Where are you MA3 developers???

tonycdh · 09-23-2013, 04:43 PM

Not much going on in the world of Marine Aquarium?! When are these extra fish packs supposed to come out. Ive always loved this screensaver since its inception, but there hasnt been any new releases or addons or anything! I know many people dont care about screensavers much, theres a few of us that do, and I for one would like to see more Marine creatures! That would be awesome!!!!

Jim Sachs · 09-24-2013, 08:39 AM

Family issues have prevented me from working on any new additions to the Aquarium. Specifically, I'm the sole care-giver for my mother, who recently developed Alzheimer's following a minor surgery. I still hope to add more to MA3 one day.

flip · 09-25-2013, 02:53 AM

Jim

Mother comes first every time.

Keith

fly911 · 09-25-2013, 03:43 AM

This aquarium looks beyond finished to me. By panning left and right, there's an almost infinite variation of tank scenes. The fish combinations are also unlimited. If I ever want additional excitement, I will put on my 3D glasses that came with my 55" Sony Bravia Model KDL55NX810 TV and watch the fish in true 3D. I've been wanting to try that but we took the batteries out and put the glasses away. Just too inconvenient as my wife and I both have to have the glasses on or one of us is looking at a slightly fuzzy picture. It does a great job of converting a 2D NFL football game into 3D.

Jim Sachs · 09-25-2013, 04:07 PM

fly911 - What hardware are you using to drive the Bravia? If it's the nVidia 3D Vision system, then I can give you some pointers on how to make MA3 truly breathtaking in 3D.

The most important setting is Convergence, which most system don't allow the user to access. In the 3D Vision system, you must open 3D Settings, then choose Keyboard Commands, then turn on Advanced Features (I'm guessing at some of these names). Then, when you are watching the Aquarium in 3D, use the F5 and F6 keys to change the Convergence. On my system, I have to hold down the F6 key for a very long time, then it suddenly takes effect. Set the Convergence so that the gravel at the bottom front of the tank seems to be right on the monitor's screen, and the rest of the tank will take care of itself. I believe F7 will save the setting so you won't have to do this again.

fly911 · 09-26-2013, 07:27 AM

Jim, Here are the specs. I have been using my laptop to drive the 55" LCD screen, but the TV is totally hooked up to the internet by Ethernet connection, although it has a wireless capability as well. I'm not sure if I can download Marine Aquarium or not. I'm not sure if it has any hard drive capability to download to. I do have it connected to a 3D PlayStation3 with a storage capability. The specs show that the TV has an analog PC input although I connect with HDMI. I'm not a wiz on this, but I will try to watch in 3D this weekend and will post the results here. Thanks for all the great information and the work you must have put into the software to make it 3D.
http://www.sony.lv/product/tv-139-55...specifications
fly911
Mike

Nicki · 09-26-2013, 12:44 PM

I wouldn't bother trying the analog PC (VGA?) connector. I've done that on a small 720p LCD television and the resolution was very unimpressive.

Jim Sachs · 09-26-2013, 10:46 PM

There would theoretically be two ways of viewing MA3 in 3D on that rig. First, a computer with the nVidia 3D Vision system I mentioned may be able to hook up with the Bravia via a bi-directional hdmi cable, as I do with my Samsung Syncmaster monitor.

The second way would be to use a 3D BluRay DVD. I modified a version of MA3 which can output and save unlimited numbers of left-eye/right-eye frames, but so far I've been unable to find a company that can cheaply encode them onto a 3D BluRay disk.

fly911 · 09-28-2013, 11:13 AM

Nicky, I definitely used the HDMI connection. Thanks.
Jim, I made all the recommended connections but ran into some issues like my cursor arrow disappeared when I held down the f6 key and although I set the TV 3D setting for side-by-side, the image didn't show two separate side by side identical images but offset the two images slightly superimposed. Long story short, I need to review settings on the TV and computer. I'll have to set aside some tinkering time. I tried the simulated 3D setting with the Marine Aquarium but wasn't too successful. More to come.....
P.S. Jim, that BluRay DVD sounds great. Don't give up on that.
Mike

jleslie · 10-16-2013, 04:59 AM

Interesting, I have a Sony 46HX853 3D TV (plus glasses) and my HTPC has a Nvidia GTX550 card which is 3D capable. I just use HDMI to connect the two. Does that mean I can play the aquarium in 3D? Will I need the Nvidia 3D Play 14-day trial software (though Nvidia say is $39.99 so isn't that bad)?

http://www.geforce.co.uk/hardware/de...550ti/features
http://www.sony.co.uk/support/en/pro...specifications

(The HTPC is actually just one of my test systems from work, without a box, which they gave me after the company went bust. It has probably the last x86 processor board I'll ever design in it, so was nice to have. I don't really use it much though.)

