Inside this Issue:
Contents
1. s Your Problem Picture if you will how the Creative Support Art Group deals with your run of the mill white hot must be done by yesterday project At the Producer s request the Art Group is asked to help improve a new Saturn title by a rapidly approaching deadline One problem is that even though the title has a fantasy setting the game worlds are flat and uninteresting a noteworthy shortcoming when you consider the potential for stunning graphics Moreover too many of the textures chatter when ported to Saturn or have glaring hot spots The Creative Support Art Group s task is to enliven dozens of interior scenes This means the artist must play through a recent game build to find out what textures need replacing design and render the individual textural elements transport them to Saturn to see how they will look on the console affix them to polygons and finally view the new textures in the game This process requires the design of new high tech bit maps from control screens to wall panels Art Group s Wide Bandwidth Although the Creative Support Group s charter is to support Sega Brand and Third Party developers at the request of a producer or account executive over time the Creative Support Art Group has supported every branch of Sega of America At the moment artists are creating new images for our WWW Site designing PICO page activities and inking cartoons for Sega Scene magazine Expect more about Creat2. 95 8 30 94 2 14 95 11 23 94 4 6 95 8 4 95 6 23 94 4 20 94 10 14 94 1 11 95 4 20 94 3 21 95 1 14 95 1 18 95 10 21 94 4 20 94 1 1 94 4 20 94 FAN Bac Thanks to those who have shared comments and ideas regarding the DTS Newsletter Please continue to give us your feedback so we can work together to make the future issues even better Please take a moment to fill out the information below and mail or FAX it to SEGA 415 802 1717 What did you like dislike about this issue of SEGA DTS Developer News How can DTS better support your development efforts What features information would you like to see included in upcoming issues If you need documentation list the title and number below You must have a SEGA non disclosure document on file to receive documentation If you have not signed a non disclosure contact DTS Please provide your E Mail address to facilitate communication SEGA of America Developer Technical Support 150 Shoreline Drive Redwood City CA 94065
3. P_DEMO ZIP DSP demo 8 2 95 GT950822 ZIP new GNU tools 8 22 95 ONESHOT ZIP demo to play one shot sound effects w sound driver 8 25 95 SATLOAD ZIP COFF loader for CartDev 8 23 95 SEQ ZIP demo to play sequences w sound driver 8 28 95 32X 32X FAQ updated from previous version 7 25 95 GT950822 ZIP new GNU tools 8 22 95 ICD_MARS ZIP initial 32x code 7 24 95 More GALS ews The new Q3 95 GNU Manual is now available for downloading from the Sega FTP site at tp ftp segaoa com pub gnutools Select the latest version as identified by the date XXXXXX GNU documentation is also available on the WWW in the Cygnus Support Online Documen tation Gallery at http www cygnus com doc rebuilding rebuilding _toc html You can also get old fashioned printed docu mentation from Sega by filling out the fax back form on the last page of this newsletter DIS Internet Addresses SEGA of America For technical support please e mail Judy Jett Support Specialist or Debbie Kramer Support Specialist dts segaoa com Fax 415 802 1717 SEGA of Europe For technical support please e mail techsupport sega co uk Fax 44 181 996 4488 Breaking News 3D Studio Training AVCOM Systems presents 3D Studio Release 4 classes at Autodesk in San Rafael Ca Introduction to 3D Studio and Character Animation Introdcution to 3D Studio September 18 20 September 25 27 October 2 4 October 23 25 Intr
