Changing Screen Visuals List

The X server screen visuals list can be altered through afbconfig. The afbconfig options in Table 7-3 can be used to configure the list of the exported visuals for the specified device.

Table 7-3 The Default Settings of the afbconfig Visual Flags

Name	Possible Values	Defaults in Solaris2.5.1/  2.5.1 SHWP	Defaults in Solaris 2.6
linearorder	first/last	last	last
deflinear	true/false	false	false
overlayorder	first/last	last	last
defoverlay	true/false	false	false
expvis	enable/disable	disable	enable
sov	enable/disable	disable	enable

Changing the Visual List Order (-linearorder, -overlayorder)

By default, the nonlinear visual comes before the linear visual on the screen visual list. You can modify the order of the visual list by using the afbconfig command.

Most 3D applications require a linear visual. Some 3D applications do not search for a linear visual using XSolarisGetVisualGamma(3). Instead, these applications search the screen visual list for the first 24-bit TrueColor visual they find. To enable these applications to run with the correct visual, use the -linearorder option to change the visual list order so that the linear 24-bit TrueColor visual is the first one the application finds.

The desired visual ordering in the screen visuals list will be available whenever the window system is restarted.

1. To change the setting, enter the afbconfig command with one of the -linearorder options.

   For example:

   afbconfig -linearorder first

By default, the 8-bit PseudoColor visual comes before the 8-bit PseudoColor Overlay visual on the screen visual list. You can modify the order of the visual list by using the afbconfig command.

Some applications that use the 8-bit PseudoColor Overlay visual, search the visual list for the first 8-bit PseudoColor visual they find. To enable these applications to run with the correct visual, use the -overlayorder option to change the visual list order so that the 8-bit PseudoColor Overlay visual is the first 8-bit PseudoColor visual the application finds.

The desired visual ordering in the screen visuals list will be available whenever the window system is restarted.

1. To change the setting, enter the afbconfig command with one of the -overlayorder options.

   For example:

   afbconfig -overlayorder first

Changing the Default Visual (-deflinear, -defoverlay)

By default, the 8-bit PseudoColor underlay visual is the default visual of the screen. The default visual can be changed to either a linear underlay visual or an overlay visual through afbconfig.

1. To set the default visual to be a linear visual, enter the afbconfig command as follows:

   afbconfig -deflinear true

1. To set the default visual to be an overlay visual, enter the afbconfig command as follows:

   afbconfig -defoverlay true

   ---

   Caution -

   Since there is no linear overlay visual, the user should not specify both "-deflinear true" and "-defoverlay true" simultaneously, or the result will be undefined.

   ---

   ---

   Caution -

   Note that the visual ordering options (overlayorder and linearorder) are independent of the default visual options (defoverlay and deflinear). Moving the overlay visual groups, for example, to the front does not automatically make it a default visual. Some applications make this assumption and hence receive a "BADMATCH" X error when they try to match the colormap created by the default visual and the first 8-bit PseudoColor visual they can find.

   ---

Changing OpenGL Visual Support (-expvis)

Solaris 2.6 SHWP supports the OpenGL visual expansion. With visual expansion, five visual groups: the 8-bit PseudoColor, 24-bit TrueColor (Linear and Non-Linear), 24-bit DirectColor, and 8-bit PseudoColor Overlay, are expanded from a single visual to multiple visual instances of the same visual type. Different instances of the same visual groups represent different GLX capabilities (e.g., single-buffer or double-buffer capable, monoscopic or stereoscopic capable, or a combination of both). The number of visual instances depends on whether the X server is started in monoscopic or stereoscopic mode.

To Activate OpenGL Visual Support (Visual Expansion)

1. Enter the following:

   afbconfig -expvis enable

Changing SERVER_OVERLAY_VISUALS Support (-sov)

SERVER_OVERLAY_VISUALS is one of the root window's properties that contains the visual ID, transparent type, transparent value, and layer of the server overlay visuals (SOV) of the screen. You can toggle the advertisement of this property and the export of the transparent server overlay visuals using afbconfig.

To Advertise SERVER_OVERLAY_PROPERTY and Export SOV

1. Enter the following:

   afbconfig -sov enable

Setting Gamma Correction (-g, -gfile)

Gamma correction may be set by specifying a gamma correction value or by specifying a file that contains a gamma table.

The -g option will set the gamma table entries based on the gamma value specified. A gamma value of 2.22 represents linear gamma correction and matches the fixed value on the Elite3D products. This value is a per-screen value and therefore all gamma corrected or linear visuals will use this value.

To Set the Gamma Correction Using a Value

1. Enter the following:

   afbconfig -g 2.22

The -gfile option will set the gamma table entries explicitly from a file containing three columns of 256 integers ranging from 0 to 255. The format is three integers separated by a newline character. Each line contains the RGB value to be put in the table for that entry. This value is a per-screen value and therefore all gamma-corrected or linear visuals will use this value.

To Set the Gamma Correction Using a File

1. Enter the following:

   afbconfig -gfile filename

Choosing Extended Overlay (-extovl)

In extended overlay mode, the overlay visuals will have 256 opaque colors. The server overlay visuals (SOV) will have 255 opaque colors and one transparent color. The extended overlay mode also enables hardware-accelerated transparency, which provides better performance for windows using the SOV visuals. In extended overlay mode, there are 64 WindowIDs (WIDs) for windows using non-overlay visuals and three WIDs for windows using the overlay visuals.

If extended overlay mode is disabled, the number of colors for overlay visuals is 256 minus the value set for the maxwids option (default 32). The SOV-capable visuals also have (256 - maxwids) colors and a software emulation of transparency.

To Select Extended Overlay Mode

1. Enter the following:

   afbconfig -extovl enable

   Table 7-4 lists the default settings for the afbconfig -extovl. options.

   Table 7-4 Default Settings for afbconfig -extovl Options

   Possible Values	Defaults in Solaris 2.5.1	Defaults in Solaris 2.6
   enable/disable	disable	enable

Choosing the Number of WIDs and Colors in the Overlay (-maxwids)

This option is available only if the extended overlay mode is disabled. This maxwids option specifies the maximum number of Elite3D X channel pixel values that are reserved for use as window IDs (WIDs). The remaining pixel values are the number of colors available for overlay windows. The legal values for the maxwids option are 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, or 64.

To Select the Number of WIDs

1. Enter the following:

   afbconfig -maxwids number_of_WIDs

   Table 7-5 lists the default settings for afbconfig -maxwids options.

   Table 7-5 Default Settings for afbconfig -maxwids Options

   Possible Values	Defaults in Solaris 2.5.1	Defaults in Solaris 2.6
   1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64	32	Not available