Dolphin Emulator Wiki

Dolphin Manual: Difference between revisions

Page Discussion

Dolphin Manual (view source)

Revision as of 17:13, 22 April 2013

1 byte added ,  22 April 2013
m
no edit summary
mNo edit summary
Line 121: Line 121:
To reset a running game go to the Menu and select Emulation -> Reset. Dolphin by default does not have a hotkey for this action, however users can specify their own by editing the hotkeys (see Section 3.2 for more details).
To reset a running game go to the Menu and select Emulation -> Reset. Dolphin by default does not have a hotkey for this action, however users can specify their own by editing the hotkeys (see Section 3.2 for more details).


= Graphics =
== General Graphics Options ==
This section provides general graphics options that don't particularly belong to any specific category. To access these settings:
*Click on the Graphics button in the Toolbar and go to the General tab.
*Go to the Menu, select Options -> Graphics Settings, and go to the General tab.
INSERT PHOTO HERE
'''Backend:''' Chooses between various graphical backends for rendering. The available choices are OpenGL, Direct3D9, Direct3D11, and Software Depending on the computer's hardware and OS. OpenGL and Software Renderer are the only backends available on Linux and OS X; both Direct3D backends are restricted to Windows. Direct3D11 requires a card that supports at least DirectX 10 as well as the necessary drivers. The Software Renderer is not recommended for use outside of debugging; it also does not share many of the same options as the hardware accelerated backends (see Section X.X for using the Software Renderer).
'''Adapter:''' Chooses which GPU to use for hardware accelerated rendering. Users with integrated graphic processors may need to switch which GPU Dolphin uses for higher performance. This option is only available for the Direct3D9 and Direct3D11 backends.
'''Fullscreen Resolution:''' Sets the resolution Dolphin will use when entering fullscreen mode; options vary depending on display size.
'''Aspect Ratio:''' Sets the aspect ratio Dolphin will use when running games. Available options are Auto, 4:3, 16:3, or Stretch to Window.
'''V-Sync:''' Uses vertical syncing to reduce the presence of screen tearing.
'''Use Fullscreen:''' Starts Dolphin in fullscreen mode rather than rendering in a window.
'''Show FPS:''' Displays the current FPS in the top left-hand corner when running games.
'''Log FPS to file:''' Writes the FPS to the Dolphin folder in Logs\fps.txt. For every second of gameplay, Dolphin will write the current FPS to one line. This option is useful for benchmarking.
'''Auto adjust Window Size:''' Automatically adjusts the window to the current internal resolution (see Section 3.2 for details about the internal resolution).
'''Keep window on top:''' Keeps Dolphin's render window above all other windows.
'''Hide Mouse Cursor:''' Hides the mouse cursor if it hovers over Dolphin's render window.
'''Render to Main Window:''' Sets Dolphin's render window as the main window instead of creating a separate render window. With this option, the main window's game list (see Section 1.2 screenshot) is replaced with a rendering of the game itself, but all of Dolphin's buttons and menus are still visible and accessible.
== Enhancements ==
This section provides options meant to enhancement the graphical quality of games running under Dolphin, sometimes to a level greater than the original hardware. To access these settings:
*Click on the Graphics button in the Toolbar and go to the Enhancements tab.
*Go to the Menu, select Options -> Graphics Settings, and go to the Enhancements tab.
INSERT PHOTO HERE
'''Internal Resolution:''' Specifies the resolution in which Dolphin will render the games. This option will allow graphics to render in HD, in resolutions of 1080p and beyond. Auto (Window Size) will set the Internal Resolution to the same size as Dolphin’s render window. Auto (Multiple of 640x528) will set the IR as a multiple of 640x528 based on the size of Dolphin’s render window. The other options are specific multiples of 640x528. Raising the Internal Resolution depends on the power of the GPU.
'''Anti-Aliasing:''' Specifies the level of anti-aliasing Dolphin will apply. This will reduce the appearance of “jaggies” or sharp, pixelated lines by making them look smoother. The Direct3D11 backend uses MSAA for anti-aliasing, while the Direct3D9 backend uses SSAA for anti-aliasing. The OpenGL backend uses both MSAA and SSAA for anti-aliasing. Anti-aliasing can be turned off completely. Raising anti-aliasing depends on the power of the GPU.
