Online Technical Support
Page last updated: 01/10/01

Please review these technical FAQs to see if your question is answered on this page. If your question is not addressed here, please go to the last question to find out how to contact our Technical Support department.

Installation

1. How do I install PowerPlugs: 3D Titles?
2. What is DirectX?
3. How do I uninstall PowerPlugs: 3D Titles from my system?
4. How do I use 3D Titles?
5. What do I need to do if I upgrade to PowerPoint 2000?
6. What should I do if PowerPlugs: 3D Titles is not available in PowerPoint?
7. What should I do if the commands "Add 3D title" and "View Show with 3D" do nothing?

Registered Owners

1. Why do I still see the demo logo on my 3D Titles?
2. Why does the second link show the same files as the first link?
3. How do I get the latest version of the software?
4. How do I send my 3D Titles enhanced presentation to someone?
5. How do I get 3D Titles to work with multiple presentations, or in kiosk presentations?

Downloading

1. What should I do when I receive an error message trying to download the paid version of PowerPlugs: 3D Titles?
2. What should I do if I am having trouble downloading the demo?

Crashes or Errors

1. What should I do if the software crashes or gives an error message when I try to "View Show with 3D"?
2. What should I do if PowerPlugs: 3D Titles crashes after attempting to install and use it with an international language version of PowerPoint 97 or 2000?
3. What Should I do if "View Show with 3D" locks up my computer or shows a black screen?
4. What should I do if the 3D Titles dialog keeps asking me to render my 3D Titles?

No 3D Titles

1. What should I do if the 3D Titles do not play back in my presentation?
2. What should I do if some 3D Titles "skip" or play back intermittently in my presentation?
3. What should I do if my 3D presentation won't play on another computer (and I've used the "pack 3D Effects" command)?
4. Why does 3D Titles say that I do not have 3D hardware acceleration?

Acceleration

1. What 3D graphics acceleration works with PowerPlugs: 3D Titles?
2. How do I check what model display adapter (video card, 3D accelerator) I have?
3. What should I do if my computer is supposed to have 3D acceleration but 3D Titles doesn't recognize it?

Miscellaneous

1. What should I do if it seems to take "too long" for a 3D title to display?
2. Why is PowerPlugs: 3D Titles hanging on the progress window after starting "View Show with 3D"?
3. What should I do if my 3D Presentation is missing objects, images or other elements that were inserted in my slides (and I've used the "Pack 3D Effects" command)?
4. What should I do if using PowerPlugs: 3D Titles automatically shifts the display resolution on my 3D-enabled notebook PC to a display resolution that is smaller than full screen dimensions?
5. Why are my sound effects or animations being cut off before they are completed?
6. My transitions will not work while an audio file is playing. What can I do?

Additional Support

1. How do I contact Technical Support?

1. How do I install 3D Titles?

In the PowerPlugs: 3D Titles CD or folder, there is a file called Setup.exe. Double click on this file. Setup.exe will install the 3D Titles files onto your local hard drive. It will also automatically install it into PowerPoint.

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2. What is DirectX?

DirectX is a software API that enables third party software products to interact through Windows with the hardware in your computer...

What does this mean? This is a software product that is free from Microsoft. It allows our software, and many other software packages) to communicate with your video card to create these 3D title effects. You can download the latest version of this API from Microsoft by clicking here. Be sure to download the DirectX for end users.

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3. How do I uninstall PowerPlugs: 3D Titles from my system?

1. Exit PowerPoint. Go to the PowerPlugs: 3D Titles or 3D Sensations (if you have version 1.1, 1.5 or 1.51) folder and run Setup.exe.

2. Click on "Remove from PowerPoint" button. This will remove the PowerPlugs: 3D Titles or 3D Sensations interface from the PowerPoint. Then click "OK" to exit Setup.

3. Click on the Windows Start menu and go to the Windows Control Panel. Select the "Add/Remove Programs." Select the PowerPlugs: 3D Titles or 3D Sensations program to uninstall the files from your hard drive.

