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Newfire Torch 1.1
Release Notes
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Features of This Release
2. Installation
3. Important Notes
4. Known Problems
5. Configuration Requirements
6. VRML 2.0 Support
7. Reporting Problems
Features of This Release
NEW FEATURES
* Support for 3Dfx Voodoo2-based accelerators, including multiple TMUs,
dynamic lighting, and multiple 8-bit palettes.
* Support for Creative Labs' SoundFont technology, including advanced
effects such as echo and chorus, and better audio mixing with Creative
Labs' hardware.
* A C-language API to the Torch engine. For more details on this API,
visit www.newfire.com, click on the Ignition Developer Website button,
then click on the Developer Education Series button.
EXISTING FEATURES
* Pre-computed texture lighting and shadows
* 8-bit texture transparency
* Object transparency
* High-speed texture map caching
* Object to object collision detection
* Spatialized and ambient multi-channel sound
* Hardware Independent Architecture (allowing you to accelerate your
title on a number of hardware APIs including: OpenGL and 3DFX Glide)
* Fog (3D Hardware only)
* Pixel Doubling (on supported 2D hardware only)
* Full Screen and Windowed playback modes
* Multiple resolution support up to 640x480
* Customizable input and navigation controls, including support for
DirectInput
Torch 1.1 does not support Microsoft's Direct3D; support for this API will
be added in a future release of Torch.
Running Torch Standalone
Torch.exe is the standalone version of the Torch engine plug-in that can be
used to run a Newfire game object (".nfg") or a VRML 2.0 world file (".wrl")
without the need for an Internet browser. To run Torch.exe go to the Programs
submenu, located in the Windows Start menu, and locate Newfire Torch 1.1.
Click on the Torch Standalone icon. To make it even easier, we've added Play
AntiGravity and Play dmZeD shortcut icons which will immediately launch
Torch Standalone and the demo file.
Torch.exe is ideal for running games and world files that are distributed on
CD-ROM. You may also want to use it to run game objects and world files on a
hard disk without the overhead of a browser. Torch.exe offers all the features
of the Torch browser plug-in except network support.
Installation
How to Install Torch (Windows 95 and Windows NT)
To install Torch, double-click the SETUP.EXE program. Then follow the
instructions in each dialog box. SETUP.EXE detects what you have in your
system configuration so that it can suggest what options you should
install. Depending on the type of system you have and its configuration,
the SETUP.EXE program may offer options for installing the Microsoft Java
Virtual Machine and Microsoft DirectX. A check mark appears next to any
option that should be installed (options that do not need to be installed
have no check mark).
If you install Torch from the Newfire web site, you cannot disconnect while
running the installation program.
The Torch Standalone program (Torch.exe) is installed as part of the regular
Torch installation.
The Torch installer chooses the plug-ins folder of your default browser to
install Torch. You can change this to another folder in the installation
dialog box, and you can copy the file npTorch.dll to the plug-ins folders
of other browsers.
The Torch installer adds a path to the beginning of the PATH variable in
the autoexec.bat file, rather than to the end of the variable. This may
cause problems on Windows 95 systems.
Testing Your Installation
Once you've installed Torch, go to the Programs submenu, located in the
Windows Start menu, and locate Newfire Torch 1.1. Click on the Torch plug-in
test icon. This file tests your Torch installation; instructions in the file
indicate what you should be seeing and hearing in the scene.
Important Notes
Color Palette
For maximum performance (frame rate) with Torch's software rasterizer, your
display should be set to 8-bit (256 color) mode. If necessary, use the
Display control panel to change the color depth. Additionally, 8-bit
(DirectDraw) mode should be selected in Torch's Renderer Options dialog
box. 16- and 24-bit rendering is available in DIB (Device Independent
Bitmaps) mode, but performance will not be as good.