Jim Sachs · 10-16-2013, 07:04 PM

jleslie - I wish I had the answers to those questions. Please keep us informed if you discover anything.

fly911 · 10-17-2013, 05:53 AM

Jim, I'm going to have to delve a little more into the 3D settings on my video card and give it another go. Stay tuned..... Mike

Jim Sachs · 10-17-2013, 08:22 AM

Well, the fact that you can see that screen seems promising. I would guess that 'Advanced 3D image settings' would be what you want.

fly911 · 10-17-2013, 03:14 PM

Jim, Every so often, the marine aquarium would kick out and leave the desktop showing on the monitor. Out of the desire to change something, I checked the "Wait for vertical sync" and it seemed to work. Can you tell me what checking that box dose?
Thanks,
Mike

feldon34 · 10-18-2013, 09:07 AM

Originally posted by fly911:

Jim, Every so often, the marine aquarium would kick out and leave the desktop showing on the monitor. Out of the desire to change something, I checked the "Wait for vertical sync" and it seemed to work. Can you tell me what checking that box dose?
Thanks,
Mike

Reduce the framerate of the Aquarium to match your monitor.

If you have a typical LCD monitor with a refresh of 60Hz, then the Aquarium really only needs to generate 60 frames per second, not hundreds.

fly911 · 10-19-2013, 04:14 AM

Thanks Feldon. When I updated the video driver, I discovered these settings.
Mike
fly911

Jim Sachs · 10-19-2013, 08:07 AM

In layman's terms, Vertical Sync forces the system to wait until the monitor's video beam is at the top of the screen before writing new pixels, even though the computations for the next frame are done. If the system is allowed to start using the new data any time it's ready, there will be a slight 'tear' somewhere on the screen, where everything above the line is data from the previous frame and everything below the line is new data.

fly911 · 10-19-2013, 11:22 AM

That make sense, Jim. Thanks
Mike

fly911 · 10-20-2013, 05:32 AM

Jim, what do you see for the next generation 3D? Do you see "No Glasses" 3D in the near future?
I thought about the possibility of mounting four screens on an island like many kitchens have (but not in the kitchen) thereby viewing a four-sided aquarium. Maybe covering the top with an aquarium hood.

Of course the logical sequence of thoughts bring me to that of 4D or Holographic TV.
We are accustomed to anticipating possibilities for what may exist within our individual lifetimes. At my age (67) I don't mind thinking beyond my life cycle. College students of graphic arts today are anticipating things I can't even imagine.

jleslie · 10-20-2013, 09:19 AM

You can get (or could get) several laptops and the odd desktop with glasses-free 3D, it's not so hard there as there is just one user and they can do eye-tracking via the web-cam. I remember running across a Sony Vaio-L 24" desktop PC in a shop a while back and even though it wasn't tracking me it did look pretty impressive.
http://www.sony.co.uk/product/vaio-l-series/svl2413z1e
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPPD3ojhvU0
Although the reviews were more middling, but as something to just run across it was a head-turner.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/tech...-1226391652317
John

09-23-2013, 04:43 PM	#1
tonycdh Registered User Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Illinois Posts: 2	Where are you MA3 developers??? Not much going on in the world of Marine Aquarium?! When are these extra fish packs supposed to come out. Ive always loved this screensaver since its inception, but there hasnt been any new releases or addons or anything! I know many people dont care about screensavers much, theres a few of us that do, and I for one would like to see more Marine creatures! That would be awesome!!!!

