I'm not on expert on this, so bear with me. Current sim setups use 3 monitors (triple-head-to-go or multiple video cards) or a large projection screen. Most 3 monitor setups I've seen have the left and right monitors angled in at the user (which is wrong because they're acting as one large widescreen display). In order to get a sense of speed and also to see the side mirrors, we must set a high FOV which makes this single viewport distorted.

1) So what we really need is support for 3 viewports... this way we can set a natural FOV for each viewport (left, front, right).
2) We'd also need support for monitors with different resolutions/aspect ratios if we do not have this already (since the side displays do not need to be wide).
3) Finally, it would be ideal if there was ingame support for setting up these views correctly. See my amazing drawing created with ms paint. The 3 grey views are the displays, the blue is the windshield of my actual cockpit (not the game). I find it difficult with the current view controls to set the center view to say... just display what's visible through the windshield from the drivers perspective.

So for instance my car's windshield is 42" wide by 27" long, but due to the extreme angle of the windshield it's actually only ~12" high. So if display existed on the market that is 42"x12" I would want the whole display to be "the view out of the windshield (from the drivers perspective)".

Does any of this make any sense? It's late

oops... here's my amazing ms paint drawing.

Quote from Technique :

Does any of this make any sense? It's late

Yep, it does. And you're right. For triple screen gaming to work "properly", you'd need 3 separate viewports. +1 from me, but I also think there's much more pressing issues in LFS right now. One for the future.

I'm not sure I get #3 though. You can already move the viewpoint around as you please in the custom view. Shouldn't be too hard to line it up the way you want it.

This would be a great improvement indeed.

Each viewport could have separately adjustable lod settings.

And why limit the settings to just 3 viewports, i think it would be rather trivial to implement any number of viewports with the same code.

TrackIr / Freetrack could be combined with this..

How about a rear view with a projector pointing backwards.. talk about immersion!

An idea for OP's point #3: adjustable perspective distortion (like keystone correction?) would allow you to mount the display parallel to your windshield. This kind of adjustable distortion/correction would make the angled 3-screen setups show the correct view.

...it would be super impractical, but one could sort of achieve this with current options by using several computers (and several connections to server) by spectating yourself and setting custom views.

I could rig up my fourth monitor as rearward facing and disable all my mirrors. Of course, multilple viewpoints will bring a large increase to render time. I struggle with my frame rate enough as it is.

The best game to do this so far is Forza 2 on xbox 360. I was running a 3 screen forza 2 rig before this, and as much as I love the physics, graphics and pretty much everything about this game so far, the triple screen is bad compared to others.

It is my honest opinion because of all the support this game has for running cockpit gauges and warning lights combined with the graphics and physics that if the following could be done it would be a big thing to put this game on top for a long time to come:

Proper multi view support, the ability to add additional camera's and adjust the angles manually. Forget 4 screens with a rear view.. imagine being able to point a projector on the wall in front of you, both side walls, the wall behind you, then another one pointing to the ground below you and another to the sky above... if you could just add camera's using some sort of config file and change the angles AND positions to suit your needs it would be the next logical step above the multi view support that Forza 2, Gran Turismo and rFactor have..

Quote from wtf im nameless :

imagine being able to point a projector on the wall in front of you, both side walls, the wall behind you, then another one pointing to the ground below you and another to the sky above...

I plan on doing just that sometime in the near future. Get some cheap-o car. Cover windows with translucent projector screen - mount projectors outside vehicle pointing at all 4 sides, and project LFS onto the windows all around. Then just place a G25 in the car, and a computer in the trunk, and you've got your own personal LFS rig. I've already got three projectors that I could try it with

Definitely concur!
See my previous discussion about multiple viewports and why the game must support this natively to get reasonable framerates:
http://www.lfsforum.net/showthread.php?t=39095

Cheers!
/Mats B.

Vista is not supporting horizontal span anymore?? This is a step backwards.

