3 monitor alignment in DCS

[damo]

I decided to see what DCS was like in a 3 monitor set-up. I've had my 3 screens for a while but nether bother to try DCS in this mode until now.

 

While it appears to work ok on the surface, I quickly noticed that the is a discrepancy on the horizon alignment between the monitors. There is also a noticeable line either side of the centre monitor which shows the start of this discrepancy.

 

If you review the images attached, it should be quite obvious.

 

Is this normal? is there anything I can do to correct this?

 

Many Thanks

[txmtb]

Not sure what your GPU is but if you want to get them aligned, you need to set up bezel correction. What it will do is make it so the monitor bezels will actually hide what is behind them.

Here's the Nvidia article on it.

http://nvidia.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2685/~/what-is-bezel-correction%3F

[cichlidfan]

The other contributor to the issue you are seeing, is that the view presented in the left and right screens is from a viewpoint of a camera facing directly left and right as opposed to some angle less than 90 degrees away from the front view.

[damo]

Thanks for the replies.

 

I'm not so bothered about the mis-alignment. It's the correct orientation of the horizon for the left and right camera view.

 

I've found several posts now on the subject which mention editing the monitor configuration files.

 

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=98717

http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/3232380.html

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=60815

 

and most interesting : http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?p=1425549

 

It seems to centre on the viewDx and viewDy params...

Edited November 18, 2015 by damo
removed information which is incorrect and no longer reinvent

[damo]

ok, found the default 3 Screen lua and copied it to my MonitorSetup folder so I could create my own version of it.

 

Turns out viewDx and viewDy changes the position of the camera views and doesn't allow for orientation correct.

 

Seems odd that the 3 camera view by default acts this way. (video below)

 

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIgm7kK-zgo[/ame]

 

Is this just the way it is?

[PiedDroit]

ok, found the default 3 Screen lua and copied it to my MonitorSetup folder so I could create my own version of it.

 

Turns out viewDx and viewDy changes the position of the camera views and doesn't allow for orientation correct.

 

Seems odd that the 3 camera view by default acts this way. (video below)

 

Is this just the way it is?

If you want one horizon line across all three screens side by side you actually need to use 1 camera setting.

 

3 camera is really 3 viewpoint with different (horizontal) angles.

Think of a 3 projectors setup , one projecting on the front wall and the other two on left and right wall (at 90 degrees angle).

See cichlidfan's answer.

[pimp]

Damo,

 

I had the same issue. In DCS settings under "Monitor", change your "3 screen" to "1 screen".

[damo]

humm, this is a bit of a shame.

 

Because my left and right monitors are a slightly lower resolution, I loose the ability to enter configuration which is unhelpfully where I can't see it in 'wide' 1 screen mode. I also loose my comms options in flight.

 

I'll keep fiddling. Thanks all

[fitness88]

I decided to see what DCS was like in a 3 monitor set-up. I've had my 3 screens for a while but nether bother to try DCS in this mode until now.

 

While it appears to work ok on the surface, I quickly noticed that the is a discrepancy on the horizon alignment between the monitors. There is also a noticeable line either side of the centre monitor which shows the start of this discrepancy.

 

If you review the images attached, it should be quite obvious.

 

Is this normal? is there anything I can do to correct this?

 

Many Thanks

 

I thought it was necessary to have all 3 monitors the exact same size. You appear not to.

[Grand]

If you want one horizon line across all three screens side by side you actually need to use 1 camera setting.

 

3 camera is really 3 viewpoint with different (horizontal) angles.

How to achieve this?

[whaaw]

humm, this is a bit of a shame.

 

Because my left and right monitors are a slightly lower resolution, I loose the ability to enter configuration which is unhelpfully where I can't see it in 'wide' 1 screen mode. I also loose my comms options in flight.

 

I'll keep fiddling. Thanks all

 

I also have sorround and i cant understand why people are playing with 1 screen config,

if you play with 1 screen config the pictures on the left and right screen get heavy deformated.

if you configured your displays right in the nvidea tool inkl.breezel correction. you dont have to edit anything to play with 3 screen setup.

