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Multi Monitor Support

Started by Zen, June 28, 2006, 09:42:10 AM

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Zen

Is there currently or will there be support for making 2D applications with the ability to span multiple monitors? As i have a dual screen setup and it would be great if i could create an application that could use both screens.

Lewis

Ionic Wind Support Team

I wouldn't know where to start ;)
Ionic Wind Support Team

Zen

Well that makes too of us lol! I've not even looked into the windows API for 2D stuff but im sure i have seen something about multi monitors in some GDI API's a while back. So im not sure how hard it would be to do but it would be cool if it could be done later on.

Lewis

J B Wood (Zumwalt)

The answer is yes, and all you have to do is make your program span the two 'virtual spaces'
All multi-monitor really is, is a full virtual space for your desktop.

1024x768 becomes 2048x768, so you make your program have a 0,0 top left and a 2048x768 lower right.
This isn't as easy in 3d vs 2d, unless you write your program to do a windowed mode application instead of full screen.

Zen

Yeah that was the trouble, when the directX screen is created as a fullscreen one it just uses the one monitor. I was hoping to get it so i can create full screen ones.

Lewis

J B Wood (Zumwalt)

Here is the real delima on this Lewis, most people with multi-monitors, have multiple video cards, DX doesn't share this space, now-adays, people are buying the multi-port cards, they share the same card / interfaces, however, each port has its own processor, they are not living in the same DX space even on the same card. Not now anyway, so you have to do it windowed OR simply take each 'video out' and place X amount of information to that 3d space. Gives it the illusion of multi-monitor support, when in fact you are starting 2 rendering engines at the same time to share the time.

Zen

So i guess these games like some of the fligh sim games where you can setup upto 3 monitors (front cockpit and left and right views) really are just using threads and setting up 3 different screens rather than one big one? I guess that would make more sense. The way my system is setup is using just the one card, with three ports.

Would there be any way to setup another dx screen on my other monitor? Or would this involve me overwriting the virtual createFullScreen method to allow this?

Lewis

Ionic Wind Support Team

Probably be a little more involved than that.  You would have to enumerate the drivers to find each one of the separate display outputs and tell DX which one to use when setting up the screen.
Ionic Wind Support Team

Zen

Well im not saying now obviously as its no big deal but maybe in the future it would be good if we could implement that into the language :D

Lewis