Dual monitor support

[Wesley]

Very frustrating. I know quite alot of people who are using dual monitors with Revit now.

- open views on second monitor without losing all that space to the menu and tool bars
- keep dialogue boxes (such as properties) open at all times
- some items in dialogue boxes don't seem to work properly in dual monitor setups (items greyed out, non-scrollable lists)
- etc, etc!

Wes

[PeterJ]

I second this one very strongly. Much hardware is very very cheap these days and I have a video card that supports three video cards if I want them, up to 1600 x 1200 each.

Right now I use two monitors and even some very basic tweaks so that if I shunt the project explorer onto the second screen it doesn't default back to the first when I open an alternate project (or family) and then stay docked when I return to my original project would help.

I would be happy to do the set up myself if some interface were there so Revit would not be required to poll the system for its details.

Pete

[Wesley]

mmmmmm....
What's that tweak? I love to have my project browser on mon. 2, but I get sick of moving it every time I open a different file. :?
Wes

[arnie1811]

I think dual monitor support is usefull.
However three or more might be a waste for a single person.
There should be other means or incentives to move your body.
And the foremost important issue is the main screen that should handle everything and that is a software-and-speed matter.

[Wes Macaulay]

From one Wesley to another...

I quite agree about the dual monitor thing. In fact, I gave up on it and went to a higher res single monitor setup instead. It would be nice if this was fixed. Both the ATI and nVidia cards seem to suffer from this in my experience (this was Windows 2000 - maybe XP is better).

AND... I have to say it's nice to see someone who hasn't *lost* their ability to spell lose properly. A lot of people must be too tight because when they can't find something, they're always saying they're loosing it. Don't let me loose my mind... or lose it?

[mlgatzke]

I agree, this would be nice. I've already begun discussions with our IT staff and we're already talking dual processory machines with dual LCD panel monitors for everyone in my lab.

It would be nice to separate the project browser from the work-space and lock them into desktop positions. I would also like the option (probably in preferences) for Revit to remember the location of each dialog box so that it will return to the same location each time it is called.

[Steve_Stafford]

Many of the dialog boxes do remember where they were now...not the project browser though.

[mlgatzke]

Steve,

Guess I never really paid much attention to it, but you gotta admit that dual monitor support would be a welcome addition to Revit.

[Steve_Stafford]

Idongattadoonufin...(sorry, writin' with food in my mouth)

Yaah, shooer yoo betcha, I agree. :D

I've got a dual head Matrox Millenium video card. I've used dual before, but until I've got two monitors that can each handle the same resolution I've gone back to one.

[Damo]

(Found this wish list post at last, didn't want to start a new one)

Please please please Mr. AutoDesk, can we have dual monitor support for Revit? Either by allowing Revit stretch across 2 monitors, or to allow us to move the browser and other toolbars onto to the second monitor.

The working space you get with just two 17" monitors is far better (IMHO) then one large 21".

If this isn't possible by the next release, can we at least have Revit remember where the browser is docked. I find it very frustrating that it keeps reverting back to the primary monitor.

[mlgatzke]

(Found this wish list post at last, didn't want to start a new one)

. . .allowing Revit stretch across 2 monitors, or to allow us to move the browser and other toolbars onto to the second monitor. . .

Actually, Revit will span across 2 monitors. Just reduce Revit to a window (instead of full-screen) and resize it to span both monitors. Also, you can move the Browser onto the second monitor. However, it must stay attached to the edge of the primary monitor, so it overlaps the screen slightly. Toolbars cannot be moved.

I'm not endorsing how Revit works on dual-monitors, simply stating what can and cannot be done. Personally, I think it would be nice to fully take advantage of dual-monitors to enlarge the available workspace.

[Charles Francis]

MG:
This must be related more to the settings of the video card [in this case a Gainward FX Ultra / 780 w/ NVIDIA GeForce FX 5600XT] in that I am able to move the browser away from the edge of the second monitor. My system thinks that it is a single monitor set at 2304 x 864 thus allowing the browser anywhere on either screen. Unfortunately, just as with the other systems, it always defaults back to the left hand side of the screen adjacent the tool bar.
Charles

[PeterJ]

Actually, Revit will span across 2 monitors. Just reduce Revit to a window (instead of full-screen) and resize it to span both monitors. Also, you can move the Browser onto the second monitor. However, it must stay attached to the edge of the primary monitor, so it overlaps the screen slightly.

