DirectX 10 "grayed out" as Direct3D driver in 3ds max 2008?

[robkar97]

3ds max 2008 is supposed to support DirectX 10, but when I try to change the driver only the radio button for DirectX 9 is available - the one for 10 is dimmed and cannot be selected.

 

I use Customize > Preferences > Viewports tab > Select Driver.

 

"Select Graphics mode" gives the same result.

 

I know for sure I have DirectX 10 installed and all drivers are brand new (I even think DirectX 10 ships with Vista that I am using).

 

I use a graphics card of type "ATI mobility FireGL v5200" with 256 mb texture memory.

 

I have been experiencing lots of crashes and strange GUI bugs (floating windows turns pure white every now and then and must be dragged off screen and back again to display properly).

 

Any ideas?

 

All the best

Robert

[AJLynn]

A FireGL v5200 doesn't have hardware DirectX 10 support, and you're probably using Windows XP? That doesn't have DirectX 10 support either. Make sure you've got the latest drivers and use DirectX 9. I've run Max on DX9 and a FireGL v5100, and it's worked quite well. I've also used Viz with DX9 on a Radeon Mobility x1600 that wa hacked into believing it was a FireGL v5200 (and ran the v5200 drivers) and it worked fine.

[Hazdaz]

Well he posted that he is running Vista (which you need for DX10), but that card doesn't look like it is DX10 compatible. ATi, I think only recently introduced their FIRST DX10-compatible card, and I highly doubt that it will trickled down to the mobile chips for quite some time actually.

 

Just one of many reasons why I would never get a laptop for 3D work.

 

http://ati.amd.com/products/Mobilityfireglv5200/index.html