Linux graphics issues: "dotted/broken lines"

Support Basics & Interface
#1

Hey, when I used 2.45 the problem was that, after a few seconds or minutes, the lines of the model would start to be broken, like they were dotted/interrupted. Also, when the cursor is moved onto the lower part of the screen, the 3D view gets fixed; if you move the cursor back to the 3D view, it gets broken again. In 2.46 it was the same story. Now using 2.47 it’s still like this!

I looked around, but found nothing.

~edit:
Graphics card is ATI X1600, using OpenGL. Everything should be well installed.

#2

This is a common problem on ATI cards. You may want to update/downgrade your video driver. This problem has popped up a lot on the forums, so there might be a solution somewhere.

#3

How am I to downgrade or upgrade the driver? It cost me lots of effort some weeks ago to get it installed. Making changes now could possibly mess things up.

I can’t seem to find any thread or internet place that has the solution you speak of.

#4

try this thread:
http://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread.php?t=119359

#5

Thanks, but it still doesn’t help much in that link.

#6

This problem was solved for me when I installed the Catalyst 8.8 drivers. They’re current. Instructions fot the installation vary from one distro to the other but shouldn’t be hard to find. Changing drivers on Linux, for ATI’s card is much more challenging than on Windows but far from impossible. With time it gets just as easy.

#7

Yeah, I don’t know. There was a time I had to wrestle quite a bit to get the graphics going. When I installed ATI’s driver taken from their site, it ruined the system. Then I used EnvyNG instead and “somehow” it worked. Since then, I haven’t bothered, but now I must.

In EnvyNG I noticed a list of drivers, but it only has one which is 8.6 which is the currently installed one. Is it possible to take the driver from ATI’s site and have EnvyNG detect it for installation?

#8

I can’t help you: here EnvyNG killed my system so well that I had to undo its mess manually, from a console, since I couldn’t start X. So I install by hand. Last time I used Method 2 here :http://wiki.cchtml.com/index.php/Ubuntu_Hardy_Installation_Guide and it worked like a charm.

J.

#9

Catalyst 8.9 has been released 3 days ago btw…if anyone dares to try it :wink:
Release notes don’t mention anything about OpenGL though…

#10

Just to shoulder off some of my ATI fatigue : the other day I felt like reporting some bug to their tracker and, just on the Linux side, there were almost 600 opened reports. I couldn’t throw high enough to get mine on the pile.

I’ll go see what 8.9 looks like.

Jean

#11

Okay, I went ahead and downloaded 8.9 from the site. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m getting this:

./ati* --buildpkg Ubuntu/hardy
Created directory fglrx-install.nH7407
Verifying archive integrity… All good.
Uncompressing ATI Proprietary Linux Driver-8.532…

ATI Technologies Linux Driver Installer/Packager

Generating package: Ubuntu/hardy
Resolving build dependencies…
./packages/Ubuntu/ati-packager.sh: 364: sh -c ‘/usr/sbin/synaptic --set-selections --non-interactive --hide-main-window < /tmp/fileq7WwqC’: not found
Unable to resolve cdbs fakeroot. Please manually install and try again.
Package build failed!
Package build utility output:
dpkg-buildpackage: set CPPFLAGS to default value:
dpkg-buildpackage: set CFLAGS to default value: -g -O2
dpkg-buildpackage: set CXXFLAGS to default value: -g -O2
dpkg-buildpackage: set FFLAGS to default value: -g -O2
dpkg-buildpackage: set LDFLAGS to default value: -Wl,-Bsymbolic-functions
dpkg-buildpackage: source package fglrx-installer
dpkg-buildpackage: source version 2:8.532-0ubuntu1
dpkg-buildpackage: source changed by ATI Technologies Inc. <http://ati.amd.com/support/driver.html>
debian/rules build
dpkg-buildpackage: host architecture i386
debian/rules:6: /usr/share/cdbs/1/rules/debhelper.mk: No such file or directory
make: *** No rule to make target /usr/share/cdbs/1/rules/debhelper.mk'. Stop. dpkg-buildpackage: failure: debian/rules build gave error exit status 2 dpkg-buildpackage: set CPPFLAGS to default value: dpkg-buildpackage: set CFLAGS to default value: -g -O2 dpkg-buildpackage: set CXXFLAGS to default value: -g -O2 dpkg-buildpackage: set FFLAGS to default value: -g -O2 dpkg-buildpackage: set LDFLAGS to default value: -Wl,-Bsymbolic-functions dpkg-buildpackage: source package fglrx-installer dpkg-buildpackage: source version 2:8.532-0ubuntu1 dpkg-buildpackage: source changed by ATI Technologies Inc. <http://ati.amd.com/support/driver.html> debian/rules build dpkg-buildpackage: host architecture i386 debian/rules:6: /usr/share/cdbs/1/rules/debhelper.mk: No such file or directory make: *** No rule to make target/usr/share/cdbs/1/rules/debhelper.mk’. Stop.
dpkg-buildpackage: failure: debian/rules build gave error exit status 2
dpkg-buildpackage: set CPPFLAGS to default value:
dpkg-buildpackage: set CFLAGS to default value: -g -O2
dpkg-buildpackage: set CXXFLAGS to default value: -g -O2
dpkg-buildpackage: set FFLAGS to default value: -g -O2
dpkg-buildpackage: set LDFLAGS to default value: -Wl,-Bsymbolic-functions
dpkg-buildpackage: source package fglrx-installer
dpkg-buildpackage: source version 2:8.532-0ubuntu1
dpkg-buildpackage: source changed by ATI Technologies Inc. <http://ati.amd.com/support/driver.html>
debian/rules build
dpkg-buildpackage: host architecture i386
debian/rules:6: /usr/share/cdbs/1/rules/debhelper.mk: No such file or directory
make: *** No rule to make target `/usr/share/cdbs/1/rules/debhelper.mk’. Stop.
dpkg-buildpackage: failure: debian/rules build gave error exit status 2
Removing temporary directory: fglrx-install.nH7407