Mike, these points are clearly videocard driver related. I can run Revit full screen with the browser detached and floating on the second monitor, I can also run it full screen (instead of resized) across two monitors.

These things take a little investigation into how your graphics card is set up but I would be surprised if you couldn't achieve the same with your new systems.

However, none of the above is a sop for real multi-monitor support. I crave an arrangement whereby if I run Revit across two screens I can have a 'remembered' tile arrangement so that I have a large format plan on one monitor and perhaps 4 smaller views, the browser and the deisgn bar on the second monitor. I would see it acting similarly to the multiple modelspace viewports in AutoCAD but with some form of templating function so I didn't have to set it up each time I opened or started a project.

[Andre Baros]

Sure it would be nice for Revit to use two monitors well... but Revit and so many other programs basically treat the second monitor like a forgotten stepchild.

The reason I run two monitors is to run two programs... ie. AutoCAD on one screen and Excel on another, or AutoCAD on one screen and Max on another, or... oh wait... with Revit I don't need to do that anymore.

For more porductivity in Revit, I am quickly being converted to the one big monitor camp vs. two monitors camp... and using the nVidia drivers to quickly switch between virtual monitors.

[cadkiller]

Group;

I use dual view and not single view on my dual monitor setup. Single view over laps both monitors and takes some time to divide it properly. I have the following suggestions.

1- Have a doc tab above, below or on the side to be able to manage multiple drawings, views, etc.

2- Have the ability to place views outside of the application and put them on the second monitor.

3- Create a visual tool palette similar to AutoCAD that also can be docked on the second monitor.

4- Create a properties palette similar to AutoCAD that can be open at all times and also be docked on the second monitor.

5- Allow for multiple sessions to run at the same time for the same project. I'm not sure if this is fessible; but would be an option that would allow for more real estate.

6- Break up the project browser and have different browsers for view, family and groups that can be properly docked on the second monitor. The project browser can get quite large and become difficult to scroll and manage.

PS: I really hope they do something to resolve this issue. I'm going crazy trying to manage all these open views and sheets on one monitor and don't like to have a span view setup to be able to do this.

From;
Edward Borg
Precision Drafting LLC
http://precisiondraftingllc.com (http://precisiondraftingllc.com/)

[jsbrunt]

Has anyone got their dual monitor setup working at all? I get stacking / overwriting option bars and drop down menus not appearing, etc.

I just spent over $500 on 19" LCD and a 256MB NVIDIA 2 port graphics card and got the above results. (Running W2k)

[adegnan]

Try getting the Nview control panel. This helps a lot.

I used to use my dual monitors extensively with NView. But my 2nd card was too slow and I changed methods.

Now I open revit on my main monitor. I maximize the screen and the window. Then I drag the project browser off the right hand of the screen, actually off of the main revit window and it lands on the 2nd monitor! Therefore it seems all the graphics are being generated on the main monitor. And I gain the screen real estate for the project browswer on the 2nd monitor.

Plus I use the 2nd monitor for AUGI. ;)

[mlgatzke]

Dual monitor support would be WONDERFUL. Especially if the screen components could be broken out separately from the main Revit window - say, like when using an Adobe product or AutoCAD/ADT. I don't see any need to keep these screen components integral with the Revit "work" window. I would think that this could be a relatively simple modification to the code by a GUI guru.

As far as dual monitors working: Mine work GREAT! I find myself SO much more productive using dual monitors. However, Abe's right, the Nvidia View tool works wonders - although mine happened to work correctly before I installed NView.

There DOES seem to be a problem with Revit on the secondary monitor however. Maybe it's just the Nvidia drivers, but dropdown menus don't always work when Revit is running on my secondary monitors. Anyone else have this happen?

[essdubbya]

Hey MG

How about a poll on dual monitor support - or has this been done before?