4. If you wish to reinstall PowerPlugs: 3D Titles once you have uninstalled it from your hard drive, follow the steps outlined in "How to Install PowerPlugs: 3D Titles " (see above).

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4. How do I use 3D Titles?

The easiest way to get started using PowerPlugs: 3D Titles is reading the included Help documentation. Go to the Start Menu\Programs\PowerPlugs\3D Titles\3D Titles Help.

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5. What do I need to do if I upgrade to PowerPoint 2000?

First run the Reconfigure program that we include in the Start menu\Programs\PowerPlugs\3D Titles\. This will enable you to first remove the PowerPlugs from PowerPoint and then add it back into PowerPoint. This forces the program to add into the new version of PowerPoint that you just installed.

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6. What should I do if 3D Titles is not available in PowerPoint?

Make sure you are using PowerPoint 97 or 2000 when installing PowerPlugs: 3D Titles (the earlier versions of PowerPoint do not support plug-ins). Also, make sure there is adequate disk space available on your local hard drive. If you have enough disk space, check to see if the installer loaded the files onto your hard drive. If they were loaded, but the "View Show with 3D" and "Add 3D title" commands were not added into your PowerPoint's Slide Show menu, then try running the Setup.exe program in your PowerPlugs: 3D Titles folder. Then click Add into PowerPoint.

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6. What should I do if the commands "Add 3D title" and "View Show with 3D" do nothing?

Do you have a presentation loaded? If you do, and you still don't get anything to happen when you click on Add 3D title and View Show With 3D:

1. you may have accidentally installed the 3D Titles software incorrectly. For example, the Installer defaults to C:\Program Files\PowerPlugs. If you changed that path to simply D:, then all the folders will end up in the D drive root directory and Windows will not deal with that correctly. If this happened to you, then simply uninstall the software and reinstall it, being careful to use a good path for the software to be installed into.
2. Run the reconfigure utility (Start\Programs\PowerPlugs\3D Titles\reconfigure) First click Remove from PowerPoint. Then click Add into PowerPoint. If you receive an error stating that the "named addin was not found", you need to reinstall 3D Titles. If you receive another error stating the addin could not be installed, try reinstalling PowerPoint.
3. Go to the Tools\Addins menu item. First select the PowerPlugs item from the list, then click remove. Now click Add New. Browse to the C:\Program Files\PowerPlugs folder and select the POWERPLUGS.PPA addin. Click OK.

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1. Why do I still see the demo logo on my 3D Titles?

If you have purchased, downloaded and installed the Tran1FX.exe, and/or the Tran2FX.exe files you should now have additional volumes of effects in the Add 3D Titles dialog box. Simply click on the pulldown menu titled Volume. From here you can select from the installed volumes of effects. To avoid seeing the watermark or your 3D Titles do not use the Demo 3D title volumes. These effects have the watermark. If you do not see the non-demo effects in this pulldown please double check that you have downloaded and installed the Tran1FX, and Tran2FX files into PowerPlugs. These demo effects can be removed by deleting the 3D Titles from the PowerPlugs\3D Titles folder that have "demo" in the name of the file.

If you have updated your 3D Sensations program to PowerPlugs: 3D Titles you should see Classic, and Contemporary volumes listed.

1. If your paid for 3D Titles are not listed you should reinstall the 3D Sensations Volumes that you have purchased.
2. Copy the 3D Titles folder, and Sounds folder.
3. Back these folders up, they contain all your paid for effects.
4. Now uninstall 3D Sensations, this removes the old version of the application (make sure you have the 3D Titles and sounds folders copied before this step)
5. Now install the PowerPlugs: 3D Titles demo.
6. This will install the new 3D Titles application and a demo set of effects.
7. Open the 3D Titles folder that you backed up in step 3.
8. Now copy the 3D title files out of the 3D Titles folder and copy them into the PowerPlugs\3D Titles folder.
9. Now copy the sound files out of the sounds folder and copy them into the PowerPlugs\sounds folder.
10. Now you have moved your 3D Sensations 3D Titles to the new PowerPlugs: 3D Titles product.

