TurboDLD
Classic
Version 2.0
for AutoCADr Release 12, 11/386, and 10/386,
AutoShade 2 with RenderMan, and 3D Studio
Features:
ù Includes a bird's eye view and a graphics-mode text window.
ù Accelerates redraws, pans, and zooms.
ù Easy to use - no new commands or special menus to learn.
ù Protected-mode ADI 4.2 driver -- completely compatible with AutoCAD
Release 12, Release 11/386, Release 10/386, 3D Studio and AutoShade 2
with RenderMan.
ù No memory conflicts. Works with AutoCAD's built-in Virtual Memory
Manager.
ù Includes CustomColors™, which lets you interactively customize your logical
and physical colors from within AutoCAD.
ù Completely compatible with all AutoCAD ADI 4.2 compatible third party
software.
ù Will support higher resolutions on all popular graphics boards.
ù Supports all AutoCAD Release 12 features, including rendering to viewports
and 31-Bit regen space.
System
Requirements:
ù A '386, '486 or Pentium based PC which supports AutoCAD Release 12,
11/386, 10/386, AutoShade 2 with RenderMan, or 3D Studio v1, v2 or v3.
ù A compatible graphics board. TurboDLDClassic will work with all popular
graphics boards.
ù Additional extended memory is recommended for optimal performance.
Installation Guide
TurboDLDClassic
A note on copying this software:
Each copy of TurboDLDClassic is encoded with a unique serial number. This serial number is used as a
check to ensure that the software is not being illegally duplicated. If an illegal copy of the software is
found, the serial number provides us with a means of tracking down the source of the duplications. If you
need to use multiple copies at the same time, contact your dealer for information on purchasing additional
pieces of this software. Site licensing terms are available for multiple unit purchases. Educational pricing
for qualified institutions is also available.
Help us keep you up-to-date with the latest and greatest version. Fill out and return the registration card
today. Remember, registered users get free technical support and 30 (thirty) days of free updates.
Information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on
the manufacturer. (Late additions to this document may be found in the READ.ME file on the distribution
disk.) The software described in this document is furnished under a license agreement or nondisclosure
agreement. The software may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of the agreement. It is
against the law to copy TurboDLDClassic on magnetic tape, disk, or any other medium for any purpose
other than the purchaser's personal use, as defined in the license agreement.
Copyright (c) 1989-1994 All rights reserved.
Portions of TurboDLDClassic are patented under U.S. Patent No. 5,101,444.
Panacea and DLD are registered trademarks and, TurboDLD, TurboDLDClassic, TurboDLDDeluxe, DLD386, DLD386Deluxe, Display List Driver, CustomColors, Panacea, ZoomPreview, "The Designated Drivers",
The Big Picture, TOTS, MicroScope, MACH-12 and CAD Accelerators are trademarks of Panacea Inc.
AutoCAD and Autodesk are registered trademarks, and AutoShade, AutoSketch and 3D Studio, are trademarks
of Autodesk, Inc. RenderMan is a trademark of Pixar. All other brand and product names are trademarks of their
respective owners.
Some TurboDLDClassic fonts are supplied by IBM and Tseng Labs.
Table of Contents
About This Manual ... i-i
Quick Start 1-1
Panacea TurboDLDClassic 2-1
Installing and Configuring TurboDLDClassic 3-1
Changing Colors 4-1
TurboDLD Features 5-1
Memory Usage and Lists 6-1
Tips, Tricks and Troubleshooting 7-1
Rendering With TurboDLDClassic 8-1
Appendix A - Support Information A-1
Appendix B - TurboDLDClassic Commands B-1
Appendix C - Changes From Previous Versions C-1
About
This
Manual
Thank you for purchasing TurboDLDClassic v2.0 -- and also for reading this
manual. We are very excited about this release of TurboDLD, mainly because of
you, the AutoCAD user. Many of the features and enhancements of this version
are the result of your comments and requests. With that input, we are able to offer
you a complete productivity solution at an affordable price.
This introduction provides a quick overview of the terms and conventions used
throughout the manual. Please take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with it.
AutoCAD Installations
We know that every AutoCAD installation is different. However each one requires
the configuration of the same basic parameters in order to function. The examples
we use in this manual assume that you have installed AutoCAD on drive C using
the installation defaults. This means that your main AutoCAD directory is
C:\ACAD and all other directories (i.e., SUPPORT, FONTS, DRV, etc.) fall under
it.
We also assume that you are using the AutoCAD created ACADR12.BAT file to
start AutoCAD Release 12. For AutoCAD Releases 10/386 and 11, it is not as
critical to use a batch file to start the program, however it is much easier.
If you have not configured AutoCAD using defaults, don't worry, you can still
easily install TurboDLDClassic. All you have to do is substitute your specific sub-
directory names with those in our examples. If you are using a menuing system or
other AutoCAD start-up file, use that when we reference ACADR12.BAT.
TurboDLD Installation
Our references to the location of TurboDLD files assume that you have chosen to
install TurboDLDClassic into the C:\ACAD\DRV sub-directory for AutoCAD
Release 12, or in a sub-directory named C:\TURBODLD for AutoCAD Release 10
or 11.
Naming Conventions
To save some space (not to mention a tree or two) and to make the manual a little
easier to read, we have abbreviated some name references. If you see the terms
below used later in these pages, here's what they mean.
BP = Big Picture, TurboDLD's bird's eye view
R12 = AutoCAD Release 12
R11 = AutoCAD Release 11
R10 = AutoCAD Release 10/386
Keyboard References
CTRL-C = Hold the CTRL key down and then press the "C" key.
ESC = The ESCape key in the upper left-hand corner of your keyboard.
ARROW key references are to the cursor control keys on your keyboard, the four
keys in-between the main keys and the numeric keypad.
Keyboard Input
Bold text throughout the manual indicates an important point, or prompt. In the
case of a prompt, input is required, either at the DOS prompt or the AutoCAD
Command prompt.
Notes, Tips & Cautions
Throughout the manual, there are specific points you should be aware of,or should
avoid. These bits of information are separated from the main body of the manual
and are identified with the following icons.
Chapter 1
Quick
Start
These pages sum up the basics of installing and using TurboDLDClassic. Please
read the rest of the manual for complete details.
What's it do? TurboDLDClassic 's main function is to speed up AutoCAD pans, zooms and
redraws. The driver accomplishes this by creating and maintaining a Display List -
a fast-displaying object list of the current drawing - dramatically increasing
performance on pans and zooms.
In addition to offering display list speed enhancement, TurboDLDClassic provides
add-on productivity features - a bird's-eye view and a graphics mode text window
- to further speed up the use of AutoCAD.
What's the Catch? The only resource used by TurboDLDClassic is memory. The driver
actively uses about 300Kbytes of RAM from extended memory for its operation. This memory
is drawn from AutoCAD's memory pool and therefore does not affect normal DOS operation.
The driver is loaded by AutoCAD at AutoCAD load time and is unloaded when AutoCAD is exited.
Additionally, the Display List size can vary from one tenth to three times the size
of the current drawing file. We recommend that you use 8Mb of RAM with
AutoCAD Release 10/386 or 11, and 12Mb for AutoCAD Release 12.
You may wish to purchase and install additional RAM before installing
TurboDLDClassic, since it shares memory with AutoCAD. If AutoCAD is using a
lot of memory, TurboDLDClassic may not have enough. If there is significant
hard disk activity while you are using TurboDLDClassic, it may be an indication
that you should add more memory to your system.
Install Run the TurboDLDClassic installation program by typing:
A: (or B: if you are using drive B)
INSTALL
TurboDLDClassic's install program will ask for registration information and then
prompt for AutoCAD information. The remaining prompts will ask for sub-
directory information. After all information has been provided, TurboDLDClassic
files will be copied from the distribution floppy to the hard drive.
To Configure
AutoCAD
Release 12
Since the start-up is a little bit different for AutoCAD Release 12 than for older
versions, please follow the instructions for the version of AutoCAD which you are
installing TurboDLDClassic for.
Begin AutoCAD with the reconfigure switch by typing
ACAD -R
Choose option 3, Configure Video Display from the AutoCAD configuration
menu.
Type Y at the "Do you want to select..." message to display the available video
options for AutoCAD.
Select "TurboDLD Classic" from the list of display options.
Alternately, to get to the AutoCAD Configuration menu described above, start
AutoCAD as you normally would, and then type CONFIG at the Command
prompt.
Continue installation at the Driver Configuration section below.
Run the FASTACAD batch file created in your TurboDLDClassic sub-directory
and then start AutoCAD.
To Configure
AutoCAD
Release 11/386,
Release 10/386
Reconfigure AutoCAD to use TurboDLDClassic by selecting option 5, Configure
AutoCAD from the AutoCAD main menu. From the next menu, select option 3,
Configure Video Display. Choose Item 1, P386 ADI 4.0/4.1 (R11) or ADI P386
(R10), as your display device. (For more information, see your AutoCAD
"Installation and Performance Guide.")
After selecting the proper display device, the TurboDLD Driver Configuration
menu will appear.
Driver
Configuration
Set-up of TurboDLDClassic requires configuration of its various operating
parameters. These parameters have been logically grouped into menus based on
their interaction with AutoCAD. A quick trip through each menu will complete the
configuration process. Context sensitive help can be obtained by typing "?" at any
menu option.
The first menu, Select Graphics Board/Resolution, configures TurboDLDClassic
for the graphics board, and display and rendering resolutions to be used.
ù Select Graphics Board Selects graphics platform to be used
ù Select Display Resolution Selects AutoCAD, 3D Studio and AutoShade main
display screen resolutions
ù Select Rendering Resolution Selects AVE Render, 3D Studio and AutoShade
rendering resolutions
Rendering menu options only appear when configuring the rendering screens of
AVE Render, 3D Studio and AutoShade2 with RenderMan. You will not see both
menu options at the same time.