4. SEGA DTS DEVELOPER NEWS Nega s Creative Support Group This time we look at Art Sega s Creative Support Group is a full function creative services organization that spans the entire range of game development support from art music sound video and writing to game design and art direction In this issue of SEGA DTS Developer News we focus on the Creative Support Art Group In later issues we will cover the other groups and activities within Creative I CHEAT IE SUPET i The Creative Support Art Group One way of scoping out what goes on in the Art Group is to look at a typical project request log You will see entries for character sketches storyboarding game title page art art direction animation pencil tests applying new textures to polygons on 3 D models World Wide Web Page design video capture compositing PICO page design researching Saturn art tools and develop ing motion capture capabilities A daunting list of activities which is even more impressive when you consider that they are all happening at the same time and that they all must be turned around on a dime On the surface the Creative Support Art Group appears to be a prototypical full service creative support entity but it is this ability to quickly meet the diverse needs of clients with aplomb that makes the group unique Technical Support Newsletter from SEGA of America Product Development 1995 Sega All rights reserved What
5. ST 97 R5 072694 ST 210 110194 ST 169 R1 072694 ST 214 111594 ST 77 R2 052594 ST 202 R1 120994 ST 13 R3 061694 ST 13 SP1 052794 ST 58 R2 0601 94 ST 220 120994 ST 079B R3 011895 ST 040 R4 051795 ST 162 R1 092994 ST 162 062094 ST 136 R2 093094 ST 157 R1 092994 ST 135 R1 062094 ST 200 092994 ST 39 R2 011094 ST 98 031194 ST 203 100494 ST 209 110194 ST 208 110194 ST 159 R1 092994 ST 240 A 042795 ST 240 A SP1 052295 ST 240 B 042795 ST 240 B SP1 052295 ST 211 110494 ST 161 R1 092994 ST 129 R1 062294 ST 182 081294 ST 201 B 092994 ST 19 R1 B 050994 ST DISK 05 101794 ST DISK 06 101794 ST 160 R1 092994 ST 207 10194 ST 91 R1 062794 ST 164 062794 MAR 63 090894 ST 125 R1 090894 ST 126 R1 091394 ST 131 R1 090894 ST 130 R1 090894 ST 140 051894 ST 141 R1 091394 ST 124 R1 091394 ST 81 R5 062894 ST 168 R3 011895 ST 99 R1 042594 ST 67 121593 ST 68 R1 042594 1 235 030795 ST 69 121693 ST 70 R1 031094 T 227 R1 030595 ST 198 R1 121594 ST 166 R2 091394 1 66 121593 T 65 R1 0311494 ST 80 R2 050994 9 12 94 4 13 94 6 6 94 12 14 94 2 14 95 2 2 95 2 14 95 8 4 94 12 12 94 8 21 95 9 19 94 9 21 94 2 25 95 1 12 95 5 22 95 1 12 94 11 3 94 12 15 94 1 11 95 11 10 94 1 27 95 4 20 94 4 20 94 11 16 94 11 9 94 4 17 95 4 17 95 5 22 95 5 26 95 5 22 95 5 26 95 11 8 94 10 19 94 5 3 94 9 20 94 2 2 95 6 29 94 11 2 94 11 23 94 10 19 94 10 25 94 9 9 94 4 11 95 1 6 95 1 12 95 2 14 95 2 23 95 3 17
6. aracter based They are represented on a one for one basis one entry one pixel Palette Colors How many colors are available when using palettes How many palettes are there The Color RAM for VDP2 is 4K in size for a maximum of 2048 colors This is config ured in any manner the programmer wants Each palette can contain 16 256 or 2048 colors Therefore with 16 colors there are 128 palettes with 256 colors there are 8 palettes and with 2048 colors only one pallete In addition RGB values can be used in place of palettes so not all screens have to use the palettes Clock Switching Does switching the clock affect any other component other than the VDP1 and VDP2 Yes switching the clock also affects the CPUs However the sound subsystem is not affected Q Sound Box After resetting the hardware starting Sound Simulator and doing a System Startup sometimes I get a message that says Target board has been dead Restart it What s going on We are finding that the Saturn Sound Box works much more reliably if it has an in line SCSI terminator It is always wise whenever starting up the system or moving to a different project to quit all software that is used with the Saturn to reset the sound box and to check all the connec tions Download Blues My file downloads to the target small box just fine but won t run at all What is the problem The problem could be due to several factors First ma
7. discuss all of these methods below Optimize CPU Performance Make the best out of the CPUs by keeping the SH2s off the bus When writing data to the frame buffer in 256 color mode try to accumulate at least two pixels in a register and do a word longword write If you have a routine which performs many small writes and your CPU is in split cache mode 2k cache 2k RAM then try to accumulate your small writes in the on chip RAM and then write the data to SDRAM as one big block This avoids handing off the bus back and forth between the SH2s which costs 2 3 clock cycles Furthermore the SH2 has a free bus access cycle on every longword instruction so try to align your memory reads and writes on longword boundaries In particular try to insert register to register operations between multiply and accumulate instruc tions Reducing bus usage by performing fewer reads and writes can make a big difference Thus one way to optimize 68000 perfor mance is to move the 68000 code into RAM The 68000 contends with the SH2 for RAM access and tends to hog the ROM since it is slow at accessing memory Also since the 68000 has no cache if the code is in ROM it will access the ROM for every single instruction it executes Reduce Busy Waiting Some people will write code that toggles the frame buffer bit then immediately busy waits for confirmation which wastes time CPU time can be recovered if the game code flow is r
