MultiGen® Creator

Getting Started
Version 3.0 for Windows
November 2004
Getting Started MultiGen® Creator Version 3.0 November 2004
© 2004 MultiGen-Paradigm, Inc., a subsidiary of Computer Associates International, Inc. (“Computer
Associates”). All trademarks, trade names, service marks and logos referenced herein belong to their respect
companies. All rights reserved.

MultiGen-Paradigm, Inc. (MultiGen-Paradigm) PROVIDES THIS MATERIAL AS IS, WITHOUT

WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO,
THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

MultiGen-Paradigm, Inc. may make improvements and changes to the product described in this document at
any time without notice. MultiGen-Paradigm assumes no responsibility for the use of the product or this
document except as expressly set forth in the applicable MultiGen-Paradigm agreement or agreements and
subject to terms and conditions set forth therein and applicable MultiGen-Paradigm policies and procedures.
This document may contain technical inaccuracies or typographical errors. Periodic changes may be made to
the information contained herein. If necessary, these changes will be incorporated in new editions of the
document.

MultiGen-Paradigm, Inc. is the owner of all intellectual property rights in and to this document and any
proprietary software that accompanies this documentation, including but not limited to, copyrights in and to
this document and any derivative works therefrom. Use of this document is subject to the terms and
conditions of the MultiGen-Paradigm Software License Agreement included with this product.

No part of this publication may be stored in a data retrieval system, transmitted, distributed or reproduced,
in whole or in part, in any way, including, but not limited to, photocopy, photograph, magnetic, or other
record, without the prior written permission of MultiGen-Paradigm, Inc.

Use, duplication, or disclosure by the government is subject to restrictions set forth in subparagraph (c)(1)(ii)
of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software clause and DFARS 52.227-7013 and in similar clauses
in the FAR and NASA FAR Supplement.

Printed in the U.S.A.

Part Number: CRE-DOC-GS30-0904

November 03, 2004

 Getting Started

This guide describes how to install and license MultiGen Creator 3.0 for
supported Microsoft Windows operating systems on standalone and
networked systems. It also describes how to install OpenFlight API files,
and DFD API files.

Contents
System Requirements ..................................................................................4
Before You Install Creator ...........................................................................5
Installation Directory ................................................................................5
Creator Licenses ......................................................................................5
Previous Versions of Creator ...................................................................5
Adobe Photoshop® ..................................................................................6
Installing Creator on Standalone Systems .................................................7
Installing Creator on Networked Systems ................................................10
To Install License Tools on the License Server ......................................10
To Install Creator on a Network Client....................................................11
Requesting and Installing a License .........................................................11
About Licenses ......................................................................................12
Requesting the License..........................................................................13
Installing a License on a Standalone System .........................................14
Installing a License on a Networked System ..........................................15
Installing a License on a Network Client .................................................16
Installing a Patch Release .........................................................................17
Reinstalling or Updating Creator ..............................................................17
Uninstalling Creator ...................................................................................17
Installing the OpenFlight API Files ...........................................................18
Installing the DFD API Files .......................................................................18
Contacting MultiGen-Paradigm .................................................................18

MultiGen Creator Getting Started Guide Version 3.0 3

Getting Started

System Requirements
Creator 3.0 runs on a standard PC with Windows 2000 Professional or
Windows XP Professional operating systems; you must have
Administrative privileges to install software on these platforms. This
table shows both the minimum and the recommended system
configurations.

Absolute Minimum Configuration Recommended Configuration

500 MHz Intel Pentium III or IV 2.6 GHz dual-processor Pentium IV workstation
or AMD Athlon PC workstation

Windows XP Professional or Windows XP Professional or

Windows 2000 Professional Windows 2000 Professional
(not the Home Edition). (not the Home Edition).
Windows NT 4.0, Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows NT 4.0, Windows 95, Windows 98 and
Windows Me are not supported. Windows Me are not supported.