'''Anisotropic Filtering:''' Specifies the level of anisotropic filtering Dolphin will apply. This helps improve the look of textures when viewing them from oblique angles. Most modern GPUs will easily handle the maximum value of 16x.
'''Post-Processing Effect:''' Selects the post-processing shader to apply to games. These will apply various interesting effects on images such as making them look 32-bit, cell-shaded, or in sepia. Post-processing effects are currently only available under the OpenGL backend.
'''Scaled EFB Copy:''' Lets Dolphin scale EFB Copies when EFB Copies are enabled (see Section 3.3). Enhances the look of render-to-texture and post-processing effects when the EFB is scaled through the Internal
Resolution.
'''Per-Pixel Lighting:''' Calculates lighting for 3D graphics on a per-pixel basis rather than per-vertex. Checking this option provides more accurate emulation. Most modern GPUs will adequately handle enabling this option.
'''Force Texture Filtering:''' Forces all textures in a game to be filtered, even if the game explicitly prohibits filtering. It may improve the look of textures, however, some games will experience glitches with this option enabled.
'''Widescreen Hack:''' Forces games to use widescreen resolution. Enabling the option may cause graphical glitches to appear and does not work well with every game.
'''Disable Fog:''' Disables fog, aka “distance fog” from being processed at all. May improve the look of some games where Dolphin does not accurately emulate fog or where fog was used to obscure low-resolution assets, however this option does not reflect real hardware behavior.
'''3D Vision:''' Enables 3D stereoscopy effects using Nvidia's 3D Vision if supported by the GPU. This option requires fullscreen to work and is only available for the Direct3D9 and Direct3D11 backends.
== Hacks ==
This section provides graphical options that may not reflect accurate emulation of the original hardware, but may still be beneficial to users. To access these settings:
*Click on the Graphics button in the Toolbar and go to the Hacks tab.
*Go to the Menu, select Options -> Graphics Settings, and go to the Hacks tab.
INSERT PHOTO HERE
'''Skip EFB Access from CPU:''' Ignores any request from the emulated CPU to read or write to the Embedded Frame Buffer. While this may improve the speed for some games, it may also cause gameplay or graphical
glitches in others.
'''Ignore Format Changes:''' Ignores any changes to the EFB format. When enabled, Dolphin will not reinterpret existing EFB data to another format. May graphical issues for certain games. For the OpenGL backend, this option is always enabled and cannot be unchecked.
'''EFB Copies:''' Determines how Dolphin will emulate EFB Copies. Games often use EFB Copies for render-to-texture effects and post-processing. Disabling EFB Copies altogether will disable these effects. Dolphin will emulate EFB Copies with two methods:
*Texture – Dolphin will use Direct3D or OpenGL textures for encoding and decoding EFB Copies. This method is often faster than RAM, however, not all of the effects used by EFB Copies can accurately
be emulated this way. For most games, this is the recommended option unless otherwise specified.
*RAM – Dolphin will download encoded EFB Copies from the GPU’s VRAM to RAM for decoding, and eventual reupload back to VRAM. This method is more accurate than Texture and emulates the effect used by EFB Copies more accurately, however, it can be slower and more demanding on hardware.
Texture caching can be enabled when EFB Copies are set to RAM. This may improve speed but may also slightly reduce its accuracy.
'''Texture Cache Accuracy:''' Determines the amount of samples of a texture Dolphin will take to generate a hash for the texture cache. Moving the slide closer to Safe increases the amount of samples taken, allowing Dolphin to more accurately detect texture changes and possibly reduce graphical glitches. Moving the slide closer to Fast reduces the amount of samples taken, which may not detect texture changes as accurately. It is recommended to keep this option on Fast since most games play without any noticeable errors; use Safe only when specified.