Torch Menu
The Torch pop-up menu is accessed by right-clicking with the mouse in the
VRML scene window. This menu can be used to:
* switch viewpoints
* switch navigation modes
* switch between standard VRML lighting and flat lighting
* enable and disable camera-to-scene collision detection
* change navigation settings
* enable and disable the toolbar
* enable and disable navigation information
* enable and disable the Torch Status window
* change rasterizers (to take advantage of OpenGL- and 3DFX Glide-based
hardware)
* access the Help system
* get information about this release of Torch
Torch.exe Menus
The Torch.exe menus appear at the top of the window. These menus can be
used to:
* exit the Torch.exe program
* view and set Renderer and TorchView options
* switch viewpoints and navigation modes
* access the Help system
* get information about this release of Torch.exe
DirectX Support
This release of Torch has been tested with DirectX 3a and DirectX 5. The
installer provided with this release offers the option to install DirectX 5
at the same time you install Torch.
Web Browser Support
Torch is a 32-bit application, and works only with 32-bit applications.
Note: Torch release 1.1 is compatible with both Microsoft Internet Explorer
4.0 and 4.01. If you do not already have one of these versions of Internet
Explorer installed on your computer, the Torch installer will include a
check mark next to the option to install Microsoft Java VM 2.0. You should
install this, or install Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0.
Java Support
This release of Torch has been tested with Microsoft Java VM version
4.79.2252 (the version installed with the Microsoft Java SDK 2.0) and
version 4.79.2339 (installed with Internet Explorer 4.01).
Input Devices
The 1.1 release of Torch supports joystick navigation via Direct Input. In
fact, any device that can be configured to work with Direct Input can be
used with Torch. A keyboard navigation model will be used as a default if
there are no Direct Input devices configured.
GZIP Decompression
This release of Torch supports the ZIP file compression format. VRML 2.0
files with the extension .WRL and .WRZ will be automatically decompressed
and displayed. VRML 2.0 files with the extension .GZ or .ZIP will be
handled via Netscape's helper tools. Before you can view a compressed VRML
2.0 world with a .GZ or .ZIP extension, you must first save it locally,
then rename it to have an extension of .WRZ.
No GIF Support
This release of Torch does not support the GIF file format.
Known Problems
Torch release 1.1 contains several known problems that will be addressed in
future releases.
Internet Explorer 4.0 Installation
If you ever installed Internet Explorer (IE) 4.0 (beta or
released version) and then uninstalled it, you'll encounter a
Newfire Installer problem if you've chosen to install Microsoft
Java VM 2.0. A bug in the Microsoft IE 4.0 uninstaller prevents
our licensed version of the Microsoft Java VM 2.0 from being
installed properly, because the uninstaller doesn't clean up the
Authenticode software properly (you get a Generic Trust Failure
error). To fix this, perform the following operations:
1. Rename the Softpub.dll and Wintrust.dll files in the
Windows\System or Winnt\System32 folder to Softpub.xxx and
Wintrust.xxx.
2. Install Internet Explorer (IE) 3.02 (available at
http://www.microsoft.com/ie/), and then restart your
computer.
3. Install Internet Explorer (IE) 4.0 (available at
http://www.microsoft.com/ie/).
Note that the Torch installer installs Microsoft Java VM 2.0 on a
freshly installed Windows 95 or NT system without any problems,
and the installer works fine with systems that have Netscape
Navigator, Netscape Communicator, and all versions of Internet
Explorer prior to the 4.0 beta version.
General Problems
* Torch crashes when used on a CYRIX-based computer. The CYRIX
processor is not yet supported.
* Torch does not provide a default headlight or directional
light. You must include directional light nodes in your
scenes in order to see objects.
* Low disk space conditions can cause Torch to crash when
opening a world file.
* Using the Windows ALT-TAB shortcut to switch from Torch to
another active program, and then back to Torch, can cause
the computer to hang.
* When loading large world files, Torch does not accurately
display the percent of the file loaded in the status message
area. You may think Torch has crashed or has hung, when in
fact it is still loading.
* You can copy and paste text from Torch's Status window using
the shortcut menu, but you can't cut text.
* Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 can't open ".wrl" files with
a space in the path.
* When used with Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 and above,
Torch will crash if you attempt to open a .wrl file after
opening a .html file that contains a Java applet.
Display
* On displays using 8-bit color palettes, when colorPerVertex
fields are set to TRUE, Torch does not correctly interpolate
the color between vertices to achieve smooth gradations.
* Torch exhibits display problems on laptops that use the
Cirrus Logic 7548 video driver. You can obtain a more recent
driver from Cirrus Logic (version 1.40 as of this writing)
that may fix the problem.
* Video cards with only 2 megabytes of RAM may have problems
displaying some textures.
* When 8-bit DirectDraw display mode is selected in Torch's
Renderer Options dialog box, Pixel-Doubling mode is only
available on computers that have video cards that support
this feature.
* Torch does not offer FTP protocol support.
* Torch always makes a new HTTP connection for every URL.
* Extremely small warped polygons may not display.
* On web pages with multiple frames, alternately clicking in
Torch's frame and in another frame on the page can cause
problems with the system color palette.
* When 8-bit DirectDraw Full Screen display mode is selected
and the desktop is set to 16-bit display mode, the color
palette does not display correctly the first time you enter
full-screen display mode in Torch. If you exit full screen
display mode, and then re-enter it, the palette displays
correctly.
* When using a 3DFX Voodoo Rush board in full screen mode HTML anchors which update
the current HTML frame (as opposed to opening a new window) will cause the browser to
crash.
OpenGL Rasterizer
* There is no full-screen mode in OpenGL.
* When the OpenGL rasterizer selected in Torch's Renderer
Options dialog box, concave polygons appear "filled in."
* With OpenGL, transparent polygons are not sliced against
each other properly, causing transparency artifacts.
* With OpenGL, alpha channel textures often leave artifacts.
* With OpenGL, lighting maps often display visible lighting
irregularities at polygon edges.
* With OpenGL, Fog nodes sometimes do not display correctly.
* With OpenGL, hiccups in performance cause brief changes in
intensity of textures.
* With OpenGL and a 3DLabs accelerator installed, scrolling a
.html file with an embedded .wrl file results in the Torch
window not updating properly.
* With OpenGL and a 3Dfx accelerator installed, there may be
display problems with transparent images in scenes with
high-polygon counts.
Matrox Mystique Rasterizer
* When the Matrox Mystique rasterizer is selected, cracks can
sometimes appear in texture-mapped Background nodes.
* When using the Matrox Mystique rasterizer and a high
resolution display mode -- such as 1280 x 1024 -- textures
and/or polygons are sometimes dropped.
* With Matrox Mystique, Fog nodes are not displayed. This is a
known problem with Matrox Mystique.
* With Matrox Mystique, transparency is only supported in
Material nodes, and only at four levels -- 0, .25, .5, and
1. This is a known problem with Matrox Mystique.
* With Matrox Mystique, if a window is enlarged to a size that
exceeds available video memory, the window appears blank.
Java
* When exiting a world that uses the Java AWT, Torch may
crash.
* A Script node for a PROTO does not work for a second
instance of the PROTO if the second instance is added to the
first instance by means of a Script setValue eventOut. The
problem is that Script nodes that are not part of a PROTOs
scene are not initialized.
JPEG
* One- and two-component JPEG files are not fully supported.
Navigation
* A maximum of five custom-defined navigation actions can be
displayed in the Actions panel of the Navigation Settings
dialog box. These custom-defined navigation actions are
created by content authors using Newfire's NFVehicleAction
EXTERNPROTO.
* In the Navigation Settings dialog box, there are no units
listed for the various values that can be set. Refer to the
Torch help system for information on navigation settings.
* When you are in Examine mode, if you select a Touch Sensor,
Anchor, or any mouse-sensitive object, the object fires.
* When you are moving forward in a world file and, while
holding down the key to move forward, click outside the
Torch frame, then release the key to move forward, when you
click back inside the Torch frame you are still moving
forward.