Basic Configuration options set AutoCAD screen characteristics, number of text
lines in the command-line area, font size and screen configuration mode.
ù AutoCAD Text Lines Selects number of lines in AutoCAD command prompt
area
ù Screen Configuration Provides a choice of single screen, dual screen or single
screen with a graphics mode text window.
ù Font Selection Allows selection of TurboDLDClassic supplied fonts or
Autodesk supplied .BDF fonts menus and pull-downs.
User Interface options include the parameters for maneuvering within AutoCAD.
ù Double Click Sets mouse/digitizer double click detect time.
ù BP Button Select which mouse or tablet button to use for bird's eye pop-up.
ù BP Highlight Mode Controls how the Big Picture is displayed.
ù BP Refresh Controls the refresh mode of the Big Picture.
Expert Configuration options set the function of TurboDLD itself. This menu
allows for customization of the driver for speed or to adjust for memory
constraints.
ù Display List Enables or disables the display list feature of TurboDLDClassic.
ù AutoCAD Logical Drawing Space Sets AutoCAD's logical space to 15-bits
or 31-bits (R12 only).
ù Internal Command Echo Enables or disables the echo of TurboDLDClassic
internal commands at the AutoCAD Command line when such commands are
executed.
ù Big Picture Zoom Mode Sets Big Picture zoom area display options
Once all options have been set, scroll down to the Save and Exit option and then
press the ENTER key to continue.
Next, configure the AutoCAD screen display characteristics and then type Y to
accept the changes.
Exit to the AutoCAD drawing editor to begin using TurboDLDClassic.
The last step in setting-up TurboDLDClassic is to configure the colors for
AutoCAD. From the AutoCAD Command Line, type DLDCOLOR, to start
CustomColors, TurboDLD's color configuration utility. Make any desired color
changes and then Save the new color palette and then Exit to return to the drawing
editor.
If you encounter a problem or abnormality, please review the installation procedure and
Chapter 7 - Tips, Tricks & Troubleshooting. to be sure you haven't overlooked or skipped
a step. If you still cannot resolve the problem, refer to Appendix A to obtain Technical Support.
Chapter 2
TurboDLD
Classic
TurboDLD Classic has only two purposes: 1) to speed up AutoCAD REDRAWs,
PANs, and ZOOMs; and 2) to provide a more productive, user-friendly, interface
to AutoCAD (via the features described in Chapter 5 - TurboDLD Features).
The driver is memory-resident and inserts itself between AutoCAD and the
graphics board. It has no other effect on AutoCAD's operation besides speeding
the program up; it runs with AutoShade 2 with RenderMan and all versions of 3D
Studio, but does not affect the speed of these programs, since they do not support
Display Lists.
Installing TurboDLDClassic does not change any of the AutoCAD program files
or alter any of the drawing files stored on disk. TurboDLDClassic was designed
to be an easy-to-use, feature-filled product that makes using AutoCAD faster and
more productive, not one that makes AutoCAD more complicated and difficult to
use.
How does TurboDLDClassic make AutoCAD run faster? There are mainly two
things the driver does to speed operation:
ù AutoCAD stores drawings in a hierarchical structure, with simple elements
intermixed with complex ones. Every time the screen is updated, AutoCAD
must decode this structure. TurboDLDClassic works differently. While you
are working, it translates the normal hierarchical structure into a Display List, a
series of vectors or polygon fills. (The ability to support display lists was
specifically added to AutoCAD with Release 10 via the ADI 4.0 interface.)
When you pan or zoom, TurboDLDClassic uses the Display List, then writes
the resulting vectors to the video board hardware. Since the hierarchical
structure does not have to be decoded, drawing proceeds very quickly.
ù Lastly, TurboDLDClassic gives you new user-interface features, including a
bird's eye view and a graphics-mode text window. (See Chapter 5 - TurboDLD
Features .)
By how much does TurboDLDClassic increase the speed of AutoCAD? PANs and ZOOMs,
aided by only the Display List, run from two to twelve times faster than a non-display list driver.
TurboDLDClassic's internal display list processing can speed things up to the point that REDRAWs
can be up to twenty-five times faster than the graphics drivers shipped with AutoCAD.
Chapter 3
Installing
and
Configuring
TurboDLD
Classic
Before starting, please make a backup copy of the distribution disk, using the
DOS DISKCOPY command, and put it in a safe place. Also, if you have been
using an older version of a Panacea driver - DLD-VGA, DLD386-VGA, MACH-
12... - be sure to remove any references to that driver which may be in your
AutoCAD start-up files or in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
The TurboDLDClassic installation procedure below is exact, and describes what
to do at each step.
Installation is slightly different for older releases of AutoCAD than it is with
AutoCAD Release 12. Be sure to follow any directions that may be specific to
your particular AutoCAD release. For brief installation instructions, see the Quick
Start section at the front of the manual.
Installation
Insert your TurboDLDClassic distribution disk into a floppy disk drive and then
type:
{Drive}:INSTALL
Where {Drive} is the floppy drive that holds the TurboDLDClassic disk.
The first time the installation program is run, you will be prompted for registration
information. This information must be given. If you choose to ignore this step,
TurboDLDClassic will not run.
After completing the registration information, TurboDLDClassic's installation will
prompt you for the version of AutoCAD you are installing the driver for.
Next, you will be asked for the the name of the directory you wish to install
TurboDLDClassic into. In the space provided, enter a complete sub-directory path
name.
Once the path name has been entered, verify that the information is correct and
then press ENTER. The TurboDLDClassic files are then copied from the
distribution floppy to your hard drive.
Once all of the program files have been successfully transferred, it is necessary to
reconfigure AutoCAD to use TurboDLDClassic. Follow the steps below for use
with either AutoCAD Release 12, or Release 10/11, and then proceed to the Driver
Configuration section below, to complete the installation.
For Use With AutoCAD Release 12
Begin AutoCAD with the reconfigure switch by typing
ACAD -R
Choose option 3, Configure Video Display from the AutoCAD configuration
menu. (See Figure 3.1.)
Figure 3.1 - AutoCAD Release 12 Configuration Menu
Type Y at the "Do you want to select..." message to display the available video
options for AutoCAD.
Select "TurboDLD Classic by Panacea Inc - v2.0" from the list of display
options.
Alternately, to get to the AutoCAD Configuration menu described above, start
AutoCAD as you normally would, and then type CONFIG at the Command
prompt.
TurboDLDClassic usually appears as option 11 in most installations of AutoCAD
Release 12. If TurboDLD does not appear in the list of available video drivers, be
sure that the AutoCAD environment variables in your AutoCAD start-up file,
ACADDRV in particular, have been properly set before typing ACAD -R.
Continue to the "Driver Configuration" section below.
For Use With AutoCAD Release 10/386 or 11/386
Run the FASTACAD.BAT file that was copied to the TurboDLDClassic sub-
directory by typing:
C:\TURBODLD\FASTACAD
The above example assumes that TurboDLDClassic was installed on drive C: in a
sub-directory named TURBODLD. FASTACAD sets up the necessary AutoCAD
environment variables for use with TurboDLDClassic. For more information on
FASTACAD.BAT, refer to the Configuring the AutoCAD Operating Environment
section at the end of this chapter.
Start AutoCAD and reconfigure the program to use TurboDLDClassic by
selecting option 5, Configure AutoCAD from the AutoCAD main menu. From
the next menu, select option 3, Configure Video Display. Choose Item 1, P386
ADI 4.0/4.1 (R11) or ADI P386 (R10) as your display device. (for more
information about configuring for ADI drivers, see the AutoCAD "Installation
and Performance Guide".
Driver Configuration
Once you have selected the proper display device, the TurboDLD Welcome screen
will appear. This screen is an informational screen about what the
TurboDLDClassic setup program does. Press any key to continue once you have
read the overview.
Figure 3.2 - TurboDLDClassic Configuration Menu
As you continue past the Welcome screen, the TurboDLDClassic Driver
Configuration menu will appear. (See Figure 3.2.)
Help during TurboDLDClassic setup is only a keystroke away. At any time, you
may press the question mark ("?") key to get help information pertaining to the
current prompt. Please note that the DLDSETUP.HLP file must be present in
order for help to appear. If you get an error message, be sure that the file
DLDSETUP.HLP is in the ACAD\DRV sub-directory (R12), or in the
TURBODLD sub-directory (R10/R11). Also, as mentioned earlier, be sure that
there are no references to older DLD drivers which may cause TurboDLDClassic
to look elsewhere for DLDSETUP.HLP.
Figure 3.3 - Graphics Board Selection Menu
If at any point during the configuration process you want to change an item on a
previous screen, just press the ESC key to back up. Selecting NO SAVE, EXIT at
the main configuration menu will return you to the AutoCAD configuration menu
without making any changes.
Set-up of TurboDLDClassic requires configuration of the various operating
parameters of the driver. These parameters have been logically grouped into five
menus based on their interaction with AutoCAD. A quick trip through each menu
will complete the configuration process.
If none of TurboDLDClassic's options are configured, the driver will be
automatically configured as a Generic VGA, with 640 x 480 resolution at 16
colors. All other driver options will assume the program's defaults.
Select Graphics Board/Resolution Menu
The Select Graphics Board/Resolution menu configures TurboDLDClassic for
video parameters. From this menu, graphics board/type and display and rendering
resolutions for TurboDLDClassic will be determined.