8. eordered as follows First toggle the frame buffer bit Then perform the AI player movement and enemy movement etc Next perform the 3 D math if any Then busy wait to make sure the frame buffer has swapped Finally write to the frame buffer to execute the rendering code This approach allows the CPU to do useful processing before waiting for the frame buffer swap confirmation Hot Rod the Hardware There are many useful bits of hardware in the 32X that can be optimized to wring the most performance out of the system including The Autofill mode The Run length mode The Scanline start table The SH2 DMA Our BBS Buzzes The Sega DTS site is constantly being amended with new files and updates to old ones This month we also divided the Saturn conference into a documents planet and a tools demos and utilities planet You can email DTS for a BBS account Document Updates SOATEK06 PDF tech note re VDP2 cycle pattern regs 8 29 95 SOATEKO7 PDF tech note re sprite transpar ency w backgrounds 8 29 95 SOATEKO8 PDF tech note re SCU DSP tutorial 8 29 95 SOATEKO9 PDF tech note re SCU DSP programmers reference 8 29 95 SOATEK10 PDF tech note re SCU DSP demo program 8 29 95 SOATEK11 PDF tech note re rotating back grounds 8 29 95 Adobe Acrobat reader ACROREAD ZIP 8 29 95 Tools demos utilities Updates ACROREAD ZIP 8 29 95 BRIP ZIP BRIP Source code 8 22 95 DMA ZIP DMA demo 7 26 95 DS
9. it you might want to join the SEGA Design Toolkit mailing group This group is an international forum in which your postings will be distributed to all subscribers To join the SEGA Design Toolkit mailing group send email to segadt request softimage co uk Cross Products Announces SNASM Lg SNASM2 1 Shines with New Debugger and Converter Features The recently announced SNASM2 1 Toolset features a SNASM2 to GNU COFF converter a standalone COFF loader utility and updated documentation SNASM2 1 runs under DOS Windows and Windows 95 Existing SNASM2 Saturn and 32X customers will automatically be upgraded free of charge Debugger Enhancements There has been a wholesale improvement in the debugger New debugger capabilities include the ability to search a specified area of the target memory for a matching pattern in the Memory Window Such a search automatically skips over sensitive areas In the Source and Disassembly Windows you can now perform a case sensitive search for a string The debugger also supports GNU C qualified function names with provi sion for class functions and overloaded operators Moreover you can use qualified function names in expressions and when completing a symbol or browsing structure Global symbols within a class can be viewed using a qualified name in the Watch Window Saturn and 32X Features With Saturn and 32X the monitors now perform a soft reset to stop DMA and interrupts bef
10. ive Support in later issues including the Creative Support Music Group Contact Jenny Martin 415 802 1367 jenny martin segaoa com Inside this Issue Profile Debbie Kramer Softimage Toolkit Cross Products Announcement Q amp A Saturn Q amp A 32X BBS Update More GNU News DTS Internet Addresses Documentation Fax Back Vol 3 No 4 September 1995 Profile If you ve called DTS recently chances are you talked to Debbie Kramer one of our top notch Support Specialists Among her varied respon sibilities she is responding to Sega Party and Third Party Developers requests for technical support by routing calls to the appropriate technical expert in DTS She is also in charge of getting new and updated development tools to developers a process that includes making sure your Sega Producer or Account executive has your signed Non Disclosure Agreement on file Debbie has been at Sega for two years In her role as a Production Assistant in Product Development at Sega she did everything from software lip synching to Cinepaking Debbie has two children and has had a career as a preschool teacher Both experiences seem to serve her well in her capacity here at DTS because Debbie is almost impossible to rattle dts segaoa com DTS Does It Our Way Did you notice the three hole punches in the pages of this Newsletter From now on all printed documentation from DTS will be three hole punched And
