Raymond van Laake Posted December 30, 2003 Report Posted December 30, 2003 Hi Pete, I want to build a cockpit with 4 computers. Computer #1 is the best I can afford, with a large monitor for the main view. It is the master-computer running FS, and which has the flight yoke connected to. Computers #2 and #3 are cheap, with smaller monitors for the left and right windows. Computer #4 will display the instruments only. What would you suggest when it comes to software: widefs or wideview? I read in the widefs documentation that wideview is for multiple views and widefs for additional instrumentation. Does that mean that computers #2 and #3 should have wideview, and computer #4 widefs? Thanks, Ray
Pete Dowson Posted December 30, 2003 Report Posted December 30, 2003 What would you suggest when it comes to software: widefs or wideview? I read in the widefs documentation that wideview is for multiple views and widefs for additional instrumentation. Does that mean that computers #2 and #3 should have wideview, and computer #4 widefs? WidevieW links multiple FS installations. If you are displaying scenery you really need the full FS installation on each such PC, and ideally they all need to have the same power -- otherwise the slower ones will be pretty jerky. I use a Parhelia card with three monitors on one PC. With most current video cards you can have two monitors. I don't think WidevieW is out yet for FS2004, but it is on its way. As far as the instruments are concerned, if you mean FS cockpits then, again, that's another full FS installation. Otherwise you are looking at external instrumentation systems like Project Magenta, or possibly FreeFD. Those will operate through WideFS with no addition FS installation. Regards, Pete
Raymond van Laake Posted December 30, 2003 Author Report Posted December 30, 2003 Rgr on all counts - 3 times wideview is what I need (external instrumentation may be a next step). I wonder about your Parhelia card. I assume you use that for front-view, left-window-view and right-window-view. Doesn't your computer slow down because of this? Or does the Parhelia card take care of all? I just checked with Dutch resellers, it's an expensive sucker, but one computer taking care of two "side-window" monitors and one "instruments" monitor sounds great for what I am planning.... and of course it cuts the costs of having one instead of three computers. Appreciated, Raymond
Raymond van Laake Posted December 30, 2003 Author Report Posted December 30, 2003 PS. WidevieW now has a "alpha 1 prerelease" for FS2004: http://www.wideview.it/ Ray
Pete Dowson Posted December 30, 2003 Report Posted December 30, 2003 I wonder about your Parhelia card. I assume you use that for front-view, left-window-view and right-window-view. No, I run full-screen as one display. The resolution I currently use is 2400 x 600 but it will go up to whatever you like. My displays will allow 3840 x 1024. But since I have no panel display on it, the difference for an outside scenery view isn't so noticeable so I reduce the resolution and enjoy a better frame rate. The display is running a 0.50x Zoom, which suits me. some Parhelia users prefer 0.31x but I find that rather unrealistically wide. I prefer the view to be a genuine looking wide front view, not a wraparound cockpit, but you could use it at 0.31x which wuold give what you suggest. Doesn't your computer slow down because of this? Or does the Parhelia card take care of all? The Parhelia certainly is not a fast card compared with the current crop of ATI and nVidia cards, so even driving one screen it isn't a screamer. But at present it's the only card which does what I want. I actually use two of them -- one is in a second PC runs my Project Magenta instrumentations -- Captain's ND/PFD, EICAS, First Officer PFD/ND on the three screens. I have everything in FS turned up to max, plus Ultimate Traffic running at 100% and with detailed airports like UK2000 Manchester. My FS Frame Rate Limiter is set at 20 fps, and most of the time the Frame Rate is hitting 19.9 -- never dropping below 10. That's fine for me. If it ever dropped below 10 I'd reduce some of the settings. This is on a 3.2GHz P4, mind. I just checked with Dutch resellers, it's an expensive sucker, but one computer taking care of two "side-window" monitors and one "instruments" monitor sounds great for what I am planning I don't run any instruments on the FS PC. I'm not sure what sort of performance you'd get then. I suspect you'd need to reduce a few settings. And since you'd need to run at a higher resolution (for the sake of the instruments) it doesn't sound so attractive. I would really only recommend it for the widescreen "wraparound" views, not for supporting three independent screens. To do what you now suggest I would rather recommend a fast ATI or nVidia AGP card for the two views and a possibly slower PCI card for the instruments. Regards, Pete
Raymond van Laake Posted December 31, 2003 Author Report Posted December 31, 2003 Thanks for taking the time telling about your setup, much appreciated! Ray
chriswbalmer Posted December 31, 2003 Report Posted December 31, 2003 don't suppose there is any chance of a photo of your setup is there Peter? :lol: :shock: :lol: Chris
Pete Dowson Posted December 31, 2003 Report Posted December 31, 2003 don't suppose there is any chance of a photo of your setup is there Peter?
