Introduction:

DiveVisions is a 3D screensaver designed to work on specific PC/clone hardware. Once installed it is activated using Windows built in screensaver system.

DiveVisions is created as a series of visions from a scuba diver’s perspective. It does not try to be accurate to any creature, location, climate or other consideration. In other words, on no dive would any scuba diver likely see what you are about to view around our artificial reef. Over a full career of diving you might see all of these things, but the likelihood or even possibility of seeing them all at once is so remote as to be nearly impossible.

Please enjoy our diving visions.

Philip Blood
Master Scuba Diver Trainer
 

Table of Contents:

Compatibility:
Installation:
Getting Started:
Options:
Dual Monitor Support:
Keyboard Adjustments/Options:
Uninstall:
Contact Information:
 

Compatibility

DiveVisions is most certainly not compatible with all PC/clone systems. Because of the high end nature of our 3D environment you must have both a fairly fast computer (CPU) and a good 3D graphics card that is DirectX 8 compatible. Older 3D cards may be able to run the program, but with reduced features and slower speeds. Newer cards will see DiveVisions in all of its spectacular glory.
 

Minimum system requirements:

• Operating system: Windows® 98/2000/ME/XP, DirectX 8 installed

• CPU: 300 MHz (or equivalent)

• System RAM: 64 megabytes

• Hard Drive: 200 megabyte (with 20 megs free for DiveVisions)

• Video card: 3D accelerated with at least 16 megabytes of onboard RAM (examples: Nvidia TNT2, GeForce 1-2 mx or ATI 128 Rage or Voodoo 3-5.).

Recommended system

• Operating System: Windows® 98/2000/ME/XP, with DirectX 8 installed

• CPU: 1.0 GHz

• System Ram: 256 megabytes

• Hard Drive: 2 gigabyte+

• Video card: 3D accelerated with at least 64 megabytes of onboard RAM (Nvidia GeForce TI 3-5 or ATI 8500/9000/9700 or Matrox Parhelia™)

 

Not all system will see the same features in DiveVisions. The limitation is due to your video cards capabilities, not all are equal. The primary features that vary from card to card are detailed below. Please note that your frame rate will also increase the further down the list your card is located. (your CPU speed can also help or hurt the frame rate).
 

Installation:

Upon downloading the software you will have one file called DV_install_demo_v20.exe or DV_install_v20.exe. (Depending of whether this is the demo version or the full version).

Before starting the installation, please close all other programs and make sure your virus protection software is momentarily disabled.

Double click the appropriate DV_install file to start the installation.

Follow the onscreen instructions, either taking the default file location or choosing your own location.

In some Windows® operating systems you may need to reboot after installation. If in doubt, just reboot to be sure.

Getting Started:

After installation is complete you can change settings or preview the screensaver by going to your desktop setup area in Windows®. Here is how to accomplish this:

Right-click on your desktop (avoiding any icons or open windows).

From the pop-up menu, select ‘Properties’ and left-click.

Select the ‘Screen Saver’ tab at the top.

If not already selected, use the drop down list to select your DiveVisions screensaver.

You can now adjust the default screensaver settings by left-clicking on the ‘Settings’ button.

Here you may choose to turn on or off various options including certain creatures, sound, caustic lighting, bump maps and shadows. A check mark in the box means that this feature is active.

Options:

Bumpmapping: This should be left on whatever is currently set by default, unless your system is running at a slow frame rate with Bumpmaps on then you can try turning them to NONE.

Shadows: This should be left on whatever is currently set by default, unless your system is running at a slow frame rate. If you have Full Shadows, try dropping to Static Shadows, if you have Static Shadows by default, try going to NONE.

Caustics: These are the light patterns cast by the sun hitting the chop on the surface of the ocean. This should be left on whatever is currently set by default, unless your system is running at a slow frame rate. If you have High Quality by default and you want to improve the frame rate, try going to Low Quality. If you are already at Low Quality, you can turn off caustics all together by selecting NONE.

Particle Culling: This option should only be used if you have a very low end 3D card like the ATI Rage 128 and you see the diver’s bubbles causing lines across the screen. This means that you card doesn’t support clipping. In that case turn on the Particle Culling. This will fix the bug, but particles will tend to disappear when they get near the edge of the screen.

Play Sound: This turns on/off the screensaver sound.

Dual Monitor Support:

Currently there are two types of support for dual monitors.

1) If you are using two video cards or the “Extend to second monitor” with one video card the DiveVisions is designed to blank out the second monitor so that there is no burn in problem.

2) If you are using a GeForce 4 or 5 video card and have Nvidia’s latest drivers with ‘NView’ you can use the panorama view to see DiveVisions across both monitors. Other high end video cards from ATI and Matrox may also be able to enjoy this view if they have software similar to NView that does horizontal stretching. Here’s how to turn it on with NView: first, you need to hook both monitors to the one video card. Then go to your desktop Display Properties and pick the Settings tab. Make sure that the second monitor does not have the “Extend the windows desktop onto this monitor” option checked. After that choose the Advanced button and select the GeForce4 Ti tab at the top. When your cursor gets over the main window a small pop out menu will display with the “NView Display mode” near the top of the list. Select this and choose the radio button by the Horizontal Span selection. This should now extend the screensaver in a panorama view across both monitors. If you are using brands other than GeForce 4 cards, you will have to see if there is some third party software for the Horizontal stretch option.

Important note: Any other key or mouse not listed below will deactivate the screen saver when pressed or moved.

F1: Shows this information listed below.

F2: Shoots a screenshot of the current screen, saved as DV_SS_000.bmp - (thru 002) in your DiveVisions installation directory. Only three screen shots are allowed until the old ones are deleted or moved out of DiveVisions.

F3: Toggle on or off the frame counter in the upper left corner of the screen.

F4: Toggle on or off the wireframe rendering.

‘S’ key: toggles the sound on or off.

Numeric keypad ‘+’ and ‘-‘ keys will adjust the speed that the camera moves through the scene. While DiveVisions is running press the ‘+’ or ‘-‘ keys in the numeric keypad of your keyboard to speed up or slow down the speed that the camera moves. You can even stop the camera completely by holding down the minus key until you see the camera stop. These settings are not permanent, and once you restart the screensaver it will return to the default camera speed.

* IMPORTANT SAFETY TIP: Stopping the scene completely and leaving the monitor on for long periods can cause burn in on some low end monitors. Only stop the camera completely for a few minutes at a time, and never leave your computer on and alone with the camera has stopped. As long as the camera is in motion, the program should not damage your screen. We left the ability to stop the camera completely for those people with high quality monitors that don’t burn in no matter what. This way they can stop the screensaver wherever they wish for however long they wish. If you aren’t sure if you have a monitor that doesn’t burn in, then just never stop the screensaver completely. You can set it to move very slowly.

Uninstall:

If you wish to remove DiveVisions from your computer completely, just go to your Windows Add/Remove programs area in Control Panel. There you can select and remove the installed DiveVisions files and directories. We have also included an Uninstall option in the menu reached from your desktop Start button.
 

Contact Information:

If you should experience any difficulties with DiveVisions you can contact us for help in three different ways. We suggest the first two choices prior to contacting us via email.

1) Go to our Web site and check the online Support for our FAQ which answers commonly asked questions.
www.atlantis.com/support/faq.php

2) Go to our Web site forums and search for an answer to your question, or leave a question to be answered.
http://www.atlantis3d.com/phpBB2/index.php

3) Contact us directly by sending email to
Support@Atlantis3D.com

Thanks!