2. Why does the second link show the same files as the first link?

This is caused by the browser on your machine not refreshing the display of the link.

Netscape users should click on the provided link then after the page is loaded click reload in your browser.

Internet Explorer users should click on the provided link then after the page is loaded click refresh in your browser.

This will cause your browser to refresh the displayed links and should show the correct file list. If not please verify that you are clicking on the correct link. Links are provided by the sales department.

3. How do I get the latest version of the software?

If you have purchased 3D Titles you should download the latest version of the demo and simply install it over the top of your existing 3D Titles software. The demo installs the new version of the software, as well as a set of demo effects. These demo effects can be removed by deleting the 3D Titles from the PowerPlugs\3D Titles folder that have "demo" in the name of the file. If you do not see the non-demo effects in this pulldown please double check that you have downloaded and installed the Tran1FX, and Tran2FX files into PowerPlugs.

If you have updated your 3D Sensations program to PowerPlugs: 3D Titles you should see Classic, and Contemporary volumes listed.

1. If your paid for 3D Titles are not listed you should reinstall the 3D Sensations Volumes that you have purchased.
2. Copy the 3D Titles folder, and Sounds folder.
3. Back these folders up, they contain all your paid for effects.
4. Now uninstall 3D Sensations, this removes the old version of the application (make sure you have the 3D Titles and sounds folders copied before this step)
5. Now install the PowerPlugs: 3D Titles demo.
6. This will install the new 3D Titles application and a demo set of effects.
7. Open the 3D Titles folder that you backed up in step 3.
8. Now copy the 3D title files out of the 3D Titles folder and copy them into the PowerPlugs\3D Titles folder.
9. Now copy the sound files out of the sounds folder and copy them into the PowerPlugs\sounds folder.
10. Now you have moved your 3D Sensations 3D Titles to the new PowerPlugs: 3D Titles product.

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4. How do I send my 3D Titles enhanced presentation to someone?

To send your 3D Titles enhanced presentation to someone you should use the Pack 3D Effects command. Select Yes, No, and Maybe accordingly. If you do not have 3D Titles version 1.63 or higher, it is recommended that you update to the latest version.

For computers with 3D accelerated display hardware there are three files that must be together in the same folder for the presentation to work properly.

1. Your PowerPoint presentation file (PRESENTATION.PPT)
2. The PowerPlugs Player program (POWERPLUGS PLAYER.EXE)
3. The transitions effects file (PRESENTATION.3DP)

The PPT, and 3DP files must have the same prefix name.

For computers that do not have 3D accelerated display hardware:

1. Your PowerPoint presentation file (PPT)
2. The PowerPlugs Player program (POWERPLUGS PLAYER.EXE)
3. The AVI files (VIDEOS)
4. The .TOC file or .LST file if you used Pack and Go

If you have AVI files, sound files, or other embedded links in your presentation you should use the Pack and Go command in PowerPoint to package these files in addition to using the Pack 3D Effects command. Microsoft provides documentation on their Pack and Go command in their helps files.

To play back the presentation double click on the PowerPlugs Player.EXE and choose your presentation file (Presentation.PPT)

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5. How do I get 3D Titles to work with multiple presentations, or in kiosk presentations?

At this time Microsoft does not give our software access to these functions. When a user clicks the link buttons we cannot detect this action and therefore cannot display the 3D Titles. We hope that future volumes of PowerPoint will allow this kind of interaction with our software.

Downloading

1. What should I do when I receive an error message trying to download the paid version of PowerPlugs: 3D Titles?

If you are trying to download through a company network's Internet connection, you may receive errors or have problems downloading. Please be aware that many company network connections are protected by firewalls and proxy servers, and these firewalls and proxy servers can cause downloading problems. We recommend that you try downloading through a regular modem connection that does not go through a company network. If you are unable to download please try the troubleshooting tips below or contact our sales department to have them ship you the CD ROM version instead.

