ViewGroup - very strange issue, LM please help !

[737SimGuy]

Is anyone else experiencing the zoom level issue?

Hi,
Yes I can confirm I have this issue as well with three 75” LCD displays using three windows via ViewGroups.

James

[Aussie1234]

Sounds like you do have a problem Beau.
Just to say I personally, haven't experienced the same problem in my 737 cockpit. The ViewGroup I set up was all OK on v4.5, 5.0, 5.1 and now v5.3HF.
I have one 75" monitor to my left, and three 55" monitors to my front, right and far right. About a 210 degree view. All are set to 1080p driven from one RTX 2070 Super running on unlimited. Everything is a LOT smoother now on v5.3 and the VRAM is handled well.
I manually set each view angle, and the individual screen ratios as the screens are aligned at the top, and not the centre. I get good alignment in the cockpit view, plus when switching to the outside view and around back to cockpit. The zoom setting (up the top right) stays the same. Bringing up ATC or any other menu screen (GSX etc) does not cause a problem in my set up.
Are you sure your ratios are set correctly for each monitor? When you are switching, it might be picking up the vertical ratio and then the horizontal? Just a thought?

Aussie

[micschneider]

Hi,
I am not sure if we are talking about the same problem. I think on a 3 monitor setup the tearing/ out of sync problem is hard to see because you have the bezels in between exactly at the position where 3 projectors are aligned and overlapping. The jumping of objects is exactly there....
I am also not sure if a different zoom level could cause this. If there is a difference then I should see a misalignment of the pictures also when being static. But there is nothing strange visible ! Only when moving or moving objects like airport cars driving thru these projector overlap areas. Then you see the jumping from one view to the other...
Best regards
Michael

[Beau Hollis]

The zoom issue is one that should be apparent while pause and could be captured via a full desktop print-screen. You can remove edge overlap to make the screen capture line up at the edges for a simple case such as three monitors with matching resolution using the auto-fill desktop. If you have reproduction steps for this issue, please post them here.

The alignment issue that is noticeable only while in motion is likely related to the latency/timing/synchronization of the images being presented to each monitor/projector.

[micschneider]

Hi,
I am definetly plagued with the alignment issue. I have never experienced a zoom related issue in my setup.
Best regards Michael

[Biggles2010]

Is anyone else experiencing the zoom level issue? I'm curious if there is something odd going on with regards to mouse zoom settings. I've never see the menu item clicks changing zoom and breaking groups. If we can reproduce that, it would likely be something we could fix up. We did do some thorough testing when this was first reported and tested several different view group configurations to see if the groups themselves were ever getting misaligned in a way that you could capture while stationary.

Beau, thanks for looking into this and apologies for delay in my response and for its length.

Since my earlier post about menu selections causing zoom changes, I now realise that what happens is not what I first thought. It appears that in P3D 5.3 when certain menu items are selected, the zoom level is switched between 2 different zoom ranges. The zoom level numbers displayed top right on screen change without changing the field of view on screen. This would account for some users not noticing the effect.

It seems like 'Wide Aspect Ratio' is being switched On or Off in the background, at the same time, to compensate for the change of zoom range, without it being reflected in the tick box in the Graphics menu.

Over several days of testing menu selections, I found that occasionally the zoom change was different and was visually apparent with an actual perspective change on screen. This happened 4 times in a random way with different aircraft, but I could not identify an exact cause or replicate each of these events.

I assume the 2 different ranges of zoom levels should be related to whether 'Wide Aspect Ratio' is selected, or not, under Options, Graphics. The zoom change normally seemed to be to an 'equivalent' value in the other range, with no change in screen view or perspective. (For instance, 0.64 in one range is evidently equivalent to 1.21 in the other range.

Checking in Options,Graphics always showed the Wide Aspect Ratio selection remained ticked (as I had originally selected). I noticed that in P3D 5.3 selecting or deselecting Wide Aspect Ratio 'in game' does not seem to consistently change the screen view like it did in earlier versions. Changing it through Options, on the initial interface screen before selecting an aircraft does appear to have a visible effect.

These menu switching effects only occurred with View Groups in use. I use 5 monitors in total, of which 2 are on a discrete graphics card in a View Group, set up with view frustrums, for forward view and a forward left view. Wide Aspect Ratio is ticked 'On'.

