FireGL Fire GL3 User Manual

Agp/atx card

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Fire GL3

User's Guide

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Summary of Contents for FireGL Fire GL3

Page 2: Table Of Contents
ABLE OF ONTENTS GL3............1 NTRODUCING THE GL3 ................1 BOUT YOUR Hardware Design................. 1 Operating Systems ................2 Typical Application Environments........... 3 System Requirements and Tools ............. 3 Performance Overview..............4 ..............5 OW TO USE THIS UIDE Manual Conventions ................5 Viewing the User's Guide Online............
Page 3 GL3 S ............23 OFTWARE TILITIES ..............24 HANGING THE IDEO ETTINGS How to Switch to the Display Properties?........24 Setting Resolution and Refresh Rate..........24 Setting a DualScreen Configuration ..........26 Selecting your Monitor...............29 Adjusting the Monitor Display............32 ............35 ODIFYING PPLICATION ROFILES GL3 D ..........
Page 4: Introducing The Fire Gl3
BOUT YOUR Hardware Design The Fire GL3 is an AGP/ATX card based upon the IBM RC 1000/ GT 1000 chipset. With the ability to support two monitors and 128 MB of on-board memory the Fire GL3 is ideal for digital content creation, high-end CAD and other sophisticated 3D applications.
Page 5: Operating Systems
Service Pack Information for Windows NT 4.0 You must be running Windows NT 4.0, updated with Service Pack 6 (or higher) prior to installing the Fire GL3 drivers. The Service Pack is available from Microsoft's web page, www.microsoft.com. For most languages you can perform the Service Pack 6 update from the Fire GL CD when you run the Quick Start utility.
Page 6: Typical Application Environments
What do you need to install and use your Fire GL3? ♦ Motherboard with free AGP slot. Note: The bracket of the Fire GL3 also covers the expansion slot next to the AGP slot. ♦ Pentium II CPU or better ♦...
Page 7: Performance Overview
Technical Details. Hardware Performance ♦ 32-bit RGBα TrueColor 2D and 3D acceleration Note: The Fire GL3 does not support 8-bit or 16-bit video modes ♦ Accelerated, double-buffered 32-bit TrueColor up to 1920 x 1200, at 75 Hz refresh rates ♦...
Page 8: How To Use This User ' S Guide
Manual Conventions Your Fire GL3 User’s Guide is organized in a standard, familiar way. A few icons are used to point out important information: This icon marks useful tips or important operational notes.
Page 9: Viewing The User's Guide Online
You can easily print this User's Guide to access it off-line. The manual then will look like any standard document with a table of contents and page numbers. For printing the User’s Guide, a print resolution of 600 dpi -or higher - is recommended. 6 Introducing the Fire GL3...
Page 10: Quick Installation
UICK NSTALLATION ♦ Brief instructions on how to get to work with the Fire GL3 in the shortest possible time. ♦ Recommended for experienced users and system administrators only. ♦ For more detailed information on installation and operation of your graphics accelerator, please refer to the corresponding sections of the Fire GL3 User’s Guide.
Page 11: Nstalling The Ire Gl3
♦ I NSTALLING THE ARDWARE ♦ I NSTALLING THE OFTWARE NSTALLING THE ARDWARE The hardware installation includes the following steps: ♦ Preparing your Computer ♦ Installing the Card ♦ Connecting the Cables and Completing the Installation 8 Installing the Fire GL3...
Page 12: Preparing Your Computer
What do you need to System Requirements and Tools ♦ use your Fire GL3? Motherboard with free AGP 1.X slot. Note: The bracket of the Fire GL3 also covers the expansion slot next to the AGP slot. ♦ System interrupt (IRQ) which is free.
Page 13 Are you installing your Before you shut down your computer and Fire GL3 in place of a remove the installed graphics solution , we recommend that you un-install the old card card from another...
Page 14 7. Windows asks you if you want to restart your computer. Click No. 8. Shut down your computer. You are now ready to remove your old graphics card and install your new Fire GL3 card. Installing the Fire GL3 11...
