DirectX or Glide capture tutorial

Always tricky to capture properly, DirectX (or the older Glide standard) represents a challenge because the data on the screen isn't really "part" of the Windows desktop. DirectX applications run in "full screen" mode, which means they're more or less like an old DOS program, with simulated "direct access" to the hardware. Getting at their video content can be difficult.

Folks like game reviewers (or even people who just want to show off how good they are at a game) can capture a series of images from an ongoing full-screen game, and they can do so without leaving their game to assign filenames for each file created when you capture a screen. Here's a walk-through.

First open up HyperSnap-DX 5's Capture settings tabs and then click on the Quick save tab. You'll be establishing some settings here before you begin your captures.

Check Automatically save each capture to a file.

Then, if you don't want to use the default filename, click the button labeled Change next to the default filename box. Locate a folder where you want your captures stored, and in the filename box, type in the initial name you want to use. For our example, we'll use TEST.

Close the Save as box, which will replace the name in the Default name box.

Click the box labeled Increment file name, and in the box next to it, marked Start at, enter 1. In the "stop at" box, choose any number you want. In our example we'll pick 100. That will allow you to capture up to 100 images without overwriting any filenames.

To illustrate this, if you set a start and stop at 1 and 100, you'll get files named Test001.bmp through TEST100.bmp. The total number of "counter" digits in the file name is set by the number of digits in the Stop at box. So to get a series starting with TEST01.bmp, use 2 digits, for example "99," as your stop number.

Examine the other values on the Capture settings tabs to make sure they are at the values you desire. (If you've not changed them from the defaults, they'll probably be fine).

Close the Capture settings tabs.

Re-open the Capture menu, and click on Enable special capture...

Here you need to choose what type of capture you wish to make. If your game uses Glide (for example, the older 3dfx hardware) then you should choose 3dfx. If you're not sure, just check all three, if all three are available, or just the top two if the bottom item is disabled. HyperSnap-DX 5 will take care of the rest for you.

Note that if you do not have detectable drivers installed for the hardware in the list, that option will be disabled.

Advanced user?

Advanced users should read the following note: The choices to enable/disable them separately are only for extremely advanced usage and for those "special, difficult-to-handle situations". Example: a game that uses both the DirectX and the Glide interfaces. Sometimes DirectX is only used by the game for displaying the "score" and intro screens. It might use Glide for the actual game action.

It's often not possible to snap the "score" or "intro" screen, unless you disable 3dfx Glide captures. But this doesn't happen often, so avoid carelessly changing these values.

In our example, we'll capture a screen from a Directx/Direct3D game, for example Microsoft's Combat Flight SimulatorÖ). In this case, you'd check the box marked DirectX/Direct3D primary surface.

Pay attention, please!

Watch out for the message that appears when you check the topmost button on the Enable special capture dialog: Please use [ hot key ] as the hot key... You must use as the capture hot key the combination or other key(s) specified here. You can't use the "standard" HyperSnap-DX 5 hot key due to limitations in the system.

If you wish to enable post capture processing of the image, check the box labeled Enable post processing... For more on what this does, see the Direct3D/Direct X Glide section of this file. For now we can leave this unchecked. Examine this section for explanations on the other options available for these special captures, too.

Click OK to enable special capture.

Minimize HyperSnap-DX 5.

Run the desired game. Get to the point in game play that you wish to begin capturing.

Press the specified hot key at the moment you want to capture.

The file will be saved in the directory you specified, using the naming scheme you determined. You can make more captures by repeating the hot key over and over until you have what you need. Be careful not to capture more than the number you established, or you'll begin overwriting filenames!

Exit the game when you're through, and examine the captured files---which you can do by simply pressing Page down and Page up. You may wish to make some adjustments to certain features to improve the appearance of the captures.

See the DirectX Direct3D and Glide Capture section of this file or details on how to improve dark Glide or Direct3D captures, and other technical issues covering special captures such as these.