'''External Frame Buffer:''' Allows Dolphin to emulate the External Frame Buffer, also known as the XFB. This option is useful for games such as homebrew, certain movie segments, and other effects that do not directly draw to the EFB. Dolphin will emulate the External Frame Buffer with two methods:
*Virtual – Dolphin will use Direct3D or OpenGL textures for External Frame Buffer emulation.
*Real – Dolphin will process External Frame Buffer emulation in RAM. This option closely emulates real hardware output and may lower the overall graphical quality, even when enhancements like Internal
Resolution and anti-aliasing have been raised.
Unless a game specifically requires the use of External Frame Buffer emulation, it should otherwise be left off.
'''Cache Display Lists:''' Allows Dolphin to maintain a cache of display lists – series of graphical commands sent to the emulated GPU – for possible speed-ups. It can cause frequent crashes, however.
'''Disable Alpha Pass:''' Allows Dolphin to disable destination alpha used by some games’ effects.
'''OpenCL Texture Decoder:''' Allows Dolphin to use the OpenCL texture decoder over the default texture decoder. This option will use GPU resources for texture decoding. In its current state, the OpenCL texture
decoder is slower than the default texture decoder and unlikely to provide noticeable speedups.
'''OpenMP Texture Decoder:''' Allows Dolphin to use the OpenMP texture decoder over the default texture decoder. This option will use OpenMP to generate multiple threads for texture decoding. It may take advantage of multi-core systems, reduce small but noticeable “micro-stuttering” in some games, and provide a slight speed-up.
Please note, both the OpenCL Texture Decoder and OpenMP Texture Decoder should not be enabled at the same time. Dolphin can only use one texture decoder at a time. If both are selected, Dolphin will simply use the OpenCL Texture Decoder.
'''Hacked Buffer Upload:''' Uses a hacked upload technique to stream vertices. The OpenGL specification actually forbids this method; it may produce heavy graphical glitches, however, it usually results in a speed-up, especially for Nvidia GPUs using OpenGL. If no graphical glitches occur with this option enabled, it is recommended to leave it checked.
== Advanced Graphics Options ==
This section provides technical graphical options and utilities that may be of interest to experienced users looking to debug things or use features like custom textures. Ordinarily, for most users, these settings do not need to be altered. To access these settings:
*Click on the Graphics button in the Toolbar and go to the Advanced tab.
*Go to the Menu, select Options -> Graphics Settings, and go to the Advanced tab.
INSERT PHOTO HERE
'''Enable Wireframe:''' Allows Dolphin to render the scene as wireframe.
'''Show EFB Copy Regions:''' Allows Dolphin to highlight areas used for EFB copies. Currently this option is broken.
'''Show Statistics:''' Displays various graphical statistics such as the number of textures generated, number of pixel and vertex shaders generated, and more.
'''Texture Overlay Format:''' Modifies texture in-game to display their encoding format. Dump Textures: Dumps any textures generated by Dolphin in the user’s Dump\Texture\<game_id> folder as
TGA files.
'''Load Custom Textures:''' Allows Dolphin to use replace certain textures for a game with custom ones. The custom textures should reside in the user’s Load\Textures\<game_id> folder.
'''Dump EFB Target:''' Dumps the EFB copies generated by Dolphin in the user’s Dump\Textures folder.
'''Dump Frames:''' Dumps all frames generated by Dolphin to a video file using the AVI container format.
'''Free Look:''' Allows the user to freely manipulate the game’s camera. Holding down the mouse’s right button while moving the mouse will pan the camera around. Holding down the Shift key while pressing one of the WASD keys will move the camera forward, left, backward, or right respectively by a set step distance. This step distance can be changed by pressing Shift + (0-9).
'''Frame Dumps use FFV1:''' When Dump Frames is checked, Dolphin will encode the video file using the FFV1 codec.
'''Show Input Display:''' Displays the input the emulator receives in real-time for all emulated devices that are currently connected.
'''Crop:''' Crops the screen from 4:3 to 5:4 or from 16:9 to 16:10 depending on the current aspect ratio.
'''Enable Hotkeys:''' Allows users to toggle certain options via the 3, 4, 5, and 6 numerical keys.