Please try this if you are behind a firewall:

1. Close all browser windows
2. Go to Start menu, Settings, Control Panel
3. Click on Internet Options
4. Select the Advanced Tab
5. Check one or all of the following:
   
   a) Use Web Based FTP
   b) Use passive FTP for compatibility with some firewalls and DSL modems
   c) Enable folder view for FTP sites (in this case you would uncheck this option)
   
   
6. Click Apply

If you are able to view the file but prompted to enter a password after clicking on it:

a) Right-click on the files(s) and select Save Target As, Save Link As, or Copy To Folder depending on which browser you are using.
b) Type in the user name and password where "X" is your user name and "Y" is your password. ftp://XXXXXXXXXX:YYYYYYYYYY@www.crystalgraphics.com:2122/
c) Try using a different web browser to download the files.

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2. What should I do if I am having trouble downloading the demo?

The Internet is sometimes congested, or there are connection problems between areas. Phone lines could be down, or there may be a problem with your Internet providers' connection to the Internet. Our server may also be experiencing a heavy traffic load. If you are having difficulty downloading your easiest option is to try downloading again at a different time of day on on a different day.

Here are some other suggestions:

General downloading suggestions:

1. Access our FTP site directly ftp.crystalgraphics.com
2. Make sure you have sufficient space on your hard drive.
3. Close all other programs. When other programs are running concurrent to downloading, there's "competition" for processor activity and time on your computer. This can cause problems with downloading.
4. Check to see that the driver (the software that controls the modem) you are using for your modem is the appropriate driver for your modem and that it is the most current one. In your Start/Settings/Control Panel, double click on Modems. Select the General tab and check to see if your modem is listed as "standard". If it is listed as standard, your computer is using a generic driver for your modem. You may achieve a more consistent operation of your modem if your system is reconfigured so that it is using a driver specific to your modem rather than a generic driver. To change the modem driver simply add a "new" modem by clicking the Add button . Click Next to let Windows find your modem. If it selects the standard modem click the "Change" button. Select your modem's manufacturer from the list on the left, then select your specific modem from the list on the right. If your modem is not on the list you may need to go to the manufacturer's web site to download the latest drivers. Once your modem is installed with the appropriate drivers "remove" the old modem by clicking the remove button. 4. In addition to verifying what modem drivers you have set up (step #3), also check other modem settings in the Control Panel. Go to Start/Settings/Control Panel/Modems/General tab. Select the modem driver then select the Properties button. At the top of the Modem Properties page, there is a tab called Connection. Click the Connection tab and check to see that the "Disconnect a call if idle for more than __" is not checked, or, is set to a sufficiently long time for the file you are downloading. We recommend turning it off by unchecking it.
5. In the same dialog box as step #4 there is a button called Port Settings. Click on the Port Settings and it will bring up another window that allows you to change buffer sizes. As the dialog box describes, a lower setting is more reliable but slower; a higher setting is faster but less reliable. Change the Receive Buffer to a lower setting to reduce the possibility of being disconnected.

Corrupted file messages:

This happens when the file gets cut off prematurely, or the line has noise. You can re-download the file to replace the download damaged file.

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1. What should I do if the software crashes or gives an error message when I try to "View Show with 3D"?

The amount of video RAM with your 3D graphics accelerator may be inadequate for the resolution and/or color bit depth settings at which you are playing back your 3D enhanced presentation. Try setting your display to a lower resolution. Also, try reducing the color depth setting. With 4 MB of video RAM in your graphics board, a resolution of 800x600 is the highest possible, with a 16-bit color depth. With 8 MB or more of video RAM, a resolution of 1024x768 may be possible. But even if you have enough RAM, these resolutions may not work well with your graphics board. If you are experiencing stability or quality problems, you should try using a resolution of 640x480x16 bits. You can lower your settings by going to the Start button in Windows, then click on the Settings command, then the Control Panel option, then the Display icon, then the Settings tab, then change the "Desktop area" settings and the "Color palette" settings.

