Chapter 3. Configuring 3D Desktop Effect

3D desktop is an OpenGL program for switching virtual desktops in a seamless 3-dimensional manner on Linux.

  1. Before the configuration, make sure that the compizconfig-settings-manager is installed. Compiz is one of the first compositing window managers for the X Window System that uses 3D graphics hardware to create fast compositing desktop effects for window management.
  2. Update the support list in the compiz script
    Edit the script file /usr/bin/compiz-manager, find the line: WHITELIST="nvidia intel i810 fglrx", and modify it to be: WHITELIST="via nvidia intel i810 fglrx".
  3. Enable 3D desktop effects by compiz
    Open the compiz config manager from the menu which varies with distributions.
    For SLED distributions, open it following Computer -> Control Center -> Desktop Effects, then switch on the "Enable desktop effects".
    For Ubuntu distributions, open it following System -> Preferences -> Apperance, switch on "extra" at the visual effect tab.
  4. Restart X server, the 3D desktop effects will be enabled.

When EXA acceleration is applied, you should add the Extensions section in X config file,

Section "Extensions"
       Option "Composite"	"Enable"
       Option "RandR"		"off" 
EndSection
If using XRandR extension, you should remove the Option "RandR" "off".