[dbaldacchino]

Yep, now that I have dual monitor support, I'm mad that I cannot put up a plan on one while I work in 3D or rection on the other. The only thing I managed to send to the other monitor was the project browser but that doesn't do a whole lot for me. Should we start a poll?!

[Mike Hardy-Brown]

Actually, Revit will span across 2 monitors. Just reduce Revit to a window (instead of full-screen) and resize it to span both monitors. Also, you can move the Browser onto the second monitor. However, it must stay attached to the edge of the primary monitor, so it overlaps the screen slightly. Toolbars cannot be moved.

I'm not endorsing how Revit works on dual-monitors, simply stating what can and cannot be done. Personally, I think it would be nice to fully take advantage of dual-monitors to enlarge the available workspace.Mike,
I do the same,
also agree that it would be cool for full interactive dual monitors!!!


Would it be to early to put in a wish for the 3d model to be dislpayed as a hologram??
(RB50....perhaps:D)

[patricks]

I'm going to bring this back up again.

Just got a 2nd 19" Ultrasharp monitor at my office, and have been trying it out. Currently one is on DVI and the other is on analog, just because I'm still running the Quadro FX500 graphics card (GeForce 7900 is on the way, but backordered I heard). Both monitors are running 1280x1024 res.

I was able to get Revit to span both monitors by setting my NView settings to Horizontal Span. This stretches the Windows tool bar across both monitors. The only problem is that any maximized view window in Revit will span across both monitors. I have to manually size and place windows every time, seems like. I dunno, perhaps the dual view setting is better so that I can keep Outlook, WinAmp, perhaps AIM, and of course AUGI ;) on the other monitor.

My preference would be to have Revit be able to span both monitors, and then when you open a view and press the maximize button, it only fills one monitor, depending upon which monitor you have that view window on.

[tomnewsom]

Something like the 3dStudio system, where there are fixed-sized 'Viewports' which can contain any view, would be useful. Keep Ctrl-Tab and the Window... menu for navigation, but force views to maximise to the current viewport. This would be great for all setups, not just multi monitor. You could have all plans on one viewport and sections on the other, for example, for easy referencing.

[Mike Hardy-Brown]

I'm going to bring this back up again. Patrick,
Glad you brought this up again, I have connected my notebook to a an extra monitor.
Other than the process explained with minimising the view, it is no better than using outlook on 1 and Revit on the other :banghead:
I am sure microstation supported dual monitor output in the 90's???
Thanks for bringing this thread back to life.

[Lashers]

What would be good is if you could take the wondow out of the Revit frame!! That way you could have your extra windows open on one screen and revit (i presume) on the main one! That way the project browser would be in the middle and easy to reach!

Or just call me stupid!

[Mike Hardy-Brown]

............SNIP........That way the project browser would be in the middle and easy to reach!

...........SNIP.........
I like that, especially using 3 monitors! with the project browser in the centre one.:)

[Bryan Sutton]

[QUOTE=Lashers]What would be good is if you could take the wondow out of the Revit frame!!

Ahh this is a very Macintosh. Mac's have had it over PC's for...decades? when it comes to dual monitor support. Windows seems to limit sub windows to be contained within the application window although toolbars are not. If you use Photoshop there is a Navigator tool bar that you can have large on your second monitor it gives you a full zoomed out view of your active window showing you where you are in your drawing - zoom/location. This would be very useful for navigating around your drawings/sheets. Less zoom out, zoom in, zoom out...
cheers
Bryan Sutton

[DanielleAnderson]

Anybody have any news on the dual-monitor situation? I just finally got a second monitor and I am already irritated that I can't have all that fun with Revit on 2 screens - that would be SO helpful.

[angelo]

So, if dual monitors or toolbar "memory" isn't near the top of the Factory's list, is there a way to hack Revit into behaving?

Drawing in BIM should be a visual endeavor, not a cramped box on the screen!

Does the API have any hooks into the UI?

