============= Release Notes ============= Quantum3D Obsidian Family Release 3 12 February 1998 Copyright 1997-1998 Quantum3D, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ===================================================================== Quantum3D, Inc. 2520 Mission College Blvd, Suite 202 Santa Clara, California, 95054-1215 Voice: (408) 919-9999 Fax: (408) 919-9980 Web Site: http://www.quantum3d.com Technical Support: support@quantum3d.com ===================================================================== This release supports the Obsidian Graphics Card Family which includes the Obsidian 50 Series, Obsidian 50 Series with TV output, the Obsidian 100DB, the Obsidian 100SB and the Obsidian 100SB with MGV. This release contains drivers derived from 3Dfx Voodoo Graphics Glide 2.43 and Voodoo Graphics Direct3D 2.14. CONTENTS ======== I. Minimum System Requirements II. Base Drivers Feature Notes III. Before You Begin IV. Driver Installation for the Obsidian V. Software Utilities VI. Removing the Obsidian Drivers VII. Frequently Asked Questions I. Minimum System Requirements ============================== - PCI 2.1 compliant system - Pentium(R) class or faster processor - 16MB of system memory - Available PCI expansion slot (2 adjacent PCI expansion slots required for the Obsidian dual board 100DB-4440. Full length PCI slot required for Obsidian 100SB - ATX form factor recommended). - Windows 95 (or later) - Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 3 (or later) - DirectX 5.0 (or later)(Windows 95 only) - Windows desktop (VGA) display adapter or Quantum3D MGV companion VGA daughtercard (Obsidian 100SB only) - VGA compatible monitor II. Base Driver Feature Notes ============================== The Quantum3D Obsidian drivers included with this release are based on Glide 2.43 and Direct3D 2.14 drivers and implement Base Drivers Features, whose features for the Obsidian are: - Multiple Obsidian adapters can now be used in a single computer. - Using the Obsidian in a computer with an S3 968 or 868 based Windows display adapter may cause the computer to not operate correctly. - Gamma correction on the Obsidian 100SB now functions at 800x600. - The default gamma for Direct3D is now the same as that for Glide (1.7). - Gamma correction and refresh rates can now be set via the Obsidian tab on the Display Property Sheet. - The SST_GAMMA, SST_RGAMMA, SST_GGAMMA, and SST_BGAMMA environment variables now control the gamma correction used by the Direct3D driver as well as overriding that set by Glide applications. - The Obsidian 50 Series can operate at these video timings: Resolution Refresh Rate 512 x 384 72,75,85,120 Hz 640 x 400 70,75,85,120 Hz 640 x 480 60,75,85,120 Hz 800 x 600 60,75,85 Hz - The Obsidian 100DB-4440 can operate at these video timings: Resolution Refresh Rate 512 x 384 72 Hz 640 x 400 70 Hz 640 x 480 60 Hz 800 x 600 60 Hz - The Obsidian 100SB can operate at these video timings: Resolution Refresh Rate 512 x 384 72,75,85 Hz 640 x 400 70,75,85 Hz 640 x 480 60,75,85 Hz 800 x 600 60,75 Hz - Obsidians with TV Output capabilities operate only when Voodoo Graphics is running and at these video timings: Resolution Refresh Rate Format Scan Option 640 x 480 60 Hz NTSC Overscan and Underscan 640 x 480 50 Hz PAL Overscan and Underscan 800 x 600 60 Hz NTSC Underscan 800 x 600 50 Hz PAL Overscan and Underscan III. Before You Begin ===================== Whether you are installing the Obsidian for the first time or upgrading existing drivers for the Obsidian, follow the procedure below before you begin the driver installation. 1. From the Start menu select Settings then Control Panel. 2. Double-click on Add/Remove Programs, and select the Install/Uninstall tab. 3. Scroll through the list and select any existing drivers for 3Dfx Voodoo Graphics based products, including ones from Quantum3D. 4. Click on the Add/Remove button. 5. Run RunMeFirst.bat from the Obsidian Family Driver CD-ROM to verify that you are running Windows NT 4 Service Pack 3 or later. 6. If this a first time installation, remove any other 3Dfx Voodoo Graphics adapters from the system if present. Follow the hardware installation procedure in the Obsidian Family User's Guide for your appropriate Obsidian adapter. IV. Driver Installation for the Obsidian ======================================== 1. Power on the computer and boot Windows NT 4. Be sure to log onto the computer with an account that has local Administrator privileges (this is required for updating the registry). 2. Insert the Obsidian Graphics Card Family CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive. 3. From the Start menu, select Programs and then Windows NT Explorer. 4. Click on the CD-ROM drive in the All Folders panel. 5. Double click on the WINNT directory in the Contents panel. 6. Right mouse click on OBSIDIAN.INF in the Contents panel and select Install. 7. Windows NT will copy the drivers from the CD-ROM for the Obsidian to the hard drive. 