Page 15 1. Switch off your computer and all external options (printer, display, and others) and unplug all power cables from the electrical source. 2. Remove the cover of the computer. Refer to the instructions in your computer’s manual for more information. Installing the Fire GL3...
Page 16: Installing The Card
AGP cards are designed to fit one way only. Be sure your card is properly aligned. 4. Insert your Fire GL3 card firmly into the AGP slot. Take care to press it evenly and snugly into its slot. Do not force.
Page 17 Installation in an AGP expansion slot 1 Fire GL3 card 2 Card edge connector 3 Expansion slot Reassembling Your Computer 1. Secure ribbon cables and gently push them down and out of the way before you replace the system cover.
Page 18: Connecting The Cables And Completing The Installation
Note - You may connect one or two monitors, either digital CRT / TFT- LCD, or - via an VGA -> DVI-I adapter - analog VGA, to the Fire GL3. If you connect only one monitor, make sure to connect it to DVI connector (1) on the card.
Page 19 You need this information only if you want to use StereoGraphics’ CrystalEyes or compatible stereoviewing eyewear. Please note that stereo glasses are optional equipment and not included in the Fire GL3 package. Connect your stereoviewing eyewear to the 3 pin Mini-DIN stereo sync connector (3) on the card.
Page 20 Note: Your monitor is running in standard VGA mode. Higher refresh rates etc. are not available at this stage of the installation. After you have successfully installed the Fire GL3 drivers you can use the dialogs in the Display Properties menu to adjust the video settings and set up a multi-monitor configuration.
Page 21: Installing The Software
♦ Before you Start: Information, Tips and Hints ♦ Software Installation for Windows NT 4.0 ♦ Software Installation for Windows 2000 You will need to install the Fire GL3 drivers and software in the following cases: ♦ After you have installed the card to your system.
Page 22: Before You Start: Information, Tips, And Hints
Before you Start: Information, Tips, and Hints Before you install the drivers for your Fire GL3 accelerator, make sure your monitor cable is properly attached to the DVI-I connector. Do you need a special driver installation? The software installation procedure later in this chapter describes how to install the drivers for your graphics card after you have installed the new card for the first time and have rebooted your computer.
Page 23: Software Installation For Windows Nt4.0
♦ You must be running Windows 2000 or Windows NT 4.0, updated with Service Pack 6 (or newer) before installing the Fire GL3 drivers. For most languages you can perform the Service Pack update from the Fire GL CD when you run the Quick Start utility.
Page 24: Software Installation For Windows 2000
Quick Start program does not start automatically: Click the Start button in the task bar, click Run, and then select START.EXE from the root directory of the Fire GL CD. 3. Click Start Installation. Installing the Fire GL3 21...
Page 25 11. Click the Advanced button and select the Monitor tab. 12. Set the refresh rate for the monitors connected to the Fire GL3 graphics accelerator in your system. Note: Use the Diamond Monitor and DualScreen dialogs to adapt each monitor's settings in a dual-monitor configuration.
Page 26 ♦ C HANGING THE IDEO ETTINGS ♦ M ODIFYING PPLICATION ROFILES As part of its Windows NT/2000 drivers, Fire GL3 installs additional property pages to your Display Properties control panel. They are named as follows. Diamond Monitor Adjustment DualScreen Configuration Information Use the Configuration dialog to customize application profiles for individual application settings.
Page 27: Changing The Video Settings
2. Set the resolution and refresh rate that best suit your requirements and your monitors' performance. Note: The refresh rate setting always applies to both monitors, if you have two monitors connected to the Fire GL3. Fire GL3 Software Utilities...
Page 28 3. Select the Windows Monitor dialog via Display Properties > Settings > Advanced > Monitor. 4. In the Monitor Settings section set the refresh rate for the monitor(s) connected to the Fire GL3. The refresh rate setting always applies to both monitors, if you have two monitors connected.
Page 29: Setting A Dualscreen Configuration
1. Windows NT 4.0: Select the DualScreen dialog in the Display Properties window. Windows 2000: Select the DualScreen dialog via Display Properties > Settings > Advanced > DualScreen. Refer to the context sensitive online help for more information on setting up your DualScreen configuration. Fire GL3 Software Utilities...
