#EYBROW_I.PXP broken?
22 messages in this thread
I downloaded EYEBRO.ZIP to check out the eyebrowse PXP, but can't get it to run
properly. It is EYEBROWSE V 1.0. I am using 3DS rel.3, and the Vibrant driver
rel. 1.0.1.P6 (Feb. 28, 1994).
Main Display = Vibrant
Graphics Board = ATI Ultra XLR, 800×600, 16777126 colors
(also tried 800×600, 16777126 colors, BGR; 800×600, 16777126 colors, MemMapped;
800×600, 256 colors)
Using a Gateway Pentium P5-60, in DOS 6.2
Mem =
Memory Type Total = Used + Free
—————- ——- ——- ——-
Conventional 640K 122K 518K
Upper 155K 73K 82K
Reserved 384K 384K 0K
Extended (XMS) 64,357K 305K 64,052K
—————- ——- ——- ——-
Total memory 65,536K 884K 64,652K
Total under 1 MB 795K 195K 600K
Largest executable program size 517K (529,616 bytes)
Largest free upper memory block 52K (53,552 bytes)
MS-DOS is resident in the high memory area.
The PXP launches correctly in 24-bit(in 8-bit a PXP error message occurs,
saying I'm in 8-bit, but launches the PXP fine until the mouse sticks), but
after the "EYEBROWSE This is a shareware version…" dialog is toggled away,
the mouse freezes in the upper left corner of the main PXP screen. I also tried
placing the PXP in the 3DS.SET file as an External Program, but same results.
Making the main display 24-bit causes redraws to slow down considerably, and
some wireframe colors are wrong. Could the PXP run off of the Materials Display
instead? This would allow the Main Display to stay the optimal 8-bit depth,
while using the normal 24-bit depth in the materials editor. I'd also like to
see the keyboard hotkeys used– I had to warm boot each time to exit the PXP:
standard 3DS keyboard alternatives like the TAB key to toggle, the Q key to
quit, etc, would have been great.
I've been looking for this kind of app. for a long time. I would buy it in a n
instant if it works!
Thanks
Eric Chadwick, Mechadeus/Mondo Media
Eric, I found the same problems with eyebrow, and I've figured out a few
workarounds…
– the mouse-sticking problem occurs when your mouse cursor-speed is set to 1 in
3ds.set. Set it to anything else and it doesn't stick. (I think Mirage had
this same problem)
– you should be able to run it from Medit in high-color by putting eyebrow.pxp
in one of your user-prog statements, so you can run it from the program menu.
– G
I have the same problem with my Kurta tablet. It will only work with mouse
speed "2" not a big deal I just set mouse speed to two in the user settings
-Brandon
I couldn't have said it better myself :>
The mouse drivers for both Eyebrowse and Mirage had to be different from the
standard 3D Studio drivers to support both programs' on-line help and
multi-tasking abilities. As a result, if your mouse speed was not set to the
default of 2, the mouse would stick to the top left corner of the screen. It
was a necessary sacrifice for the benefit of the on-line help and the animated
previews in Mirage. However, that problem has been fixed in both Mirage and
the registered version of Eyebrowse so that you can now have your mouse speed
to whatever you wish (although I've never met anyone who has theirs set to 3 or
higher). If anyone would like, I will upload the fixed version.
Eyebrowse will also run in 256 color graphic modes, but it's just not as
pretty. I've found that on most of the newer graphics cards, highcolor or
truecolor actually writes to the screen faster than 8-bit mode because of the
parallel data transfer that these cards use. Ain't technology great!
Aaron
Hiya,
I really think you ought to replace the working demo of Eyebrowse with a demo
version that doesn't have that mouse driver bug… please.
Thanks!
– G
Re: mouse speed setting of 1.
Now there's a wish list item: faster mouse speed. Even 1 seems likes walking in
fudge. (for example, in AutoCAD I set my mouse speed for 150, 150, with a
threshold of 0, i.e. across the screen in about 1 inch of actual travel. Takes
getting used to, but you don't have to walk your mouse around much…)
Eric –
Saw your note about Eyebrowse problems, and wanted to comment to the reference
about the Main Window display and 8-bit displays.
You're fighting a losing battle. <g>
Several of the new IPASs (Mirage and Eyebrowse) and several coming IPAS tools
(the soon-to-be-released IPAS from XAoS called Pennello among them) are soon to
make their bids for a 15-, 16- or 24-bit main display. Hold tight!
bob
Bob, unless you can run a 15-bit ipas routine from Medit, it's best to have an
alternate 3DS.SET file called TRUECOLOR.SET that you use when you need to spend
time in a truecolor ipas app.
– G
>>(IPAS) soon to make their bids for a 15-, 16- or 24-bit main display.
There are also several IPAS routines out now that prefer 8-bit
displays, such as the realtime preview stuff in the Yost routines… these run
at a snail's pace in anything higher than 8-bit. There is also stuff on the
horizon that absolutely -requires- a 256 color display in the 3DE and KF to run
at all. Things are starting to get complicated…
David
I'd bet my money on the highcolor/truecolor camp. Just take a look at an SGI
workstation. Let's go forward and not regress! Besides the new video cards do
run quite a bit faster in truecolor mode than even the fastest old-time 8-bit
cards. And a lot of the new ones actually update the screen faster in
truecolor modes than in 256 color modes.
But, of course, my opinion is biased :>
Aaron
Unfortunately, even with the newer faster cards, some IPAS render
previewers just don't run very well in 15 – 24 bit modes, and some coming out
soon will not run at all unless you're set for 8 bit, period. This is not a
problem with Eyebrowse because I can just run it in the mat editor, which I
have set to 24 bit. But I guess this could be a problem with Mirage, which I'm
thinking about getting (does this run in video post?). I guess it'll get to a
point where we need to restart 3ds depending on what IPAS is about to be used.
🙁
David
Yeah, David, Mirage.IXP certainly likes a true-color UI. This, as you have
noted, is in direct contrast to the real-time rendering modes in some of the
latest IPAS stuff which run so much faster in 256-color mode, even on my 64-bit
4MB 9100-based Viper SE/PCI. What I'd like to see is a way to instantly change
the color-depth of the UI without re-booting the program so we may take full
advantage of all the great new stuff coming out. But for now, Gary's idea of a
seperate .SET file will have to do. Things *are* getting more complicated!<g>
-Alan
>>Things *are* getting more complicated!<g>
By the day even! It would be REAL nice if Gary (with Vibrant, of
course) could squeeze "on the fly display switching" into the program asap,
especially as more and more "picky" IPAS stuff comes out.
David
>> By the day even! It would be REAL nice if Gary (with Vibrant, of
>> course) could squeeze "on the fly display switching" into the program
>> asap, especially as more and more "picky" IPAS stuff comes out.
May I suggest this as an add-on feature from Vibrant? I wouldn't mind paying
for a driver with added features, specially, if it worked. I doubt very much
such a thing could be added to the upcoming Rel 4 as a standard feature as it
couldn't be done on time. Add the ability to change modes on the fly and add
the supporting code for running (well) under Windows and this would be worth
an "upgrade" fee. I've already uploaded in detail all the work needed to make
the driver "Windows" aware. Switching modes on the fly should be rather simple
too. It seems to me Vibrant is working on new drivers as they find time as
opposed to the other way around. Maybe with some financial incentive this
driver can become a reality.
>>May I suggest this as an add-on feature from Vibrant?
That's actually not a bad idea. I know it can't happen as part of the
package in R4… but an add-on sure beats waiting till R5! As an add-on it
could even be packaged with Liquid speed… and therefore be offered as an
inexpensive upgrade to us LS users. <g>
David
This is a great idea, Gus. I'm glad to hear you say it can be implemented as an
add-on. I would defintely pay for such a thing.
-Alan
Yep, Mirage runs from Video Post. Fortunately, it will run under 8-bit
displays. So you can have your cake and eat it too. Although, I don't know if
I'd call 256 color displays…cake.
Aaron
>>Fortunately, it will run under 8-bit displays. So you can have your cake and
eat it too.
Well, Eyebrowse "runs" in an 8 bit display too, but it aint pretty and
it aint fast. Does mirage like 8 bit more than Eyebrowse does?
David
PMFJI
I have to agree here, this whole issue of swapping back and forth between
main display resolutions is getting way out of hand…….. Just when I
thought things were going to start looking a little more colorful. Oh
well, guess I'm gonna have to go with the flow. After all, guess there's
no limit to # of .set files, reboot, reboot, reboot, reboot.. Sort of
reminds me of the old "multiple autoexec, multiple config.sys" days.
Hey! maybe Vibrant will come up with a "hot key" driven display driver
that will change resolutions on the fly :-).
-Lee
Lee –
Sounds like a plan to me – which congressman do we write to?
bob
>>Hey! maybe Vibrant will come up with a "hot key" driven display driver
that will change resolutions on the fly :-).
I like that idea, especially if we're going to be getting different
IPAS's requiring different display depths. Jonas, can you take this one down as
an official wishlist item? Thanks.
David
Hi David,
<< . Jonas, can you take this one down as an official wishlist item? >>
Sure, why not.. 🙂