8. Reboot the computer when prompted. V. Software Utilities ====================== During the Obsidian driver installation, a number of diagnostic utilities are installed under the following folders: C:\Program Files\Q3D\Obsidian\Win95 - or - C:\Program Files\Q3D\Obsidian\WinNT depending on the operating system you are using. This section describes the software utilities for the Obsidian. NOTE: Some software utilities must be run from the MS-DOS prompt. From the Start menu select Programs then MS-DOS Prompt. In the MS-DOS Prompt window type: cd "\program files\q3d\obsidian\win95" for Windows 95 or cd\program files\q3d\obsidian\winNT for Windows NT and press Enter. You may now run the desired software utility from the MD-DOS Prompt window by typing the appropriate file name. The following is a list of utilities that must be run from the MS-DOS Prompt. DETECT.EXE MOJO.EXE GWHAT.EXE PASS.EXE PCIRW.EXE The following utilities can be run from Windows. GDETECT.EXE GMOJO.EXE VI. Removing the Obsidian Drivers ================================= 1. From the Start menu select Settings then Control Panel. 2. Double-click on Add/Remove Programs, and select the Install/Uninstall tab. 3. Scroll through the list and select the Quantum3D Obsidian adapter listed. 4. Click on the Add/Remove button. 5. Shutdown the computer and remove the Obsidian adapter from the computer. 6. When Windows NT is restarted, the last portion of the removal is done automatically. VII. Frequently Asked Questions =============================== Q: Why is the Override Application Setting option in the Obsidian tab of the Display Properties dialog checked and not available (grayed out)? A: In order to maintain backward compatibility, environment variables set manually will take precedence over configuration options. Therefore, if you have set environment variables manually, the corresponding configuration option will not be available. Removing these environment variables and restarting the computer will restore the previously unavailable configuration options. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: When TV output is enabled, why are the options for resolution restricted to 640 x 480 or 800 x 600 at 60 HZ refresh rate for NTSC and 50 Hz refresh rate for PAL TV output? A: Enabling TV output restricts the resolution and refresh rate options in order to display the image correctly on the TV monitor. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Why do some applications have corrupted display when the Wait for Vertical Retrace option in the Obsidian tab of the Display Properties dialog is not checked? A: Disabling Wait for Vertical Retrace may increase the performance of some applications because the hardware is not waiting for Vysnc to the display monitor. However this may cause tearing of images in the application. For benchmarking purposes it is recommended that you disable Wait for Vertical Retrace for maximum performance. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: When attempting to run one of the Obsidian utilities by double clicking on the file in Windows Explorer, why does a window flash and nothing appear to happen? A: Some of the software utilities must be run from the MS-DOS prompt. From the Start menu select Programs then MS-DOS Prompt. The following is a list of utilities that must be run from the MS-DOS prompt: DETECT.EXE MOJO.EXE GWHAT.EXE PASS.EXE PCIRW.EXE --------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: When attempting to run an older Glide base application, why does an error message "missing DLL file 'GLIDE.DLL' not found" appear? A: The application is attempting to specifically access an older version of a Glide file GLIDE.DLL which has been replaced by the current GLIDE2X.DLL file. Contact the manufacturer for an updated version of the application. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: When using a TV monitor, why is the display corrupted? A: Occasionally the output to the TV monitor may display incorrectly. Simply exit the application and restart it. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: When attempting to run an application, why does an error message "Expected VXD version V1.2 got V1.1" appears? A: The drivers for the Obsidian may have been overwritten, are the incorrect version or have been corrupted. Run RunMeFirst.bat, restart the system and reinstall the Obsidian drivers. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Can the Obsidian 50 Series be overclocked? A: The Obsidian 50 Series is designed for reliable performance at 50MHz memory clock speed. The Obsidian tab in the Display Properties dialog does allow for modifying the memory clock speed, however modifying this setting from the default 50MHZ may impact reliable performance. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Can the Obsidian dual board 100DB or Obsidian 100SB be overclocked? A: The Obsidian dual board 100DB-4440 and Obsidian 100SB are designed only to operate at 50MHz clock speed and can not be overclocked.