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| Diamond ExpertTalk - Information compiled by the Diamond Tech Support Team |
IMPORTANT: Please consult the help files for installation/configuration of system, software and drivers as well the various sources of drivers  - Questions - Hardware / Software / Installation Configuration / Games Hardware
1-1
: What is the Monster 3D?
1-2
: Why is this card so fast?
1-3
: Which system requirements does the Monster 3D have?
1-4
: How do I find out the PCI version of the motherboard?
1-5
: How does the Monster 3D work if I already have a 3D card like the
Stealth 3D?
1-6
: Which 3D functions does the Monster 3D support?
1-7
: How is the memory of the card being used?
1-8
: Which APIs will be supported by the Monster 3D?
1-9
: Does the Monster 3D support the MAC?
Software
2-1
: Which applications will the Monster 3D support?
2-2
: Does the Monster 3D support Windows NT 4.0?
2-3
: Does the Monster 3D support Open GL?
2-4
: Does the Monster 3D support Linux, BeOS, DEC Alpha or Solaris?
2-5
: General applications and tools for the Monster 3D
2-6
: When configuring the Monster, an error message appears in DESK.CPL
Installation Configuration
3-1
: Can I remove my already installed graphics card from the system?
3-2
: Which resources does the Monster 3D use?
3-3
: Do I need any Bios upgrades for the Monster 3D?
3-4
: My (S3 868/968) graphics card does not work with the Monster 3D.
3-5
: How do I know if the Monster 3D runs properly with my S3 868/968
graphics card?
3-6
: Is it possible to increase the refresh rates in the Monster 3D
settings tab higher than 60 Hz?
3-7
: Can the gamma correction be used with refresh rates higher than
75 Hz and still show an effect when playing games?
3-8
: My monitor seems to switch to powersave mode when starting 3Dfx games
3-9
: I get the error message "Out of environment"
3-10
: Is it possible to have a 3D display in a DOS box under Windows 95?
3-11
: Will the resolution and the refresh settings of the graphics card or
of the Monster 3D be used?
3-12
: Where do I get the current driver from and how can it be installed?
3-13
: How do I know if the driver installation is correct?
3-14
: How is the brightness adjusted and what effect does the gamma
correction have?
3-15
: What effect does the slider bar in the Monster 3D settings have?
3-16
: Is it recommended to adjust a higher frequency of the voodoo for
example using the program Tweek?
3-17
: Now that the Monster 3D is installed, my screen flickers or jiggles
(very faintly though). What's going on?
3-18
: The configuration of the Monster 3D under Windows95 is not possible;
I receive an error message concerning the file DESK.CPL
3-19
: Problems with the installation in your (ASUS) Motherboard. When
starting Monster applications there´s no display and no sound
(under DOS using Soundblaster)
3-20
: Configuration notes for Millenium and Mystique graphics boards
3-21
: Windows 95: When playing games the display stops sporadically for
a short while
Games
4-1
: Does the Monster 3D support every game?
Is there a list of applications and games that support 3DFX?
4-2
: How do I know IF MY GAME USES THE Monster 3D?
4-3
: My game can`t find the DD3DFX driver
4-4
: Under DOS my games only run with 60 Hz
4-5
: What effect does the entry in the autoexec.bat
"set FX_GLIDE_NO_SPLASH=1" have?
4-6
: I don´t get a correct display when a 3dfx game (e.g. Wizard Tower)
is executed!
4-7
: Problems with the (3D) display, configurartion or games crash
(e.g. Eurofighter)
4-8
: How can I get in contact with the appropriate game manufacturers?
4-9
: Can I use the Monster 3D with DirectX5 drivers as well?
4-10
: Hexen II prompts an error message when installed or started:
File Glide2x.dll does not exist!
4-11
: Error message when starting Hexen2: "No RGB fullscreen modes
available"
4-12
: The games Hexen II, Shadows of the Empire, and others do not run with
your Monster 3D in the OpenGL version?
