture format that best matches the original file . However, this can cause applicati ons to use 8-bit RGB t extures when a hi gher resol uti on te xture forma t woul d be b ett er, so 8-bit RGB textur es are disabled b y default.

True Color Textures - Enables the use of true color textures in the Direct3D

HAL driver. This option will use more video memory if it is used by a Direct3D application.

Don’t Force CopyMode - Allows the Direct3D driver to use texture modulation.

When turned off, it allows the original color of the texture map to be seen.

Disable Direct3D HAL - Disables Direct3D hardware acceleration

Sync DblBuffer with VBlank - Ensures no flickering or tearing during 3D animat ion, but may decrease performance slightly. Number of DMA Sub-Buffers - Sets the number of DMA Sub-buffers.

Filter Stretching - Filters all stretched blit operations. Set this option OFF by

default as it can slow the performance of stretch blit, but it is good for t real-time anti-aliasing applications that stretch large images down with filtering.

Rectangular Allocator - Changes the memory usage from linear to

rectangular.

Windows NT 4.0

AccelPanel for Windows NT 4.0 contains four pages:

AccelPanel Pages

• The AccelPanel information and allows you to select the default factory settings or open the configuration pages described below.

• The OpenGL page displays OpenGL settings and allows you to change them as desired.

• The Applications allows you to change them as desired.

• The System S etup allows you to change them as desired.

These are descsribed in detail in the following section.

page displays system hardware and software

page displays current 3D driver settings and

Note

When prompted to do so , you must res tart Windows NT for changes made via AccelPanel to take effect.

AccelSTAR II

Config uring the

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide 3-9

AccelSTAR II

AccelPanel Pages

The

Configu ring the

AccelPanel

Page (Windows NT 4.0).

Figure 2-5. Windows NT 4.0 AccelPanel - AccelPanel Page

Feature Title Description

Miniport Version Displays the version of the miniport driver. Driver Version Displays the version of the AccelGraphics driver. Resolut ion Disp lays the current scre en resolution.

Pixel Depth Refresh Rate Displays the cur rent refresh r ate.

Factory Settings Resets all the choices in the AccelPanel to the default factory settings. Configure Opens the AccelPanel configuration pages and displays t hem on the screen OK Saves changes and closes the AccelPanel. Apply Saves changes but leaves t he AccelP anel open. Cancel Ignores changes and closes the AccelPanel. Help Displays the on-line help for AccelPanel on the screen.

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide

3-10

Displays the current pixel depth (Bits-Per-Pixel, or number of colors). See the resolution table in chapter 1 for information on BPP and number of colors.

The

OpenGL

AccelPanel Pages

Page (Windows NT 4.0).

Figure 2-6. Windows NT 4.0 AccelPan el, Page 2, Boot Options

Feature Title Description

Force Nearest Neighbor Filtering Setting this registry value will ensure that

OpenGL performs only nearest neighbor texturing operations. In some applications , this can produce higher performance, though the video may be slightly degraded. Note that textures will still be rendered with perspective correction. Select this box if you are happy with the performance and/or texturing qual ity that is achie v ed with your appli c ation.

Enable Texture Compression Setting this registry value will force OpenGL to

shrink 2D texture maps as they are loaded to reduce the memory needed to store them. Texture maps are halved in both x and y dimensions so that they require a quarter of the original memory. The setting has no effect on 1D or

Texture Configuration

Export PFD_SUPPORT_GDI

paletted textu re maps. This setting appli es to all hardware configurations.

Perspective Correction The accuracy of the perspective-correction divide

performed during textured rendering can be varied in the following ways:

Force Nicest , the de fa ult op ti on , enf o rces th at t he m os t accu r ate d iv id e a lwa ys

operates, resulting in the best image quality.

Force Fastest switches to a reduced accuracy divide when Delta hardware is

present and no perspe cti ve-c orrec tion at all if Del ta is not pre sent. This result s in best performance at the cost of lower image quality.

GLHint gives control of the divide accuracy to OpenGL applications through the

API. A smart application can vary the divide accuracy used on a per-primitive basis, si nc e pri mit i ves tha t are he av ily p er spe ct ed req ui re h ig her ac cu racy for good image quality than those that are not.