Select Graphics Board (See Figure 3.4) allows you to manually select your
computer's graphics board. A list of video cards is given, based on the the findings
of TurboDLDClassic's built-in graphics platform detection utility. Use the Up and
Down arrow keys, and the Pg Up and Pg Dn keys to scroll through the list and
highlight your graphics board. Please note that graphics boards are listed by both
platform type and manufacturer's name, alphabetically, therefore you may need to
scroll to the bottom of the list to find your particular board.
Figure 3.4 - Graphics Board Menu
If your graphics board is not listed, you may choose the generic board option for
your video chip type.
Press ENTER to accept your choice and return to the Select Graphics
Board/Resolution menu.
Select Display Resolution configures the resolution of the AutoCAD drawing
screen. Display screen options are based on the findings of TurboDLDClassic's
graphics platform detection utility (see Figure 3.5). Use the Up and Down arrow
keys, and the Pg Up and Pg Dn keys to scroll through and highlight the resolution
and color option you wish to use. Press the ENTER key to accept your resolution
choice and return to the Select Graphics Board/Resolution menu.
When configuring TurboDLDClassic's video options, the Rendering
Board/Resolution options described below will automatically appear ONLY when
configuring the rendering modes of AVE Render, 3D Studio or AutoShade 2 with
RenderMan. Otherwise, the Display Board/Resolution options will be the only
menu choices available.
Figure 3.5 - Resolution Selection Menu
Similar to the Select Display Resolution menu, Select Rendering Resolution
configures the resolution of the AutoCAD rendering screen. Rendering screen
options are also based on the findings of TurboDLDClassic's detection utility. Use
the Up and Down arrow keys, and the Pg Up and Pg Dn keys to scroll through
and highlight the resolution and color option you wish to use.
Press ENTER to accept your choice and return to the Select Graphics
Board/Resolution menu.
TurboDLDClassic's graphics platform detection utility queries the graphics card
for graphics platform type and installed memory. Based on the detector's
information, TurboDLDClassic will list a set of Display and Rendering
resolutions. Due to the variety of graphics boards and their specific
implementations of platform chip sets, the detector is general purpose and cannot
always be 100% accurate. Therefore, when selecting a Display or Rendering
resolution, be sure to use only resolutions that you know your graphics board, and
monitor, will support. If you are unsure which resolutions are supported by your
graphics board and monitor, refer to your owner's manual(s).
Highlight Return To Previous Menu and press the RETURN key to return to the
Main Configuration Menu.
Basic Configuration Menu
The Basic Configuration menu configures TurboDLDClassic's AutoCAD screen
characteristics; text lines; screen mode; and font size (see Figure 3.6).
The first Basic option is the number of text lines you wish to use for the AutoCAD
command line. The default is 3 lines, but values from 1 to 10 can be specified. A
number larger than 3 might be useful if you are using this driver in a high
resolution mode with small fonts, eliminating the need to frequently swap back
and forth between the text and graphics screens.
If you do not want any lines of text at the bottom of the display, use AutoCAD to
disable the command area (see the AutoCAD "Interface, Installation and
Performance Guide" for more information).
The Screen Configuration section is used to tell TurboDLDClassic under which
of three available modes you wish to use AutoCAD -- dual screen, one monitor for
graphics and a second for text; single screen with combined text and graphics; or
single screen with combined text and graphics using a graphics mode text window.
Figure 3.6 -Basic Configuration Menu
Use the arrow keys to highlight a choice based on the following explanations of
each mode. Select Dual to run in dual screen mode.
Do not select Dual if you don't have a second video board in your system,
unpredictable results will occur. To use dual screens, you must have a
Monochrome board installed with a VGA board. Please also note that
you cannot have two VGA boards in the same system.
Figure 3.7 - Font Selection Menu
Choose Single, to run AutoCAD in the standard single screen mode, using a video
mode switch to standard VGA text mode during a flip screen. To eliminate the
video mode switch to text mode and back into high resolution graphics, choose
Text Window on Single to configure the single screen to use a graphics mode text
window. Using graphics mode to display text allows an instantaneous return from
a flip screen. The graphics text window is especially useful when using large
monitors which tend to be slow when switching modes. A SHELL command will
switch to text mode regardless of the setting.
TurboDLDClassic offers you a selection of fonts to use for AutoCAD menus,
pull-downs, and dialog boxes (see Figure 3.7). Provided by Panacea are 6x8, 8x8,
8x14, 8x16, 12x20 and 12x24 font options. Also available for use are any of the
.BDF fonts, included with AutoCAD Release 12, you may have on your system.
For resolutions over 800x600 we recommend the 12x20 or 12x24 fonts.
To make a font selection, highlight Select Font From List to display a list of
available fonts. Use the Up and Down arrow keys, and the Pg Up and Pg Dn keys
to scroll through the list and highlight the font you wish to use. Press the ENTER
key to return to the Basic Configuration menu. To limit the available font choices,
choose the Select Font Filter menu selection to choose a .BDF font type from
those listed (see Figure 3.8). When you return to the Select Font From List option
again, only those files matching the filter name will be available for use.
If you do not see any .BDF font selections listed in the Basic Configuration menu,
you will need to add the following line to your AutoCAD start-up batch file.
SET DLDFONT =C:\ACAD\DRV
Highlight Return To Previous Menu and press the RETURN key to return to the
Main Configuration Menu.
User Interface Menu
The User Interface options configure the productivity features of
TurboDLDClassic (see Figure 3.9). These features change the way you manuever
around AutoCAD and execute commands.
Figure 3.8 - Font Filter Menu
Double Click Timing
The first timing option sets the Double Click delay. This time represents the
largest amount of time that can elapse between the release of the digitizer button
and the subsequent press of the same button in order to detect a double click.
Setting this number too low may result in the computer seeing two separate clicks,
while setting the time too high may slow down response time for single button
presses. Values between 10 and 30 are recommended.
Double Click time is measured in hundredths of seconds. PC systems have a
timing resolution of 5/100ths of a second, therefore, the entered time is rounded
internally by the driver to most closely approximate the nearest multiple of 5. This
means that a time setting of 23 is the same as a setting of 27, both of which get
rounded to 25 (or one-quarter of a second). In simplest terms, when adjusting
these values, it is best to use multiples of 5.
Figure 3.9 - User Interface Menu
Big Picture Options
The Big Picture, Panacea's bird's-eye view, can be configured to suit your needs or
allow for better differentiation within a complex drawing.
At the BP Button menu option, enter the number of the button on your mouse or
tablet that you wish to use as your bird's eye "hot key". A Double Click on that
button will cause TurboDLDClassic's bird's eye to pop-up on -screen.
BP Highlight controls how the current viewport reference in the Big Picture
appears on the screen. Patt Line displays the viewport reference using dotted
lines. XOR Rect uses a contrasting rectangle to display the viewport reference.
The Both option will use a combination of Patt Line and XOR Rect to display the
viewport reference.
In its fastest mode, TurboDLDClassic only refreshes the Big Picture when objects
are added to a drawing, until a DLDREFRESH command is issued. Moved or
erased objects will remain in the Big Picture. Depending on a drawing's
complexity, if BP Refresh is Disabled, the Big Picture could become confusing,
displaying vectors that are actually erased, and no longer part of the drawing. To
configure the Big Picture to be updated as objects are drawn AND erased,
ENABLE the BP Refresh. If speed is a major concern, DISABLE it.
Highlight Return To Previous Menu and press the RETURN key to return to the
Main Configuration Menu.
Expert Configuration Menu
The Expert Configuration menu sets the basic internal functions of
TurboDLDClassic. Options in this menu allow for customization of the driver for
speed or to adjust for memory constraints (see Figure 3.10).
Display List enables or disables the display list feature of TurboDLDClassic', the
core of the driver's AutoCAD performance boost. This option should always be set
to ENABLE, as disabling the Display List will cause TurboDLDClassic to run as
an ordinary non-display list driver.
Use AutoCAD 31-bit Space, configures TurboDLDClassic for use with
AutoCAD R12's 31-bit logical drawing space. When set to Yes, the driver will use
AutoCAD's extended 31-bit drawing space. Selecting No, will use a 15-bit
drawing space, similar to that of AutoCAD R10/R11.
The 31-bit logical space allows you to extend your Regen-less zooming ability by
a factor of several million, at the cost of more memory. Additional memory is used
by AutoCAD for the drawing space, and by TurboDLDClassic for the Display
List. 31-bit zooming and panning is about 10%-20% slower than for 15-bit logical
space.
The Use AutoCAD 31-bit Space setting is ignored for AutoCAD R10/R11
installations as these versions only support a 15-bit logical drawing space.
The echo of TurboDLDClassic internal commands can be enabled or disabled with
the Internal Command Echo option. If you would like to see TurboDLDClassic's
internal commands display at the AutoCAD command line as they are executed,
enable this option.
BP Zoom Mode sets the Big Picture (BP) zoom definition area display options. In
a zoomed view of the static BP, as the current viewport is zoomed or panned,
FLOAT mode causes the image in the BP to move around within the bird's-eye
window, keeping the zoomed viewport area fixed in the center of the bird's-eye.
FREEZE mode will lock the current BP contents into place to provide a better
overall frame of reference.
After all Expert options have been set, highlight Return To Previous Menu and
press the RETURN key to return to the Main Configuration Menu.
Figure 3.10 -Expert Configuration Menu
Saving Configuration Information
Once all of the TurboDLDClassic parameters have been configured, select SAVE,
EXIT to save the configuration information and create DLDSETUP.DAT,
DLXBUTTN.DAT, and DLXMENUS.DAT in either the ACAD\DRV sub-
directory (R12) or the TURBODLD (R10/R11) sub-directory. DLDSETUP.DAT
is TurboDLDClassic's configuration file while DLXBUTTN.DAT and
DLXMENUS.DAT are the configuration files for the digitizer buttons and pop-up
menus, respectively.
