Via Nova (TM) Animated 3D Objects Screen Saver I (TM) V 2.1 for Windows NT and Windows 95 Via Nova and Animated 3D Objects Screen Saver I are trademarks of Zachary Hilbun OpenGL (TM) is a trademark of Silicon Graphics, Inc Copyright (C) 1995-1996 Zachary Hilbun, All Rights Reserved Written by Zachary Hilbun, Dallas, Texas THINGS YOU MUST KNOW, READ AT LEAST THE NEXT FEW PARAGRAPHS! The file you are reading is displayed automatically during the installation process. It can also be viewed at a later time. This file, read_me.txt, and other documentation are found in the directory/folder that the screen saver was installed into. The default installation directory is "Program Files\Via Nova\3D Objects Screen Saver I", although this could have been changed by the person who did the installation. The section below titled "Documentation" describes how to get to the "Help" file. Our Web address is http://www.vianova.com/~vianova. You may have an older version, our Web site has the LATEST VERSION of this screen saver and contact information. The screen saver produces several different screens. You can configure each screen for color of 3D objects, background color, movement type, speed of momement, delays between drawings, the characters in the text that appears, size of 3D objects, lighting, fog effects, and many other characteristics. The speed with which objects move can be made faster or slower by modifying delay values, the size of the object, or the amount it moves each time it is drawn. You can disable the displaying of any screen you don't want to see, or show multiple screens in succession when the screen saver is activated. The default is to show multiple screens each time the screen saver is activated. You can change this to show only 1 screen if you desire. When multiple screens are being shown, you configure how long each screen is shown. When the screen saver is activated it will display the Via Nova building for a few seconds before displaying the different screens. The number of seconds the Via Nova building is displayed can be varied, or it call be elimated. The price (quanity 1) is $23 = $20 + $3 handling. This program will generate an order form for you, YOU MUST READ THE Help FILE UNDER Registration WHEN YOU WANT TO REGISTER. No matter how you register, using Compuser or any other means, YOU MUST STILL SEND IN THE ORDER FORM. It contains a computer ID that we use to generate your password. Our contact information is in the "Help" file and in the "About" box of the application. You only have to use "Control Panel" to select the screen saver and specify the timeout period. When you want to do anything else, such as configure the screen saver, execute the screen saver manually, generate the order form, or look at the "About" box USE THE FOLLOWING PRODECURE: If using the "Program Manager" interface: 1.Go to the Via Nova program group in Program Manger. 2.Double-click on one of the screen saver icons. Or, if using the Windows 95 interface: 1.Press the "Start" button. 2.Select "Programs". 3.Select "Via Nova". 4.Select one of the screen saver entries. If you redistribute this application, you must do so unmodified and with all the original files. See the License Agreement for details. OVERVIEW Cool 3D screen saver pack draws 68 different screens in succession. Draws predefined true 3D objects which can be animated according to user configuration. Several predefined objects include colorful 3D: text, spacecraft, teapot, geometric objects, and building. Configuration also includes options for color choice and smooth vs. flat shading, light position, and others. Can be used as stand- alone application to experiment with configurations, or to run demonstrations, or to display 3D text. In this mode you can create images using the predefined 3D objects and then watch them be animated. This screen saver was designed to provide animation on a computer in the speed range of a 33MHz 486, especially awesome on faster machines. Uses Microsoft's version of OpenGL, a high quality 3D drawing package. For Microsoft Windows 95 and Intel versions of Windows NT 3.51 or better. This screen saver will automatically use any OpenGL graphics accelerator board which is available on the system. Easy install and uninstall program, context sensitive help. Phone 1-800-931- 2111. Internet Web site http://www.vianova.com/~vianova. Shareware, registering gets update notification, and technical support. Animated 3D Objects Screen Saver I (TM) developed by Via Nova (TM). The default configurations were designed assuming a 33MHz 486 computer, and can be improved if you have a faster one. REGISTRATION The price (quanity 1) is $23 = $20 + $3 handling. After the screen saver is installed it will operate with partial functionality. A 3D object will be drawn a few times and then a registration reminder will be displayed. A password supplied by Via Nova will allow full functionality. The "Help" file describes the registration process. REQUIREMENTS Requires Windows NT 3.51 or later, or Windows 95. If OpenGL is not present this package will install OpenGL on your Windows 95 system. The screen saver requires 1 megabyte of disk space once installed. The install program will also require some disk space during the installation. DOCUMENTATION TERMS The following terms are used in this document. 