These two check-boxes control whet her the PFD _SUPPORT_GDI flags are expor ted for single buffered and double buffered pixel formats.

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide3-11

AccelSTAR II

Config uring the

AccelSTAR II

AccelPanel Pages

Configu ring the

Feature Title Description

Accelerate Op enG L - Select ing this box enable s hardware acceleration. Disable MipMaps - Disables software levels of detail texturing mode.Disable

software levels of det ail texturing mode.This feature is used on.G lint 500 TX

3D Accele ration

Advanced Options

OK Saves changes and cl oses the AccelPanel. Apply Saves changes but leaves the AccelPanel open. Cancel Ignores changes and closes the AccelPanel. Help Displays the on-line help fo r AccelPanel on the screen . NOTE: When prompted to do so, you must restart Windows for changes made via the AccelPanel to

take effect.

and MX only.

Export Alpha - En sures that alpha blending is available to applications that

reques t it.

Use Fast Clear - Enables hardware aceleration of buffer initialization

(example: texture buffers). Disable software levels of detail texturing mode.This feature is used on.Glint 500 TX and MX only.

Draw Line Endpoints - This option when set can improve the legibility of text

rendered by some applications using stroke fonts, such as Pro/ENGINEER. Sync DblBuffer with VBlank - Ensures no flickering or tearing during 3D animat ion, but may decrease performance slightly.

Number of DMA Sub-Buffers - Each DMA buffer is s ub-divided into

sub-buffers which are used in conjunction with an Interrupt DMA mechanism to reduce latency in the system. The number of sub-buffers can be set here, setting it to 2 will disable the interrupt mechanism.

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide

3-12

The

Applications

Figure 2-7. Windows NT 4.0 AccelPanel, Applications Page

Feature Title Description

No Application Selected

AutoCAD AVS Generic OpenGL IDEAS Master Series MicroStation Pro/ENGINEER SoftImage 3D SolidWorks Unigraphics 3D Studio MAX

AccelPanel Pages

Page (Windows NT 4.0).

No Appli c ation S elected (User Defined State) will be automatically selected

whenever you use either the Performance or the Advanced Settings dialog boxes to change any AccelPanel settings.

No Application Selected (Default State) will be automatically selected when

AccelPanel pane l is first opened, and the sy stem is set so that on ly Gamma and Stencils are enable d. To return to the default state, select any other application and then select this button.

Application Selected

Sets the Display parameters and the Windows Registry parameters for the selected application.

NOTE: You must restart Windows for changes made to these settings to take effect.

AccelSTAR II

Config uring the

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide3-13

AccelSTAR II

AccelPanel Pages

The

Configu ring the

System Set u p

Page (Windows NT 4.0).

Figure 2-8. Windows NT 4.0 AccelPanel, System Setup Page

Feature Title Description

Force Single Buffering

Gamma Adjustment Gamma Value

Number of DMA Buffers

DMA Buffer Size Sets the size of each DMA buffer.

Advanced Controls

OK Saves chan ges and closes the AccelPanel. Apply Saves changes but leaves the AccelPanel open. Cancel Ignores changes and closes the AccelPanel. Help Displays the on-line help for AccelPanel on the screen. NOTE: When prompted to do so, you must restart Windows for changes made via the AccelPanel to

take effect.

Turns off double buffering and sets single buffering on ly. The gamm a adju st me nt af f ects t he en tir e sc ree n di sp lay. Th e de fau lt ga mma

value is 1.0 and the allowable range of floating point values is 0.3 to 4.0. Any new user-defined value will take effect when the Apply or OK buttons are selected.

Sets the number of DMA buffers that the driver will allocate. To disable DMA, set to zero.

Export High Resolutio n, Single Buffered Formats - Select this option to run 2D

applications at the highest available resolutions. When this box is checked, it will enable the driver to boot at resolutions where only single buffered pixel formats are supported by GLINT acceleration, because at higher resolutions, there is not enough VRAM to support double-buffered formats. By default, this is not enabled and prevents you from unknowingly booting into unaccelerated OpenGL mode with applications that use double buffering.