Page 30 This keeps the screen area of the other monitor free for your work. You may alternatively opt for displaying the reports Unchanged. 4. Click the Apply or OK button to enable your DualScreen settings. Fire GL3 Software Utilities 27...
Page 31 (2) Use the Diamond Monitor dialog (in Windows 2000: Settings\Advanced\Diamond Monitor) to select and set your specific monitors. Use the Adjustment dialog (in Windows 2000: Settings\Advanced\Adjustment) to adapt the display of the monitors connected to the Fire GL3. Fire GL3 Software Utilities...
Page 32: Selecting Your Monitor
Windows Monitor dialog (Display Properties > Settings > Advanced > (Windows) Monitor) to select your specific monitor. You can customize the settings of the connected monitors. For more information on setting up the monitors refer to the context sensitive online help. Fire GL3 Software Utilities 29...
Page 33 B. Then select your monitor and click the Apply or OK button. Click the Display Diamond Monitor List button to switch the displayed monitor list back from the manufacturer's disk to the internal monitor list. Fire GL3 Software Utilities...
Page 34 To detect a new DDC monitor immediately, click the Detect now button. An error message will be displayed if the connected monitor does not support DDC. 4. Click the Apply or OK button to enable your monitor settings. Fire GL3 Software Utilities 31...
Page 35: Adjusting The Monitor Display
For more information on adjusting the monitor's display refer to the context sensitive online help. 1. Windows NT 4.0: Select the Adjustment dialog in the Display Properties window. Windows 2000: Select the Adjustment dialog via Display Properties > Settings > Advanced > Adjustment. Fire GL3 Software Utilities...
Page 36 You may also use the keyboard shortcut for ‘Undo’ - Alt-U. (2) If you change the resolution (in Settings) and/or the refresh rate (in Monitor), you may need to re-adjust the monitor's display. Fire GL3 Software Utilities 33...
Page 37 Click the >1< button - for each color - to set the gamma correction to the default value of 1.0. 4. Click the Apply or OK button to enable your Adjustment settings. Fire GL3 Software Utilities...
Page 38: Modifying Application Profiles
ODIFYING PPLICATION ROFILES Using the Configuration dialog you can individually configure each application’s settings. ♦ Windows NT 4.0: Select Display Properties > Configuration. Windows 2000: Select Display Properties > Settings > Advanced > Configuration. Fire GL3 Software Utilities 35...
Page 39 ⇒ fine-tuning a specific application/system configuration ⇒ specific settings recommended by your hardware or software documentation ⇒ tuning your application/system environment for best performance and memory usage (2) Only experienced users should modify the configuration settings. Fire GL3 Software Utilities...
Page 40 If you disable ‘Wait for vertical retrace’ you may experience visual artifacts such as tearing. However, this function may be disabled for performance benchmarking. ♦ Click the Apply or OK button to enable your Configuration settings. Fire GL3 Software Utilities 37...
Page 41: Removing The Fire Gl3 Drivers
This section describes how to properly remove your graphics card software from your system should you need to do so. Notes: Before removing the Fire GL3 video driver, please close all open application programs and disable any anti-virus software that is...
Page 42: Troubleshooting
No image appears on monitor when computer system is turned on ♦ Make sure that the Fire GL3 is firmly seated and lined up properly in its AGP slot, and that the monitor cable is firmly and correctly connected to the card. For more information, please refer to Installing the Hardware ♦...
Page 43 Check the driver installation and make sure that all software is correctly loaded corresponding to your operating system and Installing the applications. For more information, please see Software ♦ Set Windows back to ‘Standard VGA’ and re-install the Fire GL3 drivers. Troubleshooting...
Page 44 Resolving Interrupt Conflicts To support the special graphics processor on the Fire GL3 the system BIOS should automatically assign a system interrupt to the AGP slot where the card is installed. However, there may be problems if your graphics card does not receive an interrupt or a system interrupt is used for more than one device.