128 MB RAM 512 GB RAM

OpenGL1.2 compliant 3D graphics card with 64 OpenGL 1.2 compliant 3D graphics card with 256
MB texture memory MB texture memory

4 GB hard drive 40 GB hard drive

1024x768 screen resolution 1280x1024 screen resolution

CD-ROM drive CD-ROM drive

Three-button mouse with scroll wheel Three-button mouse with scroll wheel

4 MultiGen Creator Getting Started Guide Version 3.0

 Before You Install Creator

Before You Install Creator

Here are some items to note before you install Creator.

Installation Directory
The default installation directory for Creator 3.0 is c:\Program
Files\Multigen-Paradigm. It is the default installation directory for all
Multigen-Paradigm commercial products. In this document it is assumed
this default installation directory is on your system drive, which is c:\.

Creator Licenses
MultiGen Creator is locked using the FlexLM License Manager software
package. The License Manager software supports both node-locked
licenses for standalone systems and network licenses for networked
systems. You must have a license to save files in Creator; otherwise, you
can only run Creator in read-only mode.
Licenses can either be linked to a dongle or to a license server (either
node-locked or network). If you have a dongle, Creator requires it to be
attached whenever the product is running. If the dongle is removed,
Creator runs in read-only mode. Do not remove the dongle when Creator
is running.

Previous Versions of Creator

It is not necessary to uninstall the older version of Creator before
installing this version, although most users will. Here are some
considerations:
• Creator 3.0 includes new functionality to save OpenFlight files in
older versions of the OpenFlight format. Previously, you may have
retained the older version of Creator to save files in the format that is
required for your runtime application. This is no longer necessary
with Creator 3.0.
• If you are not planning to pay maintenance on both versions of
Creator, then you should uninstall the older version before installing
the new version of Creator.

MultiGen Creator Getting Started Guide Version 3.0 5

Getting Started

• If you choose to retain both the older version and the current version
of Creator, then install the current version to a different directory
than the previous installation directory; this may mean you need to
modify the default installation path during the installation.
• Creator 3.0 uses a new licensing tool, FlexLM, instead of Elan, which
was used with previous versions of Creator.
• For Creator 3.0, the version of the License Tool for FlexLM is similar
to, but not the same, as the licensing used with other MultiGen-
Paradigm products. This new version of the Licensing Tool (version
2.0) includes 128-bit encryption for additional security. Even if you
have installed other MultiGen-Paradigm tools, you will still need to
install the new version for Creator 3.0.

Adobe Photoshop®
Two plug-ins for Adobe Photoshop® are included with Creator. These
plug-ins, which allow Adobe Photoshop to read RGB (SGI RGB) and .PBMF
(Portable Bitmap) files, are installed in the Photoshop_Plugins directory,
which is included on the Creator CD in the Free_Stuff\Photoshop_Plugins
directory. Copies of these plug-ins are also installed in the directory in
which you install Creator.
If want to use Adobe Photoshop as your image editor within Creator, and
you have not yet installed it, make sure you install Adobe Photoshop
first, and then install Creator. This ensures that the Photoshop plug-ins
and application links work correctly within Creator.
If you install Creator before you install Adobe Photoshop, you can install
these plug-ins manually by copying the files RGBFormat.8BI and PBMFormat.8BI
from the Creator directory to your Photoshop_Plugins directory. You must
then associate Adobe Photoshop with both file format types. (See
“Editing Texture Patterns” in the Creator online help for instructions on
associating file types with editing applications).

6 MultiGen Creator Getting Started Guide Version 3.0

 Installing Creator on Standalone Systems

Installing Creator on Standalone Systems

A standalone system is also called a node-locked system because the license
is only set up for one system. The license may include a hardware dongle
that attaches to your system’s USB port. (Note that a dongle is not
required — you can choose to use one or instead just use software
licensing.)
Note: In most cases you should uninstall any previous version of the
product before installing this version (see “Previous Versions of Creator”
on page 5).
1. Shut down the system and turn off its power, then attach the
hardware dongle (if you are using one) to the system’s USB port.

Note: To ensure trouble-free installation and licensing, we recommend

that you turn off all power to the system before installing the hardware
dongle.
2. Turn on the system and log in to Windows with Administrator
Privileges.