Off Screen bitmaps - Enables the use of offscreen bitmaps for faster

perfor mance.

Enable Auto Monitor Detect - uses the DDC2B function to test the monitor

and determine which resolutions and refresh rates it can accept.

Perfor mance - Enables performance over pixel accuracy.

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide

3-14

Configu ring Applications

In This Appendix

This appendix describe s the procedures to set up the AccelSTAR II and to configure the following applications to use the AccelSTAR II hardware and software:

• Important Information

• AutoCAD

• Solidworks

• 3D Studio Max

• Photoshop

Note

This appendi x may not i nclude i nformation on all applications that can be run with the AccelSTAR II card. Call your authorized AccelGr aphi cs reseller for information about applications which is not included here.

Configu ring

Applicat ions

AccelSTAR II User’ s Guide A-1

EASY MEDIUM MORE DIFFICULT MOST DIFFICULT

Task difficulty or complexity of information

Important Information

There are two main requirements to obtain optimum performance from an application and a graphic s accelerator card such as the AccelSTA R II.

• Set up the operating parameters of the card.

• Configure the application to use OpenGL

Setting Up the Card

Most applications are designed to provide optimum 3D performance at specific resolutions, color depths, and numbers of buffers. You can set the resolution and color depth by using either the Windows Display applet or AccelGraphics’ control applet called AccelPanel for informatio n on AccelPanel and double-bu ffering. You can also set the refresh rate (vertical scan rate) of the display. This parameter affec ts the “flicker” of t he screen, but does not affect the number of buffers used. In most cases, however, the best way to set up the card is to use the

(see Chapter 3). See the following par agraphs

Applications pa ge in AccelPanel.

Applicat ions

Configu ring

Use AccelPanel (Applications - Windows NT only)

AccelPanel conta ins built- in settings for several popular CAD and 3D Animation applications. These settings are recommended by the application manufacturers and many experie nced users. Using them is a fast and easy way to ensure that you get the best performance from your system, application, and AccelS TAR II card. In some cases, you must use the built-in settings because AccelPanel also makes necessary changes to the Windows registry. To use the built-in settings:

Applications page.

OK.

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide

A-2

1. Display the AccelPanel and go to the

2. Sel ect the desired application and the n select

3. Go to the Single Buffering” is NOT selected.

4. Restart Windows.

See Chapter 3 for a complete description of the AccelPanel

System Settings page and make sure that “Force

Use a Double-Buffered Driver

Most OpenGL applications require that a double-buffered driver be used for accelerating 3D shaded models. A single-buffered driver will not implement the OpenGL accel eration and shaded models will return to wireframe mode when you rotate them. However, you cannot set the number of buffers directly. The SGRAM holds the combination of resoluti on, color depth, and number of buffer s. When you select the r esolution and color depth, those factors are combined and stored in the SGRAM. If there is enough SGRAM left, the driver will run double-buffered; otherwise it runs singl e-buffered. See the table details on resolution, color depth, and buffer depth.

Checking the SGRAM

To check the amount of SGRAM installed on the AccelSTAR card, display the AccelPan el, g o to the 3D Settings p age, and l ook in the upper right corner. See the description of AccelPanel Chapter 3 for more information.

Important In fo r mation

in Chapter 1 for

AccelSTAR II User’ s Guide A-3

Configur ing

Applicat ions

Configuring Applications

Many applications runni ng under Windows mus t be set up, generally wit h a configuration file . Some applications simply use OpenGL if it is running on the system, and will autom atically take advantage of a n OpenGL-based graphics a ccelerator card suc h as the AccelSTAR II if it is installed in the system.

AutoCAD

No specific configura tion is needed to run the Mechanical Desktop or AutoCAD Rele ase R13C4 or late r under Windows NT with the AccelSTAR II card. Note, however, tha t al though the AccelSTAR II car d will s peed up 2D operatio ns, the ca rd by i tself will not allow you to edit or manipulate (rotate, etc.) 3D rendered objects because AutoCAD does not directly use OpenGL.

