Problems and possible solutions ------------------------------- Basically many problems can be solved by studying the StormMesa 3.0 documentation. Here some more special problems are discussed. - Problem: A lot of StormMesa demos crash. - Solution: Often the stack is too low. You should set the stack to 300KB, then these problems should disappear. If PPC applications crash while the 68K version run fine, it might be caused by an inproper WarpUp installation (for example a wrong setting of the env variable 'powerpc/terminator' which should be set to 2). When using a CVPPC/BPPC graphics card, then the following variables should be set: powerpc/force 1 powerpc/gfxaddr $e0000000 - Problem: How should I know, if the demo is using the 3D hardware? - Solution: After typing the command line setenv MESA/STATS 1 some statistical infos about the use of 3D hardware are printed to the shell. - Problem: I'm using StormMesa with AGA and the graphics gets corrupted. - Solution: Due to the missing function 'WriteChunkyPixels' in OS 3.0 and due to a problem with the alternative function 'WritePixelArray8' it is necessary to install a patch, if StormMesa 3.0 is used with AGA and OS 3.0. The patch is located in the directory 'mesa:AMIGA/misc/NewWPA8'. The Executable 'NewWPA8' should be copied to C: and you should add a line to the startup-sequence, directly after the SetPatch call: C:NewWPA8 - Problem: I'm using StormMesa with CyberGFX and the graphics gets corrected in fullscreen mode. Afterwards the Workbench graphics is often overdrawn. - Solution: The installed CyberGFX version has a bug in conjunction with OS3.0-compatible multibuffering. Therefore you have to get a new version of CyberGFX, which should solve the problem, or you can install the graphics system Picasso96. - Problem: I'm using StormMesa with CyberGFX, when I open a screen in fullscreen mode, then I'm getting a message like 'couldn't create context'. - Solution: The fullscreen mode only works with CyberGFX, if the monitor tooltype 'DRAGGING' is set to NO. - Problem: I'm using StormMesa with a CVPPC/BPPC graphics card, but the Permedia2 chip is never used for drawing. - Solution: Again, the CyberGfx monitor tooltype 'DRAGGING' has to be set to NO. Additionally the 'bitmap cache' feature must NOT be switched off. - Problem: I would like to run a StormMesa demo in fullscreen mode to see, how fast it runs with 3D hardware acceleration. But it doesn't run faster at all. - Solution: There are many potential reasons, why hardware acceleration doesn't work, a lot of them are discussed in the StormMesa documentation. Often the problem is, that the hardware doesn't support a specific effect well enough, so that the hardware isn't use for drawing. By typing the following command setenv MESA/FAST 1 a lot of such demos might run hardware-accelerated afterwards. Another reason might be, that the screenmode is not supported by the 3D hardware. The Virge for example only works in 15 bit mode. - Problem: I would like to run a demo hardware-accelerated in a window, but it doesn't run accelerated. - Solution: Unter CyberGFX V3 fuer CyberVision3D ist es nicht moeglich, Demos in einem Fenster hardwarebeschleunigt laufenzulassen, weil dort neue Bitmaps ueblicherweise nicht im Grafikspeicher angelegt werden. Sobald das 3D-Treibersystem die speziellen Funktionen von CyberGFX V4 unterstuetzt, sollte dieses Problem geloest werden koennen. - Problem: I would like to run a demo hardware-accelerated in a window. But if I enlarge the window just a bit, then it runs a lot slower. - Solution: Especially for 3D graphics boards with only 4MB graphics RAM there is simply not enough space to run such demos in big windows, also because the workbench also needs a lot space (especially because it has to run in HiColor mode). These problems should not appear for newer graphics boards with more graphics RAM. - Problem: After termination of a demo program, which run accelerated, the workbench graphics is trashed. - Solution: This should usually not happen with Picasso96. When CyberGFX is installed, this problems happens, when the buffers for the 3D hardware collide with other areas in graphics memory (i.e. with the workbench graphics). The only solution is to make the workbench smaller and to close as many windows as possible to save VRAM. Additionaly you should not select a too high resolution for 3D hardware accelerated games. As soon as the 3D driver system supports the special features of CyberGFX V4, this problem might be solved. - Problem: If I'm doing something else while a demo is running hardware-accelerated, the whole system hangs up completely. - Solution: This problem should only happen with the Virge 3D processor, if text output is done during 3D hardware drawing. Unfortunately it seems, that this problem can't be solved, it is suspected that the problem is caused by the Virge itself. Basically 3D hardware accelerated demos should not be interrupted by other events, when using the Virge. Especially switch off all blankers and terminate all background tasks, which might do text output (the clock, which is installed by GoldEd also might cause these problems). When using other 3D accelerators, these problems should not happen. - Problem: If I run a demo with textures, I only get a black display (the same also happens, if I enlarge a window, if 3D hardware is used). - Solution: Due to a missing feature in the 3D driver system, StormMesa currently can't find out, if the textures could successfully be uploaded to VRAM. Therefore it tries to draw the scene, although it can't work, which results in a black display. In newer version of the driver system 'Warp3D' this feature should be added and then StormMesa will be enhanced. - Problem: If I run a StormMesa demo for PPC with hardware acceleration and if I do something else in parallel, then a total graphical chaos appears on the workbench. - Solution: It is necessary to 'lock' 3D operations so that they don't have any influence on the rest of the system, this is done through functions of CyberGfx/Picasso96. This locking doesn't work for PPC applications, if the CyberGfx variable 'CyberGfx/USESEMAPHORES) is set to 0 (or if it isn't set at all). Therefore this variable should be set to 1. - Problem: StormMesa's performance in conjunction with hardware acceleration seems to be quite weak. - Loesung: The cause might be a wrong locking mode. If the variable MESA/LOCKMODE is set to 0, then any drawing is done indirectly, which is quite slow. A setting of 3 for this variable is recommended. If the variable MESA/TRIPLE is set to 0, then no triple buffering is used, which might degrade fullscreen performance. But triple buffering does only make sense for graphics boards with 8MB RAM or more. - Problem: A certain application freezes the whole system in a reproduceable manner, while all other applications run nicely. - Loesung: First, it might be possible, that the application has a bug. But it is also possible, that some applications don't work with the different locking modes. In such a case try to set the locking mode to 0 (setenv mesa/lockmode 0). - Problem: Sometimes some strange fals pixels are flashing, even if the scene doesn't move at all. - Loesung: This effect can happen for CVPPC/BPPC graphics boards, the reason is currently unknown. It seems to be a video memory problem, since it's always the same bit in a 64-bit entity which might get corrupted (even if hardware acceleration isn't used). This effect usually only pop up after some special event happened, it is currently unknown what kind of event this might be. If such effects happen, a reboot of the machine might help.