dual monitors

[connect-usa.com]

I've got an nvidia graphics card with dual monitor output and two LCD screens, does anyone know how to set up lightwave's layout for twomonitors? Any suggestions?

[richpr]

I have nothing setup in LW that I know off... Just drag some windows like surface editor or scene editor to the other monitor...

I do have some issues with some requesters on the "second monitor" where the drop down lists won't open properly, but I think it is how you set up the monitors in the OS. I use XP with an NVidia and two monitors. I have used NView which gives more options, but it created stability issues with OS.

[sllink]

I dont know of anything in LW that needs to be set up but you need to make sure your desktop is spanned in order to have the drop down menus to work. Under the monitor setting you have to deactivate one monitor and expand it so it forces the desktop span across both monitors. When you open lightwave do not maximize it just move the apps to where you want them displayed once thats done then the menus should work. I have a nvidia quadro card. Sorry if this isnt clear. Oh with my video software there is a drop down selection to make the video sofware drivers use the apps opengl settings just select lightwave from the list mine seems to work fine.

[richpr]

Ah, OK... so NView must be what makes the drop-down menus work on the second monitor with an NVidia... It gives you the application/OpenGL/DirectX settings and where to open an application by default (if you want to set it).

Like I said, I used this before and it worked (drop-down) etc, but I got instability and crashes which were caused by NView. Maybe it is better now with a newer version of the NVidia drivers...

[trison]

The whole drop down thing in LW with nView is pretty common. You have to make sure your monitors are set up a specific way. The primary monitor has to be on the left hand side with the secondary on the right. If the secondary monitor is smaller you also have to have the tops of the monitors lined up for everything to display properly.

[richpr]

Mmm... thanks, but that sucks... My monitors are physically setup the other way (17" left and 19" right)... If I remember correctly putting it your way, will make my mouse wrap wrongly for my setup...

[trison]

Right, I had my monitors set up the exact same way. My 17" was on the left of my 21". The problem is when you set up the monitors the way you have them, the dropdown menus don't work in Lightwave. I had to switch my monitors for it to work right. Just try setting up nview that way and your dropdown menus should work. This makes no sense and is a hassle but it's the only way I've found. This is also a common thread on these forums. I've seen it at least four seperate times in these forums with lightwave and Nvidia.

[richpr]

Well, maybe NView is a bit better now... ;)

BTW I have seen this happen with other apps (Excel I think)too... Especially if they are on the 2nd monitor and you open some large menu... It opens up on the 1st monitor :-(

[trison]

Mabye it's windows and not Nview that's causing the problem. Either way it's a hassle.

[Hurben]

I use 2 monitors.. I have a 19" on the left and a 17" on the right.

My 17" is aligned with the baseline of the 19".

I find working in Modeler on the right monitor is only productive if the toolbar is on the right of the screen. (Display Options > Interface > Toolbar Position) This is also an advantage because the requester windows stay out of the way on the primary monitor, which is annoying when I want to model on the primary monitor because every time I reopen them they appear on the primary monitor regardless of where they were when I closed them.

I have no option in my nView settings to span my desktop across both monitors as I use 2 actual cards.. AGP GeForce 2 & PCI GeForce 2. With the new drivers, I've noticed a significant improvement with the quality and the speed of OpenGL. ( I couldn't even get OpenGL on the secondary monitor at one stage!)

I really hope these are issues Newtek resolve with the release of Lightwave[8]. Either that or better physics solvers.. :D

[Lamont]

Originally posted by Hurben
I really hope these are issues Newtek resolve with the release of Lightwave[8]. Either that or better physics solvers.. :D It's not a Newtek problem, it's a "hardware isn't set up right" problem. And nVidia problem. :rolleyes:

Solution, get any GF4 card w/dvi out, it will output two monitors just fine. Works on WinXP/2000 whatever. Panels will stay where you put them, ect, ect...

If you have two videocards, it will treat them as two seperate cards if you don't set it up right. If you have one videocard(GF4 and up) you have the option to set up as two seperate monitors (1600x1200 on both) or one huge monitor (3200x1200).

You can click and drag what monitor is primary, just read the dialoge box.

[Hurben]

Well the issue, on one hand, is a Newtek problem, it's completely to do with interface design, other apps, like Combustion and After Effects, don't keep resetting the dialogue boxes back to the primary monitor, I can save different display layouts as much as I like.

I don't appreciate your solution get any GF4 card w/dvi out, it will output two monitors just fine. Works on WinXP/2000 whatever. Panels will stay where you put them, ect, ect...

I have 2 graphics cards and they work fine for what I need, I can't really afford to buy my way out of this problem at the moment.

Nice patronizing attitude, I believe my hardware is setup correctly, god knows I've spent more hours setting machines up than I have sleeping.. but thanks anyway. :rolleyes:

[Lamont]

No, no, no...