This need to manually make a package for this system is already irritating enough, and when I get to it, it can’t generate it? My hatred for ATI/AMD is growing. They should release a perfect Linux driver, and a perfect installation file for every Linux distribution.

I don’t dare to install with the regular option when you just run the downloaded file: last time I did that, back then, it really got messed up.

How did your installation attempt go, Jean?

~edit:
Okay, I’ve gotten a bit further. I forgot about the previous method and just chose to generate a RedHat package. When it was created, I used the program alien to convert it to a deb package (the –scripts flag was necessary). Now I’ve got a .deb file ready for installation. I’ll let you know if the installation gives a positive result.

#12

Ha! It messed up the system.

#13

Any non-free driver in Linux is such a PITA.
I am sorry for your misfortune. Anything I can do? ATM I don’t see. The worse case to hinder helping is when one can’t repeat the problem at home…

Jean

#14

Yeah, I think there’s something you can do for me: you can bring me a fully loaded gun, a trip to the AMD HQ, and you drive the getaway vehicle afterwards :eyebrowlift:

I can’t believe how MESSED UP it is to get a working Linux system with proper graphics. I either just buy an Nvidia card or I use Windows. We’re just like pawns in big game.

#15

Oh well, I just cleaned up the place : did a last back up and reinstalled Linux. I did so many experiments since a year and a half that it was hard to remember what was what.

Installed Xubuntu this time, because it’s light and fast. The driver that came with it is hardware accelerated and does as well as the ATI for most things except GLSL. With it Blender’s interface is cleaner. Switching to what Ubuntu keeps in ‘restricted’ as a proprietary driver is simple too. I am done keeping up with the latest Catalyst, that much is for sure.

Good luck

Jean

#16

That’s good to hear that you got it down. Xubuntu is based on the XFCE GUI, isn’t it? Is your Xubuntu really fully operational? No strange artifacts and such things at all in Blender? Good performance?

Recently I switched from Mint 32-bit to openSuSE 64-bit. I managed to install ATI drivers through their YaST and it seems to work fine, and Blender also seems accelerated, except… Blender is now ripped in half and the whole screen is garbled or scrambled. I’m much worse off than I was with the dotted lines :no:

#17

All of the above minus the GLSL shaders which aren’t on the free driver. For that I’d need the ATI driver and, as long as you have half a mind set on visiting the gun shop set on the opposite corner of the AMD building, I won’t install them.

Recently I switched from Mint 32-bit to openSuSE 64-bit. I managed to install ATI drivers through their YaST and it seems to work fine, and Blender also seems accelerated, except… Blender is now ripped in half and the whole screen is garbled or scrambled. I’m much worse off than I was with the dotted lines :no:

Did you get any news about the ticket that you opened with ATI ?

Jean

#18

Hehehe :stuck_out_tongue:

Did you get any news about the ticket that you opened with ATI ?

Jean

What do you mean?

#19

Sorry, I thought that you were that guy from another thread since you’re pretty much the only one who’s following up on that nightmare.

FYI, the drivers I use now are the DRI project’s. Very stable and fast and so I can work without worrying so much. Hopefully I’ll keep the habbit of saving, saving, saving… that my ATI proprietary drivers taught me, so generously… emotion…

So, come back if you ever feel the need to blow some steam, or bust some heads. :wink:

Jean

#20

Oh yeah, I’d like to bust some heads alright. Specifically a few heads over at ATI/AMD.

I’ve gone to Mint XFCE and I’m pretty much where I left off. I installed the “restricted drivers” that were automatically offered and there’s full acceleration and such. It’s just those damn broken lines again.

What exactly is the deal with that DRI thing you talk about? What exact videocard to you use?

~edit:
And while I’m at it, I’d like to say that ATI/AMD should be destroyed for their bad drivers and support. If you recognize an ATI boss’ head on the street, don’t hesitate to bust it :slight_smile: