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Edgecam FAQ Graphic Setting

What if I don't have an OpenGL graphics card?
Edgecam still works with non-accelerated graphics cards. However, when dynamically moving the part view the refresh rate is much slower. The speed at which entities are highlighted or selected will also appear slower.

What color depth should I use?
The colour depth should be set to either 32bit or 24bit as most drivers are optimised for this depth.
Try 16bit if you are getting driver problems (as seen by some Intel on-board accelerators).

To set the color depth, open the shortcut menu with a right mouse click on the desktop and select Properties. Select the Settings tab.

When I use a window to select entities it leaves after images on the screen?
Some graphics cards have a optional setting in the Display Properties that enables the moving object to be copied back and forth between the front and back buffer. Generally this is called "Enable Copy Swap", "Force Copy Swap" or "Force Buffer Blit". Check this box and the window will be drawn correctly. Note that the PC will probably require a restart for the change to take effect.

If the card driver does not have an option to change its settings you can uncheck "Fast Window Selection" in the Preferences dialog (Options menu) in Edgecam.

When I select a command from the menu bar it leaves an image on the graphics area?
Uncheck the "Use transition effects for menus and tooltips" option in Display Properties (Effects tab)
In Windows 2000 the menus can have visual effects such as Fade and Scroll. When a command is selected the OpenGL view is refreshed, but the menu is still fading away and can leave an afterimage behind.

When I render surfaces Edgecam crashes?
This may be to do with your graphics card driver. Try turning off the hardware acceleration (available as a option on some cards in the Display Properties). If the rendering is OK the error has been caused by the hardware driver. Contact your card manufacturer to see if there is an updated driver. If the crashing persists contact your service provider.

Nvidia Quadro FX3500 - the screen temporally froze as Edgecam processes or has shadow-pictures

• Open the nVidia control panel ensuring that Advanced settings are on display
• Select Manage 3D settings
• From the global settings tab change - ‘Buffer-flipping mode’ from the default ‘Auto-Select’ to ‘Use block transfer’
• Apply the settings and close the nVidia control panel

Dotted or dashed font styles seem to slow down the graphics display?
Some OpenGL graphics cards do not support dotted or dashed entities in hardware acceleration. When there are lots of your entites using a font style other than solid it can start to slow down the response of the graphics card. Some cards are better than others.

Rapid Moves normally use a dotted style, but it can be changed to solid by using the Colours command (Options menu) in Edgecam.

Edgecam Simulator generates broken images when playing?
Edgecam Simulator is set for optimal performance but if you experience graphics card problems you may wish to experiment with the two settings on this dialog.

Open the shortcut menu with a right mouse click on the Simulator graphics area and select Options....

Enable Swap Area - Update the smallest area of the screen possible, to increase performance.
Software Render - Bypass your graphics card's OpenGL acceleration.

You will need to restart Edgecam Simulator for these settings to take effect.

nVidia Quadro specific problem
nVidia Quadro cards can suffer from the image juddering after revolving or zooming the display during play. To rectify the problem, open the shortcut menu with a right mouse click on the desktop and select Properties. Select the Settings tab. Press the Advanced Button, then select the Troubleshoot tab. Move the Hardware acceleration bar one notch to the left (as shown in image below) and press OK.

nVidia Quadro FX3500
The screen can suffer from shadow pictures and sometimes freezes. To rectify the issue follow the steps below:

• Open the nVidia control panel ensuring that Advanced settings are on display (see attachment)
• Select Manage 3D settings
• From  the global settings tab change -  ‘Buffer-flipping mode’ from the default ‘Auto-Select’ to ‘Use block transfer’
• Apply the settings and close the nVidia control panel