- Answers - Hardware1-1 : What is the Monster 3D?  The Monster 3D is a very fast 3D graphics accelerator for games which support the Direct3D or the Glide (3DFX) interface. The card only works when another 2D graphics card is installed. 1-2 : Why is this card so fast? It is fast for two reasons: The first reason is because the Monster 3D is dedicated to handling only one job, and that one job is accelerating your 3D games. The entire card was built around this one specific purpose. The second reason the Monster 3D is so fast is because it uses the 3Dfx Voodoo graphics controller chipset. This chipset is one of the most powerful of all the mainstream 3D accelerators currently on the market. You can expect intense graphical detail at marvellously accelerated frame rates! 1-3 : Which system requirements does the Monster 3D have? - A Pentium PCI system with a PCI 2.x compatible motherboard. - Any 2D or 3D graphics card. 1-4 : How do I find out the PCI version of the motherboard? You should refer to the appropriate manual on this matter. General: If the system Bios is at least from July 1995 or later, then the motherboard is PCI 2.x compatible. 1-5 : How does the Monster 3D work if I already have a 3D card like the Stealth 3D? If a game is specifically made (ported) for the Monster's 3DFX Voodoo graphics chipset, then the Monster will take over. Likewise, if the game was specifically made (ported) for the S3 Virge chipset, then the Stealth 3D card would be used. If the game uses Direct 3D, it works in the following way: 1. The game tells the Direct 3D API what 3D features it needs to run (without knowing what cards are in the system, if any). 2. Direct 3D finds what cards are in the system and the capabilities of each (speed, features, etc.). It then works like a "dating service", matching up the card that will meet the most needs of the program. This usually means that the Monster 3D will then be used for all of the special 3D features that it comes with. 1-6 : Which 3D functions does the Monster 3D support? - Bilinear Filtering: Eliminates Blockiness - Anti-Aliasing: Eliminates Jaggies - Gouraud Shading: Smooth colour transitions - MIP Mapping: Eliminates texture "sparkling" - Perspective Texture Mapping: Makes objects appear clearer - Texture Modulation: Provides smooth lighting on texture - Per-Pixel Alpha Blending: Makes glass & fog look real. - Texture Compositing/Morphing: Eliminates "object popping" - Z-Buffering: Keeps perspectives correct 1-7 : How is the memory of the card being used? The card has got 4 MB EDO RAM. 2 MB will be used as Frame Buffer for additional resolutions and for the Z-Buffering, and 2 MB is used for texture memory. 1-8 : Which APIs will de supported by the Monster 3D? Direct3D from Microsoft, Glide and WinGlide of 3DFX Interactive. 1-9 : Does the Monster 3D support the MAC? 3dfx is still developing Quickdraw3D Rave and Glide drivers for Voodoo graphics on PCI PowerMACs. Software2-1 : Which applications will the Monster 3D support? Please see 3dfx website of 3Dfx under TOOLS and APIs: http://www.3dfx.com/voodoo/software/index.html 2-2 : Does the Monster 3D support Windows NT 4.0? NT 4.0 Service Release 3 supports Direct3D. 2-3 : Does the Monster 3D support Open GL? There is a basic Open GL driver on the 3dfx website (www.3dfx.com). This driver does not support every Open GL function and can currently only be used by several games. An Open GL support for CAD applications does not make sense because the Monster does not support windows frames, so you`d only obtain your CAD drawings in full screen mode without any menus. 2-4 : Does the Monster 3D support Linux, BeOS, DEC Alpha or Solaris? 3Dfx is giving careful consideration to each of these. In some cases they even have prototype drivers being tested. However, there is nothing to announce.....yet. 2-5 : General applications and tools for the Monster 3D These programs do not come from Diamond and will not be supported! If you`re having problems or questions please contact your supplier! WizMark: - The 3Dfx Interactive D3D Benchmark WizMark is a 3D Benchmark of 3DFX Interactive, Inc. which snaps the speed of Microsoft’s Direct3D under 3D Hardware. Monster 3D user should have DirectX >=3.0 installed. S3FIX: - S3FIX sets the memory mapping for S3 868/968 graphics cards. GRAB: - To make screenshots of 3Dfx games. TUNNEL: - A Direct3D performance test for your 3D Hardware accelerator. Test the effect of the single options! You´ll find links to the mentioned tools in our "Monster 3D Link Collection" of the DIAMOND Tech Support Team (on our web site in the FAQ area). You can also find S3fix in the Monster 3D area. 2-6 : When configuring the Monster an error message appears in DESK.CPL Do you use a Cyrix processor in your computer? If so, then the problem is an incorrect hardware detection of the system processor. To solve this problem Cyrix offers a patch file: 686_P.EXE see Internet: HTTP://WWW.ALTERNATIVECPU.COM or our online-services. (This file changes your computer to a "Intel Pentium" system ;-)) Installation Configuration3-1 : Can I remove my already installed graphics card from the system? No! The Monster 3D doesn`t replace an existing 2D/3D graphics card! When running a 3D game it only takes over the 3D graphice functions and 3D acceleration. 3-2 : Which ressources does the Monster 3D use? The card does not need IRQ, DMA, I/O areas or COM ports. It only needs a linear address range. 