This function is accomplished by Accel AccelGraphics. Call your authorized AccelGraphics reseller for information about this product. To accelerate the rot ation with an AccelSTAR II card, install a double-buffered driver. You can choose any double-buffe red dr iver that has the color depth, resolution, and refresh rate comp atibl e w ith you r application and monitor. See the section on double-buffering

VIEW 3D from

in this appendix.

Solidworks

Configur ing

Applicat ions

Solidworks requi res a double-buffered dr iver. You can choose any double-buffered driver that has the color depth, resolution, and refresh rate compatible with your applic ation and mon itor. See the section on double-bufferin g

in this appendix.

A-4

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide

3D Studio Max

Note

Before running 3D Studio MAX, follow the instructions below to set the recommended AccelSTAR II driver configuration for running the application. Note that it may

“hang” if not set up properly.

1. Open the Display Properties applet.

2. Display the AccelGraphics Applications page (refer to Chapter 3 for information on how to do this if needed).

3. Sel ect 3D Studio MAX.

4. Sel ect OK.

5. Close the Display Properties applet

6. Restart Windows NT to have this change take effect.

Software Configuration

Configuring Applications

3D Studio Max can use either OpenGL or Heidi drivers, in addition to the software Z-buff er (not recommended). AccelGraphics recommen ds the following procedures when configuring the AccelP RO MX card to support 3D Studio MAX.

Using the H eidi Driver

You can use the Heidi driver that is distributed with 3D Studio MAX if you have the optional VRAM on the AccelPRO MX card. Insta ll the dr iver as instructed. If you ha ve an AccelPRO MX card model 1000 or 2000 (no optional DRAM), see the workaround listed on the previous page.

Using the OpenGL D riv er

OpenGL is usable with 3D Studio Max Release 2.0 and later. To set the proper display and 3D settings, follow the instructions in the procedure below.

AccelSTAR II User’ s Guide A-5

Configur ing

Applicat ions

Configuring Applications

Known Problems and Workarounds

Errors in OpenGL Applications w hile running 3DS MA X.

When running 3D Studio MAX using the 3Dlabs GLINT Heidi driver, OpenGL applications and Heidi exhibit context switch conflicts and the OpenGL application does not run correctly in accelerated mode. To run an OpenGL application, first close 3D Studio MAX and then run the OpenGL application.

Workaround

Avoid running OpenGL applications while 3D Studio MAX is running.

Incorrect rendering of th e grid lines

Incorrect ren dering of the gri d lines may be seen whe n an object is rendered in faceted or smooth shaded mode. The incorrect lines are visible onl y in those areas of the perspective window occupied by the rendered object.

Workaround

Redraw the view from the pull-down menus to correct inaccurately rendered grid lines.

Applicat ions

Configu ring

A-6

No 3D Acc eleration

Workaround

Configure 3D Studio MAX to use the "Glint Hardware" driver, not the "software Z-buffer". When starting the program, you c an force it to prompt for this option by executin g the program with the "-h" switch.

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide

Photoshop

Configuring Applications

To use 3D programs such as 3D Studio MAX or Lightwave 3D and 2D applications such as Adobe Photos hop at the same time:

1. Open the NT Display window and set 1024x768 or 800x600 resolution and true color mode. All 2D windows (such as those for Photoshop) will then run in 24-bit color. All 3D windows such as those f or 3D Studio MAX or Lightwave will run in 16-bit color mode which is usuall y adequa te for 3D modeling purposes. Switch to the 24-bit mode to view/playback your final renderings.

2. To run P hotoshop a t 1280x1024, us e the AccelPa nel 1280x1024 single buffered resolution. When you have finished using Photos hop, set the display to 1280x1024 x 32K colors, double bu ffered mode t o use with your Li ghtwave 3D, 3D Studio MAX or other 3D application.

to select

Configur ing

Applicat ions

AccelSTAR II User’ s Guide A-7

Configuring Applications

Applicat ions

Configu ring

A-8

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide

In This Appendix

This appendix include s technical information for the AccelSTAR II card.