After answering AutoCAD's standard driver configuration questions (see Figure
3.11), you will return back to the AutoCAD configuration menu. To begin your
accelerated AutoCAD, for AutoCAD R12, select option 0, Exit to Drawing
Editor; for AutoCAD R10/11, choose option 1 or 2, Open New/Existing
Drawing.
Figure 3.11 - AutoCAD Screen Configuration Options
Verifying Your TurboDLDClassic Installation
To verify that TurboDLDClassic is running and installed correctly, follow one of
these two simple tests.
ù If you have the AutoCAD side menu enabled, look for the Panacea Logo in the
lower right-hand corner.
ù If you are running AutoCAD without a side menu, type DLDVER at the
AutoCAD command prompt. If TurboDLDClassic is loaded and running, this
command should return your current version, serial number and the registered
user's name.
ù If TurboDLDClassic was not correctly installed, you will receive an AutoCAD
error when the DLDVER command is entered.
Reconfiguring TurboDLDClassic
To reconfigure TurboDLDClassic follow the instructions for AutoCAD Release
12 or Release 11/10 below.
AutoCAD Release 12
If you need to make changes to your Release 12 TurboDLDClassic configuration,
type CONFIG at the AutoCAD command prompt or use ACAD -R when starting
the program. Select option 3, Configure Video Display. Answer No to the "Select
a new video driver ..." prompt to start the TurboDLDClassic configuration
program. Make the desired changes to the driver and then Save and Exit to
continue to the AutoCAD drawing editor.
AutoCAD Release 10/11
To change a Release 10/11 configuration, select option 5, Configure AutoCAD
from the AutoCAD main menu. and then from the configuration menu, select
option 3, Configure Video Display. Answer No to the "Select a new video
driver..." prompt to start the TurboDLDClassic configuration program. Change
the desired driver options. Save and Exit to return to the AutoCAD configuration
menu. Open or begin a new drawing.
To completely reconfigure TurboDLDClassic using the defaults, delete
DLDSETUP.DAT, DLXBUTTN.DAT, and DLXMENUS.DAT from either the
\ACAD\DRV sub-directory (R12) or the TURBODLD sub-directory (R10/11) and
then follow the Driver Configuration instructions at the beginning of this chapter.
Configuring The AutoCAD R10/11 Operating Environment
During the TurboDLDClassic installation process, a FASTACAD.BAT file is
created and placed into the TURBODLD sub-directory. FASTACAD.BAT
contains four lines that set four separate environment variables: DLDCFG - used
by TurboDLDClassic to find all of its configuration files; and DSPADI, RCPADI,
RDPADI - used by AutoCAD, 3D Studio and AutoShade 2 w/RenderMan,
respectively, to find the driver file. FASTACAD.BAT must be run prior to starting
AutoCAD R10 or R11 and only needs to be run once per system boot. For
automatic loading of the environment variables, FASTACAD.BAT may be added
to the AUTOEXEC.BAT file or an AutoCAD start-up batch file.
To add execution of FASTACAD.BAT to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, insert the
line
CALL D:\TURBODLD\FASTACAD
anywhere in the file. The above example assumes that FASTACAD.BAT resides
in a sub-directory on drive D: called \TURBODLD.
If you don't wish to put FASTACAD in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, you may
put it in a batch file which also starts AutoCAD, or simply remember to run the
file before starting AutoCAD. (You should also stop using any other ADI display
driver that may have come with your graphics board, since TurboDLDClassic is a
superset of that type of driver).
If you get the message
Out of Environment Space
when you run FASTACAD.BAT, you will need to enlarge your system's
environment. This is accomplished by adding the following line,
SHELL=C:\COMMAND.COM /P /E:768
to your CONFIG.SYS file. The /E:768 specifies an environment size of 768
bytes. Change this number as appropriate. You will need to reboot if you modify
your CONFIG.SYS file, in order for the changes to take effect.
Configuring TurboDLDClassic for Rendering
To install and configure TurboDLDClassic for use with AutoCAD R12's AVE
Render, 3D Studio or AutoShade 2 w/RenderMan, please read Chapter 8 -
Rendering with TurboDLDClassic.
Chapter 4
Changing
Colors
Included with TurboDLDClassic, is the revolutionary CustomColors color
configuration utility. What's so unique about CustomColors is that it gives you the
ability to modify all your changeable AutoCAD colors, including menu colors,
text colors, dialog box colors, and even drawing colors, while running AutoCAD.
CustomColors simulates an AutoCAD screen, complete with all possible objects.
At the AutoCAD drawing editor command line, type DLDCOLOR to edit the
color configuration.
If you have configured TurboDLDClassic for 256 colors, you will be greeted with
an informational warning message. The message appears to remind you that if you
assign a drawing color to a physical color above color 15, you may experience
unusual results from AVE Render.
Once you enter the utility, you are provided with the following configuration
menu at the bottom of the screen:
(O)bject,
(D)rawing,
(P)hysical,
(A)DI reset,
(V)GA reset,
(L)oad,
(S)ave,
(E)xit
Figure 4.1 - DLDCOLOR
The menu items perform the following functions.
Object
Selecting this option will allow you to change the color of any AutoCAD screen
object, such as the graphics area background color, the menu area text color, or the
border line color.
Select the screen object whose color you want to change by moving the highlight
box around with the left, right, up and down cursor control keys. Press ENTER
when you have highlighted the desired object. Note that a one line description of
the object type is displayed at the top of the screen as you move the box around.
Once you have selected the object, another highlight box will appear around the
color boxes nearest the bottom of the screen. These are the physical colors that the
video board supports. Use the left and right cursor keys to select the physical color
to be used for the object you have selected and press ENTER. The screen will
quickly redraw with the new color selection for the object you have chosen, and
you will be back at the start of object selection in case you want to change the
color of another object.
Note that at any time during color configuration, you can press the ESC key once
or twice and return to AutoCAD. Also, pressing the question mark ("?") key will
provide you with context sensitive help.
Drawing
This 16 color configuration option allows you to modify all AutoCAD drawing in
a fashion similar to the way you change object colors.
When this option is selected, a highlight square appears in the drawing color area
of the simulated AutoCAD display. The square can be manipulated using the four
cursor keys. You may notice that the drawing color portion of the display is laid
out just like the CHROMA drawing supplied with AutoCAD. When you press
ENTER, the highlight moves down to the 16 physical colors, just as it does during
the object color selection. Using the arrow keys, pick the physical color you want
to represent the selected drawing color. Press ENTER for your selection to take
effect. When using 256 colors, you do not have a (D)rawing Color option. All 256
colors are available as drawing colors.
Physical
Choosing the Physical option from the menu allows you to alter the red, green, and
blue components of the physical colors. A highlight box will appear in the row of
16 physical colors at the bottom of the screen.
Use the arrow keys to select the color you wish to edit and press ENTER. Three
"sliders" will appear near the bottom of the display, with the horizontal position of
the slider for each of the color components (red, green, or blue - RGB) indicating
the relative intensity of the component. You can use the left and right arrow keys
to move the slider for the selected component, or type in a number from 0 to 255.
Many graphics boards do not support 255 different intensities for each color
component. Therefore, when you enter an intensity, Custom Colors will round it to
the nearest intensity which your graphics board supports.
For example, VGAs support 64 intensities per RGB color component. This means
intensities increase in multiples of 4 (256/64), therefore an intensity of 0 is the
same as an intensity of 3.
The up and down arrows allow you to select which component you want to alter.
As you manipulate the sliders, all objects on the displaythat are of the same color
as the selected physical color will change in hue. This way you can visually
determine the most appropriate setting for your display. Pressing ENTER will set
the RGB values you have selected for the physical color you were modifying.
ADI reset This constructs a default ADI color palette, as defined in the Autodesk Device
Interface Driver Development Kit shipped with AutoCAD Release 12.
VGA reset This constructs a default VGA color palette in the first 16 color entries. The
remaining palette colors remain identical to those used for ADI devices
Load This reloads the color information from the file DLDCOLOR.DAT. It will be
loaded from the directory pointed to by DLDCFG (AutoCAD R10/R11), or from
the AutoCAD R12 \DRV directory. If DLDCOLOR.DAT cannot be found, an
error message will be displayed.
This command is useful because it allows you to go back to your previously edited
color configuration in case you have made some mistakes in configuring your
colors that you want to undo.
Don't Accidently Wipe Out Your Changes
Selecting ADIreset, VGAreset, or Load will irrevocably wipe out any current
color changes you may have made, unless you have just saved your new setting, so
use them only when you really need to, such as when you have made so many
color changes that you can't seem to get back to a reasonable place and just want
to start over.
Save Saves the current color palette to DLDCOLOR.DAT. It will be saved to the
directory pointed to by the DLDCFG environment variable in FASTACAD, or to
the \ACAD\DRV (R12) directory if FASTACAD is not used.
Exit Exits CustomColors. If you have made palette changes, but not saved them, you
will be asked if you want to save your changes before exiting.
When running at more than 8 bits-per-pixel (256 colors), setting physical colors
via DLDCOLOR will have no visible effect until a SAVE and EXIT occurs.
TurboDLD
Features
TurboDLDClassic offers AutoCAD users many features and productivity options.
This chapter alphabetically lists the basic commands found in all TurboDLD
versions and provides the correct syntax for their usage. For a brief summary of
TurboDLDClassic commands, see Appendix B or while running AutoCAD, type
DLDHELP at the command prompt.
