Back to files

GlideControl

GlideControl is a GTK-based utility for configuring 3Dfx voodoo/voodoo2 graphics cards. It allows you to make adjustments such as modifying the gamma correction of the card and overclocking the graphics chip for added performance.

Requirements

To use GlideControl, you must:

have a 3Dfx card installed
have Glide installed (see http://glide.xxedgexx.com/3DfxRPMS.html)
have the Glide SDK (also at http://glide.xxedgexx.com/3DfxRPMS.html
have GTK+ (libraries and include files) installed (see http://www.gtk.org)
be using the bash shell

Installation

Edit the Makefile to correspond to your system. Type 'make', and then 'make install'.

Program Notes

GlideControl stores the Glide settings in a shell script in /etc/profile.d/glidecontrol.sh. This file gets sourced by bash every time a login shell starts. By default, the settings will not take effect in any currently running shells. To get around this, I suggest putting the following alias in your .bashrc:

alias gc='GlideControl;source /etc/profile.d/glidecontrol.sh'

This will cause 'gc' to run GlideControl and, afterward, source the script containing the modified Glide environment.

GlideControl should reliable detect whether your card is a voodoo1 or a voodoo2. If it gets it wrong, you can force it by specifying '-1' (force voodoo1) or '-2' (force voodoo2) on the command-line in your 'gc' alias. For example, to force your card to be detected as a voodoo2, change the alias to:

alias gc='GlideControl -2;source /etc/profile.d/glidecontrol.sh'

Overclocking Warning

Overclocking the graphics clock in your voodoo card can result in modest speed improvements, but high clock speeds can be dangerous. It is not recommended to set a clock speed above 57 on a voodoo1 or 95 on a voodoo2. If you fry your card, don't blame me (see next section).

License and Disclaimer

This program 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 should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111, USA.

Acknowledgments

Thanks go to:

Everyone involved in GTK development for a wonderful GUI
Daryll Strauss, for the Linux port of Glide
3Dfx, for making the Linux Glide port possible
Verachtert Dries, for helping me sort out voodoo2 problems

Revision History

v0.3 -- December 4th, 1998

default to voodoo2 if number of texelfx chips > 1
added '-1' and '-2' option to force voodoo1/voodoo2 detection
fixed texture memory calculation for multiple-texelfx cards
rolled texture and fb memory displays into one

v0.2 -- December 2nd, 1998

added "default" and "fastest" setting buttons to speed menu
default graphics clock speed for voodoo2 now set to 90
added display of texture memory
added display of texelfx rev

v0.1 -- November 30th, 1998

first public release

---
Mike Oliphant (oliphant@ling.ed.ac.uk)

http://www.ling.ed.ac.uk/~oliphant/gc