dual monitor setups

danr

it's taken a while, but finally i've entered into the new and exciting world of the dual monitor

undecided though, whether to run it as i originally intended - a toolbar/outlook dumping ground - or run max as "always on" on the TFT and photoshop and other bitmap stuff on the CRT.

what's everyone else doing with theirs?

MoP

I tend to run Photoshop and Max on the same monitor (mainly because my tablet is only mapped to Monitor 1 - I guess I could set up application-specific areas but I'm lazy), but I always have the UV Editor open on the left monitor with a maximised perspective viewport on the right when working on meshes. Soooo much easier.

I mainly use the left one for reference images or websites while painting in PS on the right-hand one.

Or just MSN/whatever windows on the left, work on the right.

rawkstar

don't run max as "always on"

its pretty neat, one of my roommates used to stream pr0n on his second monitor nonstop at work, said it "helped him concentrate" can't argue with that, right? right?

Mark Dygert

I have been using "UltraMon". It helps manage the tool bar how I like it, as well as allows me to set up the desktop backgrounds. It also gives a wee-bit more flexiblity over the video options for each monitor. Something windows is kind of crappy at by default. Even having the same model # of CRT the color correction for both is off slightly. I still can't get it 100% perfect. which drives me nuts sometimes. Personally if I had TFT and CRT I would do any photoshop work on the CRT.

Work wise, I have the left monitor set up as my main toolbar and icon playground. But everything lauches in the right as I have it set to be my main monitor. When I have PH and Max open at the same time (almost always), Photoshop is on the left, max is on the right. I am left handed and my tablet sits below the left monitor. I have another box for running renders, viewing ref and is a warehouse of tutorials, this sits on the far right.

Also when I unwrap I have the UV layout window on the left like MoP talked about. I am not sure if it is windows or UltraMon that remembers what windows was last open on which monitor, but once I move a window to either monitor it will open in that monitor until I move it back. After awhile you will get it working like you want and you will wonder how you ever got along without it.

Paul Jaquays

Max modeling screen on left monitor (widescreen flatpanel LCD) ... unwrap window on the right. Photoshop across both monitors, but work gets done on the left, reference sits on the right. Mail program is on the left, mail opens up in windows on the right.

MoP

Good call on UltraMon, Vig, I use that too, it's very good. I have F10 as a hotkey for swapping windows between monitors.

danr

is it possible to run the photoshop workspace over the two monitors while it's maximised, does anyone know? This is 5.5

Joshua Stubbles

Sounds like most people have a similar setup. I've got 2 20-inch Hitachi CRT's at work. I do everything on the left, and have reference, Alienbrain, web browsing on the right.
I've never heard of UltraMon before, but I'm surely going to give it a try. Thanks, Vig

**edit, Danr, I think so. Although you'd have to setup your Wacom for it to work correctly across 2 monitors.

sinistergfx

Main max window on the left, command panel & unwrap window on the right.

Photoshop is also on the left monitor, but mainly because I don't trust the color on my secondary (both at home and at work).

Also, all my mail and IM windows hang out on the right monitor.

ElysiumGX

My main monitor is a Rosewill LCD with a native res of 1280x1024. My second monitor is a 17" Dell CRT set to 1280x960. That res is a bit high for it, but I don't use it for reading. Mostly dump folders on it. I use it to watch movies full screen while I'm working. And when texturing, Photoshop is on my main, with an XSI viewport full screen on the second. When I focus on it, the texture updates. My tablet is only mapped to the LCD.

Eric Chadwick

I like to put the main app window on the left, and all the palettes on the right. I like Photoshop with layers/channels/brushes/etc. all stuck on the right, out of the way.

Bronco

I also have entered this realm of duel monitors having finally got a little office set-up in my room,I can finally get some work done without the hussle and bustle of my family knocking into my chair as they enter and leave the living room every 5 minutes.

I have 22in/20inch viewable CRT and 17inch TFT.
I use the TFT for reference images on my left and for holding studiomax while I paint on the CRT.
I make sure the max render window appears on the CRT to get the true look of the object.

when modelling/Zbrushing I genrally just use the CRT and when unwrapping I have Max open on the TFT and the unwrap window on the CRT.

as its a new set-up for me(got it working last weekend)I havent yet got into the habit of doing anything with the spare monitor when im using it,but with the Nvidea tools i can just disable the spare monitor which will then switch itself off until I set it back to duel.

John

skankerzero

Left: Max, file management
Right: Max unwrap, Photoshop, Painter, Firefox, messangers

Thegodzero

does anyone else have any problems with dule moniters when they are both the same model moniters? Because i have to jump threw hoops to get both to show up.

by jump threw hoops i mean; start my comp with the VGA moniter unpluged, then once windows is up, plug the VGA moniter back in, then and only then will see both moniters.

The tech support at the company i got the card from cant get past thinking i'm some kind of moron and have done something wrong on my end like not haveing the power on...this is why i hate tech support.

flaagan

it's funny, but even with my dual monitor setup i still use pretty much everything on my first monitor, and just use the second one for chat windows / irc.. such great use for a $700 lcd.

though seeing as i just acquired a cheap lil laptop for free (466mhz baby, OH YEAH!), i'll probably move some of my chat stuff to that, who knows.

Eric Chadwick

[ QUOTE ]
problems with dule moniters when they are both the same model moniters?

[/ QUOTE ]

No problems for me. Mine are both the same model Sony 21" Trinitron CRT, using a NVIDIA GeForce 6800. Since each are VGA, one uses a tiny DVI-VGA adapter that I attached to the card's DVI out.