Please note that the commands above with a "*" following them, when issued
within AutoCAD, will override the selections made during TurboDLDClassic
configuration, for the current drawing session only. Exiting AutoCAD and
subsequently restarting will cause all feature settings to revert back to those
selected in the TurboDLDClassic configuration menu. If you wish to make the
current changes permanent, reconfigure TurboDLDClassic by following the
reconfiguration instructions in Chapter 3.
The Big Picture
The most important feature of TurboDLDClassic is the support of a world view
called The Big PictureTM or just BP for short. Bringing up the BP allows you to
view where in the current drawing you are currently located in your active
viewport, and it also gives you the ability to dynamically move to another part of
the drawing without having to exit the function you're currently executing.
DLDBIGPIC
To call up the Big Picture, at the AutoCAD command line, type DLDBIGPIC, or
double click the right mouse button or button 2 on your digitizer puck (assuming
you haven't redefined your Button 2 double click function - see Chapter 3). This
will bring up the BP on the display. You will see cross-hairs and a highlighted
section indicating which part of the whole drawing you're currently viewing - the
size of the image will be determined by the AutoCAD logical drawing space being
used, 15-Bit or 31-Bit. The selection or pick box will have an "X" through it.
Move the mouse/digitizer around to locate your pick box. If you can't see a small
box moving, click the left mouse button (the pick button) to size down the pick
area. In size mode, the pick box will have a right pointing arrow in it ("-->"). If
the contents of the BP are too small to work with, you may increase the size of the
image in the window by pressing the "+" key on your numeric keypad this
performs an incremental zoom within the BP. Likewise, pressing the "-" key will
reduce the size of the contents of the BP. Pressing the HOME and END keys will
put the BP into its smallest and largest size, respectively. The smallest BP size is
defined as being exactly the same view as that in the viewport referenced by the
BP. The largest BP size is defined as the largest image possible without causing a
Regen.
The BP pick box is always proportioned to the proper aspect ratio for the current
viewport. Clicking the pick button again will put you back into the pick box move
mode ("X"). This operation is very similar to using the Zoom Dynamic feature of
AutoCAD. Once you havepositioned the pick box on the area you would like
displayed in the active viewport, click any button other than the pick button to
initiate the zoom, or press the Enter key. If you want to abort the operation, just
hold any mouse or digitizer button down, other than the pick button, until the BP
disappears. You can also hit any key on the keyboard, other than Enter, to cancel
the BP.
The BP is updated with new drawing commands. Moves or erases will not update
the image unless BPREFRESH is enabled. A DLDREFRESH or a REGEN will
manually update the BP with the current drawing changes.
DLDBPDIM
Resizing and repositioning the BP can be accomplished by typing this command at
the AutoCAD prompt. DLDBPDIM allows you to tell the driver where you want
the BP placed and how large you want it to be. The size is limited to being
between one-quarter and one-half the width of the display. This command
functions like the pan/zoom selection box in the BP, as far as positioning and
dimensioning goes. To abort, hold the right mouse button, or any other digitizer
button, down until the moving box disappears.
DLDBPFREEZE
Sets the Big Picture (BP) zoom definition area display options. DLDBPFREEZE
toggles the Big Picture Zoom Mode parameter in TurboDLDClassic's Expert
Configuration Menu.
In a zoomed view of the static BP, as the current viewport is zoomed or panned,
Float mode causes the image in the BP to move around within the bird's-eye
window, keeping the zoomed viewport area fixed in the center of the bird's-eye.
Freeze mode will lock the current BP contents into place to provide a better
overall frame of reference.
DLDBPHILIGHT*
Changes the highlight used to display the Big Picture among three modes, Patt
Line, XOR Rect, and Both. Patt Lines will use dotted lines to outline the Big
Picture pick box. XOR Rect will use a contrasting rectangle to highlight the pick
box, and Both will use a combination of Patt Lines and XOR Rect.
DLDBPMODE
Toggles the Big Picture between Panning and Zooming modes. In panning mode,
the AutoCAD drawing will dynamically display the contents of the Big Picture
pick box as you size and move it. In Zoom mode, the AutoCAD drawing remains
stationary until the area in the Big Picture pick box is accepted. At which time it
changes to the chosen zoom level.
DLDBPREFRSH*
This convenience feature of TurboDLDClassic, toggles the Big Picture update
mode. If disabled, the BP is updated manually by issuing a DLDREFRESH
command. When enabled, DLDBPREFRSH will cause the BP to refresh
automatically when an object is drawn or erased. The BP operations therefore will
be slower with DLDBPREFRSH enabled.
DLDBPSTATIC
Toggles the BP to stay on the screen at all times. Use this command if you want
the BP on the screen in order to conveniently move into it whenever you want to
zoom or pan. Typing DLDBPSTATIC will put up the BP at the position you set
with DLDBPDIM.
The static BP will disappear when other menus pop-up on the screen, and it will
also disappear if you draw any objects which may overwrite the BP. With these
exceptions, the BP will remain on-screen until you either exit the drawing screen
or you type DLDBPSTATIC again.
DLDCOLOR
Invokes CustomColorsTM, the color configuration program. See Chapter 4 -
Configuring Colors for more information on configuring TurboDLDClassic
colors.
DLDCOMPACT
Forces a manual garbage collect of Display List memory thereby returning unused
display list memory back to the AutoCAD memory pool.
DLDDLIST*
This command toggles the display list function of TurboDLDClassic on and off.
Please note that if the display list is turned off, you will be running AutoCAD as
though you were using a standard non display list driver - pans, zooms and
redraws will be MUCH slower with DLDDLIST disabled.
DLDECHO*
Toggles internal TurboDLDClassic command echoing at the AutoCAD command
line. When TurboDLDClassic commands are executed via the digitizer or pop-up
menus, they generate internal commands which will be displayed at the AutoCAD
command line if DLDECHO is enabled. Disable DLDECHO to simplify the
command line.
DLDHELP
Provides a list of TurboDLDClassic commands with one-line description of each,
within AutoCAD. It's recommended that you flip to the text screen by pressing the
<F1> key to view the output.
DLDREFRESH
Refreshes the Big Picture to reflect the most current changes to a drawing. If the
static BP is up, it will be updated. If not, the next time the BP is brought up, it
will contain a current representation of your drawing, provided no changes were
made between the DLDREFRESH command and the DLDBIGPIC command. For
Automatic update of the Big Picture, see the DLDBPREFRSH command above.
DLDSAVECFG
The DLDSAVECFG command saves the current TurboDLDClassic configuration
for use in a later AutoCAD drawing session. The size, location and operating
mode of the Big Picture are saved with this command. DLDSAVECFG creates a
file named DLXSTATE.DAT, in the directory that TurboDLDClassic was
installed in. DLXSTATE.DAT may be deleted in order to return the above
features to TurboDLDClassic's default settings.
DLDSTAT
Displays the current TurboDLDClassic status. A listing of the current
TurboDLDClassic parameters is displayed at the AutoCAD command line. A flip
to the graphics screen is recommended to view the status report.
DLDUSAGE
Use DLDUSAGE if you want a to-the-byte breakdown of how memory is being
used, specifically for display list processing. DLDUSAGE returns information
regarding the memory each viewport is occupying. Since AutoCAD supports
multiple viewports, it is possible to have multiple display lists. A new or empty
drawing will have a display list of 4k bytes.
DLDVER
Displays the TurboDLDClassic version, serial number and registered user's name
at the AutoCAD command line.
DLDZMVMAX
TurboDLDClassic supports a REGEN-less Zoom ALL capability, identical to
AutoCAD's Zoom VMAX command. Just type DLDZMVMAX at the AutoCAD
prompt, and the current viewport will zoom to its full size. This function is
designed primarily for AutoCAD Release 10/386 users, who do not have an
AutoCAD command to do this.
PD, ZD, ZW
PD - Pan Dynamic, ZD - Zoom Dynamic and ZW - Zoom Window are included in
TurboDLDClassic for backwards compatibility with MACH-12. These commands
will invoke the Big Picture.
ZI, ZO
ZI - Zoom In and ZO - Zoom Out will zoom the current viewport in or out
incrementally.
Chapter 6
Memory Usage
and
Lists
TurboDLDClassic shares extended memory with AutoCAD via the PharLap
Virtual Memory Manager. This means that TurboDLDClassic will automatically
page to disk if it uses up all the RAM that AutoCAD has left for its use. See the
AutoCAD "Installation and Performance Guide" for more information on Virtual
Memory Management.
If you start seeing excessive hard disk accesses during PANs, REDRAWs, and
ZOOMs while using AutoCAD with TurboDLDClassic, try using the
DLDCOMPACT command. If this doesn't affect the amount of disk access it's
probably time to add more memory to your system. Contact your AutoCAD dealer
for assistance in upgrading your memory.
Regarding display list memory, it's important to realize that TurboDLDClassic
speeds up AutoCAD operations by creating a Display List in memory, and sending
that list to the graphics board for pans, zooms and redraws. But a display list takes
up memory.
How much memory?
For production use, we recommend that at least 1 megabyte is available for
TurboDLDClassic. To determine how much memory AutoCAD is using, use the
status command while in AutoCAD (refer to the AutoCAD "Installation and
Performance Guide" for more information). The Display List for a simple drawing
like the shuttle Columbia might only require 20 Kbytes for the Display List.
Complex drawings may require several megabytes. We have seen Display Lists
for a drawing range from one-tenth the size of the drawing file to three times the
size; in general, the Display List averages about one and one-half times the size of
the DWG file size. This means that you should reserve approximately two and
one-half times your average DWG file size in RAM for the drawing and the
Display List. Also, complex objects such as circles and text "expand" when
translated into display list format, so a drawing with a lot of complex objects and
text will have a larger Display List than a simpler drawing.
If there is significant hard disk activity while you are using TurboDLDClassic, it
may be an indication that you should add more memory to your system.
