Merlin VR Version 1.0 ATI Bundle Version Readme 09/18/2000 CONTENTS ======== A) Merlin VR System Requirements B) Installing Merlin VR C) Launching Merlin VR D) Known Issues with Merlin VR Version 1.0 E) Customer Support A) MERLIN VR SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ----------------------------- Minimum System Requirements: Pentium based machine or equivalent running at 133MHZ or greater 32 MB RAM 80 MB Hard Disk Space 8 MB Video Memory 4X CDROM and Mouse pointer device Optimum: Pentium II or III or AMD K6 running at 233MHZ or faster 64MB RAM or greater 240 MB Free Hard Disk Space 8-32MB Direct 3D compliant video card 3D mouse 3 B) INSTALL ------- 1. Place the Merlin VR CD into your CDROM. (The Merlin VR install should start automatically if your computer is Autoplay compliant. If the install does not start within 30 seconds after insertion, click on your CDROM drive in My Computer to open the CD folder and click on setup.exe to launch the Merlin VR setup.) 2. Follow the onscreen instructions to install Merlin VR onto your hard drive. (Setup will also give you the option to install Microsoft’s DirectX 6.1, as well as Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0. Direct X 6.1 or greater is required to run Merlin VR and it will not run without it. Internet Explorer 4 or greater is required to view the Online Help Menu and undesirable effects may occur if it is not installed). C) LAUNCHING MERLIN VR ------------------- Once you have installed MerlinVR, you may launch it by clicking on the Start menu and selecting Start > Programs > Merlin VR 1.0. You can also use any other standard Windows method such as the run function to launch MelinVR. Note: you can only launch one instance of Merlin VR, at any given time, and other programs that use Direct X may interfere with Merlin VR's performance. D) KNOWN ISSUES ------------ Resolution: ---------- Merlin VR is best run in 1024x768 resolution with a color depth of 16bpp. Lower resolutions may not display all buttons on the screen correctly. Use of the Large Fonts option from the advanced display properties is known to cause undesired visual effects. If a resolution change is required, it is recommended that Merlin VR first be minimized. It has been noted that this does not always refresh the texture preview window correctly. Save Work: --------- At the time of the release, there was no Undo feature in the ATI bundled version of Merlin VR. To prevent the loss of work, we suggest that you save your work often. Boolean functions: ----------------- It is a known issue that textures will be lost from objects after using the boolean functions of Union, Subtract, or Intersection. We suggest that you first use any desired boolean operations on the objects before applying textures. Texture Wraps: ------------- Some texture wraps appear fine in the preview window, but somewhat different upon mapping to the object in the viewport. This is a known limitation of Merlin VR. Consider the following possible workarounds to minimize this problem: -Try using different wraps with different shapes to achieve the desired look. -Try using functions for texture manipulation under the UV Map section. -When you create a primitive, you may wish to increase the number of segments (polygons) used. Create many smaller objects to give a crude approximation of the desired object. Delay in Ojects Appearing: ------------------------- If you find that some objects do not show up for several seconds, it may be due to the extensive calculation of many segment (polygon) coordinates. Once the object appears, it will be easy to resize. Paint Face: ---------- In order to use the Paint Face feature, the object must first be painted using the Paint Object button. This is a known issue. Animation: --------- If you try to create a new scene while an animation is playing, Merlin VR will exit to the Windows desktop. Be sure to save the current scene and stop the animation prior to choosing a new scene. E) CUSTOMER SUPPORT ---------------- If you have trouble with the installation or operation of Merlin VR 1.0, that the readme or .pdf help file cannot address, please contact: support@digital-immersion.com at Digital Immersion Software 1360 Kelly Lake Rd. SUDBURY, ONT Canada P3E 5P4 http://www.digital-immersion.com