Page 45: Technical Details
ECHNICAL ETAILS ♦ F EATURES AND ERFORMANCE ♦ P SSIGNMENTS ♦ V IDEO ODES ♦ B LOCK IAGRAM EATURES AND ERFORMANCE Hardware Design ♦ Single 2/3 length AGP/ATX card ♦ AGP 2X/4X v2.0 compliant including side band signalling support Controller ♦...
Page 46 Memory and BIOS ♦ 128 MByte Double Data Rate (DDR) SDRAM for unified framebuffer, Z-buffer and texture storage ♦ 128 KByte BIOS FlashROM, 3.3V only, reprogrammable by software Connectors ♦ Two 25-pin DVI-I output connectors for digital flat-panel (DFP) displays and analog or digital CRT displays ♦...
Page 47 Professional 3D Rendering ♦ Full OpenGL 1.1 ICD with 1.2 functional extensions ♦ Single-pass bump mapping and hardware 3D textures ♦ Gouraud shading ♦ Bilinear and trilinear MIP-mapping ♦ Alpha blending ♦ Fogging and depth cueing ♦ Anti-aliased lines and sorted polygons ♦...
Page 48: Software
Software ♦ OpenGL 1.1 ICD with 1.2 functional extensions ♦ OpenGL support for quad-buffer stereoviewing eyewear ♦ Supports Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000 ♦ 2D and 3D Linux support ♦ Pentium III Streaming SIMD Extension (SSE) support for Windows NT4.0, Windows 2000, and Linux ♦...
Page 49 DVI Output Connectors Pin Function T.M.D.S. Data2- T.M.D.S. Data2+ T.M.D.S. Data2/4 Shield T.M.D.S. Data4- T.M.D.S. Data4+ DVI: Digital Visual Interface DDC Clock DDC: Display Data Channel DDC Data Analog Vertical Sync T.M.D.S: Transition Minimized Differential Signal T.M.D.S. Data1- T.M.D.S. Data1+ MicroCross Pins T.M.D.S.
Page 50: Video Modes
IDEO ODES All video modes comply with VESA DMT (Discrete Monitor Timing) or VESA GTF (General Timing Format) standards. The Fire GL3 supports only TrueColor, 32-bit (24 color, 8 α) modes. There is no support for 8-bit or 16-bit modes.
Page 51: Block Diagram
DFP Monitors α α α α Bits Resolution Color Bits Refresh Rate (Hz) 640 x 480 60, 75 800 x 600 60, 75 1024 x 768 60, 75 1280 x 1024 60, 75 1600 x 1200 50, 60 LOCK IAGRAM AGP 2X/4X System Interface Graphics Rasterizer RGB Out...
Page 52: Trademarks And Regulatory
RADEMARKS AND EGULATORY RADEMARKS Adobe and Acrobat are trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated, which may be registered in certain jurisdictions. ATI is a registered trademark of ATI Technologies Inc. in Canada, the United States and/or other countries. Fire GL is a trademark of ATI Technologies Inc. in Canada, the United States, and/or other countries.
Page 53: Disclaimer
ISCLAIMER The manufacturer (MFR) reserves the right to make changes to this document and the products which it describes without notice. The MFR shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions made herein; not for incidental or consequential damages resulting from the furnishing, performance, or use of this material.
Page 54: Emi Compliance Information
ATI Research Inc.- Fire GL Graphics 4 Mount Royal Avenue, Marlborough, MA 01752-1978 USA; Phone: (508) 303-3900 declare that the product Fire GL3 AGP complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. The compliance with those standards is confirmed in an accreditation certificate.
Page 55 CE Compliance Information EMC Directive 89/336/EEC and Amendments 92/31/EEC and 93/68/EEC, Class B Digital Device EN 55022/CISPR 22, Limits and Methods of Measurement of Radio Interference Characteristics Information Technology Equipment. EN 50082-1, Generic Immunity Standard for Residential, Commercial and Light Industrial Products (EN 61000-4-2:96, EN 61000-4-3:97, EN 61000-4-4:96, EN 61000-4-6:97)