Because the current zoom level is not permanently displayed top right of screen I get around this for checking by pressing the equals key or minus key. This brings up the zoom display but of course changes the zoom value up or down by one step, so I then use the opposite key to take it back to the value it was at before pressing the first key.


I normally only use an addon aircraft, but for testing I used default aircraft and scenery. All with latest P3D 5.3 HF2

Test 1 Default F35A in Virtual Cockpit mode, stationary on ground at the default Randolph air base, with view groups remaining at my normal settings. Wide aspect ratio ticked in Options Graphics. Initial zoom shown as 0.64

Using top menu -
Select Navigation /Map/ Click on ILS arrows on map to display frequencies window /Click OK / Close map. Check zoom - now 1.21
Select Views /View Groups /View Group Management / Make no changes /Click OK/ - Check zoom - now 0.64
Select Help /About LM /Close. - Check zoom - now 1.21
Select Views /View Groups /View Group Management / Make no changes /Click OK/ - Check zoom - now back to 0.64
Select Navigation /Map/ Click ILS arrows on map to display frequencies window /Click OK/ Close map. Check zoom - now 1.21

Results: Displayed zoom level changed Actual screen image always unchanged.


Test 2 Open with default F35 and then select LM Turboprop Trainer View Groups on as above. Wide View ticked in Options /Graphics. View mode Virtual Cockpit. Initial zoom shown as 0.64

Select Navigation /Map/ Click ILS arrows / frequency window / Click OK / Close Map. Check zoom This time no change ??
Select World /Time and Season / leave unchanged Click Apply. Check zoom again no change still 0.64
Select Help / About LM / Close Check zoom now 1.05
Select Options / Graphics / check wide aspect still ticked / Click OK zoom stays at 1.05
select Views /View Gp Management / Make no changes - Click OK zoom now 0.64
select Addons / FSUIPC / Click cancel zoom now 1.05
Select Views / View Gp Mgmt /Click OK zoom now 0.64

Results: As before, displayed zoom level changed without any change to screen appearance. Some differences in effect of menu selections on displayed zoom level.


Test 3 Exit P3D - restart P3D - Opens with default F35 at zoom 0.64 All settings as previous tests - View Groups on and Wide Aspect selected. Select change aircraft to LM Turboprop Trainer which this time opens at zoom 1.08

Select Navigation / Map /Click on ILS arrows / frequency display /Click OK /Close check zoom still 1.08
Select Views / View Groups /View Gp Mgmt /Click OK. zoom changed 0.64
Select Map /Click on ILS arrows / Frequency display / Click OK / Close. zoom now 1.83 (view perspective big change)
Select Options /Graphics /check Wide view still ticked /Click OK zoom now 1.08
Select Views /View Gp Mgmt / Click OK. zoom now 0.64

Results: Turboprop Trainer opened at slightly different zoom level this time. Unusually the Navigation / Map selection had no effect first time then later caused a big change in zoom and screen appearance. I could not replicate this over a number of subsequent tests.

Test 4 Default F16 Virtual Cockpit View Groups On Wide aspect view selected in Options/Graphics zoom showing 0.64
All results same as F35.

Test 5 Default F35 on ground All settings as in Test 1 except View Group edited to remove view frustrum for forward left view. Only main forward view screen in use. F35 virtual cockpit showed initial zoom at 0.64
Next: Select Views / Change view from virtual cockpit to Cockpit zoom is now 0.31
Then change zoom manually to give reasonable perspective choose 0.60

Select World / Time and Season / Apply / Confirm Zoom remains at 0.60
Select Views / View Gp Mgmt / Click OK zoom changes to 0.64 - With big change in screen image and perspective.
Select Options / Graphics / Make no changes / Click OK zoom changes to 1.05
Zoom manually back to 0.60 Regains original perspective.


These inconsistencies did not exist in P3D ver3 when View Groups were introduced. In P3D v4.5 It seemed restricted to the Navigation / Map selection which usually changed my preset zoom of 0.7 to 1.0 and in doing so changed the on screen perspective. P3D5.3 seems to behave differently. I think this should not be happening.

John B.