* When you are using Joystick navigation and adjust the trim
of your Joystick so that you are spinning in a circle, then
switch to Keyboard in the Navigation Options, when you
return to Torch you are still spinning even though you are
no longer using the Joystick.
* Viewpoint nodes that are nested in EXTERNPROTO nodes do not
show up in the Viewpoints submenu. You can move to the
viewpoint by clicking the Next Viewpoint icon on the Torch
toolbar and cycling through the viewpoints until you get to
the desired viewpoint.
* When using Windows NT and navigating via the keyboard,
key-up events are sometimes not processed, resulting in a
lack of movement.
Netscape Navigator/Communicator
* When using Netscape Communicator and viewing a file in
Torch, dragging the cursor across the Communicator toolbar
can cause display problems.
* When using Netscape Communicator and double-clicking on a
.html file that contains an embedded .wrl file, the Torch
plug-in and the data are both loaded twice by Communicator.
This is a known problem with Netscape Communicator.
VRML General Issues
* Children of a node being DEF'd cannot refer back to their
parent.
* EXTERNPROTOs of subsidiary nodes are not fully supported.
For example, if you make an EXTERNPROTO for a particular
Appearance node, then use the EXTERNPROTO in a world file,
the world file loads but the Appearance node is not used.
* If you route an exposedField of a node back to the same
exposedField, there is no warning that you have specified a
feedback loop, although the loop will break after a certain
number of cycles.
* Routes defined within a PROTO do not work when the PROTO is
instanced.
VRML Node-Specific Issues
* Torch supports only values between 0.0 and 10.0 in the
AudioClip node's pitch field. Any other value defaults to
1.0.
* Torch does not detect a collision with a proxy specified as
a child of a Collision node.
* Color nodes for IndexedLineSets do not work.
* Torch does not recognize URLs longer than 248 characters for
an ImageTexture node.
* IndexedLineSets with more than 1000 lines may disappear
momentarily.
* Material nodes are ignored when Torch cannot find their
associated textures.
* Torch does not support shininess in Material nodes.
* In Material nodes, colors are not visible beneath overlying
grayscale textures. According to the VRML 2.0 Specification,
grayscale textures should be blended with the Material color
underneath them.
* Events routed to the NavigationInfo node's speed field are
ignored.
* If a ProximitySensor routes position_changed events to the
center of a ProximitySensor and to a translation field of a
Transform for an object, the result may be a flickering
object.
* If a ProximitySensor's orientation_changed field is routed
to the rotation field of a Transform, a visible twitch
appears when the angle changes from +180 to -180.
* Spotlight colors do not appear on shape primitives, but do
appear on IndexedFaceSet nodes.
* If a TouchSensor node is located inside an Anchor node,
Torch does not detect clicks on the TouchSensor node.
* TouchSensor nodes are not hidden by geometry that is
supposed to hide them.
* A Viewpoint node angled on the x axis displays erratic
behavior when the Transform node that contains the Viewpoint
is rotated about the y axis.
* If a Background node is created with very thin angle
changes, polygons within the Background node may appear to
change color.
Creative Labs' SoundFont Issues
* SoundFonts are not supported on Windows NT.
* NfSoundEx nodes will not play unless your computer has an
AWE64 (or better) board installed.
* NfSoundEx and NfSoundFontClip nodes instanced in an
EXTERNPROTO do not play. They work correctly inside PROTOs.
* If a file contains both an AudioClip node that references a
MIDI file and an NfSoundFontClip node that references a sf2
file, the sounds will not play correctly.This is because
plain MIDI files do not co-exist well with SoundFont Midi
files.
* AWE cards can run out of memory when playing relatively
small (<2.5 megabyte) files. This is a known problem with
AWE cards.