Text takes up a disproportionate amount of space in the Display List. To keep the
list small, put text in its own layer of the drawing. Then don't display the text
layer when editing the rest of the figure. This will keep memory consumption
down and speed up PANs, REDRAWs, and ZOOMs.
The AutoCAD manuals have an excellent section on performance, concentrating
on memory usage. To get the most performance out of the program, read the
appropriate sections of those manuals as well as this one.
Chapter 7
Tips,
Tricks &
Trouble-
shooting
Because TurboDLDClassic supports such a wide range of graphics board
platforms, it is necessary to be aware of certain idiosyncrasies. This chapter
outlines known configuration and usage problems of TurboDLDClassic and of
various graphics platforms. Also included are tips to help gain performance from
AutoCAD itself. These tips and tricks are a compilation of the most commonly
asked Technical Support questions. Therefore, if you are having problems, please
review this chapter, you may be able to quickly answer your own question.
Memory Management
System lock-ups, random re-boots or missing displays, indicate you may have a
memory conflict on your system. Different video platforms access different,
specific, portions of upper memory blocks. If these memory addresses are in use
by TSRs or other programs or memory managers, the above symptoms will occur.
To avoid these problems it is necessary to use an expanded memory manager to
allocate the specific address range to the graphics board. The address to exclude
usually falls within the range of A000 to C7FF.
Some common expanded memory managers are QEMM, 386MAX and EMM386
(which comes with DOS 5.0 and later and Windows).
QEMM and EMM386 use similar commands to perform the exclusion.
X=B000-B7FF
is added to the QEMM386.SYS or EMM386.EXE command line in the
CONFIG.SYS file.
386MAX uses a video memory parameter which look like this
VIDMEM=B000-B7FF
Note that it may be necessary to run an optimization utility with some memory
managers in order for the exclusion to take effect. Refer to your memory
manager's documentation for specific details.
If the range of A000-C7FF seems like a large area to exclude, you may decrease
the range by changing the ending address to determine the exact range that you
need to exclude. Typically B000-B7FF, as shown in the examples above, will be
sufficient. You may try other ranges, by altering the beginning and/or ending
address, to isolate the exact region the graphics board requires. Remember to re-
boot after changing the CONFIG.SYS file. Some common requirements are shown
below.
Due to the manner in which they re-map video BIOS memory regions in RAM,
memory optimization utilities, such as QEMM's Stealth and EMM386's
HIGHSCAN, should be avoided.
XGA
XGA-based graphics boards must have at least the range of B000-DFFF available.
SVGA
SVGA boards usually use the area of B000-B7FF.
Upgrading From Older DLD Drivers
Be sure to remove any reference to previous DLD driver commands (FASTACAD
calls or SET DLDCFG, RCPADI, RDPADI and DSPADI parameters) or sub-
directories that may be in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file or in AutoCAD start-up
batch files. Such references could cause AutoCAD and TurboDLDClassic to look
in the wrong place for setup information.
If have been using a previous DLD driver and wish to use the color palette you
customized for it with TurboDLDClassic, you may copy the DLDCOLOR.DAT
file from your older DLD's sub-directory to the sub-directory you specified during
the TurboDLDClassic installation process.
Maneuvering Through AutoCAD
Zooming
Watch the Snap
When zooming into an image, be aware of your AutoCAD grid snap setting. If you
are zoomed extremely far into a drawing and you are having trouble moving your
digitizer cursor, you may be snapping to a point which is not part of the zoomed
viewport. If the cursor only moves to a single point, or is not on screen at all Snap
might be turned on. Check the status bar to be sure. If you see "Snap" listed, press
the F8 key to turn it off.
Zoom $1
An undocumented AutoCAD command can help speed up performance in some
situations, ZOOM $1. ZOOM $1 will allow you to set the extents of AutoCAD
Release 12's logical drawing space. by issuing the following command sequence:
ZOOM
$1
CTRL-C
CTRL-C
CTRL-C
CTRL-C
The catch is that the command is only in effect until a REGEN is issued.
Be sure to zoom to the view of your drawing you wish to use as the extents before
issuing the above. If you find this command to be useful, you may also want to try
configuring for a 15-bit drawing space -- See Chapter 3 - Installing and
Configuring, "Expert Configuration" menu.
TurboDLDClassic and Paper Space
TurboDLDClassic features do not work in AutoCAD's Paper Space. The
execution of any TurboDLDClassic command in Paper Space, due to a limitation
in AutoCAD, will result in an error message at the command prompt.
Zoom Dynamic
We do not recommended using ANY Classic features while in the Zoom Dynamic
mode of AutoCAD. Because TurboDLDClassic cannot detect when Zoom
Dynamic has been initiated, unpredictable results will occur. Use the Big Picture
feature of TurboDLDClassic to accomplish the same task as Zoom Dynamic, in a
much more efficient fashion.
AutoCAD Release 12's CONFIG Command
Configuring TurboDLDClassic in the middle of a drawing session using the
CONFIG command is a bit like exiting and re-starting AutoCAD. If are using the
static Big Picture and wish to resume your drawing session with it on, issue the
DLDSAVECFG command before issuing the CONFIG command.
Sticky Cursors
In the Big Picture
Sometimes, when using the Big Picture, the digitizer cursor will appear to stick to
the edge of the bird's-eye. This is normal and is the result of the digitizer puck
responding to the whole screen area while the Big Picture only occupies a small
portion of the screen. Because of the difference in resolutions between the screen
and the digitizer, when the screen cursor enters the Big Picture area, the digitizer
puck has more drawing area to cover in order to get to the same location as the
screen cursor.
Within AutoCAD
The following solutions have been used to fix slow mouse/digitizer response
problems when using TurboDLD drivers.
ù Make sure that you are not using a real mode driver for your digitizer. Real-
mode drivers do not interact properly with protected-mode drivers.
AutoCAD Releases 10/386, 11/386, and 12, are all protected-mode. We
recommended that you switch to either the AutoCAD supplied driver or the
manufacturer's latest ADI 4.2 driver for the digitizer.
ù Make sure that no digitizer key re-assigning TSR's are being used. Some
digitizers, specifically the Kurta IS/One, use TSR's to allow digitizer
programming; these will not work with TurboDLD.
ù Try deleting all files with a .DAT extension from your TurboDLD sub-
directory and re-configuring TurboDLD from scratch. Occasionally, these
.DAT files can be corrupted or updated improperly during installation or
reconfiguration.
ù Try changing the double-click interval time to 5 or 10. This can be adjusted
from the User Interface Menu of TurboDLD.
ù If a specific digitizer key is causing a problem, use the Delete key to
remove any AutoCAD commands from that button. Button programming
commands are in the User Interface menu within the Button Configuration
Menu. Be sure to use the Delete key, not Spaces to remove existing
commands.
ù Depending on the digitizer you are using and how it is configured, try
adjusting CFIG386's -VSCAN parameter. Check the AutoCAD "Interface,
Installation and Performance Guide" for specific instructions on how to
use CFIG386.
ù Try using the CFIG386- DEMANDLOAD ON setting for AutoCAD.
ù If there is one available, try to duplicate the problem with a second mouse
or digitizer, this will help to isolate the cause of the problem.
ù If your digitizer is capable of it, try configuring for SummaSketch
emulation and use the driver included with AutoCAD.
ù If there is a choice in your digitizer's configuration, try configuring it for
Polled vs. Interrupt driven, or vice versa.
Using AutoCAD Commands
Since TurboDLDClassic is totally transparent to users with respect to using
normal AutoCAD commands to REDRAW, PAN, and ZOOM, you still have to
suffer from some of AutoCAD's nuances. One of these nuances is that ZOOM
ALL and ZOOM EXTENTS both force a REGEN, because AutoCAD does not
keep track of various boundaries necessary to avoid the REGENs. And REGENs
are rather time-consuming and don't use any display list processing to speed
themselves up. One way around this problem is to use another of AutoCAD's
built-in features, namely the VIEW command.
When you first load your image and see the whole drawing on the screen at once,
just type VIEW Save ALL, which will save the display position you see under a
view named "All". Then, after you've done some detailed editing and want to
return back to the big picture, type VIEW Restore ALL, instead of ZOOM All or
ZOOM Extents, and the full drawing will be restored to the display at display list
speeds, without a REGEN.
Another nuance of AutoCAD is that if you zoom in too far or pan over too far, you
may inadvertently cause a REGEN. AutoCAD again provides a very simple
solution: the REGENAUTO command. Just type REGENAUTO Off at the
AutoCAD command prompt, and automatic REGENs will be disabled. The
REGENAUTO setting is also saved as part of your drawing file, so you only need
to execute it once per drawing. You may even want to set REGENAUTO off in
your ACAD.DWG drawing template so that all your drawings are created with
REGENAUTO set off.
Third-Party Software
If you are having trouble with TurboDLDClassic and third-party AutoCAD
applications, be sure that the third-party application supports ADI 4.2. In order to
use the ADI 4.2 specification, third-party applications require new T-Drivers and
therefore must be revised. If an application does not specifically say that it is ADI
4.2 compatible, it probably is not. Check with the manufacturer to be sure.
If your third-party application is ADI 4.2 compatible and you are having trouble
using TurboDLDClassic, try running AutoCAD without the third-party application
to try to isolate the problem. Also, try the third-party application with the SVADI
driver shipped with AutoCAD, this will also help to isolate the source of the
problem.
Also note that any third-party TSR that needs to access the display may not work
properly when using AutoCAD with any advanced ADI display driver, especially
if the TSR switches graphics modes. Most TSRs will not support the same
graphics platforms as TurboDLDClassic and therefore, will not be able to
accommodate mode switching back and forth.