09-24-2013, 08:39 AM	#2
Jim Sachs Developer Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Southern Oregon Posts: 9,791	Family issues have prevented me from working on any new additions to the Aquarium. Specifically, I'm the sole care-giver for my mother, who recently developed Alzheimer's following a minor surgery. I still hope to add more to MA3 one day. Jim Sachs Creator of SereneScreen Aquarium

09-25-2013, 03:43 AM	#4
fly911 Registered Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Florida, USA Posts: 77	Awesome Marine Aquarium display. This aquarium looks beyond finished to me. By panning left and right, there's an almost infinite variation of tank scenes. The fish combinations are also unlimited. If I ever want additional excitement, I will put on my 3D glasses that came with my 55" Sony Bravia Model KDL55NX810 TV and watch the fish in true 3D. I've been wanting to try that but we took the batteries out and put the glasses away. Just too inconvenient as my wife and I both have to have the glasses on or one of us is looking at a slightly fuzzy picture. It does a great job of converting a 2D NFL football game into 3D.

09-25-2013, 04:07 PM	#5
Jim Sachs Developer Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Southern Oregon Posts: 9,791	fly911 - What hardware are you using to drive the Bravia? If it's the nVidia 3D Vision system, then I can give you some pointers on how to make MA3 truly breathtaking in 3D. The most important setting is Convergence, which most system don't allow the user to access. In the 3D Vision system, you must open 3D Settings, then choose Keyboard Commands, then turn on Advanced Features (I'm guessing at some of these names). Then, when you are watching the Aquarium in 3D, use the F5 and F6 keys to change the Convergence. On my system, I have to hold down the F6 key for a very long time, then it suddenly takes effect. Set the Convergence so that the gravel at the bottom front of the tank seems to be right on the monitor's screen, and the rest of the tank will take care of itself. I believe F7 will save the setting so you won't have to do this again. Jim Sachs Creator of SereneScreen Aquarium

09-26-2013, 07:27 AM	#6
fly911 Registered Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Florida, USA Posts: 77	3D Marine Aquarium Jim, Here are the specs. I have been using my laptop to drive the 55" LCD screen, but the TV is totally hooked up to the internet by Ethernet connection, although it has a wireless capability as well. I'm not sure if I can download Marine Aquarium or not. I'm not sure if it has any hard drive capability to download to. I do have it connected to a 3D PlayStation3 with a storage capability. The specs show that the TV has an analog PC input although I connect with HDMI. I'm not a wiz on this, but I will try to watch in 3D this weekend and will post the results here. Thanks for all the great information and the work you must have put into the software to make it 3D. http://www.sony.lv/product/tv-139-55...specifications fly911 Mike

09-25-2013, 02:53 AM	#3
flip Registered Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Victoria Australia Posts: 155	Jim Mother comes first every time. Keith

09-26-2013, 12:44 PM	#7
Nicki Sugar Plum Fairy Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Toronto Posts: 1,267	I wouldn't bother trying the analog PC (VGA?) connector. I've done that on a small 720p LCD television and the resolution was very unimpressive. Run you clever boy. And remember...

09-26-2013, 10:46 PM	#8
Jim Sachs Developer Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Southern Oregon Posts: 9,791	There would theoretically be two ways of viewing MA3 in 3D on that rig. First, a computer with the nVidia 3D Vision system I mentioned may be able to hook up with the Bravia via a bi-directional hdmi cable, as I do with my Samsung Syncmaster monitor. The second way would be to use a 3D BluRay DVD. I modified a version of MA3 which can output and save unlimited numbers of left-eye/right-eye frames, but so far I've been unable to find a company that can cheaply encode them onto a 3D BluRay disk. Jim Sachs Creator of SereneScreen Aquarium

09-28-2013, 11:13 AM	#9
fly911 Registered Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Florida, USA Posts: 77	3D Experimentation Nicky, I definitely used the HDMI connection. Thanks. Jim, I made all the recommended connections but ran into some issues like my cursor arrow disappeared when I held down the f6 key and although I set the TV 3D setting for side-by-side, the image didn't show two separate side by side identical images but offset the two images slightly superimposed. Long story short, I need to review settings on the TV and computer. I'll have to set aside some tinkering time. I tried the simulated 3D setting with the Marine Aquarium but wasn't too successful. More to come..... P.S. Jim, that BluRay DVD sounds great. Don't give up on that. Mike