It is a hardware/driver issue.:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[Lamont]

Old School hardware = Old School features.

You can get a low-end GF 4 cards for less than 80 bucks. It act's like a GF2 MX, it will free up a PCI slot and give you what you need.

[richpr]

Hurben, I have the same issues with a single card and two monitors (GF4200T)... Like mentioned earlier in the thread NView from NVidia solves some/most of the requester issues, however it introduced crashes on my machine... Which completely went away when I disabled the NView utility... That was a couple of versions of their driver ago...

Some applications don't check properly for the requester positions thay are using... again, Excel does it too... I find you see it especially in situations where the app is running on the 2nd monitor (full screen) and there is no space for a pop-up/another window... It will appear on the 1st monitor... :-(

[Lamont]

I'll have to dig through my stuff and see if I can find the screen-grab with the proper setup for Dual out and GF4 (or a card with the tweak tools)...

[Lamont]

http://vbulletin.newtek.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=43602#post43602

[Hurben]

I still don't see why I have to fork out extra cash (although I'm due for an upgrade) to fix the problem, I believe it is something to do with the way Lightwave handles it's windows. The nView utility doesn't 'see' Lightwave's non-modal windows, so it can't move them around.

I would also much rather have windows treat my 2 monitor setup as just that, '2 monitors', maximising across both is just weird, and having my system tray/clock on the right monitor doesn't work in my head.

I use a utility called "UltraMon (http://www.realtimesoft.com/ultramon/)" it's the best for managing multiple monitors.

So, Lamont, I too am adimant that Newtek could do something about this issue. Have you seen Matt's vX interface project? (http://www.creactive-design.co.uk/lightwave_vx/)

[richpr]

Yes, the other thread shows you need to enable NView to make it work properly... where you point to Desktop->properties->settings->advanced->desktop utilities... It is disabled and you would need to activate the Desktop Manager (NView).

Did that when I got the videocard and it gave crashes at irregular intervals... in the end the dumps explained it was caused by NView... removed NView... no more crashes... but no more nice transparent windows, different desktop images, etc, etc. and (almost properly) working windows and pop-ups.

Perhaps NView has gotten better... However, as LW is pen aware as well, it could properly be somewhat dual monitor aware as well.. Windows properly offers some API help there... Lightwave seems to do it's own type of interface/UI anyway...

[Lamont]

You probably got crashes due to OGL settings and such. Some of the performace enhancing features of the nVidia card don't play well with Lightwave. I have display configs for all my apps, 3DS Max and Lightwave just run on no enhancements. 3DS Max in OGL mode crawls like a gimp, so it's in software-mode anyways. Lightwave crawls when "vertical sync" is on. Both crawl when I forget to turn off "stereo".

So, nVidia needs to work out better nView. LW is just fine.

And I said "Disable" nView.

[Darttman]

I use a wildcat VP560 and I have noticed fewer dialog, box, window orientation and positional memory problems as compaired to my old Geforce2 mmx vid card.

The reason is the drivers and the way they manage dual support. Not to argue but the application your runnning has little to do with the problem. The OS and video card however Do determine most of the window sizes, positions, spanning, open GL features.....

[Lamont]

Ahhh!! Someone knows and understands!!

It's about time!!:D :D

[Darttman]

Just for the record.........the picture to the left is not of me......

[bunky_wizelbeem]

I have the same pop-up problems on my ATI Radeon 9800. Also if I expand layout across both monitors, the timeline does not scale properly and gets cut off

[Tom Wood]

Well this is annoying. I'm having this very problem with a NVidia Quadro4 380XGL with a DVI and a standard connection to two LCD screens. The dropdowns won't work if I drag LW to the second monitor. I can't tell from the above discussion if there is a fix. Is there?

TW

[mrunion]

I didn't read through the entire post, but here's what I discovered and if it has already been said, forgive me:

If you go into your display properties (right-click the desktop, etc.) and check the "Extend onto this monitor" stuff below the resolution settings, the drop-downs quit working. If you look, you'll probably notice them on the monitor that has been designated as "primary". (They actually 'work' over there, they are just in a very bad place.)

Wht you need to do is uncheck the "Extend..." option and use nVidia's "nView" option. The difference is with nView, windows itself *thinks* you have a *single* monitor that is "horizontal res times two" and draws things correctly.

There is a PDF manual on nVidia's website that discusses how to use nView and the different modes. Go to the drivers section and select your driver and at the bottom there are some User Guides. Here's a link to the latest nView one: http://download.nvidia.com/Windows/45.23/NVIDIA_nView_Desktop_Manager_2.0_Users_Guide_v45.2 3.pdf

Again, if I've restated something, forgive me.

[Paul Lara]

Originally posted by jhax2003
...it's not a free program but maybe you could download it off of kazaa.

See ya, Jhax! (promoting pirated software earned you the "post elswhere award"

-Paul