Some graphic adapters already have 3 outputs and give you the possibility to use three monitors out of the box without buying any matrox device. i was expecting more and more adapters to offer three outputs.

But now, as Vista does not support horizontal span anymore, it will be impossible to play on two/three monitors even with a three outputs adapter, and you have to buy matrox device. Do matrox have a lobbying group inside Microsoft? Well done for them, they have now a monopol (multiple screens gaming=Matrox, no other way)....but too bad for us.

I don't understand what you mean about horizontal span. Is that where you merge your desktop into one virtual monitor of 3840x960 (for example), rather than having three independant monitors? If so, I have to ask, what's the big deal? As I have never used that (other than to try it out), keeping them seperate and then using UltraMon to handle the multiple monitors seems a much better way to do things anyway.

Quote from Bob Smith :

I don't understand what you mean about horizontal span. Is that where you merge your desktop into one virtual monitor of 3840x960 (for example), rather than having three independant monitors? If so, I have to ask, what's the big deal? As I have never used that (other than to try it out), keeping them seperate and then using UltraMon to handle the multiple monitors seems a much better way to do things anyway.

Horizontal span is exactly what you think it is. I have two screens, and it basically shows up as one giant screen to the computer. Using nVidia utilities you can then set extra things that it handles, such as snapping windows to either monitor, or limiting the taskbar to one screen and other stuff like setting which screen dialogue boxes come up on. But yes - horizontal span means one giant <---> monitor.

hmmm.. well in that case, XP never had a horizontal span either! Extended desktop doesn't merge multiple monitors into one.

No, horizontal spanning is done through your drivers. So the question really is, are the vista drivers just lacking this capability, or is there something in Vista that prevents the drivers from adding this capability?

I just want to say before I make my point that I have zero programing knowledge so I might not understand everything on that aspect but... horisontal span or not at the end of the day even if the only solution is to use SoftTH or TripleHead2Go, games like rFactor do this already with no issues on Vista with SoftTH.

Basically all we need to do to add proper triple screen support is this:
In a config file or the game itself there is an option for the number of monitors, 1, 2, 3 or 4.

All this option does is control the # of camera's on the drivers helmet.

The screen would then be equally divided into 2, 3 or 4 depending on how many monitors you have picked.. you can then fine tune the angles in the same manor you would fine tune the rear view mirrors in a real car. press a button to move the left camera, use your keys to move it up, down, left, right, tilt and angle. Once your left screen is aligned with center, you press the button to do the right camera, align it as well and your off to the races.

If you select 4 monitors the fourth would be used for a rear view mirror. You should be able to do two things with this view. Use it like an actual rear view mirror on a small widescreen LCD and mount it above your center screen OR if you have the room and are running projectors you can mount it behind you and use 3 REAL rear view mirrors to show whats actually being projected behind you.

In order for that to work you need to be able to reverse the picture so you can use it as a rear monitor or rear view mirror monitor.

Quote from Bob Smith :

No, horizontal spanning is done through your drivers. So the question really is, are the vista drivers just lacking this capability, or is there something in Vista that prevents the drivers from adding this capability?

I would think that it would be Vista preventing it if anything, since support for this feature was only possible after installing nVidia drivers, so the only explanation is that people can't seem to get the card-maker's drivers working right with Vista...

...yet another reason I fear upgrading.

In XP when running multiple monitors could you move them where ever you wanted? I don't remember for sure, but I don't think you can. For example in vista I can go:

[ 1 ][ 2 ][ 3 ][ 4 ]

or

[ 1 ][ 2 ]
[ 3 ][ 4 ]

or

[ 1 ][ 2 ][ 3 ]
...[ 4 ]

[ 1 ][ 2 ][ 3 ]
.........[ 4 ]

......[ 3 ]
[ 2 ][ 4 ][ 1 ]

so I can pretty much drag and drop monitors where ever I want to, and the mouse moving from screen to screen will be perfect.