10-16-2013, 04:59 AM	#10
jleslie Engineer Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: London, UK Posts: 1,279	Interesting, I have a Sony 46HX853 3D TV (plus glasses) and my HTPC has a Nvidia GTX550 card which is 3D capable. I just use HDMI to connect the two. Does that mean I can play the aquarium in 3D? Will I need the Nvidia 3D Play 14-day trial software (though Nvidia say is $39.99 so isn't that bad)? http://www.geforce.co.uk/hardware/de...550ti/features http://www.sony.co.uk/support/en/pro...specifications (The HTPC is actually just one of my test systems from work, without a box, which they gave me after the company went bust. It has probably the last x86 processor board I'll ever design in it, so was nice to have. I don't really use it much though.)

10-16-2013, 07:04 PM	#11
Jim Sachs Developer Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Southern Oregon Posts: 9,791	jleslie - I wish I had the answers to those questions. Please keep us informed if you discover anything. Jim Sachs Creator of SereneScreen Aquarium

10-17-2013, 05:53 AM	#12
fly911 Registered Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Florida, USA Posts: 77	Jim, I'm going to have to delve a little more into the 3D settings on my video card and give it another go. Stay tuned..... Mike

10-17-2013, 08:22 AM	#13
Jim Sachs Developer Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Southern Oregon Posts: 9,791	Well, the fact that you can see that screen seems promising. I would guess that 'Advanced 3D image settings' would be what you want. Jim Sachs Creator of SereneScreen Aquarium

10-17-2013, 03:14 PM	#14
fly911 Registered Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Florida, USA Posts: 77	Jim, Every so often, the marine aquarium would kick out and leave the desktop showing on the monitor. Out of the desire to change something, I checked the "Wait for vertical sync" and it seemed to work. Can you tell me what checking that box dose? Thanks, Mike

10-18-2013, 09:07 AM	#15
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,939	Originally posted by fly911: Jim, Every so often, the marine aquarium would kick out and leave the desktop showing on the monitor. Out of the desire to change something, I checked the "Wait for vertical sync" and it seemed to work. Can you tell me what checking that box dose? Thanks, Mike Reduce the framerate of the Aquarium to match your monitor. If you have a typical LCD monitor with a refresh of 60Hz, then the Aquarium really only needs to generate 60 frames per second, not hundreds. "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

10-19-2013, 04:14 AM	#16
fly911 Registered Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Florida, USA Posts: 77	Thanks Feldon. When I updated the video driver, I discovered these settings. Mike fly911

10-19-2013, 08:07 AM	#17
Jim Sachs Developer Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Southern Oregon Posts: 9,791	In layman's terms, Vertical Sync forces the system to wait until the monitor's video beam is at the top of the screen before writing new pixels, even though the computations for the next frame are done. If the system is allowed to start using the new data any time it's ready, there will be a slight 'tear' somewhere on the screen, where everything above the line is data from the previous frame and everything below the line is new data. Jim Sachs Creator of SereneScreen Aquarium

10-19-2013, 11:22 AM	#18
fly911 Registered Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Florida, USA Posts: 77	That make sense, Jim. Thanks Mike

10-20-2013, 05:32 AM	#19
fly911 Registered Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Florida, USA Posts: 77	Jim, what do you see for the next generation 3D? Do you see "No Glasses" 3D in the near future? I thought about the possibility of mounting four screens on an island like many kitchens have (but not in the kitchen) thereby viewing a four-sided aquarium. Maybe covering the top with an aquarium hood. Of course the logical sequence of thoughts bring me to that of 4D or Holographic TV. We are accustomed to anticipating possibilities for what may exist within our individual lifetimes. At my age (67) I don't mind thinking beyond my life cycle. College students of graphic arts today are anticipating things I can't even imagine.

10-20-2013, 09:19 AM	#20
jleslie Engineer Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: London, UK Posts: 1,279	You can get (or could get) several laptops and the odd desktop with glasses-free 3D, it's not so hard there as there is just one user and they can do eye-tracking via the web-cam. I remember running across a Sony Vaio-L 24" desktop PC in a shop a while back and even though it wasn't tracking me it did look pretty impressive. http://www.sony.co.uk/product/vaio-l-series/svl2413z1e http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPPD3ojhvU0 Although the reviews were more middling, but as something to just run across it was a head-turner. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/tech...-1226391652317 John