OpenGl 2D Optimization causes problem

[Anonymous]

I've recently installed a matrox parhelia 256 graphics card. Once the card was installed I figured that I could change the Preferences/2D Redraw Options to Optimize for high performance display card. Once I changed the setting the fills on the project were shown as solid black. The card works OK in other respects.
Is this a bug or a problem with the card?
For now I'm just deselecting the optimization option off.
Thank you,
John

[Anonymous]

with optomization ON
This setting also makes the text look odd.

[Karl Ottenstein]

johncassel wrote:
The card works OK in other respects.
Is this a bug or a problem with the card?
For now I'm just deselecting the optimization option off.

Hi John,

It seems that a variety of cards don't work properly with 2D OpenGL enabled. Yours may be one of them. Even though you just installed it, the manuf may have a newer driver on their web site ... check there and see if that makes any difference.

With my ATI 9700 Pro, the most recent drivers are less flakey in 2D than last fall's ... but 2D OpenGL is still nearly completely unusable. 3D all works well though.

It's the card/driver and not Graphisoft AFAIK.

Karl

[Anonymous]

Karl,
Thanks for reminding me to try to get a newer driver for the card. In fact there are two newer drivers avalible on the Matrox Website. One is the Matrox certified driver and the other is a driver with a higher release number that I got to by telling the webpage that I am an ArchiCAD user.

The Matrox website also states that there is a GraphiSoft certified driver in the works. That'll be nice.

After installing the Parhelia card I realized that what my computer really needed is a new computer. I've just ordered a Dell Dimension with a ATI Radeon 9800 XT (256MB DDR) Graphics Card installed. After six years or so of using and upgrading Matrox cards this will be the first time I've tried any of the ATI cards. I heard great stuff about the InVidia cards but not much about the ATI cards. The fastest card that Dell offered with the Dimension is the ATI 9800 XT. As you have the 9700 I was wondering if you have any warnings or advice for me and the new card.

Thanks,
John

[Anonymous]

Karl,
Thank you for pointing me to the solution to the problem with the fills filling in (solid black). I installed the Pahellia's latest driver and updated to ArchiCAD 8.1 r2 at the same time so I don't know which one did the trick but that problem is now gone.
With the 2D OpenGL optimization "on" the fonts look much heavier unless I change the setting to High or Precise. Do you know if these settings will slow down the 2D redraw?
I'm happy to have everything working but I was just curious about the effect of these settings.
Thank you,
John

[Anonymous]

This view is with the setting on Precise.

[Anonymous]

I've tried a bunch of different settings and it seems that my screen is much crisper and clearer with the Optomization turned off. I'm not sure what this setting is supposed to do but it doesn't seem to work well with the Matrox Pahellia.
John

[Karl Ottenstein]

Hi John,

I haven't seen the benefit of OpenGL in 2D ... so maybe somebody else can comment on if it seems faster to them or there are features not apparent with OpenGL turned off. For me, it always seems a little slower. OpenGL 3D of course is wonderful.

Don't know about the ATI 9800 XT. I'm sure that it'll be fine in 3D. Somebody who has one will have to post if it works with OpenGL in 2D.

Karl

[Djordje]

Karl wrote:
I haven't seen the benefit of OpenGL in 2D ... so maybe somebody else can comment on if it seems faster to them or there are features not apparent with OpenGL turned off. For me, it always seems a little slower. OpenGL 3D of course is wonderful.

Me too. ArchiCAD's native 2D is fast enough for me!

Karl wrote:
Don't know about the ATI 9800 XT. I'm sure that it'll be fine in 3D. Somebody who has one will have to post if it works with OpenGL in 2D.

I have 9800XL at home and 9800 SE at work; a lot depends on the drivers. SE was unusable in OpenGL2D, even problematic in 3D, until I updated the drivers, while XL works fine. I still regret not pushing for the nVidia when the HP at work was being delivered; it was one week difference, and work was waiting ...

[__archiben]

Karl wrote:
I haven't seen the benefit of OpenGL in 2D ... so maybe somebody else can comment on if it seems faster to them or there are features not apparent with OpenGL turned off. For me, it always seems a little slower. OpenGL 3D of course is wonderful.l

until 8.1v2 i had to use openGL in 2D in order to work anywhere near efficiently - it was significantly faster than the internal engine/CPU for screen navigation and refreshes.

since 8.1v2, openGL in 2D (as you have noticed i guess) is far slower than the internal processor . . . for which i am very thankful as my graphics card isn't really 100% compatible in 2D.

~/archiben