3D object An object drawn on a computer screen which has a 3D appearance. rendering Drawing a 3D object on a computer screen. OpenGL A software system supplied by Microsoft for 3D rendering. 3D graphics accelerator board A graphics accelerator board specially designed to accelerate 3D graphics such as OpenGL. Help file A documentation file which accompanies most Windows applications. It contains underlined text, which when clicked, displays further information. Program Manager The Windows interface for executing applications. program group In Windows NT, the boxes with icons found under "Program Manager". In Windows 95, use the "Start" button to get access to the Via Nova application. dialog box A box which contains a title and user input such as buttons, and input fields. registration Paying for a software product. SETUP program An application that automatically installs an application on a computer. Double-click To rapidly click the left mouse button twice over the same object. Main The program group that contains many of the standard Windows applications. Control Panel The program group that contains many of the standard Windows applications that control operating system configuration. Desktop A dialog box which control the appearance of the screen. drop-down list box A list of choices, one of which can be selected by the user by clicking on it. The list has a downward pointing arrow on its right side. When this arrow is clicked by full list is displayed. INSTALLATION On Windows NT the installer must have system administrator privileges. On Windows 95 this isn't necessary. Before runing setup you should configure your system for 256 colors or better. At the end of the setup process a demonstration will be run, the screen saver screens look better with 256 colors, they will look MUCH BETTER with 65536 colors or greater. The downloaded file is in ZIP format, it needs to be unZipped before installation can occur. After unZipping, run the SETUP.EXE application using either Program Manager, File Manager, or the MS-DOS command prompt. When the SETUP program completes a program group will have been automatically created. Icons will also be available for configuration, executing the screen saver, registration, uninstall and for reading the help file and this readme file. On Windows NT, this program group is local (Personal) to the installer's logon ID. To make it available to all users (Common): 1.Use the File/New command under "Program Manager". 2.Make a "Common Program Group" using the same name as the group created by the install program. 3.Drag the icons from the original "Personal Program Group" to the new "Common Group". 4.Delete the original "Personal Program Group". When the SETUP program completes, if you want to save disk space, you can delete the Screen Saver installation files that were downloaded to your hard disk. However, if you wish to give a copy of this application to someone else you should save all the separate files which came with the product, or (more easily) save just the downloaded file. Configuration files will be saved in your home directory (under Windows NT), or the top level of the system drive (Windows 95), in a directory called "Via Nova". Do not delete this directory or its contents unless you want to delete the entire screen saver. After SETUP completes, the screen saver must be selected one time as detailed below before it will become the screen saver which will automatically be run by the operating system. Use the following steps to select the screen saver. You may find it easier to print this document and refer to it during installation. SELECTING THIS SCREEN SAVER If using the "Program Manager" interface: 1.Go to the Main program group in Program Manger. 2.Double-click Control Panel. 3.Double-click Desktop. 4.Under the "Screen Saver" section of the dialog box look for the drop-down list box labeled "Name". 5.Find the name "Via Nova 3D Objects Screen Saver I" or "Via Nova 3D SS I" in the list and select it by clicking on it. 6.The "Delay" time below the "Name" list box is the number of minutes the computer must be idle before it activates the screen saver. 7.If the "Password protected" check-box is checked then after the screen saver has been activated a password must be entered before the computer can be used. 8.Select the OK button to exit the Desktop. The screen saver will now be activated whenever there is no user input for the specified number of minutes. Or, if using the Windows 95 interface: 1.Press the "Start" button. 2.Press the "Control Panel" button. 3.Double-click "Desktop". 4.Under the "Screen Saver" section of the dialog box look for the drop-down list box labeled "Name". 5.Find the name "Via Nova 3D Objects Screen Saver I" or "Via Nova 3D SS I" in the list and select it by clicking on it. 6.The "Wait" time below the "Name" list box is the number of minutes the computer must be idle before it activates the screen saver. 