It is also possible that there may be a problem with a specific slide in your presentation to which a 3D title effect has been applied. If you notice that the "Preparing 3D Presentation" dialog of the View Show with 3D command hangs or the playback of your 3D presentation halts at a particular slide, try removing the 3D title effect applied to that slide.

A. Runtime errors: There is a read out in the Preparing 3D Titles dialog window. It will count down the slides.

1. On which slide does the preparation stop?
2. Does that slide have a graphic on it? More than likely it will be on the next slide lower (if it stops on slide 12, check slide 11).
3. Try deleting the picture. Does a blank text or object box appear in place of the picture? (usually asking to Click here to enter Text) If this does not occur try removing all pictures and reinserting each picture one at a time until the problem returns.
4. This is what is causing the runtime error. Try deleting the text box and replacing the picture. If you have to cut and paste you will need to cut from PowerPoint and paste into any Paint program, then cut and paste back into PowerPoint. This is a bug we found in PowerPoint 97. It has been fixed in PowerPoint 2000. When we process the slides we ask PowerPoint what is on each slide. It reports that the picture is a text box instead of a picture because of this embedded text box. This false report causes the runtime error.

B. A message that says: This machine does not appear to have adequate 3D acceleration hardware installed and enabled you will need to pre-render the effects for later real-time playback.

1. This is simply stating that your computer does not have a 3D capable board and that our software needs to generate the effects because your video card cannot.
2. We create AVI file versions of the 3D Titles and store them in a folder with your presentation.
3. The folder is named "(your presentation's name) videos"
4. After the effects are rendered choose view show with 3D again to view the 3D title effects in the presentation.
5. If you are unable to view the 3D Titles after you render them, or the rendering time takes only moments see: What should I do if the 3D Titles do not play back in my presentation?

Another consideration is that you may be using PowerPlugs: 3D Titles on a system that has an incompatible 3D product that could also be competing for the 3D graphics accelerator's limited resources. We are working to do compatibility testing with other new 3D products as they are released. When we find compatibility problems and fix them, we will put new versions of PowerPlugs: 3D Titles on our Web site, which you may download for free.

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Make sure you are running the most current version of PowerPlugs: 3D Titles. The 1.5 and later versions of 3D Titles are compatible with international PowerPoint 97 or 2000 versions.

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3. What should I do if "View Show with 3D" locks up my computer, or shows a black screen?

The most common cause of lock ups are video card conflicts.

If you use a Voodoo card please disable your Voodoo card from trying to accelerate Direct 3D. (Voodoo 1, and 2 only) It is not capable of accelerating windowed applications and will cause errors. Please try using 3D Control Center, a shareware program, to switch your Voodoo off for 3D Titles. Voodoo chips do not allow the use of Windowed 3D applications. Because most non-game oriented titles use the windowed mode they are not compatible with these game accelerators. They are called game accelerators because so far only games are really able to use them. There are some relatively obscure uses of Voodoo technology available to users of 3D Studio Max, the obsidian card, so they are not completely game cards just mostly... Please look here for more information on the capabilities of the Voodoo chipset: 3DFX Voodoo 2 FAQs page Note mainly this: Support for full-screen games under popular PC operating systems including: Microsoft Windows 95, MS-DOS, and Windows 3.1 using 3D APIs including Microsoft Direct3D™, RealityLab 2.0, Intel 3DR, Criterion Renderware™, and more

So unfortunately Voodoo 1, 2 users will probably not be able to use their boards for anything more than games. Unfortunately due to the restrictions that Voodoo technology have, (the inability to display 3D in a window) there is little hope that business users like yourself will be able to use your existing hardware to accelerate your business apps. Please consult our web site for information on tested accelerator cards.

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4. What should I do if the 3D Titles dialog keeps asking me to render my 3D Titles?

This is usually caused by a video card conflict.

1. Make sure that you have the most current version of the drivers for your video card.(See below to determine what your video card is)
2. Make sure that you try the latest version of DirectX (see above for explanation of DirectX)

3. Also verify that the acceleration is enabled in Windows. For Windows 95/98: Go to the Start Menu\Settings\Control Panel. Double-click the System Icon. Go to the performance tab. Click the Graphics button. Make sure that the bar is slid to Full.