Raymond van Laake Posted December 31, 2003 Author Report Posted December 31, 2003 Pete, I think Chris meant a photo of your flightsim setup, not a picture of a real cockpit! :shock: Ray
chriswbalmer Posted December 31, 2003 Report Posted December 31, 2003 Woof!!!! I love that throttle quadrant!!! Oh man - that looks like a fun setup!!!! Look what I have to work on.... http://forums.simflight.com/viewtopic.php?p=88152#88152 LOL !!! :D :D :lol: [/url]
Pete Dowson Posted December 31, 2003 Report Posted December 31, 2003 Oh man - that looks like a fun setup!!!! Well, it was -- till I visited some real home-made cockpits in California earlier this year. Now this one feels like what it looks like, a bunch of computer bits on a desk. I'm saving up now for a PFC Jet Cockpit (http://www.flypfc.com). I need one 'ready-made' as my only 'practical' skill is programming. Look what I have to work on....http://forums.simflight.com/viewtopic.php?p=88152#88152 Ahanother "real" cockpit builder! At least when you've finished it will feel like a cockpit, not a collection of computer bits! :) Happy New Year! Pete
tuomas Posted January 1, 2004 Report Posted January 1, 2004 Hey, just a quick note: Adding a PCI videocard (older Matrox Millenium or such works generally well for this) for instrument panels (2D gauges, not Magenta) does not give you a performance hit. So you can run it all on one computer. Saves you the third machine. ^^^ This works with one computer just great. Put that inside a console, and you get my current setup: IMHO that's the best way to go with one computer. If you want jet stuff, get the Reality XP Jetline gauges, those are nice and smooth and they will release a FMC too. I'm not personally much into those things though, so the GA stuff suits me great. Dreamfleet's Archer is awesome :) Tuomas
chriswbalmer Posted January 1, 2004 Report Posted January 1, 2004 Following on from Pete's description of how he runs his kit, I tried running my 2 17" TFTs as one screen using the nVidia drivers...... Funnily enough the VC view worked a treat and looked GREAT, but the other views looked a bit duff, esp. the stretched 2D view!!! I LOVED flying the CaptainSim 727 in VC at 0.31 magnification - absolutely stunning.....it even led to the wife asking me to hurry up and go out shopping today!!! :lol: :D :lol:
chriswbalmer Posted January 1, 2004 Report Posted January 1, 2004 Toumas, Is that PM on your left hand monitor ? chris.
tuomas Posted January 2, 2004 Report Posted January 2, 2004 Toumas, Is that PM on your left hand monitor ? chris. No, just regular FS gauges - I did a 1024x768 pixel panel with FS Panel Studio. Magenta GA IFR is using openGL so you cannot realistically run that and the FS scenery view from one computer. Tuomas
chriswbalmer Posted January 2, 2004 Report Posted January 2, 2004 Nice job on the panel studio stuff - it looks great!
Pete Dowson Posted January 2, 2004 Report Posted January 2, 2004 Funnily enough the VC view worked a treat and looked GREAT, but the other views looked a bit duff, esp. the stretched 2D view!!! Yes, even worse is 2D stretched over 3 screens on a Parhelia. If you wanted to use a 2D panel you'd need to reconfigure the sizes of the bitmaps and the gauge proportions and positions. The only thing I don't like about 2 screen views is that straight ahead is right where the join of screens is. I suppose there's a way to move scenery view to left or right without changing the angle of view, but I didn't find it. Regards, Pete
chriswbalmer Posted January 2, 2004 Report Posted January 2, 2004 With the 2 screen join problem - Grrr!!! :-) I found that flying in VC mode with the view shifted over almost worked!!! Problem is I am not that keen on VC modes!!! six of this and half a dozen of that huh ? LOL!!! Chris.
Pete Dowson Posted January 2, 2004 Report Posted January 2, 2004 I found that flying in VC mode with the view shifted over almost worked!!! How do you "shift" the view over without changing the angle of view? You still need to be looking in the same direction as the nose. Regards, Pete
chriswbalmer Posted January 2, 2004 Report Posted January 2, 2004 hold on - will try a get a photo of it!! :-)
chriswbalmer Posted January 2, 2004 Report Posted January 2, 2004 Forgive me - I mistyped what I meant!!!! I actually line up the view so that the screen split forms the windshield frame!!! - this doesnt look too bad!!!! only if you dont pan the view though! LOL - there is no middle ground with this one is there?!!!! Check your email!
Highvolt Posted January 2, 2004 Report Posted January 2, 2004 You can shift the point of view even to the outside of the airplane.. that way, the centerline of a runway can be on the left or right monitor. I believe the option is in aircraft.cfg file under [views] eyepoint longitude, latitude, height
Pete Dowson Posted January 2, 2004 Report Posted January 2, 2004 You can shift the point of view even to the outside of the airplane.. that way, the centerline of a runway can be on the left or right monitor. Thanks! Your solution should do the trick, I think, although your objective isn't exactly the same thing. The centreline needs to be though the centre of the aircraft, but I am sitting to the left (being Captain) and I want to see straight ahead, to the point on the horizon which is otherwise on the join between two monitors. This does, of course, represent a minute angle towards that centerline. But with a real obstruction so close as the windshield it wouldn't matter. The trouble is you can't look around the join of the two monitors. Reading that back it looks a bit confused. Sorry. It does make a sort of sense I hope :) Pete
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