Automatic Lights SUDDENLY go dim?

FishyBusiness · 04-10-2003, 10:41 AM

I am running 2.0 with automatic light enabled. It's only a smooth transition part of the way. When the foreground lights are going dim, they SUDDENLY go dim. This happens on two different systems.

Athlon XP 2200+
WinXP Pro SP1
Asus A7V333
Geforce 3 (41.09)

Dell Inspiron 8200 Laptop
WinXP Home SP1
P4 2.0 GHz
Mobility Radeon 9000 (7.83)

drfish · 04-11-2003, 04:55 AM

Finally! I was waiting for someone to bring that up... I've noticed the problem since MA2 came out, I think it is in MAT too... It happens on all four systems that run the aquarium I use regulary... Yeah, it's not just me! It's so obvious that I didn't mention it because I figured someone else would right away, but then no one did... Thanks Fishy!

edit: also, when the lights fade back up they suddenly come back on too...

feldon34 · 04-11-2003, 10:48 AM

So why didn't you post this in the MAT bugs forum?

Tiny Turtle · 04-11-2003, 12:08 PM

He's naturally shy?

/Tiny Suggestion

FishyBusiness · 04-11-2003, 12:14 PM

Morgan, I suppose you are talking to Dr. Fish. I have never ran MAT. Tiny, I suppose you are commenting on Morgan's reply to Dr. Fish...hehe.

Have either of you two, Tiny or Morgan, experienced this problem?

feldon34 · 04-11-2003, 12:37 PM

Well my post came right under his.

Tiny Turtle · 04-11-2003, 01:41 PM

Frank,
Yes I was addressing Morgan.

As for the bug: Well, I just spent a sew serene minutes staring at the screen (I don't remeber the lighting intervalls being that long

) and on my (work) system there's a glitch when fading up the front lights. I'll investigate further.

/Tiny Glitch

Win2k
Athlon XP1800+
PNY GF4MX440SE
1600x1200@16bit

feldon34 · 04-11-2003, 03:44 PM

Yes, now that I have turned on automatic lighting, I can see the glitch too.

I am getting more and more irritated by the software Z-Buffer every day. It should be a checkbox just like the Mac version "Optimize Video Memory".

The side fins pop in and out, go from transparent to opaque, shift around as the fish turns, the eyes occasionally glitch on Ken's fish, etc. etc.

I'm going to classify this as a bug because it didn't do this before.

drfish · 04-11-2003, 05:37 PM

So why didn't you post this in the MAT bugs forum?

Umm...

FishyBusiness · 04-11-2003, 05:44 PM

Morgan,

I noticed the fins too. I just decided to comment on one bug at a time. The fin thing has to do with the Z-Buffer? Is the light bug caused by this too?

feldon34 · 04-23-2003, 02:41 PM

I guess the Z-Buffer went back to hardware cause the fins don't pop in and out of existance and/or suddenly get affected by lights. Looks awesome.

So Frank and I are here tinkering with MA2/MAT and found out the exact timing, etc. of the light fading. The starfish being up on the glass helped immensely in diagnosing this.

When fading up manually from black, the first 10 "steps" (pressing the UP arrow on the keyboard) incrementally bring up the foreground front ambient/area light a little at a time. On the 11th "step" , the "top light" comes on from 0% to 100% intensity. I am guessing that Jim's code originally faded up the top light over a few steps?

Well, Jim and I can chat about this. Leaving for his home here in a few minutes.

04-10-2003, 10:41 AM	#1
FishyBusiness Registered Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 2,206	Automatic Lights SUDDENLY go dim? I am running 2.0 with automatic light enabled. It's only a smooth transition part of the way. When the foreground lights are going dim, they SUDDENLY go dim. This happens on two different systems. Athlon XP 2200+ WinXP Pro SP1 Asus A7V333 Geforce 3 (41.09) Dell Inspiron 8200 Laptop WinXP Home SP1 P4 2.0 GHz Mobility Radeon 9000 (7.83) Frank Last edited by FishyBusiness; 04-10-2003 at 11:12 AM.

