I'm doing some homework at the moment and looking into the costs and logistics of building a 737-800 cockpit. I am currently researching the visuals and have not made my mind up about whether HD projection or 4 x 1920x1080 47" TV's. What I would truly like to achieve is a 140 degree (or similar) wrap around screen with a three projection setup, however, I am concerned that the quality of visuals will be disappointing compared to the use of monitors. Also, I am assuming that an OC haswell 4770 CPU with a 780ti (maybe a couple of 760's in SLI could handle the three projectors, but can anyone give any ideas on whether a similar setup could run four screens? Of course the instruments would be run from a second networked rig. I could run with three monitors, but due to the join/bezels I would prefer to use four screens so as to be more realistic from a viewing point of view.

 

I guess I'm looking on some feedback from anyone who has had a similar dilemma and can offer first hand advice. Any ideas, opinions or suggestions will be very much appreciated. Thanks fellas.

Hi Howard

 

I have quite a bit of experience in this field as a sim builder and panel builder. The PC you mentioned would handle three projectors just fine as long as you did not go overboard on scenery complexity, AI, etc. to the max (most likely). I know this from a sim I regularly use with a PC using lesser specs and three projectors. The real concern here is trying to use 4 monitors. I know that this may not make sense at first, but if you are considering butting two monitors up together in the center where the center windscreen post comes down, that will pose visual problems. You will not be able to see the center line of the runway when you are properly aligned and close to the ground/on the ground unless you are crabbing, etc. This comes from not a personal experience, but from another builder friend who had to contend with this issue until he got tired of it and centered one display for the forward view, then the other two for FWD Left and FWD Right. There's a builder that has successfully "mirrored" the bezels into a "Predator-like" blur that all but disappears. You can see it here and this is what I'm kind of planning for my next project:

 

 

How he did it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndYNeK-PVA4

Hi Howard

 

I have quite a bit of experience in this field as a sim builder and panel builder. The PC you mentioned would handle three projectors just fine as long as you did not go overboard on scenery complexity, AI, etc. to the max (most likely). I know this from a sim I regularly use with a PC using lesser specs and three projectors. The real concern here is trying to use 4 monitors. I know that this may not make sense at first, but if you are considering butting two monitors up together in the center where the center windscreen post comes down, that will pose visual problems. You will not be able to see the center line of the runway when you are properly aligned and close to the ground/on the ground unless you are crabbing, etc. This comes from not a personal experience, but from another builder friend who had to contend with this issue until he got tired of it and centered one display for the forward view, then the other two for FWD Left and FWD Right. There's a builder that has successfully "mirrored" the bezels into a "Predator-like" blur that all but disappears. You can see it here and this is what I'm kind of planning for my next project:

 

 

Hi Eric, thanks for the speedy reply, appreciated. The video example is very interesting, and I can see it's benefits. Not great, but a big improvement to having the bezels. However, if I went down the road of projectors, I would build the cockpit without the actual windscreen posts. Effectively you'd look out and see no vertical obstructions associate with the cockpit, only where the screen bezels meet, and that effectively would be no worse than the vertical posts of the cockpit frame. I understand what you're saying about a centre obstruction when using four screens, but I hope you can see from the image that the layout of the four screens could work, I guess? However, I suspect I'd have to run two computers for four screens??? in which case it would be financially restrictive. The three HD projectors would be my best option, but again, I am really concerned with the lack of picture quality... do you have any thoughts Eric?

Like I said before, I know it sounds crazy but remember that when your aircraft is lined up with the nose wheel on the center line in FS, the center post is rendered in a way that it leans in toward the pilot. You almost have the line coming somewhere between your feet and the center of the glare shield. However, when you have two vertical LCD bezels straight up and down, and are aligned with the Center Line, it makes it so that you cannot see the center line any longer because the visual system is not beyond the bezel, but is actually butted up to the bezel(s). 

 

As for two PCs required for the visual system being financially restrictive- that is another issue. I would venture to say that adding another PC to a sim project is fairly affordable compared to all the instrument panels and switches and interface cards. Hardware is really expensive and makes the whole project expensive- even a tiny LJ45! For an example, see http://www.flightlinesimulations.com/

 

I wish you the best with your project.

Ahhh, OK, I understand what your saying about the bezels now Eric. Sure, I think it will then have to be three projectors in that case. Thanks for the explanation...

You are welcome, and trust me I have often thought about doing it that way myself but was advised against it for the reasons I stated. Therefore, since I've not actually tried it myself, I cannot say for sure but I did just think about how I have two desktop monitors and can test it first hand!