• Hardwa re D escri ption an d J umper S etting s

• Mechani cal and Electrical S pecifica tions

• Enviro nmental an d Safety Sp ecificat ionsLK

Technical Information

EASY MEDIUM MORE DIFFICULT MOST DIFFICULT

Task difficulty or complexity of information

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide B-1

Technical

Information

Hardware Description

The AccelSTAR II is a single slot, short form factor card, with a 32 bit slave PCI or AGP interface. The following illustration shows the major components on the AccelSTAR II card. See Chapter 2 for information about the differenc es in PCI and AGP edge connectors below for jumper settings. The AGP version does not have jumpers.

Video Out

VideoIn

Video Encoder

VGA BIOS

RGB Video Out

VGA Jumper

Permedia II Engine

. See Table B-1

JP1 JP2 JP3

SGRAM (4MB on front, 4MB on back)

Figure B-1. The AccelSTAR II Card (PCI version)

Table B-1.

JUMPER/

PINS

JP1

321

Information

Technical

JP2

321

JP3

321

B-2

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide

FUNCTION DESCRIPTION FACTORY SETTING

SET BASE CLASS

VGA

VGA FIXED ADDRESS

AccelSTAR II Jumpe r Settings

SET BASE CLASS 3 WHEN INSTALLING THE ACCELSTAR II IN NEWER SYSTEMS.

SET BASE CLASS 0 WHEN INSTALLING THE ACCELSTAR II IN OLDER SYSTEMS

VGA MAY BE DISABLED WHEN ANOTHER VGA SOURCE IS BEING USED IN THE SYSTEM.

SEE CHAPTER 2 FOR INFO ON

DUAL SCREEN

ENABLE FIXED ADDRESS TO OVERRIDE SYSTEM BIOS SETTING (USES A000-BFFF).

DISABLE FIXED ADDRESS TO USE SYSTEM BIOS SETTING.

INSTALLATIONS.

BASE CLASS 3

CONNECT PINS 1-2 TO SET BASE CLASS 0,

CONNECT PINS 2-3

ENABLED

CONNECT PINS 1-2 TO DISABLE VGA,

CONNECT PINS 2-3

ENABLED

CONNECT PINS 1-2 TO DISABLE FIXED ADDRESS,

CONNECT PINS 2-3

Mechanical and Electrical Specifications

Mechanical and Electrical Sp ecification s

Mech anical Dimensions

Table B-2. AccelSTAR II Dimensions

Dimension Inches Millimeters

Length 8.661 220 Width 4.2 107 Height 0.065 1.7

Electrical Requirements

Table B-3. AccelSTAR II Power Requirements

Voltage +5.0 VDC +/- 5% +3.3 VDC +/- 5% Current 5V : 550ma; 3.3V : 3.79A Power 5V : 2.75W; 3.3V : 12.5W

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide B-3

Technical

Information

Video Connectors and Pin Assignments

This section describes the three video connectors on the AccelSTAR II.

RGB Video Conn ect or (out)

This 15-pin female miniature D-s hell connector provides st andard RS-343 RGB video. The following table describes the connector pin assignments.

Table B-4: VGA Pin Assignments

Pin Signal Pin Signal Pin Signal

1 Red* 6 Signal Ground 11 Not Connected 2 Green* 7 Signal Ground 12 Not Connected 3 Blue* 8 Signal Ground 13 H Sync (TTL) 4 Not Connected 9 Not Connected 14 V sync (TTL) 5 Signal Ground 10 Signal Ground 15 Not Connected

*RS-343A Compatible

Feature Connector - Video In

The 26-pin VESA video in connector has the following pin assignments.

Table B-5: Video In Pin Assign ments

Signal Pin Pin Signal

GND GND GND VSCtl5 VSCtl1 VSCtl3 SBCLK

Information

Technical

B-4

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide

GND GND GND GND GND SBData

1 2VSAData0 3 4VSAData1 5 6VSAData2 7 8VSAData3 9 10 VSAData4 11 12 VSAData5 13 14 VSAData6 15 16 VSAData7 17 18 VSAClk 19 20 HRef VSCtl7 21 22 Not connected 23 24 Not connected 25 26 GND

Feature Connector - Video Out

The 40-pin VESA video out connector has the follo wing pin assignments.