If you do not have Administrator access to the computer, ask your

System Administrator for a password or for a temporary
Administrator account.

3. Make sure your system date and time are correct because the license
is date-sensitive.

Note: Do not change the system date after you install the license file. This
will invalidate the license.
4. Insert the Creator CD into the CD-ROM drive. The Creator CD content
window appears. You can also navigate to your CD-ROM drive to see
the contents of the Creator CD. If the Installation program does not
start automatically, open the Creator Install directory and double-
click Setup.exe to start the installation process.

Note: If you are installing Creator by downloading the program instead

of using a CD-ROM, unzip the file and double-click Setup.exe to start the
installation process.
5. Click Next or press Enter to advance to the License Agreement
window.

MultiGen Creator Getting Started Guide Version 3.0 7

Getting Started

6. Click Yes to advance to the Customer Information window, and enter

your name and company name in the appropriate fields in this
window. In the Account No. field, enter your Account No. This
ensures that the Account No. is readily available from the Help/On
Version dialog box in Creator if you ever need to contact MultiGen-
Paradigm Technical Support.

7. Click Next or press Enter to advance to the Setup Type window. Check
if the location for the installation is correct in the Destination Folder
area.

OPTIONAL: If you want to install Creator to a location that is

different than the default destination (different folder or drive), click
Browse and navigate to the desired location in the Choose Folder
window. Click OK to return to the Setup Type window.

8. Select the type of installation you want to perform and click Next:

• Typical: Installs the default Creator software: Creator program

files, sample files, documentation (online help and Adobe
AcrobatTM (.pdf) versions of the user manuals), dongle drivers,
license tools, and the Creator Viewer.
• Compact: Installs only the minimum set of files necessary to run
Creator (includes online help but not other user manuals).
• Custom: Allows you to choose to install tutorial files used with
the Desktop Tutor and exercises included in Creator’s online
help, or a library of unsupported plug-in utilities.
9. In the Texture Editing Options window, choose whether to use
Creator’s Texture Editor or another texture editor, such as Adobe
Photoshop. (This setting can be changed later in the Preferences
window of Creator.)

• To use Creator’s Texture Editor, leave the default selection.

• To use another texture editor, select the Launch the editing
program associated with the file extension of the texture file
option and then click the browse button (...) and navigate to the
executable file for that program. Select the exe file and click
Open to return to the Texture Editing Options window.
Optional: You can set the file extension association for SGI based
image file formats in Windows by setting the Associate RGB, RGBA,
INT, and INTA texture files with this program checkbox.

8 MultiGen Creator Getting Started Guide Version 3.0

 Installing Creator on Standalone Systems

(This is the same File Types association that you can set or change in
Windows.)

Note: If you associate these file types with the Creator executable, it will
launch Creator but it will not automatically open the texture in the
Texture Palette or the Texture Editor.
When you are done with this window, click Next to continue the
installation.

10. The Start Copying Files window appears with the settings and target
directory that you chose. Click Next to begin copying files.

If you are installing an upgrade, you will be prompted to select the

old preference files you want to keep. All files are selected by default.
If you want a preference file to be overwritten during the installation,
uncheck it. Click Next.

• If you already have MultiGen-Paradigm License Tools 2.0 installed,

skip to step 13. Note that this is unlikely for a first install of Creator
3.0.
• If you don’t have MultiGen-Paradigm License Tools 2.0 installed, the
License Tools window is displayed. Click Next.
11. Click Yes to accept the license agreement.

12. Click Finish when MultiGen-Paradigm License Tools 2.0 has finished
installing.

13. In the InstallShield Wizard Complete window, click Finish. If you don’t
want to view the Release Notes or create a desktop icon to start
Creator, clear the checkboxes first.

MultiGen Creator Getting Started Guide Version 3.0 9

Getting Started

Installing Creator on Networked Systems

If you are using Creator on a networked system (a client-server
architecture), you install license server software on the system that you
designated as the License Server and then point all client systems to this
server.
Install copies of the Creator software on individual systems (the network
clients). The License Server can also be a network client; that is, you can
install a copy of Creator on the License Server for use only by someone
working at the License Server machine.

