Sub-Menu - Drawing Mode [Display menu]
This sub-menu switches between 2D and 3D types of drawing, and also allows "true" stereoscopic drawing, that is drawing with quad-buffered OpenGL with appropriate hardware.
Graphics in the Standard Model mode can be either 2D, which uses the standard system software for drawing in two dimensions; or they can be 3D, which uses the system software (OpenGL) for drawing three-dimensional objects. The StereoNet and Sectors/Zoning Model modes are 2D only.
3D. Although a fully shaded drawing done in the Standard mode may have a highly 3-dimensional appearance, this option, which uses special system software not available on all machines, allows a number of extra options in terms of lighting and material properties and is the only Drawing mode in which symmetry can be shown. Switching into this mode requires loading the system software, which may take a few seconds.
The choices in this submenu are also in the Drawing Mode drop-down in the Dialog Bar -Left which is controlled from the Display menu.
3D Quad Stereo. This is a special kind of OpenGL drawing mode, which uses quad-buffered display hardware to draw left- and right-eye images, which are alternated on screen or other viewing device at a high rate. Most systems require wearing special glasses, either shutter glasses or some type of polarizing glasses. Currently nVidia, in their Quadro line of display cards, provides the most widely available type of quad-buffered systems, which must be used with certain types of monitor.
Direct3D (Windows only). This is Microsoft's version of 3D software. The only reason for using this mode instead of the other 3D modes, which use OpenGL, is to support stereoscopic viewing with shutter glasses or polarizing monitors and those display cards which do not support quad-buffered OpenGL. Direct3D stereo works only in fullscreen mode, so this is always fullscreen.