Configuration Requirements
Minimum Hardware Configuration
-Intel or AMD 166mhz CPU (200 Mhz recommended)
-3Dfx Voodoo Graphics- or Voodoo Rush-based accelerator
-32 Meg RAM (48 Meg recommended)
-2 Meg VRAM Video (4 Meg recommended)
-28.8 baud or faster Internet connection (56kb recommended)
-4x CD-ROM drive (not required)
Minimum Software Configuration
-Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0 (NT Service Pack 3 required for DirectInput support)
-Netscape Navigator 3.0 or greater, or Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.x or greater
-DirectX 3 or greater (available with Torch installer)
-Microsoft Java VM v.2.0 (available with Torch installer)
-3Dfx Glide version 2.43 or higher. If you do not have this version of the Glide driver, you can get it
from the 3Dfx web site.
VRML 2.0 Support
VRML 2.0 nodes supported as of this release
Grouping Nodes
* Anchor
* Billboard
* Collision
o Collision nodes are treated as Group nodes.
o The addChildren, removeChildren, collide, bboxCenter, bboxSize,
proxy fields are not implemented
* Group
* Transform
Special Groups
* Inline
* LOD
* Switch
Common Nodes
* AudioClip
* DirectionalLight
* PointLight
* Script (Java-based)
o The Java language is supported. VRMLScript and JavaScript are
not.
o Using the directOutput field will (incorrectly) yield a syntax
error
* Shape
* Sound
* SpotLight
o color field is ignored when applied to sphere, cone, and cylinder
o minor math errors with radius
o beamWidth and cutOffAngle fields may not be completely correct
* WorldInfo
Sensors
* CylinderSensor
* PlaneSensor
* ProximitySensor
* SphereSensor
* TimeSensor
* TouchSensor
* VisibilitySensor
Geometry
* Box
* Cone
* Cylinder
* IndexedFaceSet
o non-planar faces of IndexedFaceSets are ignored (not drawn)
* IndexedLineSet
* PointSet
* Sphere
Geometric Properties
* Color
* Coordinate
* Normal
* TextureCoordinate
Appearance
* Appearance
* ImageTexture
* Material
o The shininess field is not supported.
* PixelTexture
* TextureTransform
Interpolators
* ColorInterpolator
* CoordinateInterpolator
* OrientationInterpolator
* PositionInterpolator
* ScalarInterpolator
* NormalInterpolator
o See the Known Problems section for side effects of lighting bugs
Bindable Nodes
* Background
* Fog
o Only supported on computers with OpenGL or 3DFX accelerators
installed
* NavigationInfo
* Viewpoint
PROTO Support
Torch contains full PROTO and EXTERNPROTO support.
VRML 2.0 nodes not yet supported
Loading a VRML world that contains unsupported nodes will cause warning
messages to appear in the Status window. For more details, choose the
Status Window command from the Options submenu in Torch's shortcut menu.
Geometry
* ElevationGrid
* Extrusion
* Text
Appearance
* FontStyle
* MovieTexture
Lighting
There is no default "headlight" supplied in this release. To see lighting
on non-texture mapped objects, it is necessary to place VRML 2.0 lights
within the VRML file.
Lighting can be completely disabled by turning off the "Lights|Enabled"
menu item. When lights are disabled, objects will be flat or "cheap"
shaded.
Lights on untextured shape primitives (cone, cylinder, sphere) are treated
achromatically. This means that if the light is colored, cones, cylinders,
and spheres will be lit with white light. IndexedFaceSets (polygons) and
Boxes are lit with the light's color as expected.
Reporting Problems
We appreciate the fact that you have taken the time to work with Torch. In
order to ensure that your experience with our products is a consistently
improving one, we would like to encourage you to report any problems you
have using our software, as well as any helpful suggestions regarding the
software.
If you encounter a problem while using Newfire software, please visit our
Support area in the Ignition Network at:
http://www.newfire.com/
From here you can file an online problem report, or post questions
regarding your problem to our Bulletin Board.
You can also send email describing your problem and your system setup to:
support@newfire.com
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright (c) 1997-98 Newfire, Inc. All rights reserved.
Newfire, the Newfire logo, and Catalyst are the trademarks of Newfire, Inc.