License
Lice
Server

Network
clients

Note: Although it is technically possible for all network clients to access a

single copy of Creator that is installed on the License Server, in our
experience network response time produces unacceptably slow
performance.

To Install License Tools on the License Server

• Follow the instructions in “Installing Creator on Standalone
Systems” on page 7
• In step 8., select License Tools and Dongle Driver (if you are using
a dongle for licensing) to install just the MultiGen-Paradigm License
Tool. If you are also installing Creator on the License Server, choose
the other options that you want to install.
See “Requesting and Installing a License” on page 11 for instructions
on completing the licensing process.

10 MultiGen Creator Getting Started Guide Version 3.0

 Requesting and Installing a License

To Install Creator on a Network Client

On network clients, you only need to install program files and any other
options you want; licensing software is not used. Network clients receive
their licenses from the License Server; you will enter the name of the
License Server in MultiGen-Paradigm License Tools 2.0. After
installation, every time Creator is launched, the network client will search
the network and will obtain any available license from the designated
License Server. If all licenses are in use, the client can work in read-only
mode, or the user at the client machine can try again later.
To install and license the software:
• Follow the instructions in “Installing Creator on Standalone
Systems” on page 7
• In step 8., select the options that you want to install. Don’t install the
License Tools and Dongle Driver options.
See “Requesting and Installing a License” on page 11 for instructions
on completing the licensing process.

Requesting and Installing a License

After the InstallShield Wizard has finished installing the product and the
MultiGen-Paradigm License Tool utility, you must run the License Tool
utility to electronically license the product. The License Tool utility is
based on the FLEXlm® toolkit.
You must first run the License Tool utility on the system on which you are
installing the license file to request a 45-day temporary license. A
permanent license will be e-mailed to you after MultiGen-Paradigm
receives payment. See “Requesting the License” on page 13.
To install your license file on a standalone system, see “Installing a
License on a Standalone System” on page 14. To install your license file
on a server for networked clients, see “Installing a License on a
Networked System” on page 15. To set up your clients to access a server
license, see “Installing a License on a Network Client” on page 16.
Note: If you are running Windows XP Professional, before you run the
License Tool utility, make certain that your system preferences are set to a
font size of Normal. To check this setting, right-click on your desktop and
choose Properties. (Alternately, you can choose Start > Control Panel

MultiGen Creator Getting Started Guide Version 3.0 11

Getting Started

and then double-click Display.) In the Display Properties panel, click the
Appearance tab, and verify that the Font size is set to Normal (not
Large Fonts or Extra Large Fonts).
Many of the License Tool utility functions require Administrator
privileges. Contact your system administrator if you do not have these
privileges. For help with the License Tool utility or the licensing process,
contact MultiGen-Paradigm technical support: toll free (877) 289-5670
or by e-mail: creator@multigen-paradigm.com.
Note: After you start the License Tool utility, you might receive an error
message that the installation environment variable MPI_INSTALL_DEFAULT is
not set. This means that either the product did not install properly, or you
are running the License Tool on an account on which you did not install
the product. You must cancel the License Tool, define this variable for all
accounts with the product, and then restart the licensing process.

About Licenses
The License Tool utility supports both node-locked and server licenses. If
you have a standalone system, you will be requesting a node-locked
license file and installing it on a single computer. If you have a server
system with networked clients, you will be requesting a server license
file, installing the license file on a server, and then pointing each of your
clients to that server. Every time the product is launched, the network
client will search the network and retrieve the first available license from
the designated server. You can also install both node-locked and server
license files on a single server.