11. ke sure that the switch on the front of the target box is set between CD and VCD and that the CD tray is empty Before downloading issue the reset command then the g0 com mand and wait for visible signs that the BIOS is running Then you must break out of the BIOS press Ctrl C and issue the command g 400 Wait until you see a message like WAIT A xxxxxxx then break out again You are now ready to download using the Il command If you are still having trouble contact DTS DMA The SCU DMA will only work with the high RAM area Can we use the DMA controller on the SH2s to DMA within the low RAM area and between high and low work ram areas The SH2 s DMA should do the trick We have code for doing DMA s on the 32X and it should be the same for the Saturn You can download the code from the DTS BBS in the Saturn conference It is called MARSDMA ZIP Q Battery Backup RAM How do I access the backup RAM The 32x battery backup RAM should be accessed in 32x mode Make sure to disable the Z80 when accessing the backup RAM and to enable the ZSO when done accessing 32X Code Optimization What s the best way to optimize my 32X code to improve performance There are a number of ways to optimize your 32X code including optimizing the performance of the CPU and the bus bandwidth reducing SH2 bus arbitrations salvaging wasted time and using the 32X hardware effectively We will
12. nual SCU DSP Assembler User s Manual SCU DSP Assembler User s Manual Addendum SCU DSP Simulator User s Manual SCU DSP Simulator User s Manual Addendum CD Development Tool Description File Simple CD Simulator User s Manual Virtual CD System User s Manual Virtual CD System Release 3 Limitations Write Once CD R System User s Manual SH2 Dynamic Load Linkage Editor Saturn SEGALIB MAN README Saturn SEGA SMP MAN README Sample Data User s Manual SATURN Readme File Authoring Environmental Guide Saturn Author User s Manual SATURN GRAPHICS TOOLS MANUAL Map Editor 32X User s Manual Photoshop Plug In User s Manual SEGA Converter User s Manual Simple Painter User s Manual Simple Animator User s Manual Ver 2 0 2D Motion Editor User s Guide 3D Editors User s Manual Saturn 32X Graphics References ver 2 0 SATURN SOUND TOOLS MANUAL Sound Development Manual ver 1 1 Saturn Sound Simulator Manual Wave Editor User s Manual SCSP Waveform Editor Technical Specifications Tone Editor User s Manual Tone Editor User s Manual Addendum File Format SCSP DSP Effect Module Specifications DSP Linker User s Manual Parameter Editor User s Manual Saturn Sound Tools Manual Supplement Saturn Sound Driver System Interface Standard MIDI File Converter Specifications Sound Programming Debugger User s Manual Microcomputing Developing Int Environment for Macintoch ST 155 062094 13 Apr 94 ST 103 R1 040194
13. oduction to Character Animation September 21 22 September 28 29 October 5 6 October 26 27 Contact Paul Norman at AVCOM 408 523 1826 Paul Avcom com Documentation Listed below are the complete sets of Saturn documentation as of Sept 5th 1995 Order by document number or set number Contact us by e mail or use the Fax back section on the last page of the newsletter Fax 415 802 1717 or e mail dts segaoa com SATURN PROGRAMMING MANUAL VOL 1 Saturn Introduction Manual Sega of America Introduction to Saturn Game Development Saturn Overview Manual temporary version 1 SCU User s Manual SCU Final Specifications Precautions SMPC User s Manual SMPC Sample Program User s Manual Saturn SCSP User s Manual SEGA Saturn Dual CPU User s Guide SATURN PROGRAMMING MANUAL VOL 2 VDP1 User s Manual VDP1 User s Manual Supplement VDP2 User s Manual SATURN DEVELOPMENT TOOLS MANUAL Saturn Boot ROM System User s Manual Ver 1 0 Boot ROM User s Manual Disc Format Standard Specifications Ver 1 0 Saturn System Library User s Guide ver 1 0 System Library User s Manual Program Library User s Guide 1 Program Library User s Guide 2 Program Library User s Guide 3 DLL Library User s Manual External specifications Saturn file system Library External Specification Doc Saturn Stream System Backup System Production Standard Saturn Software Library Saturn Software Library Release 3 01 Supplemental Disk Sample Game Program User s Ma
