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TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
II. GENERAL TECHNICAL ISSUES
III. GENERAL PRODUCT ISSUES
IV. CONTACTING SIERRA
I. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
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For this product, you need a system that meets or exceeds the following requirements:
Windows 95 or later, Windows NT 4.0 (service pack 4) or later, or Windows 2000
Pentium 166
32MB RAM
SVGA 800x600 High Color video
8X CD-ROM drive
Windows-compatible sound card
Mouse and keyboard
Internet connection is optional, but recommended
To install all programs, you will need 100MB of hard drive space. However, no single program takes more than 60MB of space, and you do not need to install all programs in order to use individual programs.
If your system has a video card that supports Direct 3D, you may be able to use 3D hardware acceleration in LandDesigner 3D. Specific issues about video cards are discussed in section III.
If you are using Windows 95 A without Internet Explorer installed then it is recommended that you first install Internet Explorer before installing Landdesigner 3D to avoid any installation problems. Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.01 is located on Cd #2 under the ORTHO\IEXPLORE directory and can be installed from the Msie301.exe file.
To install programs, insert the CD into your CD-ROM drive and wait for the video and main screen to appear. If you do not have Windows autoplay enabled, you will need to double-click the CD drive and double-click the program "autorun.exe". You may bypass the opening video by hitting the ESC key on your keyboard.
When the main screen appears, you will be given several choices of programs to install. Click the "Install" button to install a program. Once you have installed a program, your choices will change to "Run" and "Uninstall". You will also be able to start the program from the Windows Start menu.
If you click an Install button and the program resides on another CD, you will be prompted to insert the appropriate CD. You can do this without quitting the main screen.
II. GENERAL TECHNICAL ISSUES
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A) CD Issues
Most of the programs in The Custom LandDesigner 3D Design Collection require the CD to be inserted to run properly. If you remove a CD while the program is running, you may encounter problems with the program. It is best to save any designs and exit the program before removing the CD.
B) Working with Floppy Disks
If you work with designs on floppy disks, do not remove the floppy disk unless you have opened or saved a file on the hard disk. Removing a floppy disk will not harm the data on the disk, but errors may occur if the system attempts to access the disk when it is not there.
C) Web browsers
The products contain web addresses (URLs) that are redirected to more up to date addresses.
Early versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer may not properly handle redirection. If you are using a version of Internet Explorer older than 3.0, you should consider upgrading to a newer web browser.
D) Changing Display Depth and Resolution
Windows will allow you to change the number of colors and resolution on your display while the programs are running, but you should not do this. If you need to change the number of colors or resolution on your display, you should quit all programs first to avoid problems with the programs.
III. GENERAL PRODUCT ISSUES
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LandDesigner 3D
A) 3D Hardware Acceleration
LandDesigner 3D can take advantage of video cards with 3D Hardware Acceleration supported by Direct 3D 5.0 or later. The latest available version of Direct 3D is included with this product, and will be installed if needed.
When you first start one of these programs, you will be informed of how to turn on 3D hardware support. This is done by going to the Edit menu, selecting Options, selecting the View tab, and checking the "Use 3D Hardware acceleration if available". You will need to restart the program to have the change take effect.
If the program fails to run properly with 3D Acceleration turned on, you will need to turn it off. If the program detects that it had problems during a previous startup, it will turn off hardware acceleration for you.
The two most prevalent problems with 3D Acceleration are the program crashing, plants disappearing when you move away from them.
Many problems with 3D Acceleration can be solved by obtaining new drivers from the video card manufacturer.
The Matrox Millennium G400, ATI Rage chipsets and the Voodoo 3 3000 are known to have problems with 3D acceleration turned on, but this may have been fixed by more recent drivers.
The STB Velocity 128 video card does not work properly with LandDesigner 3D at all. This may have been fixed by more recent drivers.
If the problem persist with the program's 3D Acceleration option disabled then you may want to lower your system's video hardware acceleration. Follow the steps below to lower your hardware acceleration:
1) Press the START button.
2) Click on SETTINGS and then click on CONTROL PANEL. This will open the System Properties window.
3) Click on the Performance tab.
4) Press the 'Graphics...' button.
5) Lower your hardware acceleration to Basic Acceleration or one notch above None. Click OK.
6) Click OK again and RESTART for computer.
B) Large Fonts
On some systems, using large fonts can cause some dialogs to be so big that you will not be able to see all of the buttons. In most cases, hitting the Enter key will choose an appropriate action, but the best solution is to change your display to small fonts.
C) Missing Items in 3D Rendering
If you select the 3D Rendering menu item before the entire design has loaded, only those items loaded at that time will show up in the rendering. Wait until the entire design has loaded before choosing this.
You may, however, make changes to your design after a rendering has started. This allows you to compare different versions of a design.
D) Double-clicking Items for Inspection
In Top View, most items will respond to double-clicking by opening an inspector which allows you to change certain aspects of the item. In the case of items like ground covers, paths, and other areas, this may not occur if the area is small. You can inspect the object by hitting the Enter key, by going to the Mini View and clicking the Details button, or by zooming in on the object to make it large enough to double-click the center area more accurately.
E) Shopping List Prices
The Shopping List subtotals for items priced by area or length may appear to be inaccurate. The area or length is displayed to 2 decimal places of accuracy, but the exact number is used to calculate the subtotal. Note that all prices are approximate.
F) Tutorial Videos not Appearing
The tutorials use Intel Indeo video compression. The installer will give you the choice of installing the Indeo codecs. If you chose not to install these and the tutorials did not work, use the Explorer to locate and run the file \S3DL\indeo\iv5setup.exe on your CD. This will install the drivers required to see the tutorials.
IV.CONTACTING ValuSoft
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A) Customer Service, Support, and Sales
B) Technical Support
C) Legal Information
A) Customer Service, Support, and Sales
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ValuSoft
711 South Pine Street
Waconia, MN 55387
Email: support@valusoft.com
http://www.valusoft.com
On-Line Sales
http://www.valusoft.com
Disk and or Manual Replacement:
Product Returns & Disk Replacement:
ValuSoft
711 South Pine Street
Waconia, MN 55387
NOTE: To replace your cd(s) please send only the damaged cd and copy of your dated Receipt, if less then 90 days. After 90 days please include a $10.00 handling fee along with the cd(s).