   For users of laptops with some brands of display chips you may need to reverse the above directions and slide the acceleration to None. This will force 3D Titles to render AVI files instead of trying to use your display card to render the 3D Titles. This can also cause a loop of rendering dialogs.

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1. What should I do if the 3D Titles do not play back in my presentation?

First there must be at least two slides in your presentation, you need to be able to 3D title from one slide to another. Second make sure that you are assigning 3D Titles to slides other than the first slide. 3D Titles to the first slide only show up in looping presentations.

Be sure you have the most current driver for your display hardware (3D graphics accelerator) installed on your system.(See the documentation that came with your 3D graphics accelerator card for more information) Once you have confirmed that the latest driver for your hardware is present, you should also check to make sure that DirectX 5.0 or above and/or OpenGL.

Also verify that the acceleration is enabled in Windows. For Windows 95/98: Go to the Start Menu\Settings\Control Panel. Double-click the System Icon. Go to the performance tab. Click the Graphics button. Make sure that the bar is slid to Full.

For users of laptops with NeoMagic brand display chips you may need to reverse the above directions and slide the acceleration to None. This will force 3D Titles to render AVI files instead of trying to use your display card to render the 3D Titles. Users of S3 Virge MX chips in their laptops should not disable the acceleration. We have found that these chips cannot run with the acceleration disabled!

If you have verified that you have a working 3D graphics accelerator card, and if the problem persists, try reducing the resolution of your graphics screen display because there might not be enough video RAM available to support the play back. (See the question "If the software crashes" for more info.)

ATI video card users may experience a black screen at the 3D title point. Usually the sound effect for the 3D title is present, but the 3D title effect is not visible.

1. Update to the most current driver for your video card model. ATI drivers should be obtained from the manufacturer at www.ati.com
2. Make sure that you are running the most current version of DirectX. (5.0 or above)(see above for explanation of DirectX)

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Make sure that there is a 3D title assigned to the slide(s). To do this, use PowerPoint to go to the slide(s) that should have a 3D title effect assigned. Then select the "Add 3D Titles" command to confirm that there is a 3D title chosen from the Style pulldown menu.

It is possible that the 3D title effects may not play back when the position of the mouse cursor is within the text box boundaries of a slide. So, if you use a mouse to click through your presentation, make sure the cursor sits outside the content area of your slides as you play back the presentation. To avoid this text box/mouse cursor sensitivity altogether, try using keyboard strokes to play back your presentation, such as the space bar, arrow keys or Page Down/Up keys.

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3. What should I do if my 3D presentation won't play on another computer (and I've used the "pack 3D Effects" command)?

If, after using "Pack 3D Effects," your 3D presentation will not play on another computer - In order to see the 3D effects of a 3D presentation on another computer (destination computer), the destination computer must have the following software applications installed: PowerPoint 97 or 2000 and the PowerPlugs: 3D Titles player program - PowerPlugs Player.exe (or a licensed copy of PowerPlugs: 3D Titles installed). In addition to the presence of these software applications, make sure your 3D-enhanced PowerPoint presentation file (.PPT), as well as the packed 3D effects file (.3DP), are present. Make sure that these files have the same name. (For example Presentation.PPT, Presentation.3DP) Although it is not required that these files be copied onto the destination computer's hard drive, we do recommend it. Once you have confirmed that these requirements are met, you should also check to make sure that DirectX 5.0 or above and/or OpenGL, and the latest software driver for your display hardware is installed (see the documentation that came with your graphics accelerator card for more information). If you have verified that the destination computer has a working 3D graphics accelerator card, and if the problem persists, try reducing the resolution of your graphics screen display because there might not be enough video RAM available to support the play back. (See "If the software crashes…" above, for more info.)

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4. Why does 3D Titles say that I do not have 3D hardware acceleration?