04-11-2003, 04:55 AM	#2
drfish the Doc Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Zeeland, MI Posts: 5,374	Finally! I was waiting for someone to bring that up... I've noticed the problem since MA2 came out, I think it is in MAT too... It happens on all four systems that run the aquarium I use regulary... Yeah, it's not just me! It's so obvious that I didn't mention it because I figured someone else would right away, but then no one did... Thanks Fishy! edit: also, when the lights fade back up they suddenly come back on too... I don't watch commercials.

04-11-2003, 10:48 AM	#3
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,947	So why didn't you post this in the MAT bugs forum? "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." - Emma Goldman

04-11-2003, 12:08 PM	#4
Tiny Turtle is pleased Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Stockholm, Sweden Posts: 7,365	He's naturally shy? /Tiny Suggestion Thanks to Morgan, Tiny Snapshots is up and running again with "Tiny Järvafält" as the latest addition – Go have a look and tell me what you think. "We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried, most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita. Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty and to impress him takes on his multi-armed form and says, 'Now, I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.' I suppose we all thought that, one way or another." /Robert Oppenheimer on witnessing the first thermonuclear detonation in history.

04-11-2003, 12:14 PM	#5
FishyBusiness Registered Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 2,206	Morgan, I suppose you are talking to Dr. Fish. I have never ran MAT. Tiny, I suppose you are commenting on Morgan's reply to Dr. Fish...hehe. Have either of you two, Tiny or Morgan, experienced this problem? Frank

04-11-2003, 12:37 PM	#6
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,947	Well my post came right under his. "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." - Emma Goldman

04-11-2003, 01:41 PM	#7
Tiny Turtle is pleased Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Stockholm, Sweden Posts: 7,365	Frank, Yes I was addressing Morgan. As for the bug: Well, I just spent a sew serene minutes staring at the screen (I don't remeber the lighting intervalls being that long ) and on my (work) system there's a glitch when fading up the front lights. I'll investigate further. /Tiny Glitch Win2k Athlon XP1800+ PNY GF4MX440SE 1600x1200@16bit Thanks to Morgan, Tiny Snapshots is up and running again with "Tiny Järvafält" as the latest addition – Go have a look and tell me what you think. "We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried, most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita. Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty and to impress him takes on his multi-armed form and says, 'Now, I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.' I suppose we all thought that, one way or another." /Robert Oppenheimer on witnessing the first thermonuclear detonation in history.

04-11-2003, 03:44 PM	#8
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,947	Yes, now that I have turned on automatic lighting, I can see the glitch too. I am getting more and more irritated by the software Z-Buffer every day. It should be a checkbox just like the Mac version "Optimize Video Memory". The side fins pop in and out, go from transparent to opaque, shift around as the fish turns, the eyes occasionally glitch on Ken's fish, etc. etc. I'm going to classify this as a bug because it didn't do this before. "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." - Emma Goldman

04-11-2003, 05:37 PM	#9
drfish the Doc Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Zeeland, MI Posts: 5,374	So why didn't you post this in the MAT bugs forum? Umm... I don't watch commercials.

04-11-2003, 05:44 PM	#10
FishyBusiness Registered Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 2,206	Morgan, I noticed the fins too. I just decided to comment on one bug at a time. The fin thing has to do with the Z-Buffer? Is the light bug caused by this too? Frank

04-23-2003, 02:41 PM	#11
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,947	I guess the Z-Buffer went back to hardware cause the fins don't pop in and out of existance and/or suddenly get affected by lights. Looks awesome. So Frank and I are here tinkering with MA2/MAT and found out the exact timing, etc. of the light fading. The starfish being up on the glass helped immensely in diagnosing this. When fading up manually from black, the first 10 "steps" (pressing the UP arrow on the keyboard) incrementally bring up the foreground front ambient/area light a little at a time. On the 11th "step" , the "top light" comes on from 0% to 100% intensity. I am guessing that Jim's code originally faded up the top light over a few steps? Well, Jim and I can chat about this. Leaving for his home here in a few minutes. "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." - Emma Goldman