Thanks,
Angelo

[joshua]

I would love dual monitor support, but only if we can move the toolbars out of the program frame, similar to adobe illustrator. Also, I would like to have the option of having the properties window always open, so if I want to edit the properties, I can immediately go to the open properties window, rather than select object, hit options button. This only makes sense in a dual monitor configuration, since screen real estate on a single monitor is tight.
j

[Chad Smith]

I wonder how we can utilise this monitor (http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/09/27/sharp_three-way_lcd/) in the workplace?

[mlgatzke]

I wonder how we can utilise this monitor (http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/09/27/sharp_three-way_lcd/) in the workplace?
That's just a gimick. This one would be nice. Oh yea!

http://www.l-computer.com/monitors/athens/features/index.htm

[Wes Macaulay]

:shock: You'd wear your mouse out with real estate like that.

[mlgatzke]

:shock: You'd wear your mouse out with real estate like that.
I'd suffer through it with a smile on my face. When they guy/gal at the computer store asked why I keep coming in to buy new mice, I'd pull a picture of it out of my wallet like a proud papa. You gotta admit that it's pretty cool. I just wish that the base was a little more elegant.

Regardless, I sure hope we get multiple monitor support soon . . . that would be "The Revit way" to work.

[craig.124331]

You can use Revit stretched across 2 monitors and have the child (views) windows snap to one monitor or the other using the NView properties.

In your video card settings, under desktop management, click on window, put a check in 'Enable window spanning across multiple displays', make sure that 'Enable child window spanning across multiple displays' is NOT checked.

Under dialogue box repositioning, Change it to 'Move to application display'

Now under user interface, in Title bar buttons, put a check in each of those boxes.

Hit apply and ok.

Open revit, then click the windscreen button at the top righthand corner, if it opens maximized, you must 'un-maximize' it first.

Now revit should be spanned across both monitors.

Now open a view, 'un-maximize' the view on it's on top-right corner, then remaximze it, it will snap to one monitor or the other (whichever it's closer to).. Now open a second view, and follow the same instructions, it will snap into place on the other monitor......

Great thing is the windows will remember where they were for future sessions.

HTH

[mlgatzke]

You can use Revit stretched across 2 monitors and have the child (views) windows snap to one monitor or the other using the NView properties. . .HTH
Granted, this is a working "fudge" (workaround) to the actual problem. We would like to see "true" multi-monitor support, like Adobe products and other Autodesk products. For instance, what if I want to go across monitors, but I don't have an Nvidia card? What if I want the Revit workspace window in one monitor, but the project browser and tools in the other monitor along with my email, iTunes, and anything else I might want to use?

We're not saying that it can't be worked around, we're simply asking for a "true" multi-monitor UI.

[dbaldacchino]

Monitor spanning is more useful if you have two identical monitors side by side. I use a laptop and then an LCD monitor. I put the projrct browser on the laptop and use the monitor as my main screen. But I cannot take a plan view and move it across to the laptop screen. I have Nvidia and can span between the two screens, but I'm not prepared to hunt around two screens when the toolbars and menus get distributed between the two.

[cek]

In the same vein as dual monitor's as a solution to more screen real estate what about an intuitive virtual screen. Many many years ago a 3D modeling program call Lightwave by Newtek employed such a tactic.

The workspace screen would automatically scroll when the mouse cursor went off the workspace window in the direction of the cursor and it would maintain the current command you were working in.

Lets say you wanted a wall which was to long for the workspace window field of view. You know how many button clicks you currently have to go through to achieve this. To many. With the virutal screen you just drag the cursor off the screen till you get to the desired length.

So with this capability you reduce the zoom / scroll operations and achieve a monitor field that is much larger than you get, even with dual monitors.

I really miss that capability. Of course that strategy was used back in 90's and look how far the technology has progressed from then!

It reminds me of the typewriter. The key arrangement we use today was intended to slow down the early typist because the machines could not operate that fast and the keys would jamb. So what's the reason today, the processor or the OS?

[dbaldacchino]

Ahhhh, I like that idea, although I know it would cause some people to get dizzy :)

[rdaniel]

As a new Revit user, I don't understand how the ability to rearrange toolbars isn't standard. Autodesk has this innovative software that takes design documentation to the new level, but yet it can't even perform basic windows functionality. Very disappointing on that front.