'''Enable Progressive Scan:''' Enables progressive scan if the emulated game or software supports this feature.


= Configuration =
= Configuration =
Line 439: Line 285:


'''Wii NAND Root:''' Specifies the root directory for a NAND dump. See Section X.X for more details on setting up NAND dumps to work with Dolphin.
'''Wii NAND Root:''' Specifies the root directory for a NAND dump. See Section X.X for more details on setting up NAND dumps to work with Dolphin.
= Graphics =
== General Graphics Options ==
This section provides general graphics options that don't particularly belong to any specific category. To access these settings:
*Click on the Graphics button in the Toolbar and go to the General tab.
*Go to the Menu, select Options -> Graphics Settings, and go to the General tab.
INSERT PHOTO HERE
'''Backend:''' Chooses between various graphical backends for rendering. The available choices are OpenGL, Direct3D9, Direct3D11, and Software Depending on the computer's hardware and OS. OpenGL and Software Renderer are the only backends available on Linux and OS X; both Direct3D backends are restricted to Windows. Direct3D11 requires a card that supports at least DirectX 10 as well as the necessary drivers. The Software Renderer is not recommended for use outside of debugging; it also does not share many of the same options as the hardware accelerated backends (see Section X.X for using the Software Renderer).
'''Adapter:''' Chooses which GPU to use for hardware accelerated rendering. Users with integrated graphic processors may need to switch which GPU Dolphin uses for higher performance. This option is only available for the Direct3D9 and Direct3D11 backends.
'''Fullscreen Resolution:''' Sets the resolution Dolphin will use when entering fullscreen mode; options vary depending on display size.
'''Aspect Ratio:''' Sets the aspect ratio Dolphin will use when running games. Available options are Auto, 4:3, 16:3, or Stretch to Window.
'''V-Sync:''' Uses vertical syncing to reduce the presence of screen tearing.
'''Use Fullscreen:''' Starts Dolphin in fullscreen mode rather than rendering in a window.
'''Show FPS:''' Displays the current FPS in the top left-hand corner when running games.
'''Log FPS to file:''' Writes the FPS to the Dolphin folder in Logs\fps.txt. For every second of gameplay, Dolphin will write the current FPS to one line. This option is useful for benchmarking.
'''Auto adjust Window Size:''' Automatically adjusts the window to the current internal resolution (see Section 3.2 for details about the internal resolution).
'''Keep window on top:''' Keeps Dolphin's render window above all other windows.
'''Hide Mouse Cursor:''' Hides the mouse cursor if it hovers over Dolphin's render window.
'''Render to Main Window:''' Sets Dolphin's render window as the main window instead of creating a separate render window. With this option, the main window's game list (see Section 1.2 screenshot) is replaced with a rendering of the game itself, but all of Dolphin's buttons and menus are still visible and accessible.
== Enhancements ==
This section provides options meant to enhancement the graphical quality of games running under Dolphin, sometimes to a level greater than the original hardware. To access these settings:
*Click on the Graphics button in the Toolbar and go to the Enhancements tab.
*Go to the Menu, select Options -> Graphics Settings, and go to the Enhancements tab.
INSERT PHOTO HERE
'''Internal Resolution:''' Specifies the resolution in which Dolphin will render the games. This option will allow graphics to render in HD, in resolutions of 1080p and beyond. Auto (Window Size) will set the Internal Resolution to the same size as Dolphin’s render window. Auto (Multiple of 640x528) will set the IR as a multiple of 640x528 based on the size of Dolphin’s render window. The other options are specific multiples of 640x528. Raising the Internal Resolution depends on the power of the GPU.
'''Anti-Aliasing:''' Specifies the level of anti-aliasing Dolphin will apply. This will reduce the appearance of “jaggies” or sharp, pixelated lines by making them look smoother. The Direct3D11 backend uses MSAA for anti-aliasing, while the Direct3D9 backend uses SSAA for anti-aliasing. The OpenGL backend uses both MSAA and SSAA for anti-aliasing. Anti-aliasing can be turned off completely. Raising anti-aliasing depends on the power of the GPU.
