7th March 2012, 09:42 AM | #1 |
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non-3D GPU
I've tried to run AC3D on a small laptop. It would be great to be able to work on project elements while I'm traveling and don't have access to my main stationary computer. However, it seems that this little laptop lacks a proper 3D GPU. While the models look all right as I spin them in 3D view it seems that no surfaces or vertices are really on top. Result--I can't select a top surface without inadvertently clicking hidden surfaces at the same time and the "back" vertices fail to be obscured by the surfaces on top. I read somewhere that AC3D doesn't really require a 3D card but it seems I can't really work on a 3D object unless the GPU "knows" how to distinguish between back and front surfaces. Correct?
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7th March 2012, 03:57 PM | #2 |
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Re: non-3D GPU
A single click should only ever select what's at the front. A drag-box will select-through (if it's ticked at the bottom of the main AC3D window).
Some laptops have dodgy graphics libraries that can cause problems (particularly Intel graphics). Make sure you have the latest graphics drivers. Something else to check is that anti-alias is off - this can cause problems with selection. |
7th March 2012, 08:52 PM | #3 |
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Re: non-3D GPU
Intel it is--Mobile-Intel 945 chipset family to be exact. Moreover, the Intel driver detect utility didn't work while the ASUS driver detect seemed to pan out. I got a more recent driver installed and will check it out tomorrow. In any event, it's quite roundabout to search for a driver for an onboard Intel GPU that's been modified by ASUS but it's worth the effort if it works. As stated, my intention is to be able to work on 3D objects while I'm away and this little laptop will serve me well provided I'm able to make the GPU behave :-)
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14th March 2012, 06:57 AM | #4 |
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Re: non-3D GPU
As far as I can tell it won't work. I've upgraded the bios as well as the modified Intel GPU of this ASUS laptop and it's still working in mysterious ways. I could post a screenshot but I'll just try to explain what you I see for now--the edges between vertices turn invisible when being viewed from some angles and I see a lot of incomplete edges that shouldn't be there as I pan around. Actually, surfaces may appear to be triangulated with ghost edges running across but it's all one single surface. When I try to select a surface facing the camera I typically end up selecting a surface behind the one facing the camera, with the front surface failing to be be selected. The only way to select a specific surface is to spin and tilt the model so that there's no other surface behind it. I'm inclined to conclude that a laptop onboard Intel GPU may be inherently incompatible.
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14th March 2012, 11:07 AM | #5 |
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Re: non-3D GPU
One last thing to try might be adjusting the screen depth.
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