14. ore downloading a COFF This eliminates problems that might arise when downloading multiple COFFs For Saturn systems the Minimal Performance Hit Mode is used by default and you can now trace TRAPA instructions In addition SLOT TED and SLOT instruction pairs are now auto matically highlighted and highlighting is applied if the instruction has a breakpoint definition on it COFF Converter Links The SN2G utility converts SNASM2 1 COFFs to the GNU format This facility allows you to create linkable object files that can be handled by the GNU linker giving full source level debug information structure browsing and variable display facilities in SNASM2 1 The COFF Loader Utility allows you to download a COFF file to the target system without entering the Debugger rade and ew CD Emulator Mirage CD ROM Emulator Is Real Cross Product s Mirage is a complete high performance CD ROM emulator that you simply connect to your target machine and Mirage will act like the machine s CD ROM drive The standard Mirage comes with a removable 1GB SCSI hard drive but other memory options are available Modules with Personality Hardware emulation is completely interchange able separate personality modules provide dedicated support for individual target machines And the Mirage s firmware can be upgraded so you can simply plug in to get the most up to date features A high performance dual SCSI bus means that you can use
15. yes we consider DTS Developer News to be documentation and we punch it so you can keep it in a binder with the rest of your documentation You may also have noticed that we put blank pages in our manuals We do this to maintain page concordance between our documents and those from Sega of Japan We also insert blank pages to make sure that Chapters start on a front page UR There You may have noticed email addresses sprinkled around in this issue of the DTS Newsletter In this age of the World Wide Web we are also going to be including URL s so you can follow up on a story on the net Start here http www segaoa com SOFTIMAGE SD Toolkit New Version has a Saturn Ring The latest version of the SOFTIMAGE 3D Design Toolkit has been tailored to help developers write stunning new games for the Sega Saturn system The new Design Toolkit has a rich new feature set to support Saturn development Some of the Saturn specific features include Saturn file formats export a Saturn file format viewer based on Silicon Graphics Irix and Saturn CartDev interactive color reduction 2D texture painting and editing with 3D projection viewing interactive UV texture coordinates editing with UV coordinate rotation flipping and sharing as well as numerous painting effects SOFTIMAGE 3D runs on Silicon Graphics workstations with the IRIX operating system Versions 5 2 or 5 3 Join SEGA Design Toolkit Group If you re already using the Toolk
16. your PC for other tasks during emulation Mirage System and Accessories Hardware Emulation Mirage s SEGA Saturn emulator uses the JVC image building tools available on the Sega Developers CD ROM to ensure complete VCD and Yamaha write once compatibility Emula tors for other platforms will be available Be cause emulation is in hardware not software you can be sure you are emulating at the right speed without having to link with non standard librar ies There s also an incremental image building facility that cuts build time by eliminating the need for building a complete image each time graphics or code files are changed Designed to emulate real world events Mirage even lets you introduce errors into the data stream Error rates are fully configurable and there s also a nudge button to simulate knocks to the target console SNASM2 1 and Mirage are available now Contact Sales at Cross Products for details Phone 44 113 242 9814 Fax 44 113 242 6163 BBS 44 113 234 0420 email sales crossprod co uk Saturn Hidden Polygons How should polygons that are covered up by other polygons and won t be displayed be handled Relink the Command List to draw every thing starting with those that won t be seen Characters and Planes What character sizes are available for planes Are bit mapped images character based The character sizes available are 8 x 8 and 16x 16 Bit mapped images are not ch
Download Pdf Manuals
Related Search