VIS, Inc. Windows 4.4 version of OpenDX -- README

Very Important!!

Currently supported platforms: Windows 2000, XP, 2003. It has not been tested on Windows NT 4.0, Windows 98 and ME and will probably not run. Your system must also be able to display at least 1024x768 (1280x1024 is better) with thousands of colors.

This software comes with no technical support or warranty unless you have purchased a support option from VIS, Inc. You may try using the OpenDX mailing lists or OpenDX User Forum for help but the questions may be ignored when it comes to set up problems.

This version of OpenDX for Windows still requires an X-Server to be running on your local machine. If you have Exceed 8.0 or higher, X-Win32 5.4 or higher, X-Win32 LX 6.1 or higher, or WinaXe 6.2 or higher installed, launching DX through the start menu should launch the X-Server as well. If you don't have an X-Server installed, please install one. X-Win32 LX can be downloaded from <http://www.starnet.com/xwin32LX/get_xwin32LX.htm> and is included with the CD-ROM. A demo of HummingbirdÕs eXceed can be downloaded from <http://www.hummingbird.com/products/nc/evals.html>. Starnet offers special pricing for OpenDX users for $195.00 and VIS, Inc. offers a special discounted price for HummingbirdÕs Exceed + 3D—please; visit our store for more info. X-Win32 LX is a special version of X-Win32 that only allows for local X connections, which is perfect for running this version of OpenDX. The only other free X-server that may provide may run OpenDX is XFree86 ported by the cygwin group <http://www.cygwin.org/>. If you are up for an adventure, you can sure try this. Versions of X-Win32 < 5.1 and Exceed < 7.1 will not work with this release-please upgrade in order to use DX.

If you are still using Exceed 7.1, there is a slight configuration problem. You will need to install the newer humprdex.dll included with this install. In order to do this, run the installer again and install the Non-Exceed libraries. Open the bin_intelnt folder in the OpenDX installed folder and copy this file somewhere (like the desktop). Run the installer again and remove the Non-Exceed libraries. Now copy the humprdex.dll file back into the bin_intelnt folder. OpenDX should now run properly.

If you are using an X-Server other than Exceed, X-Win32, or WinaXe, then you will need to set your DISPLAY environment variable to "localhost:0" and start your X-Server prior to launching any of the OpenDX software.

This version has been optimized for use with OpenGL; however, you must be using an OpenGL aware X-server. Currently only the Exceed 3D X-Server available from VIS, Inc. is fully supported; however, Starnet is working on making sure future versions of X-Win32 work. X-Win32 > 5.4 can be used for hardware rendering (OpenGL), but it does have some minor drawing problems. X-Win32 LX and X-Win32 > 7.1 are working almost perfectly. If using Exceed 3D, read your documentation to enable the 3D extension before trying hardware rendering. If you are not running Exceed 3D or X-Win32 >5.4, do not try and switch to hardware rendering as it will cause problems. We have not been able to use the hardware rendering with the WinaXe product.

If you are running Exceed 7.0 or newer, there is a conflict with some of the dynamic link libraries DX may install, however, the installer will not install these if Exceed 7/8 is detected. If you have problems running OpenDX with any version of Exceed, make sure that the ÒNon Exceed LibrariesÓ are not installed. To check this, run the OpenDX Installer and choose modify. Here you can see the ÒNon Exceed LibrariesÓ option and make sure they are not installed.

There are lots of new features in this version. The differences are listed at the beginning of the HTML version of the UserÕs Guide. The new HTML based help system is automatically set up for use with this version of OpenDX. If youÕd rather use the old style help (which is very outdated), remove the environment variable DX_WEB_BROWSER.

Since this software is running with an X-server, it is imperative that TCP/IP networking be installed on your machine. If it isn't, please use your Windows install and install it. It is required that your machine have a hosts entry for localhost 127.0.0.1. Check your hosts file (C:\WINNT\system32\drivers\etc\hosts) for a localhost entry. OpenDX also requires that the built-in firewall allow connections from server to application. When prompted if you wish to allow this, please confirm yes. Only information needed for OpenDX to run is passed back and forth on the local machine. OpenDX does not communicate externally from your computer.

The Motif file dialog boxes cannot follow directory short cuts. This is not a limitation of OpenDX but of the Exceed XDK.

If you want to test out Java Explorer, first make sure that java is installed on your system and in your path. (You must use the Java plug-in as the Microsoft VM will require that you re-compile the jar file with some type of certification involved to resolve security issues.) You can test this by opening a command window and issuing the command "java -version". If the command is found, it will return a version number. If not, you will need to get this working. Java can be downloaded from <http://java.sun.com>. If you happen to install OpenDX in a different path than ÒC:\Program Files\OpenDXÓ, then you will need to edit the file dxserver.paths. Open the file and change the path set to the path where you installed OpenDX. Next, start the Java Explorer server by selecting "Startup Java Explorer Server" from the OpenDX Program listing in the Start menu. Then open the ÒJava Explorer PageÓ from the OpenDX Program listing in the Start menu. You can now navigate to the Java Explorer examples. If it appears that something is not working, please make sure that you are using the Sun JRE for applets and then check the Java Console for errors before asking for help.

The source code for OpenDX is available from OpenDX.org or included with the CD-ROM purchase.

This version includes a version of the DX Executive that runs native to Windows. You can launch it from the Start Menu or type dx –script –native in a command window. All image displays will pop up within native Windows and does not require an X-Server. However, it is not possible to use this executive with the current User Interface (it is only usable in script mode). An easy way to test it is to save a network from the User Interface and then run it within the native exec, for example:

C:\>dx –script -native

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dx> include Òsaved-file.netÓ

ImageMagick 6.2.5 is included on the CD-ROM, or you can download it from ImageMagick.org. In order to use any of the X based programs, such as convert or animate, make sure to have started your X-Server before trying to launch the program. IMDisplay.exe, a native Windows program is included—however it is limited. If you are using Exceed, you will need to include the Exceed directory in your path by adding it to the environment variables from the System Control Panel.

Once OpenDX is installed, it can be run in a similar fashion to its UNIX counterparts. You can run it from a command prompt in much the same way if this makes you more comfortable.

All of the applications are set up to launch as if they were started within a userÕs documents folder. If you wish to be able to set a specific folder, edit the shortcuts and assign a new value to the ÒStart inÓ parameter.