Cheap Curved Screen Set-up started w/Immersive Display Lite 2

[Aaron]

Great job!

Are you using just extended front view or multiple undocked?

In my tests, I was unable to get good and stable fps (and the most important, smooth flight) with just one pc with three undocked views in every condition (KSEA on thunderstorm at dusk on I7 2600k@4.2 8Gb DDR3-1600 NVIDIAGTX570)

[737NUT]

Great job!

Are you using just extended front view or multiple undocked?

In my tests, I was unable to get good and stable fps (and the most important, smooth flight) with just one pc with three undocked views in every condition (KSEA on thunderstorm at dusk on I7 2600k@4.2 8Gb DDR3-1600 NVIDIAGTX570)

I am using one view through a TH2GO adapter. No problem with frame rates/ smooth flight.

[Aaron]

I am using one view through a TH2GO adapter. No problem with frame rates/ smooth flight.

Ok! thats what I say. If you want to move your head left/right and see what is really happends in that direction, there is not easy way to do it! Undocked views (for a trully >180º smooth visual) its something like a dream with just one PC.

[MrBob]

I would like to know how did you get the projectors to line up on the screen? I recently built a 180 degree curved screen like yours, however my room is only 11 ft by 11 ft square and I using 3 benq mp771 short throw projectors. I'm having trouble getting the image to be square on the screen before I apply the fly elise lite 2 immersive display. No one seems to have the answer to the alignment question!

[Aaron]

On a curved screen you will always have "unshaped" or "unsquare" image untill you correct them via warping software (immersive display, nthusim, sol7, warpalizer, etc.)

You should decide first if you want edge-butting or overlap mode. If you want seamless image, overlap is the choice. If you overlap, you should place the projector overlaping a certain length. In our setup, we overlaped just 15cm (we have a 9m curved screen and 220º) and its all fine. But its true that its easier if you overlap a little be more (the more you overlap, the easiest and smoother its the transition between projectors and the "fade"

[MrBob]

On a curved screen you will always have "unshaped" or "unsquare" image untill you correct them via warping software (immersive display, nthusim, sol7, warpalizer, etc.)

You should decide first if you want edge-butting or overlap mode. If you want seamless image, overlap is the choice. If you overlap, you should place the projector overlaping a certain length. In our setup, we overlaped just 15cm (we have a 9m curved screen and 220º) and its all fine. But its true that its easier if you overlap a little be more (the more you overlap, the easiest and smoother its the transition between projectors and the "fade"

Hi Aaron, Thanks for the reply. I have yet to activate my immersive software,(i guess I will find out soon enough). I understand that the warping and or blending software can correct the running program/programs shape that is projected but does it correct or manipulate the projectors outside image that is on the screen? I don't know how else to word my question! I have attempted to adjust each projector's keystone settings and still am unable to get the projectors image square and i realize that the image is tall on one side and short on the opposite side. If I project it on a flat screen it is square, but once I project it on my curved screen than the geometry changes.

[Aaron]

Hi Bob,

You should NOT use keystone on your proyector. Keystone its one of the things that warping software will do with your projectors images.

As you can see here every projector have its own unique "shape" accoding with the position respect to the screen. You can see also the amount of overlap in my setup. Every time you project onto a curved surface you will have this "smiling" effect. The more distance to the screen, the more effect, so this effect its more visible on the bottom of the screen (the top of the projection its not to so much distorted)

More photos of our projection building here
And final result here

[blueskydriver]

Hi Bob,

I know what you're asking and that is on-screen alignment based on the zoom factors of each view, in a 3 view setup.

First, you setup the actual projectors by adjusting their mounts so to see aligning of the screen edges without the computer being turned on yet (butt edging, dont worry about overlap yet). No keystone either.

Next, you have to startup the computer and run the screen correction program; be it NTHUSIM, Warpalizer or Immersive View, it must be setup and aligned using it's grid patteren alignments; see here for examples of NTHUSIM:

http://nthusim.com/forum-topic/multi...-fs2004-or-fsx

Next, you actually have four window/views; the full size background, but dont count it, and then only make the left, center and right views. You will then adjust the zoom values of these 3 views and manually doing this is difficult, so you need a free program called Window Maker here:

http://www.mycockpit.org/forums/show...r-tool-updated!

With Window Maker you determine the zooms and then apply those values to the .FLT files located in the FSPlans folder (where you save flights, look that up please). From this point forward you will not start from the FSX menu dialog selection of location, aircraft, weather, time/date & etc. You must always start from a saved .FLT file and then change it to where, when and how (weather) you want to fly.

Next, once you have the zoom setup with Window Maker, you might need to fine tune the values by changing them in small increments at a time manually until you get it right, and then resave them within the .FLT file. Once you start working with all of this you'll get it and understand what you'll need to do...

Finally, you should have a pretty good alignment at this point. You must realize that perfect alignment will never happen because there are issues with in-flight turns and weather alignment matters. Although, it will be 99.9% aligned and this amazing considering we're talking a home cockpit...

Good Luck,

BSD

[MrBob]

Thank you for that usefull information. I will have to post progress hopefully by this weekend. I'm greatful for you all out there that have gave me your input! That is what makes the Flight Sim Community incredibly awesome.

[MrBob]

Hi blueskydiver, thank you for that info. Can you tell me that does window maker also work with x-plane 9? I'm running x plane 9 on my sim and one computer with the matrox triple head 2 go. The fly elise lite2 immersive has a xplane key in it. or does the window maker only apply to fsx or fs?