The only thing Ultramon does for me that I havent figured out how to do in windows yet is have a desktop wallpaper that spans 3 of the monitors .. in windows all I can do is put one picture on each monitor.

Just wondering.... Is it possible to set up a custom camera for each monitor... or will it display the same thing on all monitors?

I know this is basically what the thread is suggesting... but is there any way to do it?

Quote from wtf im nameless :

In XP when running multiple monitors could you move them where ever you wanted?

Yeah you could do that in XP.

Ultramon also adds a taskbar on every monitor which is the most important feature IMHO.

Quote from JO53PHS :

Just wondering.... Is it possible to set up a custom camera for each monitor... or will it display the same thing on all monitors?

I know this is basically what the thread is suggesting... but is there any way to do it?

Nope, that's really the point of this thread is to add support for such a feature. I also mentioned it in the FOV thread.

Multiple viewports makes LFS look 100x more realistic!

Quote from wtf im nameless :

so I can pretty much drag and drop monitors where ever I want to, and the mouse moving from screen to screen will be perfect.

Yup. You can even account for the black bar(s) in the middle - though for anything other than games and MAYBE movies, that is just stupid.

One thing that may be annoying is that with a 3 monitor setup you have to use the left and right monitors in order to see the apex of the turn. You have to turn your head a good amount in real life too so in that respect it's more realistic. But in real life you don't have large plastic monitor bezels blocking your vision!

In the image below, the yellow lines represent where the monitor borders would be.

Until borderless triple monitor displays become more common place I think Juls suggestion in the FOV thread is a better approach. Since it works with single displays a single projector could give a decently realistic image..

Actually with look steer I find I hardly ever look directly into the side monitors. They are for peripheral vision and immersion. Strange that you spend all this money on setting them up and then never look at them, but that's how it works.

Thats because your center view is not 45 degrees like in the picture above. The picture above is 3 view ports (45 degrees FOV each) with their own camera angle as mentioned here and in the FOV thread. This isn't possible in LFS. Unless you're using 135 degree FOV - but I'm guessing no since it looks pretty awful!

edit.. hmmm... I missed that look steer part. I've never used that before so perhaps that would work. I don't have 3 monitors either so I can't test it. It seems like it would be unnatural though.

Quote from Technique :

One thing that may be annoying is that with a 3 monitor setup you have to use the left and right monitors in order to see the apex of the turn. You have to turn your head a good amount in real life too so in that respect it's more realistic. But in real life you don't have large plastic monitor bezels blocking your vision!

In the image below, the yellow lines represent where the monitor borders would be.

Until borderless triple monitor displays become more common place I think Juls suggestion in the FOV thread is a better approach. Since it works with single displays a single projector could give a decently realistic image..

that pic is using three "4x3" LCD monitors. The proper way to do it would be using three 16x10 widescreen monitors which is what I am doing myself. The only issue is you cannot use TripleHead2Go unless you want to run a non-native resolution. Using SoftTH I am running at 5040x1050 and with my new tweaked settings I am running at 30-40FPS online racing 10-12 people now. That being said, I have a much wider center screen than what you showed in your pics and the anyone who has raced in my setup has agreed so far, once your sitting and racing you actually cannot see the bezels (unless you stop and look for them) because you are so into the race.

My only issue with the way its being done right now is my rear view mirrors and edges of the screen are all distored. The way the other thread you are talking about is going to distort the picture even worse. If you run multiple camera's, especially with projectors you can have over 180 degrees of vision with almost no distortion and no border at all.

Quote from Technique :

One thing that may be annoying is that with a 3 monitor setup you have to use the left and right monitors in order to see the apex of the turn. You have to turn your head a good amount in real life too so in that respect it's more realistic. But in real life you don't have large plastic monitor bezels blocking your vision!

Try driving with TWO monitors. You're constantly staring right AT the 1" thick black bar! Although after a while you completely learn to ignore it. Still odd cause it makes anything in front of you seem a lot wider - be it the car or the road.