 

what do i missing?

Edited November 20, 2015 by whaaw

[SkateZilla]

ok, found the default 3 Screen lua and copied it to my MonitorSetup folder so I could create my own version of it.

 

Turns out viewDx and viewDy changes the position of the camera views and doesn't allow for orientation correct.

 

Seems odd that the 3 camera view by default acts this way. (video below)

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIgm7kK-zgo

 

Is this just the way it is?

 

 

3 Camera LUA is defaulted to 9 Degree offset from front view

 

90-left - front - 90 right

[XeNoise]

humm, this is a bit of a shame.

 

Because my left and right monitors are a slightly lower resolution, I loose the ability to enter configuration which is unhelpfully where I can't see it in 'wide' 1 screen mode. I also loose my comms options in flight.

 

I'll keep fiddling. Thanks all

If those screens have a different resolution there is nothing to do, as far as i know. Even if, say the lines of the cockpit would be alligned, further lines which are more far away (roads, mountains and so on) woudln't be. And vice versa. From what i saw dcs world is one of the only games which allows triple screen without setting the surround through nvidia control panel/CCC even with different resolutions, try through the surround setting maybe.

[PiedDroit]

humm, this is a bit of a shame.

 

Because my left and right monitors are a slightly lower resolution, I loose the ability to enter configuration which is unhelpfully where I can't see it in 'wide' 1 screen mode. I also loose my comms options in flight.

 

I'll keep fiddling. Thanks all

You can try using 1 screen and setting up a different viewport for the GUI, so you can still use the menus and the comms.

 

See here:

http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=143536

 

Add the following code at the end of your monitor.lua (make copy in \Saved Games\DCS\Config\MonitorSetup\ folder):

GUI =
{
 x = screen.width/3;
 y = 0;
 width = screen.width/3;
 height = screen.height;
}
UIMainView = GUI

(this is a sample code that will use the center 3rd of the screen for the GUI but you can put hardcoded values instead).

[DayGlow]

If you are using the 3 monitor setting it is rendering 3 viewports and assumes your side monitors are at a 90deg angle to the center. You can use the 1 monitor setting to stretch the single forward viewports across 3 screens.

[PiedDroit]

If you are using the 3 monitor setting it is rendering 3 viewports and assumes your side monitors are at a 90deg angle to the center. You can use the 1 monitor setting to stretch the single forward viewports across 3 screens.

Don't worry, this has been established several times already in the this thread ;)

[Mogs]

How to achieve this?

 

Damo,

 

You are using different monitor types with different resolutions. Of course they wont align as yet.

[Mogs]

You should edit the 3 monitors config file to ensure that it is perfect. Just as I have done.

 

+ the reason the side monitors appear to be 'angled' is because the centre monitor viewpoint isn't looking directly forward at the horizon; it's actually looking slightly head down into the cockpit. The side monitors go off center monitor.

Edited November 22, 2015 by Mogs

[neoshi]

I had the same problem. Have since just moved to using eyefinity on my AMD GPU and using 1 screen mode with full width resolution.

[Johnny Dioxin]

I was previously using the same sort of set-up, with a 22" 1680x1050 monitor in the middle and two 19" monitors of 1440x900 at either side, but I did not have the issues you are encountering.

 

unfortunately, the system has changed since, but I was able to get everything to align and the GUI to show in it's entirity (so the briefings, comms options etc).

 

All I did was to edit the monitor lua file (I made my own) to position the main view and the GUI where I wanted them.

 

In end effect, I told the sim that I had three 1680x1050 monitors and simply adjusted the GUI setting to a lower (1024x768 ) setting. I don't even know if that is possible in the current version.

 

Of course, you are missing a bit of the view off the sides of your side monitors, but that is a very small price to pay and I didn't even notice (using TrackIR anyway).

 

Definitely only used the single screen option and typed in the appropriate aspect ratio myself (for 3x1680x1050) and selected my customised monitor file, of course.

Edited November 22, 2015 by Brixmis