MIP Monitor Displays

[Fall_guy]

Hi Guys,  ......... newbie question

Just after your advice on Visual Display Set-ups. 

Most of you appear to be using a 3 monitor set-up for displaying instruments on the MIP and a minimum of 1 monitor/display for the visual scenery.  Could someone please explain how these are connected up and interfaced. 

For example do you use Triple-Heads-togo for the MIP and a seperate display for the scenery?.

basically I think I'll need a FOUR monitors set-up (Minimum) but haven't a clue on how to go about it.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

regards John

[jackpilot]

Basically for a full cockpit setup you need several PCs and several computers linked on a network using Wide FS . The network is fairly easy to set up . Just download and read the FSUIPC manuals.  http://www.schiratti.com/dowson.html

Typical setup:
First of all the TH2GO is mainly used for spreading one wide image of the outside visual on three monitors/projectors, not for the instruments.

FS PC  : MSFS  + MCP one monitor for visual (or three monitors plugged into the TH2GO)
PC1     : PFD/ND Capt one monitor
PC2     : PFD/ND FO one monitor
PC3     : EICAS two monitors  one  for upper, one for lower
PC4     : CDU no monitor needed.

All combinations are possible depending on the number/processing power  of the PCs you link, as you can regroup some of the above on one PC . The rule is that more monitors on one PC= more workload= lower FPS.
The above setup spreads the load and is the most stable.
Read the PM manual, it explains most of this.

SimA can run the whole show with less PCs as the architecture of the soft is different from PM.
I'm not really competent to expand on SimA. Maybe Steve or Mau could chime in.

[jskibo]

Currently I have my FSX PC for visuals with a TH2Go (Its a i7-920, 12GB, GTX275)....I need to upgrade.

Sim-A PC is an i5-650? 8GB and two video cards.  I run Pilot and F/O PFD/ ND (2 monitors), EICAS, and CDU off of that.  I will need to add one more PC for the Lower MFD and F/O CDU as that PC is out of PCI / PCIe slots.

Or I could move the i7-920 PC over and run three video cards in it

[Fall_guy]

Hi guys,

Thanks for the info..........  So I guess I'll be needing a minimum of 4 PC's.   (she is so not going to like this!) 

Regards John

p.s.  I don't think I'll mention the Monitors just yet

[jskibo]

You could run off two or three. Pick up some pci video cards to sit along side the pcie ones. Or Ian to DVI connectors.

If you go 4,they don't have to be real fast ones.

[jonesthesoftware]

Hi Guys
Surely the heaviest load is the PC used for displaying the scenery, so it makes sense to have your fastest PC /graphics card for this purpose driving a TH2GO on 2 or 3 screens,  this is linked to the other PC using wideview as it only needs data for the scenery to synchronise.
The PC that runs FS can be a lesser beast with several graphics cards e.g 2 PCIe and 1 PCI, depending on your motherboard. Use these for your multiple MIP monitors and set all the sliders to minimum in FSX as you won't need to view anything except your instruments on your MIP monitors
I use this setup with only a dual core 6600 and 2 XT1950 graphics carsd. Each has 2 monitor outputs. I have an I7 for my scenery with TH2GO running 2 HD plasmas for my LevelD767, sliders all maxed out on this for scenery but minimised for all else. SHURELY SHIMPLER and cheaper than 4 pcs

regards
geoff

[jackpilot]

Sorry I 'm missing something.
How do you separate the Scenery from the FS PC?

[jskibo]

Don't think he runs sim a or pm   seems he's having to run level d so he has fax on all his pc's vs just one if was using an avionics package along with fsx.

My guess

[jonesthesoftware]

Hi sorry
did I misunderstand?I 'm running FSX and you can simply run it on 2 PC'a networked together and then use Wideview to synchronise the scenery of the second PC to the main FSX PC This works for any FSX flight. I happen to be using LevelD
regards
geoff

[jskibo]

Yes. Many of us run fax in one box for the visuals. The other box if boxes are just for the Sim Avionics, Project Magenta or other avionics and systems software. The interface using fsuipc it other software and merely run the avionics displays and systems. No need for wideview irreconcilable on those boxes.

[jackpilot]

Would that be close to what Nat experimented.

http://www.flightdecksolutions.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4209


ie FS computer running the show with all visual sliders left
and three image generators with each a copy of FS and wideview.
PM or Sim A being  linked to the FS computer.

Would that work?

[Maurice]

Hi sorry
did I misunderstand?I 'm running FSX and you can simply run it on 2 PC'a networked together and then use Wideview to synchronise the scenery of the second PC to the main FSX PC This works for any FSX flight. I happen to be using LevelD
regards
geoff

OK, this is sounding very interesting. Which PC should be the most powerful one then? Would it be the one that runs FSX or the one that displays the visuals with the Triplehead?

Thanks,
Maurice

[Nat Crea]

Mau...I would make the Visual computer (TH2Go) the absolute BEAST...no question.
Second in line, the "Server"...

Nat

[Maurice]

Mau...I would make the Visual computer (TH2Go) the absolute BEAST...no question.
Second in line, the "Server"...

Nat

I find that a bit strange though. I always thought that the computations required is what slows the frame rates which would mean that the most powerful PCs (assuming you have 3 separate visuals PCs) should be the main FSX PC and not the visuals PC. But with only one PC for the visuals with TripleHead, I guess it changes the equation somewhat.

Since I have another fairly high end PC which already has FSX as well, I think I will try it and see what happens. Just need to buy Wideview I guess.

Maurice

[Nat Crea]

Yep I was talking about my WideView setup specifically.

The 3 visual computers still do the same "work/calculations", the server FSX PC just tells them where to "look"...
all they do is generate the image so I want them to be the best possible.

Like you said Mau, My FSX server sliders are all way to the left, because you dont want
it doing  too many Graphic calculations...just position data and talking to Sim-A etc.
Its the graphic calcualtions which bring comps to there knees.

But be warned, Wideview isnt the be all and all, it has issues too...just different to TH2Go setups.

Nat

EDIT!!!

Mau I think I just understood your question.
If you already have a dedicated computer to run FSX visuals on TH2Go, then adding
WideView and another FSX "server" will do you no good really. I think it will actually
degrade your performance. If youre having frame rate issues, it simply because your
pushing 3 times the amount of scenery out of one box...thats the main reason I "lost the
plot" and went with my current setup.

[Maurice]

|Mau I think I just understood your question.
If you already have a dedicated computer to run FSX visuals on TH2Go, then adding WideView and another FSX "server" will do you no good really. I think it will actually degrade your performance. If youre having frame rate issues, it simply because your pushing 3 times the amount of scenery out of one box...thats the main reason I "lost the plot" and went with my current setup.

That's the conclusion I came to as well after I read a bit more about Wideview. I actually do not have frame rates issues with my current setup as far as flying is concerned. Everything is pretty smooth except slight stutters occasionally in very busy areas. Where I could use more fluidity is while taxiing and making turns at any speed other than dead slow; there you see a big blur instead of a smooth panning.

I hope MS Flight will fix all that with better use of the existing hardware so I'm just going to wait until then. Things are really pretty good right now as is.

Thanks,

Mau