3-3 : Do I need any Bios upgrades for the Monster 3D? No, the card does not own a Bios. 3-4 : My (S3 868/968) graphics card does not work with the Monster 3D. Rests of pixels, faulty display: Change the address range of the graphics board (e.g. to FB000-FBFFF) Graphic cards with S3 868/968 processor: The problem is that these cards use 32+32MB framebuffer and Windows 95 sets the address of the Monster 3D to the second 32MB block. To correct and solve the problem please add the file FXREMAP (file from S3FIX - s. bbs or internet) to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. 3-5 : How do I know if the Monster 3D runs properly with my S3 868/968 graphics card? Run the program MOJO.EXE from the Monster 3D installation; if conflicting, MOJO.EXE will not be executed. 3-6 : Is it possible to increase the refresh rates in the Monster 3D settings tab higher than 60 Hz? Normally, this means that there is a problem with the plug and play information in the Monitor's INF files. Contact your monitor manufacturer for an updated Monitor.inf file, or select an alternate Monitor inside the Windows 95 display configuration (eg. see MIRO monitors). 3-7 : Can the gamma correction be used with refresh rates higher than 75 Hz and still show an effect when playing games? Add the following line to AUTOEXEC.BAT: SET SST_VIDEO_24BPP=1 This effects the activation of the 16-bit color palette and refresh rates >75 Hz. Hint: The gamma correction only works with games with Glide support! 3-8 : My monitor seems to switch to powersave mode when starting 3Dfx games Deactivate the line SET SST_VSYNC in the Autoexec.bat file. 3-9 : I get the error message "Out of environment" Edit the following line in the config.sys file: SHELL=C:\COMMAND.COM C:\ /P /E:1024 (oder E:2048) 3-10 : Is it possible to have a 3D display in a DOS box under Windows 95? No, this function is only possible in full screen mode. 3-11 : Will the resolution and the refresh settings of the graphics card or of the Monster 3D be used? The resolutions and refresh rates of both cards are independant of each other. The configured refresh rate and resolution of the active card is the decisive factor. Please make sure that under Windows95 the specific monitor is set. 3-12 : Where do I get the current driver from and how can it be installed? You can obtain the most recent driver version in the Internet (www.diamondmm.de), via BBS (+49-8151-266333) or on our ServiceCD (by charge). Please note that the driver version 1.09 requires the previous driver version 1.08 already installed. 3-13 : How do I know if the driver installation is correct? In control panel choose the menu "display". Select the MONSTER 3D. There should be several options: "Apply to DOS" under the "DOS options" and a TEST switch for the refresh rate and the gamma correction. 3-14 : How is the brightness adjusted and what effect does the gamma correction have? Gamma is the amount of Brightness you can assign to the colours: red, green and blue. The numeric colour range starts at 0.25 and ends at 1.95. Gamma correction can be done on the fly without the necessity of a system restart. You can test your specified settings simply by pressing the "Test" button in the Gamma Correction Section. This will bring up a full screen Direct3D application which shows the RGB colour bars. The Test purposely uses 640x480 at 60 Hz so that you can test Gamma with a conisistent resolution and a refresh rate that works correctly on any VGA monitor. Note: Gamma correction does not apply to the following resolutions: - 512x384 at 85 Hz and higher - 640x400 at 85 Hz and higher - 640x480 at 85 Hz and higher - 800x600 at 60 Hz and higher 3-15 : What effect does the performance slider bar have in the Monster 3D settings? The clock rate of the Voodoo chipset can be set on the card with the following: - "Min" complies with a clock rate of 50 MHz; - "Max" complies to 57 MHz. 3-16 : Is it recommended to adjust a higher frequency of the voodoo for example using the program Tweek? No! An overdrive of the Monster 3D can reduce it´s performance or destroy the card due to overheating! Important: The warranty will become invalid! 3-17 : Now that the Monster 3D is installed, my screen flickers or jiggles (very faintly though). What's going on? Make sure that you do not have a television, radio, or any other high frequency electrical device near the Monster 3D pass through cable. If the problem persists, try moving the Monster to a different PCI slot on the motherboard, away from the regular video card. If this does not solve your difficulties (which can happen with any video card), then you have a different problem. We have reproduced this problem ourselves, and what we found was this: 1. It is a combination of the Monster 3D, the motherboard, and the monitor. If you remove any one thing out of the system, and replace it with something else, then the problem disapears. 2. Although people complain that the pass through cable is thin and that this is the cause of the problem, we totally disagree. We have a pass through cable that costs approximately $ 100, where each wire in the cable is individually sheilded (we could bairly bend the cable), and the problem still occured. 