Do you know if Orbiter works under 3D vision by Nvidia ?
I envisage to buy a 3D kit (monitor and kit nvidia) but before that i would like to know if Orbiter works in 3D with this kit
Thx
Hi Mustard,
yes, I am running 3 monitor widescreen with NVidia shutter glasses for 3D stereo viewing, using Orbiter Visualization Project's D3D9ClientRC10 on Orbiter 2010 ng with 64bit Windows and DX11 with 2 SLI-connected GForce480 GPUs. The newest NVidia drivers allow to have the shutter glasses work with all 3 monitors, but of course also a single monitor, and a single nVidia graphics card will give you true 3D stereo as long as the monitor supports 120 Hz refresh (I am using Acer GD245HQ), nVidia control panel being configured for 120 Hz, and Orbiter running full-screen mode not windowed mode.
I have tried OGLA client as well, but NVidia drivers need a DX client to auto-render to 3D, and that's pretty well implemented with D3D9RC10 (see forum "Orbiter Visualization Project"; OGLA does not seem to support Microsoft DX though. Performance and framerates are very high, and I do not spot any stutter compared to non-stereo display.
There are a few quirks though in 3D mode when combined with wide screen resolutions, like non-prudent scaling of HUD and Maps (though one can use the 2D panel of DG, which in 3D is rendered well when you scale appropriately in the Parameter section of the launchpad; it will not be a problem at all in 1-monitor application). Also be aware that the D3D9 client does not support all vessels yet - I tried standard DG and NASSP so far, and both work well (more tests with Shuttle, and Orulex etc. to follow). As the NVidia drivers do auto render 3DVision with only requirement being DX support, functionality will depend on support and stability of Orbiter-NG and D3D9 client.
So what's the overall impression ? Let me clearly say: overwhelming, next best to being there, especially when running 3 monitor wide-screen while in orbit and approaching ISS space station. The 2D DG panel is seen as being at eye distance from the monitor, and earth and space station seem to be way behind the screen. Slight drawback is that sometimes picture seems a bit darker through the glasses, but IMHO it is still okay. Also, vertical screen resolution is limited to 1080 pixels on the Acers, which is a bit unsatisfactory when remembering 1200 pixels back in the days of CRT monitors. Probably it would be best to use 3 flatscreens able to be run in portrait mode like 3 x 1080 by 1920 pixels, instead of having 3 x 1920 by 1080 (be aware that the Acers cannot be tilted to portrait mode, and also watch out for bezel correction - it is supported by NVidia drivers but then the monitors should not have large-sized bezels either, of course).
Note posting #303 and subsequent posts on Orbiter Visualization Project thread
http://www.orbiter-forum.com/showthread.php?p=245371&postcount=303. On the Orbiter pictures section there are some widescreen screenshots, but of course they are not 3D. I could post 3D stereo jps screenshots, but these can be viewed only on a 3DVision system.
Hope this gives you some ideas on what to expect. Summary: yes, I clearly recommend it for any Orbiter enthusiast and space buff like me still dreaming of man's return to moon on 50-year anniversary - but be aware of some limitations of the D3D9 client still in development. Anyway, jarmonik and other contributors cannot be thanked enough for their splendid work.
Regards - Rob
