Cthugha97 Help document

Index

Cthugha97 is cool.

And what is Cthugha (pronounced "Kah-Thoo-Gah")? It's a free program available for PC's (running DOS, Windows, or Linux) and Macintosh's which takes sound input from a CD, stereo, or microphone and displays colorful animated graphics synced to the sound. Sort of like an oscilloscope, but on LSD.

Cthugha has become a very popular form of visual entertainment, useful for parties, concerts, raves, and other events as well as just vegging out to mesmerizing, hynotizing displays...

From HotWired - March, 1995:

Wavy Data

Upon first observation, oscilloscopes seems a bit ho-hum. After all, devices that graphically represent electrical waveforms on a display screen tend to fall a bit short on the sex appeal scale. But if you spend some time exploring the ways high-end oscilloscopes can visualize data, you may start to think the machines are on drugs . . . Cthugha 5.1, an oscilloscope program for PC sound cards, has tuned in, turned on, and decidedly dropped out from the humdrum world of scientific analog signal processing. The product of Australian code jock Kevin "Zaph" Burfitt, Cthugha takes your sound card's CD, line, or microphone input and displays it as a swirling, hypnotic, 256-color confection for your eyes. Although Cthugha currently requires MS-DOS, a VGA monitor, and a Sound Blaster or Gravis UltraSound sound card, the complete C source code is part of the package, so you can port it, if you're so inclined.

Since that piece was written, Zaph came out with an update to Cthugha (version 5.3) and several other people ported the program to the Linux and MacOS platforms. And now Zaph has started working on a Windows95 version of Cthugha.

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The Facts

Cthugha is not a screen saver. It's a full-fledged application that is pleasing to the eyes and often has calming, restful effects on the spirit. It's more than a mere toy.

Cthugha is not Shareware, in any of its forms. The original author encourages people to get the C source code (freely available) and adapt the package to other systems, add on features, etc. Several people have already taken up on this offer, and have released their versions (Cthugha-L, MaCthugha, Cthugha-DGA, and Cthugha97) to the public as well, including the source. All that they ask is that users send them postcards as a sort of token registration. If you feel like sending money, CD's, or other items, feel free. :)

Those wishing to use Cthugha in a commercial fashion must contact the appropiate author to get permission and arrange any necessary fees or other details.

You may freely distribute the Cthugha packages, but do not alter the contents of the archives or the files in the archives. The packages may be uploaded to BBS's and FTP sites, and distributed through software outlets. The media containing a Cthugha package may not be sold for more than US$20.

DISCLAIMER: This software is provided on a "as is" basis, without warranty of any kind implied or expressed. Bug reports can be submitted to the appropiate author, but no guarantee is made on whether they will be acted upon.

Keys

I could go into alot of detail about what theys keys all do, but that would be too much like hard work! Try experimenting with them and see what you like!!

L - Lock current mode, W - Change Wave form, F - Change Flame , D - Change Display mode, P - Change Palette

T - change palette lookup table, A - change TAB file, X - Load PCX file

SPACE Change to a random configuration, ESC: quit

CD Controls: The left and right arrows change tracks.

Cool stuff

Things you may not know about Cthugha.

PCX Files: Cthugha will load 8-bit PCX files and occasionally display them if it finds them BEFORE it starts running.

TAB files: TAB files are circular motion (and other motions) that are applied to the screen. They can be very slow, and sometimes not very pretty. If you don't like what you see, remove the TAB files!

3D: There is a 3D version of Cthugha, currently only for the 3dfx card. It's pretty cool!

Autoplay CD's: You can use Cthugha as your default CD player by changing the file type properties in Win95 File manager. Of course you will then want me to implement things like track skipping, etc - but thats life!

Troubleshooting

For the latest Troubleshooting tips, visit Zaphs Cthugha development Webpage: www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Vista/1052

Q: Cthugha asks for DirectX 3, but reports that I have 4.03.xxx

A: DirectX 3 is actually version 4.04, you've got DirectX 2

Q: I seem to get no response from the CD music on the screen

A: Try turning the CD volume (in Win95) up to 3/4 or higher

A: Check the CD->soundcard cable is connected

A: The ESS688 chipset still seems to have problems

A: SB16 - Get the latest DirectSound drivers from Creative Labs

A: Go to the Win95 sound properties, select Options->properties->recording and make sure your sound source has a high volume and is selected.

Q: Cthugha97 locks up every time I run it

A: Run with the No-Video option, see if you get an error reported