3-18 : The configuration of the Monster 3D under Windows95 is not possible; I receive an error message concerning the file DESK.CPL Is there a Cyrix processor in your computer? If so, the problem is an incorrect hardware detection of your system processor. There´s a patch file 686_P.EXE on the internet: HTTP://WWW.ALTERNATIVECPU.COM which will solve this problem, or see our online services. (This file changes your computer to an "intel" system ;-)) 3-19 : Problems with the installation in your (ASUS) Motherboard. When starting Monster applications there´s no display and no sound (under DOS using Soundblaster) When using an ASUS motherboard, don`t plug the Monster 3D into a PCI mediaslot! (The fourth internal extended slot). Refer to the motherboard`s manual. Leave this slot empty and don´t install the normal graphics card here as well! 3-20 : Configuration notes for Millenium and Mystique graphics boards. - Make sure that the latest motherboard bios is installed. - Bios version of: Millenium-2.7 / MilleniumII-1.1 / Mystique-1.5 - Mystique: Use driver version 3.63! - Install Monster for busmastering (change slots of Millenium/Mystique and Monster) - The memory area E0000000-E0FFFFFF should not be used. - Set the memory address of the Monster 3D to F0000... - Add your "autoexec.bat" file with the entry: SET SST _GRXCLK=57 If there are problems during initialisation change the value 57 to 48 or 49. 3-21 : Windows 95: When playing games the display stops sporadically for a short while? - if you use a network installation just deactivate the TCP/IP ptotocoll. - install Windows 95-OSR2 Games4-1 : Does the Monster 3D support every game? Is there a list of applications and games that support 3DFX? No! To be able to use 3D acceleration a game has to fulfil one of the following criteria: The game either has to be programmed directly for the Voodoo chipset (3dfx), has to support the Glide API, or it has to support Direct 3D (in combination with the installed DirectX runtime). Please see the website (list of games) of 3Dfx under TOOLS and APIs: http://www.3dfx.com/voodoo/software/index.html and www.voodoospotlight.com (see: Games / USIZ) 4-2 : How do I know IF MY GAME USES THE Monster 3D? Please look on the game packaging for any concrete notes that are given for a Direct 3D, Voodoo or Glide support. In full screen mode the game has to perform a visibly excellent and fast 3D acceleration - compared to using only the installed graphics card. If the game is running on the Monster 3D the loop through cable that connects the Monster 3D and the normal graphics card may be stripped off and you can still see the game on your monitor. 4-3 : My game doesn`t find the DD3DFX driver The "3D Control Center" (Freeware) 3DCC0697.EXE (available via Diamond Web and BBS) lets you select the 3D graphical display of the Monster 3D (second device). 4-4 : Under DOS my games only run with 60 Hz Please install the latest drivers (BBS/Internet). From the Monster 3D settings choose "Apply to DOS" after selecting the correct refresh rate. This will save the information to the AUTOEXEC.BAT: SET SST_SCREENFREFRESH=x, where x = 60, 75, 85 or 120 (Hz) can be chosen. 4-5 : What effect does the entry in the autoexec.bat "set FX_GLIDE_NO_SPLASH=1" have? It deactivates the 3Dfx logo when starting a 3Dfx game. 4-6 : I don´t get a correct display when a 3dfx game (e.g. Wizard Tower) is executed! If a joystick is installed please calibrate it in control panel. If not, then please deactivate the game port. 4-7 : Problems with the (3D) display, configurartion or games crash (e.g. Eurofighter) Please see the appropriate manuals and the readme files of the games in relation to the necessary system/memory settings, or contact the appropriate game manufacturer he should have the special experiences and solutions. Simple test: test the game when the Monster card is not installed to see if the problems also occur without the Monster. If the 3D performance and acceleration is inadequate: for many games there are patches and updates provided by the manufacturers which will be offered specially for this card or for 3D support. 4-8 : How can I get in contact with the appropriate game manufacturers? As a special service we offer a collection of links containing the addresses of all important game manufacturers (3dfx Upgrades): Monster 3D Link collection - (s. FAQ area of our website) 4-9 : Can I use the Monster 3D with DirectX5 drivers as well? To run the Monster 3D with DirectX5 games we recommend the following procedure: Install the DirectX5 driver which comes with the DirectX3 game. The Monster drivers will be overwritten by the Microsoft DirectX5 drivers. Then, in the Windows directory INF\OTHER delete the files: MicrosoftDXMM3DFX.INF and MicrosoftMSDISP.INF Now reinstall the current DIAMOND Monster 3D driver. Hints: If only playing DirectX3/3a games, you´ll not gain any advantage from an Update to DirectX5. In this case, we recommend further using DirectX3a. To improve the support of future games, DIAMOND is developing special DirectX3 drivers. 4-10 : Hexen II prompts an error message when installed or started: File Glide2x.dll does not exist! Hexen2 can be installed in 2 versions: - DirectX3a - (Open) GL Hexen (error message "ile Glide2x.dll required".) To obtain this file access the internet and type in the address: http://www.3dfx.com/software/download_glidert.html 4-11 : Error message when starting Hexen2: "No RGB fullscreen modes available" This error ocurrs when using 256 colours. The game will run when selecting a higher colour palette! 4-12 : The games Hexen II, Shadows of the Empire, and others do not run with your Monster 3D in the OpenGL version? You need a patch file GRTVGR.EXE which is for the 3dfx Chip. You`ll then be able to install the current GL-version 2.42 on your computer. See www.diamondmm.de. eof |
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