Slow Scrolling
If you have configured for the graphics mode text window and are experiencing
slow script file execution, it might be your graphics board. Some graphics boards
do not handle graphics mode text scrolling very quickly. To test this, try
configuring for the SINGLE screen option in the Basic Configuration sub-menu of
the TurboDLDClassic Configuration menu.
Color Considerations
Switching Color Modes
When switching color modes, (i.e. from 16 to 256 or vice versa) the DLDCOLOR
command should be run in order to reconfigure your color palette for the number
of colors selected.
Changing to a Light Background
If you would like to switch from TurboDLDClassic's default black background to
a white or light background, type
DLDCOLOR
at the Command prompt to start the CustomColors utility. Once there, press O for
(O)bject and then move the highlight to the Background item and then press
ENTER. Move the color highlight to the desired new background color and press
ENTER. Next, move the highlight to the Cursor item and press ENTER. Move
the color highlight to the desired new Cursor color and press ENTER. Press the
ESC key and then S to (S)ave and E to (E)xit. You should now have a light
background with a dark crosshair.
Corrupt TurboDLDClassic Data Files
If you are having problems configuring TurboDLDClassic, be sure that you are
using either the original distribution diskettes or a faithful copy made with the
DOS DISKCOPY command. We have at times received Tech calls where we
could not trace a specific recurring problem which later turned out to be a bad
duplicate disk.
If everything appears to have installed correctly and you still can't seem to figure
out what's happening, try deleting the DLDSETUP.DAT, DLXMENUS.DAT and
DLXBUTTN.DAT files from your TurboDLDClassic sub-directory. You'll then
have to reconfigure the driver from scratch. We've seen some strange things
happen when these files have become corrupted.
Configuring TurboDLD for Your Graphics Board
You may need to look for your graphics board by its video chip instead of its
name. There are many graphics board manufacturers, some not so famous enough
to be known by a brand name. In these cases, you must configure for your
graphics board by its video chip type. Check your documentation, or if you
already know it, use the Generic selection for your chip type.
Static BP in Panning Mode
When using the static Big Picture in panning mode, the drawing screen will
continue to pan until you move the cursor out of the Big Picture viewport. The
drawing screen will display the selected view correctly.
Pull-Downs and Crosshairs Leave Trash on the Screen
Chapter 8
Rendering With
TurboDLD
Classic
Since TurboDLDClassic is a combined, display and rendering, device driver, it
can be used to generate high-resolution renderings with Autodesk's 3D Studio and
AutoShade programs, as well as with AutoCAD R12's built-in AVE Render.
Configuration for these programs basically involves selecting the proper Display
and Rendering resolutions from the TurboDLDClassic configuration menu. The
other driver configuration options, except for font selection options for 3D Studio,
are ignored for rendering because a Display List, and its configuration parameters,
is not used during the rendering process.
Autodesk
3D Studio
Configuring 3D Studio requires three steps. First, you need to set the environment
variables for 3D Studio by running the PANA3DS.BAT file that was copied into
your TurboDLDClassic sub-directory. Next, you must edit the 3DS.SET file
located in your 3DS directory.
The following three lines of the 3DS.SET file tell 3D Studio which driver to use
for the rendering screen, main screen and materials editor screen, respectively.
Locate the lines that begin with:
RENDER-DISPLAY
MAIN-DISPLAY
MATERIAL-DISPLAY
and change them to use the RCPADI driver, TurboDLD, as follows:
RENDER-DISPLAY=RCPADI
MAIN-DISPLAY=RCPADI
MATERIAL-DISPLAY=RCPADI
Make sure to remove the ";" or any spaces that may be present at the beginning of
the line.
Note that it is only necessary for the RENDER-DISPLAY line to be set to CPADI
in order to render at high resolution. If you do not need a high resolution main
display screen or if you will not be using the materials editor, you may keep
MAIN-DISPLAY and MATERIAL-DISPLAY set to their defaults.
For 3D Studio v3.x, use the Autodesk supplied utility to edit the 3DS.SET file.
From your 3DS sub-directory, type:
3DS VIBCFG
to display the configuration screen. Use the TAB key to move the cursor among
the available parameters. The ENTER key allows you to select an available
driver. Change the RENDER-DISPLAY, MAIN-DISPLAY and MATERIAL-
DISPLAY fields to use RCPADI and then press SHIFT-TAB to move to OK.
Press ENTER and save your changes.
For 3D Studio versions 1, and 2, use any text editor to make the above changes.
For 3D Studio 1.x, there is no RENDER-DISPLAY line. The corresponding line is
DEFAULT-DISPLAY and should be changed to read
DEFAULT-DISPLAY="RCPADI"
The quotes around RCPADI must be used for this version of 3D Studio.
The MATERIAL-DISPLAY should only be configured for RCPADI when BOTH
the Display AND Rendering Resolutions of TurboDLDClassic are configured for
256 color resolutions. An unpredictable Materials Editor screen will appear if
anything other than 256 colors is selected. If you are unsure about the function of
the Materials Editor screen, use the Materials Editor as VGA, you should not have
any problems at all. Please note too, that the use of the Materials Editor will not
give you any more colors to choose from, just higher resolution.
After saving 3DS.SET changes, the final steps in the configuration process
configure TurboDLDClassic for use with 3D Studio.
Delete (or rename) the 3DADI.CFG file from your 3D Studio sub-directory by
typing,
DEL 3DADI.CFG
Deleting this file will cause 3D Studio to start in its reconfiguration mode.
3DADI.CFG will be recreated after 3D Studio has been reconfigured.
Start the 3D Studio reconfiguration by typing;
3DS
During the 3D Studio start-up, you are prompted with a series of configuration
questions. After each question is answered, TurboDLDClassic will display either
a Display Screen or a Rendering Screen Configuration menu, depending on
whether the 3D Studio question references a display or a rendering option.
To configure the 3D Studio Main Display for your graphics board, from the
Display Configuration menu, select a display graphics board and then a display
resolution.
To configure 3D Studio for the Rendering and/or Materials screens, select a
rendering graphics board (usually the same as the Display board) and a
rendering resolution. (For detailed information on choosing graphics boards or
display and rendering resolutions, See Chapter 3 - Installing and Configuring.)
Because RCPADI device drivers, by definition, are combined Display and
Rendering devices, during 3D Studio reconfiguration, you may be brought to the
TurboDLDClassic
Configuration menu more than one time each. It is not necessary to select display
and/or rendering resolutions a second time. Simply press the ENTER key to
remove the help screen and then highlight Save and Exit to continue to the next
question. Also, if FASTACAD.BAT is used instead of PANA3DS.BAT to define
the AutoCAD operating environment, the TurboDLDClassic Configuration Menu
will also appear for RDPADI and DSPADI devices if they are present.
Some 3D Studio Limitations
TurboDLDClassic only provides still rendering support for 3D Studio. This driver
will not play back rendered FLI or FLC files at resolutions above the 320x200
default of 3D Studio.
If you have a VESA compatible graphics board you may be able to use the
RCPVESA.EXP driver that comes with 3D Studio to display animations at high
resolution. Refer to your 3D Studio Installation and Performance Guide for
specific information.
Configuring AVE Render
AutoCAD 12's AVE Render uses TurboDLDClassic's rendering capabilities to
render objects and drawings. If AVE Render has never been configured, when you
select the AutoCAD render command, you are required to run through its
configuration process. In this case, you are prompted through the following
questions and/or menus.
1. Select a Rendering Display device. Since TurboDLDClassic is a combined
display/rendering device, choose item 1, P386 ADI Combined
Display/Rendering Driver from the available choices.
2. Configure the Rendering Graphics Board and Resolution. Here the
TurboDLDClassic configuration program will appear on the screen. Press
the Return key to continue past the help screen and display the Rendering
Configuration menu. Choose Select Graphics Board/Resolution to display
graphics board and resolution menu selections. Select a rendering graphics
board and then a rendering resolution.
3. Select Render Mode. The next step is to select the rendering mode for
TurboDLDClassic. Select either Render to Viewport or Render to Screen
depending on how you wish to view your renderings. Note that in order to
render to a viewport you must be using a Display resolution of more than
16 colors. Otherwise, AVE Render will not allow the render to viewport
selection.
4. Select Render Hard Copy Device. If you are using a rendering hard copy
device select your device type from the list of choices. If you are not using a
hard copy device, accept the default of NULL.
After configuring AVE Render, you will return to the drawing to render the
current drawing.
If you have previously configured AVE Render for another driver, you will need
to reconfigure. Type RCONFIG at the AutoCAD command prompt to manually
invoke the Render Configuration Menu. Follow these steps to re-configure AVE
Render.
1. Select option 2, Configure Rendering Device to choose a new rendering
driver. Answer YES to the "Select Different Rendering Device" question.
2. Select option 1, P386 Combined Display/Rendering Driver to choose the
type of driver being used.
3. Configure the Rendering Graphics Board and Resolution. At this point,
the TurboDLDClassic configuration program will appear on the screen.
Press the Return key to continue past the help screen and display the
Rendering Configuration menu. Choose Select Graphics
Board/Resolution to display graphics board and resolution menu
selections. Select a rendering graphics board and then a rendering
resolution.
4. Select Render Mode. The next step is to select the rendering mode for
TurboDLDClassic. Select either Render to Viewport or Render to Screen
depending on how you wish to view your renderings. Note that in order to
render to a viewport you must be using a Display resolution of at least 256
colors. Otherwise, AVE Render will not allow a render to viewport
selection.
5. Select Exit to the Drawing Editor from the Render Configuration menu
and then type Y to keep the changes you've just made. Press the <F1> key
to change to the graphics screen if necessary.