12 MultiGen Creator Getting Started Guide Version 3.0

 Requesting and Installing a License

Requesting the License

Use this procedure to request a temporary or permanent license file:
1. Choose Start > Programs > MultiGen-Paradigm > License Tools
2.0 > License Tool.
2. In the Select Operation panel, select Get Host Information.
3. Click Next to display the Get Host Information panel. This panel
displays the server ID or standalone host ID information that is used
for your license request. The server ID or host ID is the first item in
the list; the dongle ID is the last item in the list.
4. Copy all of the ID information in this panel, or click Save As to save
the information in a text file. Send the ID information in an e-mail to:
unlock@multigen-paradigm.com:
• The server ID/host ID/dongle ID information
• The license type: node-locked or server and whether you are
using a dongle or not
• Your customer ID (from the CD sleeve)
Note: Resend the ID information if the following occurs:
• You have changed your hardware configuration or your
license type
• You have not received an e-mail regarding a permanent
license, even though your payment has been processed

MultiGen Creator Getting Started Guide Version 3.0 13

Getting Started

Installing a License on a Standalone System

Use this procedure to install your license file on a standalone (node-
locked) system:
1. Choose Start > Programs > MultiGen-Paradigm > License Tools 2.0
> License Tool.

2. In the Select Operation panel, select Install License(s).

3. Click Next to display the Add a New License panel.
4. Install the license keys by using one of the following methods:
• If you received the license text directly in an e-mail, copy
and paste the license text from this e-mail directly into the
license window. (Caution: Paste only the lines of text
between the “START OF LICENSE DATA” line and the
“END OF LICENSE DATA” line.)
• If you received the license text as an attachment (and saved
the file to disk), click the Browse button, and navigate in the
file browser to the license text file. (Note: Choose All files
from the Files of type options, if that is not already the
default setting for your file browser; the license text file has
the extension .wri, and the file will not be visible unless the
file browser is set to show All files.)
5. Optional: Click Advanced if you need to modify the path to license
file, the MPICRO.exe path (the Vendor Daemon path), and the Optional
Port Number (the communications port) to be used by the license
service. Then click Apply to return to the Add a New License panel

6. Click Add to validate and permanently save the license text. A dialog
box appears that states either that the license text is valid with no
errors, or describes any errors with the FLEXlm® error number and
where to look for help.
7. Click Next to display the View Available Licenses panel. All of the
licenses that are available from your license file are listed.
8. Set Show Feature Diagnostics to see if all of the available licenses are
checked out successfully.
9. Click Finish to exit the licensing program.

14 MultiGen Creator Getting Started Guide Version 3.0

 Requesting and Installing a License

Installing a License on a Networked System

Use this procedure to install your license file and license service on a
server that your clients will access:
1. Choose Start > Programs > MultiGen-Paradigm > License Tools 2.0 >
License Tool.
2. In the Select Operation panel, select Install License(s).
3. Click Next to display the Add a New License panel.
4. Install the license keys by using one of the following methods:
• If you received the license text directly in an e-mail, copy
and paste the license text from this e-mail directly into the
license window. (Caution: Paste only the lines of text
between the “START OF LICENSE DATA” line and the
“END OF LICENSE DATA” line.)
• If you received the license text as an attachment (and saved
the file to disk), click the Browse button, and navigate in the
file browser to the license text file. (Note: Choose All files
from the Files of type options, if that is not already the
default setting for your file browser; the license text file has
the extension .wri, and the file will not be visible unless the
file browser is set to show All files.)
5. Optional: Click Advanced if you need to modify the path to license
file, the MPICRO.exe path (the Vendor Daemon path), and the Optional
Port Number (the communications port) to be used by the license
service. Then click Apply to return to the Add a New License panel
6. Click Add to validate and permanently save the license text. A dialog
box appears that states either that the license text is valid with no
errors, or describes any errors with the FLEXlm® error number and
where to look for help.
7. Click OK in the message dialog box to return to the Add a New License
panel.
8. Click Next to display the Install/Manage License Server panel.
9. Click Install to install the license service.
10. Click Start to start the license server to accept server license requests
from other computers on the network.
Note: If you need to modify the service settings or add licenses, you
must first stop and remove the license service in this panel, and then
restart the license service after the changes have been made.

MultiGen Creator Getting Started Guide Version 3.0 15

Getting Started

11. Click Next to display the View Available Licenses panel. All licenses
that are available from your license file are listed.
12. Set Show Feature Diagnostics to see if all available licenses are
checked out successfully.
13. Click Finish to exit the licensing program.
14. See “Installing a License on a Network Client” on page 16 to continue
the license process for your client-server system.

