FAQ

If your question is not covered below please post it to the forums.  Only legitimate business queries will be answered via email.

1. When I click on the images on the applications page my browser tries to download a .rsf file but nothing happens: You need to install RunSwimFly before viewing applications. See Installation on the Home Page. If you have already done this try installing to a different directory. My Vista test box recently decided to not run the program if I install to the default directory but will run if I install to a different directory. I've not had any problems with XP.

2. I've installed RunSwimFly but nothing is happening:Nothing is meant to happen. Once you have installed RunSwimFly you need to visit the Applications page and click on the images to fire up the program.

3. The Program quits with a DirectX error: Install DirectX. See Installation on the Home Page for the link.

4. Graphics corruption or other visual weirdness: Please update the drivers for your video card to the latest version.

5. The webcam applets don't seem to respond to what I'm doing in front of the camera: Try opening up a normal webcam window and ensure you are getting an image. Some webcam devices can have their settings reset when you reboot your computer. It is important to go into camera options and turn off automatic adjustment of exposure, gain, white balance, and backlight compensation where those options exist. Then use a normal webcam window to adjust these settings so that the scene is decently lit with good contrast. Turning off automatic settings is especially important with those applets which utilise a static background image to determine the outline of foreground objects. The motion detection applets are a little more forgiving. Results with webcam applications are best where the background is relatively plain and contrasts well with the user.

6. The image doesn't use my entire screen: Try changing the resolution on the program options screen. If you have a wide-screen display look for resolutions that are marked as (Widescreen). I tried this program briefly on a Sony Bravia LCD home entertainment screen and noticed that some resolutions, though wide-screen, would come up with a thick black border around the screen. Eventually by cycling through the resolutions though I found one which filled the whole screen. You may also be able to change the scaling on your display device.

7. The image on my wide-screen display fills the screen but looks stretched: Check that you have selected a wide-screen display resolution within the options screen. You could also change the settings on your display device to crop or zoom non wide-screen images rather than stretching them. But if you have a wide-screen resolution available from the options screen why not use it?

8. The Program is running slowly: Make sure you have closed any unnecessary background programs including browser windows not related to the program. Try an alternative applet that uses less cpu or graphics resources if one is available. Try a lower camera resolution setting in options if the applet uses a webcam. Try a lower screen resolution (3D applets only). You can see the effect of all these changes by hitting F11 to bring up the frame counter.

9. Lowering screen resolution for 2D apps doesn't increase frame rate: 2D apps frame rates are governed much more by the resolution of the surfaces used in internal processing than the resolution of the screen. The only effect screen resolution settings will have (for 2D apps) on most modern video cards is that wide-screen settings will actually run a little FASTER at the expense of slightly lower internal processing resolution. This is due to the easiest and fastest way to produce a wide-screen image of the correct aspect ratio is to crop the top and bottom and then enlarge. If you want to speed up a 2D applet choose a lower camera resolution, choose an alternative applet if one is available or choose a wide-screen resolution. Note that the presence of large numbers of particles may make screen resolution a factor in determining frame rate, even for 2D applets.

10. The webcam resolution reported by hitting F12 twice does not match the value I set in options: This value is just a maximum limiting value. The applet then decides the resolution (which is less than or equal to this limiting resolution) which best suits its needs. For some applets which use the device purely for motion detection this may be as low as 320x240 even though the resolution of other processing and rendering surfaces used by the applet may be much higher. Note that the resolution reported is just the raw resolution input from the camera. The applet will then clip the input image to fit a wide-screen image if using a wide-screen resolution without distorting the aspect ratio.

11. The webcam update rate reported by hitting F12 twice seems very low: This is independent of the RunSwimFly program. You may be able to improve rate by lowering camera resolution but it is also affected by the camera's exposure setting. Try lighting the scene more brightly so that you can reduce exposure time.

12. The SimulEditor isn't working as I expect: It is a work in progress which I've left for the moment to pursue iPhone related matters. I've noticed problems myself, particularly on my Vista test box. Anyway, log them on the forum but perhaps let me know if the other applications are working for you.