7.If the "Password protected" check-box is checked then after the screen saver has been activated a password must be entered before the computer can be used. If you are not using passwords on your system this option will be greyed out. 8.Select the OK button to exit the Desktop. The screen saver will now be activated whenever there is no user input for the specified number of minutes. VIEWING THE SCREEN SAVER The screen saver has default settings which control how the 3D objects are animated on the screen. Each 3D object has it own default settings. Depending on the computer the screen saver is running on, the 3D object may spin or move more rapidly than you want. As an example, the teapot is intentionally drawn slowly so that you can see it being constructed. You can change this and other characteristics of a 3D object through configuration as explained later. If you install the screen saver on a network server you may want to use the "Delay" option to insure that the screen saver doesn't interfere with processing network traffic. The quality of the 3D objects displayed will depend on your screen resolution and the number of colors your video card is configured to display. A video card which is configured to display 256 or more colors, will result in much better images. If you would like to view the results of the 3D object's settings: If using the "Program Manager" interface: 1.Go to the Via Nova program group in Program Manger. 2.Double-click the "Screen Saver Configure" icon. Or, if using the Windows 95 interface: 1.Press the "Start" button. 2.Select "Programs". 3.Select "Via Nova". 4.Select "Screen Saver Configure". Then: 1.Select the "Display" submenu. Select the "Demonstration" command. This will give of demonstration/test of all the 3D object configurations. While a configuration is being demonstrated, clicking "OK" or pressing Enter will stop the demonstration. The mouse pointer is only visible when it is over the message box. It may take a few seconds for the 3D object to stop being drawn and control returned to the dialog box. 2.Select the "File" submenu then the "Exit" command. DOCUMENTATION You don't have to modify the configuration of the screen saver in order to use it. If you would like to modify the default settings for the 3D objects you will have to configure them using dialog boxes. A screen saver "Help" file is available which describes how to do this and gives other information, such as how to register the product. For full documentation, including context sensitive help, press the "Help" button found when the dialog boxes are displayed. A "Help" item is also found in the program group automatically created by the installation. Other documentation is found in the directory/folder that the screen saver was installed into. The default installation directory is "Program Files\Via Nova\3D Objects Screen Saver I", although this could have been changed by the person who did the installation. To read the screen saver "Help" file: If using the "Program Manager" interface: 1.Go to the Via Nova program group in Program Manger. 2.Double-click the "Help" icon. Or, if using the Windows 95 interface: 1.Press the "Start" button. 2.Select "Programs". 3.Select "Via Nova". 4.Select "Help". Under "Contents" you will find the following headings: REQUIREMENTS This lists the hardware and software required to run the screen saver. REGISTRATION This describes the process to buy/register the screen saver. CONTACT INFORMATION Gives information on contacting Via Nova. TUTORIAL This is a tutorial on configuring the screen saver to change its appearance. It is best to read the tutorial in sequential order. You can do this by using the browse buttons. Click ">>" to see the next "Help" topic, click "<<" to go back to the last "Help" topic. You can also get to the next topic by clicking the first underlined text after "See Also", then click the first underlined text on the new screen. UNINSTALL Instructions on how to uninstall the screen saver. UPGRADE Instructions on how to upgrade the screen saver to a newer version. COPYRIGHT LICENSE/WARRANTY AGREEMENT The copyright notice for the screen saver and the license/warranty agreement. UNINSTALL On Windows 95 use the Add/Remove Programs application in Control Panel. On Windows NT 3.51 use the uninstall icon in the Via Nova program group. After the uninstall, delete any installation directories not automatically deleted. FILE LIST The application install directory contains the following files: 1. read_me.txt Read me file. 2. whatsnew.txt New features in this version. 3. licence.txt License agreement/warranty disclaimer. 4. vendor.txt Information for Shareware Distributors. 5. file_id.diz Description for bulletin boards. 6. order.txt Price and sample order form. 7. setup.exe Setup program. 8. setup.hlp Setup program help file. 9. fimain.exe Install program 10. llatsni3.exeUninstall program. 11. lzpunz32.dllDecompress dll. 12. ctl3d32.dll DLL for 3D look in dialog boxes. 13. GLU32.DLL Microsoft OpenGL DLL for Windows 95 (may not be present). 14. OPENGL32.DLLMicrosoft OpenGL DLL for Windows 95 (may not be present). 15. SS_I.hlp Screen saver "Help" file. 16. SS_I.scr Screen saver executable. If you did not receive all these files please contact Via Nova using the addresses in the "About" Box.