Might be your card & display driver working against you? Got the latest driver?

My left monitor is my primary, and I'm using NVIDIA's Nview control set to DualView, to span the desktop across both monitors.

When I boot, both monitors show the bios, then when Windows starts only the primary appears, until I login. After login the 2nd monitor appears again.

Mark Dygert

TGZ what kind of video card do you have? I think Eric is onto something with the display driver. Also check in device manager, make sure the drivers for the monitors and the second display adapter are installed correctly.

At work I have a Radeon 9800 pro and I had some trouble like you did at the begining. I had to install a second display adapter driver and it started working fine on boot up. I also had to switch the monitor driver from "plug n play monitor" to the actual make and model monitor driver to get the proper refresh rates.

Thegodzero

I have a EVGA GF6200 256mb card with DVI and VGA out.

This is the email i sent them yesterday.

"I have tried every trick i know in the book to get my computer to see both moniters at start up but it will not see them.
Here is what i have.
I have two envision flat screen crt moniters both VGA.
I have the VGA to DVI adapter on one so that it can plug into the DVI port.
What happens when booted up with both moniters pluged in.
The computer starts up on the VGA moniter open into windows never seeing the DVI moniter. When i check the disply properties settings, it shows only one moniter. When i click on the advanced it has no idea that there is another moniter pluged in. So no options for dule view. when I click the detect displays buton nothing happens, then when i reset it with both still in it comes back up as if nothing happend and still cant see the other moniter.
What happens when only the VGA is pluged in at start up and the DVi is pluged in after windows is up.
Same as above.
What happens when only the DVi is pluged in at start up and the VGA is pluged in after windows is up.
The computer starts up on the DVI moniter opens into windows. I then plug in the VGA moniter. When i check the disply properties settings, it shows only one moniter. When i click on the advanced button it shows the Nview options but only a sesect few (single display,clone, horizontal span, vertical span). I select horizontal span and hit ok it then sees the other moniter. With another progrma i downloaded recently (ultramon) i found out that its really only seeing both moniters as one, not as individuals. If I click the detect displays buton nothing happens, then when i reset it with both still in it comes back up on the VGA moniter and now cant see the DVI moniter.

I have tried clearing out the drivers then on a fresh reboot intsaling the ones on your site, with no luck of a fix. I dont have a onboard video card on my motherboard so thats not it.

What other infomation can i give you guys to help me get it to see them both at start up? I have contacted you before but only got a response of "did you hit detect displays?" How do i fix this? Is there a chance of getting you guys to send me a replacment card to replace this one if you cant fix this online?"

Eric Chadwick

First off, spellcheck before you send a technical email. Unfortunately, mis-spellings make you look dumb. Around here we know you're smart, but the tech people probably don't know you. Bad spelling makes it look like you're younger, less experienced than you probably are, like you're more prone to make obvious technical mistakes. "Duel" instead of "dual," "moniter" instead of "monitor," etc. Don't take this personally, I just wanted to point out how it reads.

OK, so does Horizontal Span in fact work? If yes, why not use that?

If this card doesn't work, I'd return it. It may just be that it has low-end hardware for handling multiple displays, so it may never work properly.

Mark Dygert

I take it you sent this to EVGA only? I'm not sure the problem is with the card or the drivers EVGA has on thier site which looks like a mirror for the latest 8194 drivers from nvidia. In case they do change the drivers somehow try installing the drivers from Nvidia's site. I doubt anything will change since even the release notes are a copy paste from Nvidia, but you never know.

The issue MIGHT be with the monitor driver files? It looks like Envision might have one driver for all thier monitors. It MIGHT be worth it to install it, even if Windows is picking the right brand and model number, this one might have some fixes, and MIGHT fix the issue?

If that doesn't pan out like it should, try switching to the 8185 drivers from the Nvidia driver archive. Those are the drivers I am running at home on my Geforce 6600GT, with the same monitor set up, DVI/VGA (Dell monitors tho).

EDIT:
I just updated the drivers to 81.94 and now I have a total of 4 monitors in device manager, two say "Default monitor" and two are the correct Model# of Dell CRT's. Things seem to be working fine but I can't get rid of the default monitors, wierd... I switched back to the 8185 and the default monitors disapeared.

Thegodzero

Eric, yeah i didnt even think to spellcheck it as to me, that kind of thing doesnt matter...

I dont like the fact that i ave to keep unpluging my moniter every time i shut down because if i forget and start it up with both in then i get only one moniter and have to reset.

Its only because of Vigs link to that ultramon thing that i was able to find out that it wasnt seeing it as two moniters at all.

If i dont get a response from them in a few days i'm going to as i will not break my new moniters over a cheap card.

Vig, not the moniter drivers, tried that, didnt do anything new. Same goes with the last set of drivers and the one before that and so on for about ten versions, nvidia site and theirs. I think its just a thing of me needing to send it back, but i didnt get it in a store, got it off newegg.

Mark Dygert

Well damn...

When you right click the UltraMon icon down by your clock does it give you the option to Set Primary? Is M"onitor-2" grey'ed out or is there just one monitor listed?

I hope exchanging the card works...
/me crosses fingers

BRUTICUS(CW)

I recently entered it too, I love working with my UVs on the right and application in the main window. However I use Maya 6 at work and there is a lame bug which pulls the UV Hotbox up in the default monitor. Kinda lame but definitely worth it!

Cant wait to get a second monitor for at home. I have a 24" dell widescreen. I might just get a cheap one for the second.
Shouldn't games be supporting multiple mor even 3 monitors now? It would be nice to have a left/front/right setup for 3D games!