Version 1.0 - 30/11/2003
By
Robert Bennett

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Click here to download!

No matter what version of Windows you are using it is recommended that you make sure you are using the latest drivers for your video card. If you have any problems (slow, jerky, crashing, freezing) they can almost always be fixed by simply replacing your outdated drivers.

The latest drivers for your card are available from the manufacturers website. They are always working on upgrading the drivers, so make sure you upgrade them!

Some common manufacturers websites are:
ATI
Matrox
nVidia
PowerVR

To get to the settings screen go to Display options in Control Panel and
in the Screen Saver section click on Settings. This brings up the UC3D settings screen where you can set the countdown and display settings. To get to the settings for this screen saver select it in the Installed Modules list and click the button.

The following configuration options are available. (It is recommended that you play with the options to find what runs best on your PC and what you think looks best):

Use Desktop As Background: With this tuned on the Cat will walk across whatever is currently on your screen, which it turned off he will walk across a screen that is the colour you have selected. PLEASE NOTE: The screensaver is designed to have this option turned on, however results may vary depending on your PC's configuration. If you have a crappy video card, it may not be able to handle the resolution you are using so the desktop image may be blurred or just look crappy in general. If you are using an OLD operating system such as 95/98/ME you may also have problems. All I can suggest is to try it and see. If you don't like how it looks, turn it off.
Background Colour: Click in the coloured box to select the colour who want the screen to be when you have the above option turned off.
Display Liquid Splashes: With this turned on some of the objects the cat tries to balance will spill and stain your screen. For example, the fish bowl spills water, the milk jug spills milk etc.
Splash Drying Speed: If you have splashes turned on this lets you set how long they stay on the screen.

When I heard they'd made a movie of this famous Dr. Seuss book I pulled out a copy and tried to work out how they could manage to get a movie out of it. I still can't work it out, but I did remember how much I liked this book when I was a kid. It gave me a burst of inspiration, and this screensaver is the result.

Now, I haven't even seen a trailer for the movie, and I know nothing about it. This is inspired just by the book. Basically the Cat walks across your screen trying to balance stuff, as he does in the book. I've tried to put in items he uses in the book, but I also added others because I wanted stuff that splashes out liquid and makes a mess (watch the screensaver and you'll get the idea).

My cat doesn't necessarily look like the one in the book, and I've no idea what he looks like in the movie so I dunno if it's like that either. But when I made him I just thought he looked cool, so I left him how he turned out. If you don't like it, go find another 3D Cat in the Hat screensaver! I doubt any others exist (tho I haven't checked)

This is the first thing I've done since my 2nd screensaver ever (the old Dr Who one from '95 or so) that uses your current screen as its background. Since I'm doing it in a 3D environment this time, it may not look right on all systems. See the settings section for more info, and don't bother emailing me to complain. People who complain about free stuff are fed to hungry goats as punishment in some countries you know.

There's heaps more I wanted to put in this, but it took so long to get this much done I decided I'd release it and see if anyone was interested. If there's a good enough response I may add more stuff to it later.

If you spot any bugs, let me know.

Enjoy!

v1.0 - 30th November, 2003 - Original Release
The Cat In The Hat walks across your screen trying to balance items and generally showing off.
Option to have your current desktop as the back drop for the screensaver.