Installing a License on a Network Client

After you have installed the license file on your server, you must also run
the License Tool utility on each of your clients to link to the license
information.
Use this procedure to link your client to the license server:
1. Choose Start > Programs > MultiGen-Paradigm > License Tools 2.0 >
License Tool.
2. In the Select Operation panel, select Link to external License Server.
3. Click Next to display the Add/Remove Known Servers panel.
4. Enter the name of the server where you installed the server license file
in the Server Name field. Leave the Optional Server Port field blank
unless you have specified a port value for the license service.
5. Click Add Server to store this information.
6. Click Next to display the View Available Licenses panel. All of the
licenses that are available from the specified license server are listed.
7. Click Show Feature Diagnostics to see if all of the available licenses
are checked out successfully.
8. Click Finish to exit the licensing program.

16 MultiGen Creator Getting Started Guide Version 3.0

 Installing a Patch Release

Installing a Patch Release

You do not need to uninstall the product to install a patch. A patch release
is typically indicated by a .1 in the name; for example, the 2.6.1 patch was
released to resolve some issues with the 2.6 release. A patch release is not
the same as a new release of Creator. For issues relating to a new release,
see “Previous Versions of Creator” on page 5.
If you are installing a patch release, use this procedure:
1. Double-click the patch executable file to begin the installation.
2. Click Next in the InstallShield Wizard window.
3. The InstallShield Wizard installs the selected files.
4. Click Finish to complete the installation.

Reinstalling or Updating Creator

If you have Creator Version 3.0 currently installed on your computer and
you are upgrading a component, or adding or removing a component, the
installation process is as follows.
1. Insert the product CD. If setup does not start automatically, open the
product folder and double-click Setup.exe to begin the installation.
2. Choose Modify, Repair, or Remove.
3. Click Next to display the Setup Status window. When the processes
are complete, the Maintenance Complete window is displayed.
4. Click Finish to exit the setup program.

Uninstalling Creator
To uninstall Creator 3.0 and the License Tool utility from your computer:
1. Choose Start > Programs > MultiGen-Paradigm > Creator 3.0 >
Uninstall Creator.
2. Follow the uninstall instructions in the InstallShield Wizard.
3. To uninstall the License Tool utility, you must uninstall MultiGen-
Paradigm License Tools 2.0 using Add/Remove Programs in the
Windows Control Panel. (Uninstalling the License Tool should only
be done if you are removing all MultiGen Paradigm products from
your computer that use this version of the License Tools.)

MultiGen Creator Getting Started Guide Version 3.0 17

Getting Started

Installing the OpenFlight API Files

The OpenFlight API, included on the Creator Installation CD, is not
installed using the Creator Installer. The OpenFlight API provides
programming-level access to the OpenFlight file format. You can use it to
write your own translation utilities between other database file formats
and the OpenFlight format. You can also use it to write separate tools for
Creator as plug-ins. To install the OpenFlight API, open the \OpenFlightAPI
Install folder and click Setup.exe. Follow the instructions on the screen.

Installing the DFD API Files

The DFD Read/Write API, included on the Creator Installation CD, is not
installed using the Creator Installer. The DFD Read/Write API provides
programming-level access to the MultiGen-Paradigm Digital Feature
Data (DFD) format. You can use it to write your own translation utilities
between your feature data file formats and the DFD format. To install the
DFD API, open the \DFDAPI Install folder and click Setup.exe. Follow the
instructions on the screen.

Contacting MultiGen-Paradigm
For license keys, e-mail: unlock@multigen-paradigm.com
For Creator and licensing Technical Support, call: toll free (877) 289-5670
or e-mail: creator@multigen-paradigm.com

Please inform us of your:

• Name
• Phone number
• E-mail address
• Account No. If you entered your Account No. during the installation
process, as described in “Installing Creator on Standalone Systems”
on page 7, choose Help/On Version in the Creator window. This
number appears as the Account No. in the Version Information
window.

18 MultiGen Creator Getting Started Guide Version 3.0