'''Anisotropic Filtering:''' Specifies the level of anisotropic filtering Dolphin will apply. This helps improve the look of textures when viewing them from oblique angles. Most modern GPUs will easily handle the maximum value of 16x.
'''Post-Processing Effect:''' Selects the post-processing shader to apply to games. These will apply various interesting effects on images such as making them look 32-bit, cell-shaded, or in sepia. Post-processing effects are currently only available under the OpenGL backend.
'''Scaled EFB Copy:''' Lets Dolphin scale EFB Copies when EFB Copies are enabled (see Section 3.3). Enhances the look of render-to-texture and post-processing effects when the EFB is scaled through the Internal
Resolution.
'''Per-Pixel Lighting:''' Calculates lighting for 3D graphics on a per-pixel basis rather than per-vertex. Checking this option provides more accurate emulation. Most modern GPUs will adequately handle enabling this option.
'''Force Texture Filtering:''' Forces all textures in a game to be filtered, even if the game explicitly prohibits filtering. It may improve the look of textures, however, some games will experience glitches with this option enabled.
'''Widescreen Hack:''' Forces games to use widescreen resolution. Enabling the option may cause graphical glitches to appear and does not work well with every game.
'''Disable Fog:''' Disables fog, aka “distance fog” from being processed at all. May improve the look of some games where Dolphin does not accurately emulate fog or where fog was used to obscure low-resolution assets, however this option does not reflect real hardware behavior.
'''3D Vision:''' Enables 3D stereoscopy effects using Nvidia's 3D Vision if supported by the GPU. This option requires fullscreen to work and is only available for the Direct3D9 and Direct3D11 backends.
== Hacks ==
This section provides graphical options that may not reflect accurate emulation of the original hardware, but may still be beneficial to users. To access these settings:
*Click on the Graphics button in the Toolbar and go to the Hacks tab.
*Go to the Menu, select Options -> Graphics Settings, and go to the Hacks tab.
INSERT PHOTO HERE
'''Skip EFB Access from CPU:''' Ignores any request from the emulated CPU to read or write to the Embedded Frame Buffer. While this may improve the speed for some games, it may also cause gameplay or graphical
glitches in others.
'''Ignore Format Changes:''' Ignores any changes to the EFB format. When enabled, Dolphin will not reinterpret existing EFB data to another format. May graphical issues for certain games. For the OpenGL backend, this option is always enabled and cannot be unchecked.
'''EFB Copies:''' Determines how Dolphin will emulate EFB Copies. Games often use EFB Copies for render-to-texture effects and post-processing. Disabling EFB Copies altogether will disable these effects. Dolphin will emulate EFB Copies with two methods:
*Texture – Dolphin will use Direct3D or OpenGL textures for encoding and decoding EFB Copies. This method is often faster than RAM, however, not all of the effects used by EFB Copies can accurately
be emulated this way. For most games, this is the recommended option unless otherwise specified.
*RAM – Dolphin will download encoded EFB Copies from the GPU’s VRAM to RAM for decoding, and eventual reupload back to VRAM. This method is more accurate than Texture and emulates the effect used by EFB Copies more accurately, however, it can be slower and more demanding on hardware.
Texture caching can be enabled when EFB Copies are set to RAM. This may improve speed but may also slightly reduce its accuracy.
'''Texture Cache Accuracy:''' Determines the amount of samples of a texture Dolphin will take to generate a hash for the texture cache. Moving the slide closer to Safe increases the amount of samples taken, allowing Dolphin to more accurately detect texture changes and possibly reduce graphical glitches. Moving the slide closer to Fast reduces the amount of samples taken, which may not detect texture changes as accurately. It is recommended to keep this option on Fast since most games play without any noticeable errors; use Safe only when specified.
'''External Frame Buffer:''' Allows Dolphin to emulate the External Frame Buffer, also known as the XFB. This option is useful for games such as homebrew, certain movie segments, and other effects that do not directly draw to the EFB. Dolphin will emulate the External Frame Buffer with two methods:
*Virtual – Dolphin will use Direct3D or OpenGL textures for External Frame Buffer emulation.
