VMD-L Mailing List

From: John Stone (johns_at_ks.uiuc.edu)
Date: Tue Dec 28 2004 - 11:23:35 CST

Jill,
  The "1280x1024_96s" video mode you listed should probably work with
VMD, but the question is whether your Octane2 is just providing the
old style full-screen "above/below" stereo mode, or if it is providing
full quad-buffered frame sequential stereo. When VMD starts, I assume
that you see "STEREO" listed in the OpenGL information messages it prints?
I know that some models of Octane2 will only do the full quad-buffered
frame sequential stereo if you upgrade the memory on the video board.
I'm not sure if the V6 video board falls in this category or not, but
the common issue with medium-range SGI video cards is that they don't have
enough video memory to do full-resolution windowed stereo. You might see
if your machine works at a lower resolution, if it does, then it's likely
an issue with the amount of video memory on your V6 graphics.

The SGI version of VMD should supports the Spaceball, though VMD doesn't
use the OS driver, it includes its own code to talk to the Spaceball.
In order to enable the Spaceball, you must set the VMDSPACEBALLPORT
environment variable according to the serial port your Spaceball
is attached. Once that environment variable is set, you can try starting
VMD and see if it beeps the Spaceball when it runs. Make sure you have
disabled any other programs that might be talking to the Spaceball before
you do this (including any built-in SGI driver you might be running).

  John

On Mon, Dec 27, 2004 at 10:50:09AM -0800, Jill Vickery wrote:
> Hi and Happy Holidays!
>
> I am trying to set up VMD on an Octane2 V6 Vpro graphic card. I am having
> trouble getting the stereo to work. I have used display settings of
> 1280x1024_96, 1280x1024_96s, and 1280x1024_100s. On all of the settings,
> vmd gives split top bottom stereo when I select crystal eyes stereo.
> Looking at the manual I realize that VMD needs quad-buffered stereo, does
> this need to be set on the Octane (if so does any one know how to do this?).
>
> Also, should the SGI version of VMD support the spaceball? The Octane2
> supports the magellan spacemouse or the spaceball. Should VMD support these
> on the Octane2? I currently have a spaceball connected to Port2 and VMD does
> not seem to look for or recognize it.
>
> Thanks,
> Jill
> University of California Irvine 

-- 
NIH Resource for Macromolecular Modeling and Bioinformatics
Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
University of Illinois, 405 N. Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL 61801
Email: johns_at_ks.uiuc.edu                 Phone: 217-244-3349              
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