This is the Linux 3Dfx HOWTO document. It is intended as a quick reference covering everything you need to know to install and configure 3Dfx support under Linux. Frequently asked questions regarding the 3Dfx support specifically, as well as questions about 3D graphics under Linux in general are answered, and references are given to some other sources of information on a variety of topics related to computer generated, hardware accelerated 3D graphics.
This information is only valid for Linux on the Intel platform. Some information may be applicable to other processor architectures, but I have no first hand experience or information. It is only applicable to boards based on 3Dfx technology, any other graphics accelerator hardware is beyond the scope of this document.
Much of this information found in this document has been provided by the people involved in the Linux Glide port and the beta testing process. Daryll Strauss did the port, Paul J. Metzger modified the Mesa Voodoo driver (written by David Bucciarelli) for Linux, Brian Paul integrated it with his famous Mesa library. With respect to Voodoo Graphics (tm) accelerated Mesa, additional thanks has to go to Henri Fousse and Charlie Wallace. The folks at 3Dfx, notably Gary Sanders and Gary McTaggart, provided valuable input, as did Ross Q. Smith of Quantum3D.
Thanks to the SGML-Tools package (formerly known as Linuxdoc-SGML), this HOWTO is available in several formats, all generated from a common source file. For information on SGML-Tools see its homepage at web.inter.NL.net/users/C.deGroot/sgmltools/.
3Dfx, the 3Dfx Interactive logo, Voodoo Graphics (tm), and Voodoo Rush (tm) are registered trademarks of 3Dfx Interactive, Inc. Glide, TexUS, Pixelfx and Texelfx are trademarks of 3Dfx Interactive, Inc. OpenGL is a registered trademark of Silicon Graphics. Obsidian is a trademark of Quantum3D. Other product names are trademarks of the respective holders, and are hereby considered properly acknowledged.
First version for public release.
You will find the most recent version of this document at www.gamers.org/dEngine/xf3D/.
New versions of this document will be periodically posted to the comp.os.linux.answers newsgroup. They will also be uploaded to various anonymous ftp sites that archive such information including ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/docs/HOWTO/.
Hypertext versions of this and other Linux HOWTOs are available on
many World-Wide-Web sites, including
sunsite.unc.edu/mdw/mdw.html. Most Linux CD-ROM
distributions include the HOWTOs, often under the
/usr/doc/directory, and you can also buy printed copies from
several vendors.
If you make a translation of this document into another language, let me know and I'll include a reference to it here.
I rely on you, the reader, to make this HOWTO useful. If you have any
suggestions, corrections, or comments, please send them to me (
bk@gamers.org), and I will try to
incorporate them in the next revision. Please add
HOWTO 3Dfx to the Subject-line of the mail, so procmail
will dump it in the appropriate folder.
Before sending bug reports or questions, please read all of the information in this HOWTO, and send detailed information about the problem.
If you publish this document on a CD-ROM or in hardcopy form, a complimentary copy would be appreciated. Mail me for my postal address. Also consider making a donation to the Linux Documentation Project to help support free documentation for Linux. Contact the Linux HOWTO coordinator, Greg Hankins ( gregh@sunsite.unc.edu), for more information.
Copyright (C) 1997 Bernd Kreimeier.
This HOWTO is free documentation; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
This document is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but without any warranty; without even the implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. See the GNU General Public License for more details.
You can obtain a copy of the GNU General Public License by writing to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.