*Real – Dolphin will process External Frame Buffer emulation in RAM. This option closely emulates real hardware output and may lower the overall graphical quality, even when enhancements like Internal
Resolution and anti-aliasing have been raised.
Unless a game specifically requires the use of External Frame Buffer emulation, it should otherwise be left off.
'''Cache Display Lists:''' Allows Dolphin to maintain a cache of display lists – series of graphical commands sent to the emulated GPU – for possible speed-ups. It can cause frequent crashes, however.
'''Disable Alpha Pass:''' Allows Dolphin to disable destination alpha used by some games’ effects.
'''OpenCL Texture Decoder:''' Allows Dolphin to use the OpenCL texture decoder over the default texture decoder. This option will use GPU resources for texture decoding. In its current state, the OpenCL texture
decoder is slower than the default texture decoder and unlikely to provide noticeable speedups.
'''OpenMP Texture Decoder:''' Allows Dolphin to use the OpenMP texture decoder over the default texture decoder. This option will use OpenMP to generate multiple threads for texture decoding. It may take advantage of multi-core systems, reduce small but noticeable “micro-stuttering” in some games, and provide a slight speed-up.
Please note, both the OpenCL Texture Decoder and OpenMP Texture Decoder should not be enabled at the same time. Dolphin can only use one texture decoder at a time. If both are selected, Dolphin will simply use the OpenCL Texture Decoder.
'''Hacked Buffer Upload:''' Uses a hacked upload technique to stream vertices. The OpenGL specification actually forbids this method; it may produce heavy graphical glitches, however, it usually results in a speed-up, especially for Nvidia GPUs using OpenGL. If no graphical glitches occur with this option enabled, it is recommended to leave it checked.
== Advanced Graphics Options ==
This section provides technical graphical options and utilities that may be of interest to experienced users looking to debug things or use features like custom textures. Ordinarily, for most users, these settings do not need to be altered. To access these settings:
*Click on the Graphics button in the Toolbar and go to the Advanced tab.
*Go to the Menu, select Options -> Graphics Settings, and go to the Advanced tab.
INSERT PHOTO HERE
'''Enable Wireframe:''' Allows Dolphin to render the scene as wireframe.
'''Show EFB Copy Regions:''' Allows Dolphin to highlight areas used for EFB copies. Currently this option is broken.
'''Show Statistics:''' Displays various graphical statistics such as the number of textures generated, number of pixel and vertex shaders generated, and more.
'''Texture Overlay Format:''' Modifies texture in-game to display their encoding format. Dump Textures: Dumps any textures generated by Dolphin in the user’s Dump\Texture\<game_id> folder as
TGA files.
'''Load Custom Textures:''' Allows Dolphin to use replace certain textures for a game with custom ones. The custom textures should reside in the user’s Load\Textures\<game_id> folder.
'''Dump EFB Target:''' Dumps the EFB copies generated by Dolphin in the user’s Dump\Textures folder.
'''Dump Frames:''' Dumps all frames generated by Dolphin to a video file using the AVI container format.
'''Free Look:''' Allows the user to freely manipulate the game’s camera. Holding down the mouse’s right button while moving the mouse will pan the camera around. Holding down the Shift key while pressing one of the WASD keys will move the camera forward, left, backward, or right respectively by a set step distance. This step distance can be changed by pressing Shift + (0-9).
'''Frame Dumps use FFV1:''' When Dump Frames is checked, Dolphin will encode the video file using the FFV1 codec.
'''Show Input Display:''' Displays the input the emulator receives in real-time for all emulated devices that are currently connected.
'''Crop:''' Crops the screen from 4:3 to 5:4 or from 16:9 to 16:10 depending on the current aspect ratio.
'''Enable Hotkeys:''' Allows users to toggle certain options via the 3, 4, 5, and 6 numerical keys.
'''Enable Progressive Scan:''' Enables progressive scan if the emulated game or software supports this feature.
Shonumi
93

edits

Retrieved from "https://wiki.dolphin-emu.org/index.php?title=Special:MobileDiff/63093"