Digital Workshop

Does anyone have a working example of multiple monitors publication that I can try. Nothing major, just something that displays pages on each monitor.

I've played with the commands, but it always appears on the monitor set in the publication properties and not that set via the chapter properties.

Cheers

Mack

Mack --

You are a regular contributor now, and I'm sure everyone appreciates your replies!!! Thanks!!!! Please put details regarding what computer system you have and what OPUS/version you are using in your Signature field in your Profile. We won't have to keep asking those questions then. TIA

Since you are asking about multiple monitors, and since that's one of the newest features of OPUS v6, I'm going to assume that's what you are using. If not, then you need to get v6 to use multiple monitors.

In testing this feature, I created two Chapters with several Pages in each Chapter. Go into Chapter 2 Properties, then select Window. Notice there's a new option called Location. Within it, is Monitor. Use the pull-down and select which monitor you want that Chapter's Pages to occupy. I selected "2" since I have two monitors. This is different than if you had a laptop and you plugged in a full size monitor/projector. In that case, whatever you display on one monitor will be the same thing displayed on the other. In my system, I have a dual video card with two monitors. I can drag windows from one monitor into the other. Sorry if you already understood that difference.

I just pulled up my test dual monitor Pub and it works as advertised. Opus v6 lists 16 monitors possible, so this should satisfy most people for quite awhile. Let me know if you have additional questions.

Hi Demofred,

I'm running VI on from a laptop at the moment to test the multiple monitor feature. The external screen is extended not mirror and I too can switch programs between screens using ultramon.

The graphics card is an ATI mobile X700 and I know there is already a chromakey issue with this regarding Opus and Vista (It's a dual boot, with XP as main) but I could see these affecting this the MM feature.

I'd read the blurb on MM put out by DW and assumed that I could create a publication with one page on screen two and the later on the laptop screen. I've already tried various combinations of using the publication & chapter properties to no avail and have run the publication under XP & Vista with / without ultramon.

Mack

The multiple monitor support should work on a laptop as long as it supports an extended monitor. To check, simply plug in the second monitor and go to the Display settings in the Windows Control panel. If it shows you two screen the laptop supports multiple monitors.

Mack, your problem may be the one which caught me first time I tried this. You have to add an action to show the second Chapter otherwise it will not appear on the other screen. On the first page of my publication I put an On Show trigger to Go to Page and selected the first page of the chapter to be displayed on the other monitor.

I thought all this was covered in the Help or the New features manual so my apologies if that hasn't been included - it will be in the final release.

If you've done that and still can't get it to work let us know.

Paul Harris

Hi Paul,

I had tried to follow the instructions in the help and thought that I'd done everything right. I've since managed to get the concept to work which is all I need, but i thought that I'd try and explain where things seem to go wrong as this might help others:

1. I set the publication default monitor as two (my external screen)
2. I set chapter one as a window on monitor two (my Laptop)
3. I added the on show to the first page in chapter one to display the first page in chapter two.
4. I set chapter two to display as a window on monitor two.

This does not work. The default fault monitor in the publication properties had to be set to monitor one. Whether this is always the case, or is linked to the monitor that the first page that is displayed is displayed on - I know yet know.

Hope that makes sense and helps others, as having had a play, this really is an outstanding feature.

Mack

P.S As I'm shortly intending to upgrade to Vista, but can't on this laptop can anybody recommend a decent PCIX card, that works well with Vista, Opus VI and multiple monitors?

Having had a play with multiple monitor, I have to say it's great!!!

I've attached a simple game that demonstrates MM in action for anybody that's interested. You will of course, need two screens.

Mack

This worked dead easy for me. I just created two chapters with one page in each, and a next page button on page 1.

I kept chapter 1 on the main screen, and put chapter 2 on the separate monitor, and it worked both in preview and in publish.

The game is cool! However, I just need to find a use for this multiple monitor feature for me !!

There are many uses for multiple monitors. You certainly DON'T want to make this for a CD-ROM Pub which you hand out to everyone walking by a trade show booth, BUT you do want to use it within a trade show booth display which uses multiple monitors. You can start a Pub on the first monitor. Have a voice over and some text, then on monitor #2 have several related graphics appear, and on monitor #3, start a video when the time is right. You can change the visuals on monitor #1, then the graphics on monitor #2. It's like a three ring circus. Right now you can have up to 16 monitors (if you really want to try to push the limits of OPUS).

This is certainly a new area for marketing, and training. A client has discussed having CBT material on the first monitor and videos supporting the written text on the second monitor. They have a control system which works through three monitors. We're working on allowing using multiple monitors in a simulation. I'm sure you'll think of several potential uses for this fantastic feature, now that you are aware of it.

Thanks DW!

Yes, it certainly is a new area for marketing, and training and along with the new ideas on cognitive load theory and death by PowerPoint, a worthy inclusion by DW.

My initial thoughts, where for applications in the classroom, because there are a lot of schools now have that have interactive whiteboards. I was interested to see whether as you suggest, you could have a control panel, managing other pages on different monitors. 16 would be a lot, but my need is more along the lines of small touch screen interface that will control the elements on a larger monitor that you find at museums and the like.

I think having had a play, that it would be practical in future Opus releases to be able to interact with other chapter elements, for example clicking a button in chapter one hides elements in chapter two simply using the Show() command. I'm sure there are bigger issues to this, than come to mind first thing on a Monday morning and it is possible to work around this issue already, but as MM setups become more the norm - this is going to prove to be worth the upgrade cost alone.

Mack