Simpit Outside Visualization

[BHawthorne]

Hello. It seems every year when the weather lends itself to inside projects, I turn my attention back to the ultimate Simpit. Normally this process involves getting re-addicted to Orbiter--but this year it started with this graphics card I just ran across: http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/products/graphics_cards/m_series/m9188pciex16/
Single 2 GB graphics card that can output to eight (8!) separate 1920x1200 displays.
not sure on price, but I am sure it is in the 'if you have to ask' range.

A Matrox GPU? You're gotta be smoking something if you believe that'll have any kind of performance in 3D. Matrox hasn't made a successful GPU since...what?...a decade now? Matrox GPUs are crap for anything other than video walls. The only thing Matrox has done right in the last few years is thier GXM line of boxes. If you want to get something that'll not be a slideshow get the 6 port 5870 EyeFinity6 card from AMD. It can run 6 2560x1600 displays as a single virtual 3D window.

BTW, a few pics of Orbiter OGLA client in my current projection setup.

 

[BHawthorne]

I thought I'd poke my head back in and see how things are going with Orbiter. In the last year it's been quite a ride for me when it comes to simulator visuals. October 2010 AMD contacted me to help with the 6000-series video card launch in L.A., then they promoted the current version of my screen setup at CES 2011. Also assisted with a half-dozen other setups at conventions this year. It's been a good year for hobby multi-projection visuals. If anyone needs help with multi-projector simpit visuals just let me know. I've learned a lot in the last year that would be helpful to builders. I'm looking to get back into using Orbiter in January. Hopefully I have some cool stuff to show off here in the simpits subforums soon. A little teaser, but think affordable dual-projection 180 degree S3D design for simpit builders.

:thumbup:

Here is a random pic of one of the screen setups at a convention I set up for fun to promote the Kansas Aviation Museum. The museum Director is having fun flying.

 

[Weirdo Earthtorch]

Nice! Thanks for checking back in. I've admired the setup you were developing for a while. It's the kind of thing I'd love to build given the time/money. Didn't you get involved with NThusim?

 

[yagni01]

Welcome back, stranger! Your teaser worked; I look forward to January :thumbup:

 

[Hielor]

Very nice! I might even have to consider getting back into simpit stuff if something like that is available...

 

[BHawthorne]

Nice! Thanks for checking back in. I've admired the setup you were developing for a while. It's the kind of thing I'd love to build given the time/money. Didn't you get involved with NThusim?

Yep, I mostly just volunteer forum staff for them. They subcontracted me out for a bunch of conventions in the last year. CES was a mind blowing week to experience (especially when I didn't have to pay for it). Working AMD events promoting Eyefinity are major fun both during the events and behind the scenes in setup and tare down. I had to totally rethink my screen design a dozen times over refining it to deal with the portability aspect of doing them. When I first got into this stuff I never thought about making the screens quick and simple to put up and take down. That took a bunch of design changes and refinement to deal with. I'm still refining my current screen design even more lately. Two prototype screens are being installed in a shopping mall based simulation center in Denver in January. In order to get it to the quality level required for a consumer product, I've done a significant amount of changes lately. I have the design pretty much figured out. I just need to refine a few small details. The Denver screens are still prototypes, but a heck of a lot more functional than my last 5 designs. I especially like that Eyefinity 2x1L with just two projectors can do the FOV. It's the most cost effective way to address the issue. NVIDIA requires dual video card to do Surround and also three displays. That gets crazy expensive with proejctors. AMD 2x1L setup with just a single video card is so much more cost effective.

The difference in screen design between the two posts above is about a dozen total ground-up redesigns on the screen. Looking at the old pics, they didn't even have edge blending in those old setups. Actually, looking closely at the latest picture, that isn't even the current screen. That was the last time I used the screen I built for CES 2011.

My plan is to come up with a how-to using regular Home Depot type materials to make a cost effective reproduction of the a screen with the same dimensions as my portable one. It'll be much more cost effective that way. The downside is it'll be a fixed screen not portable. Making the screen portable makes it cost about 10x more unfortunately. As making this stuff cost effective is my goal, I think it's a compromise that is worth having a fixed screen though. At issue is having room for it. I've always lucked out with having an unfinished basement.

I feel kind of silly it's taken me this long to show back up here. Looking at my last post time stamps I simply didn't realize it had been that long.

 

[Hielor]

Too bad you won't be doing the Denver gig until January, I'll be there next week if you ever set anything up in the Seattle area let me know, it would be cool to check out!

 

[bpops]

Looks really great, BHawthorne! I'd love to see some more pics of the "guts" of it if you have time.

 

[BHawthorne]

Looks really great, BHawthorne! I'd love to see some more pics of the "guts" of it if you have time.

I hope to document the screen and projector mounting design in a bit more detail in the next month or so. There really isn't much guts to the screen setup. Most of it is merely just applying concepts to a few Home Depot materials and DIY building it. My setups have evolved from NVIDIA three projector setups to AMD two projector setups simply for the fact it's significantly more cost effective to go single video card and dual projector over dual/triple video card and triple projector. AMD currently sets the bar for entry as low as possible for multi-display. Something NVIDIA has yet to understand.

I have a lot of stuff floating around the web. Just Google BHawthorne and NTHUSIM and a bunch of stuff will pop up. I also have a YouTube channel under BHawthorne72. That should tide some people over enough till I get around to better documenting the screen in January.

 

[BHawthorne]

Just checking in to let people know I'm still around and actively working on things.

The setup I'm currently using has a single AMD Eyefinity video card (5870 E6) and two 720p projectors (Optoma GT720). It's capable of doing 180 degree projection with just two projectors. I have a few videos on my youtube channel (BHawthorne72). Nothing really to show spacific to the current design though. That is mostly previous design versions of my personal setup.

Either way it goes a baseline shopping list for the visual system would be an AMD 6950 video card ($240) and two Optoma GT720 ($650 each). That is still a tall order for most, but a lot cheaper than my previous setups.

 

[kc5ifk]

I'd really like to get a copy of those instructions when you're finished - this is fantastic stuff! When my kids are just a bit older, I want to build a full-scale sim environment with them.

 

[GodAtum]

Just checking in to let people know I'm still around and actively working on things.

The setup I'm currently using has a single AMD Eyefinity video card (5870 E6) and two 720p projectors (Optoma GT720). It's capable of doing 180 degree projection with just two projectors. I have a few videos on my youtube channel (BHawthorne72). Nothing really to show spacific to the current design though. That is mostly previous design versions of my personal setup.

Either way it goes a baseline shopping list for the visual system would be an AMD 6950 video card ($240) and two Optoma GT720 ($650 each). That is still a tall order for most, but a lot cheaper than my previous setups.

Sorry to revive an old thread, but this is very interesting. How did you get rid of all the in-sim stuff like the HUD etc as for outside visuals you just need to have space?

For the HUD, I was thikning of moving it to Google Glass.

 

[kamaz]

You should ask that in D3D9Client thread.

At one point, jarmonik demonstrated rendering HUD and view to different windows.