Using Multiscreen (EX9 Dualview)

Anita mailed this question:

schaue gerade das vvvvorum durch, um passende antworten auf noch
bestehende Fragen zu finden. Verstehe aber bei vielen Antworten nur
Bahnhof. Habe gestern erstmalig versucht, mit dem Multiscreen-Modul und
zwei Beamern (bei einer GrafikKarte) mein Projekt auszuprobieren. Ich
erhalte aber nur die rechte Seite des gesplitteten Bildes über nur einen
Beamer. Ich habe allerdings für den zweiten Beamer, auf dem dann nix zu
sehen war, den Monitorausgang des Rechners benutzt. (Sag mir jetzt bitte
nicht, dass ich erst noch einen Adapter bestellen muss.)

in short: How to get multiple video outputs from one graphics card?

Dear Anita, here comes the Multiscreen primer:

  • Graphics Cards (GPUs) today usually have 2 outputs which can be used simultaneously.
  • There are 2 modes that they can use: Dualscreen and Span mode.
  • Dual screen mode means both screens are treated as separate frames. One ist the PRIMARY screen, which holds the Windows start menu and where error messages etc. appear. The SECONDARY screen can hold windows etc and works like an extended desktop, but the windows actions focus of the primary screeen.
  • Span mode is different from Dual Screen mode in that the area of the two screens is treated as if it were on one monitor only, i.e. the Task Bar sits on both screens, Error messages pop up in the middle between the two screens, and both screens must be the same resolution.

Dual Screen mode is typically more versatile & easier to use. Span mode has one important advantage: It is able to show a video stream on both screens at the same time - which is currently impossible in Dual Screen mode.

You have to activate dual screen mode in the display control panel (“Systemsteuerung ->Anzeige”) BEFORE you start VVVV.

To diagnose your problem further:
Can you see the windows desktop on both screens? If not, then your GPU is not configured properly.
What model is your Graphics Card?
Does your computer have an On-Board plus an AGP Card? Then typically the onboard GPU will be disabled as soon as you plug in an AGP Card. No way to use both at the same time.

max

thanx for the quick response,

Can you see the windows desktop on both screens?

Yes, I can.

What model is your Graphics Card?

it´s a NVIDIA GeForce 6600. Need further info?

Does your computer have an On-Board plus an AGP Card?

I´ll check that.

(I use the Dual for my project.)

okay. So you have moved the 2nd renderer onto the 2nd screen, but the renderer is empty? are you using video textures or just regular objects? What does the “nothing” that you can see look like? No window or just an empty window?

Generally, start simple and make it more complex later.
Try to create just a very simple patch with one renderer on that second screen first.
Then try adding a second renderer.
Try moving it on the other screen.
Then try to switch them to full screen.

Maybe this really is very easy t answer. The module itself works fine. We didn´t even find out a way to move the 2nd renderer onto the 2nd screen. Maybe I used the wrong adjustment for the graficard. Normally I would just widen the screen so I can see two sides of the desktop (one with all the folders, and one empty one, where I can put stuff then). But yesterday at one time I could not even use the mouse one the second screen, so I can´t put the renderer there. Could it be, that I´m just having a computerproblem??

in the renderer (ex9) you can specify the fullscreen resolution of your renderer (USE INSPECTOR ALT-I). normally, it should be the same size as your windows display settings (eg. 2048 x 768 in span mode).

Now it worked. But this time I had trouble getting rid of the fullscreen mode. ALT F1 etc. won´t work. Picture stays fullscreen. Got any trick??

ALT+Enter doesn’t work?

but luckily the renderer has a pin called Fullscreen, you even may connect a Blinker (Animation) to it. but be careful with blinkstyle"hot" ;-)

no, ALT Enter no work. The entire Keyboard is disabled.

Actually I meant that ALT 1 don´t work – not ALT F1 (yeah, – it´s been a short night, Sorry for cunfusion …). No, my problem is situated a little farther down the line. ALT Enter works perfectly, I get fullscreen and all, but when I try to reduce the renderer from fullscr to windowed or boxed mode it´s not working. So even no renderer pins accessible. What to do??

anita, see the screenshots of the day

PERFECT! But guess what … now that I could finally check this out, I had to give away the projector. So for a happy ending we´ll all have to wait untill tomorrow. Oh, well. But this is great. Thanx so much. Oh, by the way, what´s “flattering” again?

“entprellen”

  • remove the TogEdge (Animation) inbetween and you will see that each time you press a key vvvv recognizes 2 or more keystrokes.

heavy stuff :)