Your system may not have a video card that can accelerate 3D graphics. (Either OpenGL ICD for NT, or Direct 3D for Windows 95/98)

1. Make sure that you have the most current version of the drivers for your video card.(See below to determine what your video card is)
2. Make sure that you try the latest version of DirectX (see above for explanation of DirectX)

3. Also verify that the acceleration is enabled in Windows. For Windows 95/98: Go to the Start Menu\Settings\Control Panel. Double-click the System Icon. Go to the performance tab. Click the Graphics button. Make sure that the bar is slid to Full.

   For users of laptops with some brands of display chips you may need to reverse the above directions and slide the acceleration to None. This will force 3D Titles to render AVI files instead of trying to use your display card to render the 3D Titles. This can also cause a loop of rendering dialog

1. What 3D graphics acceleration works with PowerPlugs: 3D Titles?

For a complete up-to-date list of tested 3D graphics acceleration hardware, please visit this page.

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2. How do I check what model display adapter (video card, 3D accelerator) I have?

For Windows 95/98 users: Go to the Start Menu\Settings\Control Panel. Double-click on the System Icon. Click on Device Manager. Double click on Display Adapter. This is your video card.

For NT users: Right-click on the desktop. Choose Properties. Click on Settings. Click on Display Type. This is your video card.

3. What should I do if my computer is supposed to have 3D acceleration but 3D Titles doesn't recognize it?

Your system may not have a video card that can accelerate 3D graphics. (Either OpenGL ICD for NT, or Direct 3D for Windows 95/98)

1. Make sure that you have the most current version of the drivers for your video card.(See below to determine what your video card is)
2. Make sure that you try the latest version of DirectX (see above for explanation of DirectX)

3. Also verify that the acceleration is enabled in Windows. For Windows 95/98: Go to the Start Menu\Settings\Control Panel. Double-click the System Icon. Go to the performance tab. Click the Graphics button. Make sure that the bar is slid to Full.

   For users of laptops with some brands of display chips you may need to reverse the above directions and slide the acceleration to None. This will force 3D Titles to render AVI files instead of trying to use your display card to render the 3D Titles. This can also cause a loop of rendering dialog

1. What should I do if it seems to take "too long" for a 3D title to display?

Under Windows 95 there is usually about a 3-second setup time required by PowerPlugs: 3D Titles to load the necessary data into your graphics board for each slide in your presentation. This setup process for that "next" 3D title effect begins automatically as soon as the 3D title before it is completed. Once it is loaded, the 3D title should be ready to start as soon as you click the mouse, or press the right arrow key or the spacebar.

Under Windows NT, the setup time may take two or three seconds longer. In addition, Windows NT is slower at starting the 3D title once the setup time is completed, and the mouse is clicked, or the arrow key or spacebar is pressed. Our experience is that Windows NT may introduce a delay of up to 7 seconds to start the 3D title. This delay can be reduced by making sure you have enough system RAM (at least 48 MB), and by making sure you have a fast PC, with no other applications running concurrently. Optimizing you hard drive may also help. Although undesirable, any delay can be anticipated, taken into account, and compensated for during your presentations.

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Versions of PowerPlugs: 3D Titles prior to 1.1 had a bug in the processing of text strings that make up PowerPoint slides (a text string ending with a blank character would cause the preparation of the 3D show to hang). This problem has since been resolved. Please download the current version of PowerPlugs: 3D Titles.

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3. What should I do if my 3D Presentation is missing objects, images or other elements that were inserted in my slides (and I've used the "Pack 3D Effects" command)?

Pack 3D Effects only packs up PowerPlugs: 3D Titles-related items. So, if your presentation includes AVI files, images, Excel charts, Truetype fonts or other similar external files, make sure to transport these files to the destination computer (for your convenience, PowerPoint's "Pack and Go" command located in the PowerPoint File menu, will compress these files plus your PowerPoint presentation file into one transportable file, giving a file extension name of ".ppz."). Please see PowerPoint's documentation for more information on the Pack and Go command.