AutoShade 2.0
with RenderMan
To configure AutoShade v2.0 to use TurboDLDClassic, first run the
FASTACAD.BAT file from your TurboDLDClassic sub-directory to set the
AutoShade environment variables. Next, start AutoShade with SHADE /R, which
will allow you to reconfigure AutoShade. For the display device, select P386
Autodesk Device Interface display driver, and for the rendering display select
the P386 Autodesk Device Interface rendering driver. If you are running the
display and rendering screen on the same monitor (i.e. single monitor), make sure
to tell AutoShade this. A single monitor approach will require a redraw of the
display screen after a rendering screen.
Once the P386 ADI devices have been selected, the TurboDLDClassic configuration
menu will be displayed. Follow the same installation steps that were used to select the
graphics board and display and rendering resolutions for AutoCAD (see Chapter 3 -
Installing and Configuring)
Appendix A - Support Information
Just the Fax, Ma'am
When possible, please send problem reports by fax, on-line message, or regular
mail, including the information requested below.
It is much easier and more productive for us to work with a page of information or
an on-line message than it is to try and get the information from you during a
voice phone call over a busy, noisy line. Once we get your faxed request, we will
call you or fax you back with an answer or with additional questions to learn more
about the problem.
You may reach our Technical Support, staff via fax, phone or mail at:
OEM Name
OEM Street
OEM City/State
OEM Phone - OEM Fax
OEM E-Mail
Please put the following information in a faxed request, or have this information
ready for a phone request:
ù Your name, and the serial and version number of your copy of
TurboDLDClassic.
ù A list of what appears on the screen when you type "SET" at a DOS prompt.
(Or print out a screen shot and attach it to the fax).
ù Print-outs of your DLDSETUP.DAT and FASTACAD.BAT (R10/11) files.
ù Print-outs of your CONFIG.SYS, AUTOEXEC.BAT and any AutoCAD
start-up files.
ù A complete description of what the problem was and how many times, and
under which circumstances, it has occurred. We can help you most efficiently
if you can recreate the problem with some consistency.
Many of the problems which may occur in setting up and using TurboDLDClassic
are not really problems with the driver; instead, the problems occur in installing
and getting access to additional memory for the driver.
Memory management programs, such as QEMM, 386MAX, and EMM386, can
cause memory conflicts on certain graphics platforms. In order to avoid these
conflicts, it may be necessary to exclude certain memory regions from being used
by the memory manager.
Also, if you are using a memory manager, avoid using any switches or utilities of
the manager that may re-map upper memory blocks in order to load as many
programs and TSR's "high" as possible (i.e. QEMM's "Stealth" mode or
EMM386's HIGHSCAN). These features can make it difficult or impossible for
TurboDLDClassic utility programs to locate certain video BIOS information. If
you have memory problems, carefully check both the system documentation and
the memory manager documentation before contacting Technical Support. System
memory problems probably won't be solvable by us.
We aren't able to fix mis-set jumpers and incorrect configuration options over the
phone. Please be sure that all hardware is installed and operating correctly before
assuming that the driver is at fault. Carefully check your hardware documentation
for the correct switch and jumper settings.
Our support policy is to offer free phone and fax support to our users. This policy
is basically unlimited; we want our users to enjoy TurboDLDClassic and get the
most out of it. We are especially appreciative if you can help us identify a
problem in using the driver or the documentation which we can fix in a subsequent
upgrade, benefiting all customers. We reserve the option to limit, withhold, or
charge for support.
This chapter alphabetically lists all TurboDLDClassic commands providing a
quick reference. For complete information regarding the use of these commands,
see Chapter 5 - TurboDLD Features.
Appendix B - TurboDLD Classic Commands
This chapter alphabetically lists all TurboDLDClassic commands providing a quick reference. For
complete information regarding the use of these commands, see Chapter 5 - TurboDLD Features.
DLDBIGPIC Calls up the Big Picture - use digitizer clicks to define an area and zoom into it.
DLDBPDIM Allows resizing and repositioning of the Big Picture.
DLDBPFREEZE Toggles the Big Picture Zoom Mode between Float and Freeze modes.
DLDBPHILIGHT Selects the highlight mode used to display the Big Picture.
DLDBPMODE Toggles Big Picture between Zoom and Pan modes.
DLDBPREFRSH Enables and Disables the Big Picture automatic update mode.
DLDBPSTATIC Toggles the Big Picture to stay on the screen at all times.
DLDCOLOR Invokes CustomColorsTM, Panacea's color configuration program.
DLDCOMPACT Forces a manual clean-up of Display List memory returning any unused memory
back to the AutoCAD memory pool.
DLDDLIST Toggles the display list function of TurboDLDClassic on and off.
DLDECHO Toggles internal TurboDLDClassic command echoing at the AutoCAD command
line.
DLDHELP Provides a list of TurboDLDClassic commands with one-line description of each,
within AutoCAD. It's recommended that you flip to the text screen to view the
output.
DLDREFRESH Refreshes the Big Picture to reflect the most current changes to a drawing.
DLDSAVECFG Saves the current TurboDLDClassic configuration for use in a later AutoCAD
drawing session. Retains the size, location and operating mode of the Big Picture.
DLDSTAT Displays a listing of the current TurboDLDClassic parameters. A flip to the
graphics screen is recommended for this command.
DLDUSAGE Gives a to-the-byte breakdown of how memory is being used for display list
processing.
DLDVER Displays the TurboDLDClassic version, serial number and registered user's name
at the AutoCAD command line.
DLDZMVMAX Performs a REGEN-less Zoom ALL. This function is designed primarily for
AutoCAD Release 10/386 which does not have this capability built-in.
PD, ZD, ZW PD - Pan Dynamic, ZD - Zoom Dynamic and ZW - Zoom Window are included in
TurboDLDClassic for backwards compatibility with MACH-12. These commands
will invoke the Big Picture.
ZI, ZO ZI - Zoom In and ZO - Zoom Out will zoom the current viewport in or out
incrementally.
This Appendix describes the major program changes in this version compared to
earlier versions of TurboDLD and MACH-12.
Appendix C - Changes From Previous Versions
This Appendix describes the major program changes in this version compared to
earlier versions of TurboDLD and MACH-12.
Changes From TurboDLD v1.0
BP Cache
The memory cache for TurboDLD commands has been removed. A separate cache
is no longer necessary due to the optimization of the driver's Display List
performance. The effect of the BP Cache is now achieved internally, for all
graphics platforms. This affects the BP Cache command DLDBPCACHE and the
Configuration menu option to enable BP Cache.
Fast/Incremental REGEN
The Fast/Incremental REGEN mode option has also been removed from
TurboDLD. TurboDLD v2.0 now offers a fast, incremental REGEN eliminating
the need for a toggle command.
Changes From MACH-12
During the integration of MACH-12 and TurboDLD, we found that various
commands were duplicated. Because of this overlap, it was necessary to combine
commands where it was possible and eliminate them where it was not. The
following have been removed or are different from earlier MACH-12 versions.
ALLON
All Color Toggle commands
CA - Cancel
CCP - Continuous Center Pan
RD - Quick Redraw
FS - Fill Enable/Disable
SCP - Single Center Pan
ZA - Zoom All
ZP - Zoom Previous
ZT - Zoom Tiniest
The ZP and ZA commands are not processed by TurboDLDClassic. The driver
simply passes these instructions on to AutoCAD as corresponding ZOOM All and
ZOOM Previous AutoCAD commands. Using either of these two commands may
cause an AutoCAD REGEN, unlike MACH-12 which did not. If you wish to
obtain a REGENless zoom all or zoom previous, use the bird's eye to do the zoom.
Anti-Aliasing
Because only a limited number of graphics boards (those with the Edsun CEG
RAMDAC in 256-color modes and Sierra HiColor RAMDAC in 32k-color
modes) support anti-aliasing, TurboDLDClassic does not include this MACH-12
feature. We have chosen to offer speed instead of a limited, less useful feature.
The anti-aliasing commands
AP - Anti-Aliasing On
AO - Anti-Aliasing On
AF - Anti-Aliasing Off
AS - Enable Split Screen Anti-Aliasing
are no longer available.
Display-List (DL) Compression
Is now done automatically, internally, by TurboDLDClassic as needed.
Bird's Eye redraw ratio
TurboDLDClassic's DLDBPREFRSH command functions the same as this
MACH-12 configuration setting. The difference however, is that the MACH-12
command was configurable. DLDBPREFRSH is not, it is either enabled or
disabled.
Flip Screen Save
This feature is no longer necessary and has been removed.
Set Custom Command Names
command names cannot be changed through TurboDLDClassic or the driver
configuration utility. If you wish to change, or Alias, command names, you may
do so by editing the ACAD.PGP file in your AutoCAD SUPPORT sub-directory.
Set Command Names Sent to Foreign AutoCAD
This MACH-12 setting is no longer necessary. TurboDLDClassic supports
English versions of AutoCAD. For use with foreign AutoCAD versions,
TurboDLDClassic supports .BDF fonts (supplied by Autodesk) for menus and
pull-downs. This allows support for foreign versions of AutoCAD via font
selection.
Download Driver Pack
After your driver has been downloaded, follow these simple steps to install it.
Expand the archive file (if the download file is in zip or rar format).
If the expanded file has an .exe extension, double click it and follow the installation instructions.
Otherwise, open Device Manager by right-clicking the Start menu and selecting Device Manager.
Find the device and model you want to update in the device list.
Double-click on it to open the Properties dialog box.
From the Properties dialog box, select the Driver tab.
Click the Update Driver button, then follow the instructions.
Very important: You must reboot your system to ensure that any driver updates have taken effect.
For more help, visit our Driver Support section for step-by-step videos on how to install drivers for every file type.