Table B-6: Video Pi n Ass ign ments

Signal Pin Pin Signal

VDD 12V VSBData1 GND VSBData3 VCC VSBData6 Not Connected VSCtl1 VSCtl3 GND VSGPChipSelectN VSGPDataStrob eN VDD_3V3 Not Connected Not Connected VCC VSBClk VSBResetN Not Connected Not Connected

1 2VSBData0 3 4GND 5 6VSBData2 7 8VSBData4 9 10 VSBData5 11 12 VSBData7 13 14 VSCtl0 15 16 VSCtl2 17 18 VCC 19 20 VSAResetN 21 22 GND 23 24 VSGReadWriteN 25 26 VSGPDataAckN 27 28 VSCtl4 29 30 Not Connected 31 32 VDD_3V3 33 34 GND 35 36 Not Connected 37 38 Not Connected 39 40 Not Connected

Video Connectors and Pin Assignments

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide B-5

Technical

Information

Environmental and Safety Specifications

Environmental and Safety Spe c ifications

Mechanical Environment

The AccelSTAR II card has been certified to the following mechanical specifications.

Table B-7: Mechanical Environment

Operating: Non-operating Shipping

Temperature

Altitude

Humidity

°C to 70°C

°F to 158°F)

(32 0 to 9,750 feet

(0 to 3000 M) 30 to 90%,

non-condensing

-10

°C to 70°C °F to 158°F)

(14 0 to 32,500 feet

(0 to 10.000 M) 10-90%,

non-condensing

Product Safety

The AccelS TA R II card con fo rm s to the following product safety specifications:

Table B-8: Product Safety

Electromagnetic Interference (EMI)

FCC FCC Part 15/Class B CE EN 55022, Class B and EN50082-1

-10

°C to 70°C °F to 158°F)

(14 0 to 32,500 feet

(0 to 10,000 M) 10 to 90%,

non-condensing

Information

Technical

B-6

AccelSTAR II User’s Guide

Intergraph AccellSTAR II User's Guide

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Quick Con t en ts

How to use this on-line document

How To Print This Document

Contents

About This Manual

User’s Guide Organization

Related Manuals

Conventions

AccelGraphic s Pro duc t Wa rran ty

A. Warranted and Unwarranted Products; Exclusions

B. Limited Graphics Ac c elerator Card Warra nt y

C. Limited Software Warranty

Software License Agreement

You May:

You May Not:

About the AccelSTAR II

Operating Modes

2D (SVGA)

2D Rendering fun ctio ns :

3D (High Resolution)

3D Rendering fun ctio ns :

Supported Processors

Supported Software

Supported Applications

Software Distribution

Supported Monitors and Output Formats

Automatic Monitor Compatibility Testing

AccelSTAR II Display Mode Tables (Windows NT)

AccelSTAR II Display Mode Tables (Windows 95)

AccelSTAR II Color Modes

Installing the Ac celSTAR II

Before Installing the AccelSTAR II Card

Task Overview

Hardware Requirements.

Software Requirements

Save the Box

Make Sure You Have Everything

Installing the AccelSTAR II Card

Tools Needed

Back Up Data

Turn Off the PC and Ground Yourself

Disc onnect Cables and Open the P C

Remove Existing Video Cards

Install the AccelSTAR II Card

Close the PC.

Connect the Video Cable

Connect the Remaining Cables

Turn on the PC

Dual Screen Installations

Hardware Requirements

Software Requirements

Hardware Setup

The Primary Card

The Secondary Card

Installing the Cards

The Primary Card

The Secondary Card

Monitors

Software Setup

Installing the Software

RAM Requirements

Automatic Monitor Compatibility Testing

Driver Installation Procedure

Installing the Software From a CDROM

Alternate installation Method

Installing the Software From the Hard Disk

Changing Driver Settings

Deinstalling the AccelSTAR II

Hardware Procedure

Software Procedure

Configuring the Acc elSTAR II

About the AccelPanel

Starting AccelPanel

AccelPanel Pages

Windows 95

The AccelPanel page (Windows 95)