Help with MonitorSetup.lua needed

[lesthegrngo]

Gents, this is a partially repeated thread, as it was a flow on from another topic. However since it specifically references MonitorSetup.lua, I thought it would be best as a standalone one

 

I am trying to use MonitorSetup.lua to display the MFCD's on two separate 10.1" screens..

 

My current setup then is a a wide, curved screen 2560 x 1080 monitor as the main display and the 10.1" TFT's at 1024 x 600 running off a 1070 graphics card which are positioned behind my dash panel. I also have a 7" screen at 720 X 1280 ranged in a portrait fashion driven by a GTX 660 graphics card, this is rigged up to Helios to generate the ADI and HSI

 

In Monitorsetup.lua, you have to set up an single monitor that emulates the extended desktop with the total width resolution x tallest height monitor resolution. one of my problems is that the Nvidia graphics setting control panel will not allow me to set the monitors correctly. I cannot dictate what resolution to apply, instead it seems to choose its own, which has already resulted in me having to disconnect everything and restart with just one monitor, so weird is the resolution it chooses. You can't reverse it as you are unable to find the correct part of the control panel!

 

So before I start with this, I need to either have full control of the extended desktop, or I need an alternative way of displaying the MFCD's on the 10.1" screens. My preferences would be to export the MFCD's to secondary screens rather than trying to fool DCS into putting the MFCD's in certain position on a virtual desktop. Helios does it with the individual instruments, without having to resort to amalgamating all the monitors in to one overarching screen.

 

So the first question I have is do I need this PhysX surround monitor setup working or can I just use the extended desktop? I suspect I don't, with some practice attempts with Monitorsetup.lua has had me being able to get the right MFCD displayed on my right hand 10.1" monitor. With this, the left hand MFCD didn't appear at all, so that was obviously not right.

 

I calculated the total size of the display area as 4608 (2560 + 1024 +1024) X 1080, and have set my two 10.1" monitors to the bottom, firstly one each side, then both to the right in different attempts to set up.

 

Here's the one with the monitors either side

  = function(p) return p; end;
name = _('LMFCD+Camera+RMFCD_Les_attempt');
Description = 'Left MFCD on the left monitor,Right MFCD on the right and camera on the center'
Viewports =
{
    Center =
    {
         x = 0;
         y = 0;
         width = 2560;
         height = 1080;
         viewDx = 0;
         viewDy = 0;
         aspect = 2.37037037;
    }
}

LEFT_MFCD =
{
    x = -1024;
    y = 0;
    width = 800;
    height = 600;
}

RIGHT_MFCD =
{
    x = 2561;
    y = 0;
    width = 800;
    height = 600;
}

UIMainView = Viewports.Center
GU_MAIN_VIEWPORT = Viewports.Center

 

And here's the one with both on the right hand side, which works as the monitors are within the limit of the screen as long as I don't select a resolution different to the main monitor's one

 

_  = function(p) return p; end;
name = _('Camera+LMFCD+RMFCD_Les_attempt');
Description = 'Left MFCD on the left monitor,Right MFCD on the right and camera on the center'
Viewports =
{
    Center =
    {
         x = 0;
         y = 0;
         width = 2560;
         height = 1080;
         viewDx = 0;
         viewDy = 0;
         aspect = 2.37037037;
    }
}

LEFT_MFCD =
{
    x = screen.width -600;
    y = screen.height -300;
    width = 300;
    height = 300;
}

RIGHT_MFCD =
{
    x = screen.width -300;
    y = screen.height -300;
    width = 300;
    height = 300;
}

UIMainView = Viewports.Center
GU_MAIN_VIEWPORT = Viewports.Center

 

When I open the game, the first thing that happens when I select the new resolution and screen setup is that all the right hand side of the main screen disappears off the right hand side of the main monitor, despite me apparently setting the main monitor resolution in the .lua file. As a result the apply button disappears, and I keep having to go to task manager and end the DCS process. I was under the understanding that the monitorsetup.lua thing only changes the resolution of the viewport in game, I didn't think it affected the menu screens as well.

 

Do I have to set the total screen size in the .lua file?

 

I need some help, if nothing else if someone can take a look at the codes I wrote above and point out any glaring errors

 

Any ideas?

Edited December 29, 2019 by lesthegrngo

[LeCuvier]

I have a much simpler setup with 2 physical monitors and the right-hand monitor used to display MPCD's. The left one is main monitor. Total screnn width is 3080. After setting this screen width, the rightmost part of my main monitor is black. Fortunately my secondary monitor shows the task bar, and when I click on the DCS icon in the taskbar, DCS fills the entire width of the main monitor and I can use the game with the extended setup.

PS: With the extended set-up still active, the same happens when I launch DCS.

[lesthegrngo]

Well, I got it working. I would like to say that this was through careful study of the way that MonitorSetup.lua works, but unfortunately I would be lying.

 

I ended up putting the two 10.1" monitors under the main one on the desktop, and making the desktop extend down rather than sideways. This meant that at least the apply buttons etc were not outside of the frame. However it would still start with a weird configuration that meant none of the menu items were clickable. By pure chance, I happened to click on the taskbar icon of the running DCS that was visible on one of the 10.1" monitors, and that 'reset' the start screen of DCS. Once I chose the quick flight option, it all started fine, and with just a few tweaks to the positional setting I new have a rather splendid looking dash with both MFCD's displayed in the correct locations.

 

Helios needed to be re-set up in order to match the new monitor settings, but a couple of minutes had that sorted.

 

So, finally I have finished that bit. Of course, true to form, now my DCS BIOS driven gauges refuse to work properly.....**SIGH****

 

Cheers

 

Les