#ATI Ultra w/Ani Pro
11 messages in this thread
I am still having no luck trying to get the ATI Ultra card to function with
Animator Pro in higher resolutions. I tried the 8514 Panacea driver for
1024×768, which gives me a small box in the middle of the screen, and an
800×600 GIF will load into the boxed area, but is incomplete. The rest of
the screen is blank (white). The VVESA driver which came with the card (and
which Phil Shatz uploaded for me) only gives up to 640×480 resolution. I
tried using the Tseng driver, but it just locked up the system and forced a
reboot out of the program. The C&T driver wouldn't load at all. The
Paradise driver loaded, but didn't do anything different. BTW, I am
deleting the AA.CFG file after each new attempt, so Animator starts out
fresh.
Is anyone else using the ATI Graphics Ultra with Animator Pro in 800×600
and/or 1024×768 resolution? I believe that the card has 1MB RAM for display
list and 512K VRAM, or some such combination. Someone mentioned that it
will not work with VPIC in higher resolutions… possibly only the 512K is
being addressed by programs which don't have a special driver??
Another question comes up about whether there is any difference between the
ATI card and the OEM version which Gateway includes with their system.
There is no mouse port on the OEM, but I'm told by Gateway that the card is
identical otherwise. Anyone who might be able to assist with this, please
drop a line. I have an 800×600 GIF which I need to edit, and can only view
part of it presently.
Heather, you probably purchased the ATI Ultra card to accelerate your
Windows functions (if I'm correct in assuming this). The ATI Ultra uses
their own proprietary Mach 8 fixed function accelerator chip. This is like
S3, Inc.'s 86C911 chip (which is a fixed functioned acceleration chip
also). Most S3 cards (like the ATI Ultra) are not VBE compliant so standard
VESA drivers won't work for running animator Pro. I believe that if you
give Vermont MicroSystem's VESA TSR a try you'll be able to get the ATI
Ultra to run at 1024×768 using this driver (memory fails me at the moment
but I belive this was how I accomplished this… I think the file is here
on CIS or BIX as VMSVESA.COM I believe).
Regarding VPIC. Bob Montogomery has released version 48a of the software
which recognizes S3 based display boards for GIF viewing from DOS. However,
the ATI-Ultra uses the Mach 8 chip and you're out of luck there for VPIC
usage. I suggest using a Windows based image editor/viewer like
PhotoStyler, Image-In-Color or ImagePrep for your GIF viewing needs using
the ATI Ultra.
I don't have time at the moment to stick the ATI Ultra card back in a
machine to test the VMS VESA driver, but if you can't find it, let me know
and I'll email it to you. – Greg
Ahem… Heather I should make it plain that the ATI Ultra is VBE compliant
to 640×480 resolutions using their driver. (Don't want to give the company
a `black eye' here, cause I do like their products). – Greg
Greg – Thanks for the info on the ATI. Actually, I didn't "purchase" the
card for accelerating Windows, but rather because it happened to come with
the system I ordered (Gateway) and I didn't think about it NOT working with
any of my existing software as expected.
I'm rather surprised that it's so limited in terms of working with VPIC,
Animator Pro, etc. I'm just so used to assuming that an SVGA card with 1MB
of memory will automaticically work like others… you just have to run
their driver(s). With it being a coprocessed card, I was thinking it would
just do these things that much faster.
Thank you for recommending the Vermont VESA driver. I will see if I can
locate it in the forums you suggested, or possibly call Vermont direct. If
I'm not sucessful, I'll get back in touch with you. I appreciate the offer
to upload the file. Later..
-hk
Heather:
More accurately, the ATI Graphics Ultra is two cards on one: a 1MB 8514/A
compatible card, and a 512K VGA.
Evan
>More accurately, the ATI Graphics Ultra is two cards on one: a 1MB 8514/A
>compatible card, and a 512K VGA
Well that would explain the lack of 256 colors in higher resolutions.
Thanks for the info.
-hk
Heather… Yes, the ATI Ultra is sort of a `speciality' card. It does work
with all `non-graphic' oriented DOS programs. As soon as you start needing
graphic calls, there is no `standard' chipset emulation on the board (like
Tseng ET3000/4000, etc…)
I hope the Vermont driver works for you… (If I get around to it I may
have a definative answer for you). – greg
>I hope the Vermont driver works for you… (If I get around to it I may
have a >definative answer for you)
I looked in the IBMPRO VESA library on IBMNET and didn't find anything that
sounded like this. When you said to look in "CIS" where would that be?? I
don't seem to be having any luck. Doing a FIND on "BIX" brought up quite a
few options, of which the above sounded most likely. Can you be a bit more
specific about where it might be?? I'd like to try it out. Thanks muchly.
-hk
My apologies Heather… When I meant Bix I meant the Byte Information
Exchange. I'll see if I can find it (the driver) and email it to you
directly. Sorry for any inconvenience. – greg
I just picked up on this thread part way through. Am I to understand that
the ATI Ultra has compatibility problems with Animator Pro? I use AniPro
and have a new ATI Ultra-equipped Gateway 486 due shortly. Do problems lie
ahead with this configuration?
Lee
There is a little program sitting out on one of the 2 ATI install disks
called VVESA.COM. It disables the co-processor and uses just the VGA side
of the card. The install program doesn't install it, nor is it documented
anywhere. Works for me! BTW: try saying "INSTALL HELP". What a strange
piece of software/hardware…. FWIW: I've been grumbling at Gateway for
the past couple weeks about the documentation they supplied for this card.
From the documentation, you would never know it's VESA compatible using
VVESA. LAM