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The display resolution of your 3D-enabled notebook PC may be set higher than the amount of video RAM can accommodate for the playback of your 3D presentation. For example, if your 3D-enabled notebook PC includes 4 MB of video RAM and is configured at 1024x768 resolution and 24-bit color depth, there is an inadequate amount of video RAM to play back your PowerPlugs: 3D Titles presentation. So, PowerPlugs: 3D Titles will automatically set the next highest resolution possible. In this example (i.e. having 4 MB video RAM), 800x600 is the highest possible display resolution, with a 16-bit color depth, and thus, PowerPlugs: 3D Titles will automatically readjust the screen display to that resolution for the playback of your 3D presentation. If there is less than 4MB video RAM included with your 3D-enabled notebook PC, 3D Sensations may reduce the display resolution to 640x480x16 bits for the playback of your 3D presentation.

If your 3D-enabled notebook PC includes an ATI RagePro 3D accelerator chip, you can easily configure the LCD display on your notebook so that it automatically resizes an image to full screen display. In other words, even though 3D Sensations may automatically reduce the playback resolution of your presentation to 800x600, this LCD setting, when enabled, will resize the PowerPlugs: 3D Titles presentation so that it displays at full screen! To enable this setting, go to the Start / Settings menu and select Control Panel. Double click on the Display icon. Within the Display Properties dialog box, select the "Adjustment" tab and in the "LCD Panel Option" click on the box for "Scale image to resize the screen." Then click "Okay" and close the Control Panel menu.

Also, if you want to establish the "LCD Panel / Scale image" option as a permanent default setting (again, using a notebook PC that has an ATI RagePro 3D accelerator chip), you can do so by editing the display expansion settings within the BIOS set up menu of your notebook PC. It's really easy to do this. Here's how (note: these instructions assume that your notebook PCs use Phoenix BIOS):

1. Reboot your notebook PC.
2. Before the Windows menu displays, press "F2" to access the BIOS set up program.
3. Select "Advanced / Video Features."
4. Enable the feature called "Compensation."
5. Save your changes and exit the BIOS setting program.
6. Reboot your notebook PC again, this time allowing Windows and your desktop to display.

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5. Why are my sound effects or animations being cut off before they are completed?

We are aware of a bug in PowerPoint that does not allow CD audio files to play correctly, they are ended after a 3D title displays, if a 3D title is applied to slide 2. To work around this problem do not assign a 3D title to slide 2 if you use a CD audio track for your presentation.

If you use WAV files your sound card may not allow two wave files to play simultaneously. If this s the case you should disable the sound effects for the 3D Titles in the Add 3D title dialog.

If you use automatic timings make sure that you allow enough time for all your on slide animations to complete before the 3D title is triggered.

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6. My transitions will not work while an audio file is playing. What can I do?

Do not apply a 3D Transition to the slide that immediately follows the slide in which the audio file starts.

EXAMPLE: If your audio file starts on slide 2, do not apply a transition to slide 3. All other slides with 3D transitions applied to them should function normally with audio file playback.

Note: This solution will not work if effected slides are set to automatically advance.

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1. How do I contact Technical Support?

PowerPlugs: 3D Titles users have unlimited access to Online Technical Support which lists the typical technical support problems that users encounter, along with our best information regarding their solutions. This service is available free of charge.

If you should need additional technical support service, CrystalGraphics provides three technical support purchase options:

• Option #1: You can buy technical support on a per incident basis. With the per incident option, you buy telephone-based technical support in 15 minute increments or per individual problem or incident when communicating electronically (i.e. fax and/or e-mail support) .
• Option #2: You can buy a block of technical support time (or number of incidences). The minimum block of time you can purchase is two hours (or the equivalent of 8 incidences if communicating via electronic mechanisms, i.e. fax or e-mail). Technical support purchased in time blocks costs less than technical support purchased on a per incident basis. However, the block of time purchased must be used within a 12 month period.
• Option #3: You can buy a 12-month technical support contract. The technical support contract provides you with unlimited telephone-based technical support or electronic incidences, and free software updates if any updates ship while your contract is active.

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