Hexagon on large screens? Or SLI / Crossfire multimoniter ?

CoolBreeze

Hi!

I've got an interesting question here - does anyone use Hexagon on their larger 1080 resolution tv screens like 30" - 80" ?

Even more so - using Hexagon with the brand new 4k UHD "Ultra High Definition" 3840 x 2160 resolution screens..?

Currently i have an older 22" LG LCD monitor that still serves me faithfully, although I was looking to upgrade sometime this year (in addition to my computer).

With Hexagon, my train of thought is getting a screen big enough that one could have all 4 viewports displaying comfortably , possibly with each viewport being the size of a regular 22" monitor.

I know font size can be scaled up easily in win7 and win8, but I'm also wondering about the size of the tool icons in Hexagon, would those scale or would they be too small to see / use? Or would something like Lightwave or Modo be more suited to that task?

I'm learning Hexagon, and getting better with it. I'm quite enthusiastic and looking to make my own models that I've always wanted to. Often I find myself having to switch viewports. Multiple viewports imho are a bit too small to work comfortably in, hence the question arose with getting a larger tv screen as a possible solution.

I've looked around the net and people are using them for their desktops as well as doing some pc gaming on them - provided there's some distance between the screen and the user, so its probably doable. I'm just curious in regards if anyone here has a similar setup... and how do they like it for modeling in Hexagon?

Also I did mention SLI / Crossfire - multi video card - multi-monitor:
I don't know if Hexagon plays well with either of those 2 multi-card & monitor setups (SLI = Nvidia, Crossfire = ATI / AMD), if i went the other route with say a 1 x 3 or 2 x 2 setup of regular PC monitors. The SLI / Crossfire video card setup would also be for PC gaming too.

The third route I was thinking - one of those 4k tv screens and possibly a smaller 22"-28" PC secondary display, for stuff like messenger windows, reference images, image editor, even daz studio, carrara, or poser etc to view at the same time.

I haven't spent anything yet and still considering and researching my options. I'm basically going to be setting up myself a workspace in my basement - its pretty much a secondary living room sized / type area, complete with fireplace. The space has gone unused for quite a while now, and it would allow me to have somewheres without the distraction of others. I'm buying a new desk, as well as putting together a new rig.

I don't even have any large screen tv's in the house currently to even try this out, let alone a laptop with an hdmi port i could take and try at an appliances store, thus I don't know whats doable.

Any thoughts or opinions on this? And what does everyone else use for their setup?

Thanks! :)

aliendoughnut

I use my 42" tv as a second monitor the bigger viewing area is just easier to use

Subtropic Pixel

It probably would be fine with Hexagon.

But when you get into texturing and rendering, you may find that a TV monitor is not adequate.

Based on OP's desire to fit multiple views, this is the point where I'd suggest a 30" Dell with an IPS screen, but those are very expensive.

I am happy with a 24" Asus; it's quite large enough to do the work and yet at1920 X 1080 icons and dropdowns are just on the cusp of difficulty reading.

CoolBreeze

Hmmmm, yeah that's what my question, curiosity, and concern was regarding both physically larger screens: 30"-80"

As well as screen resolution:
- 1920x1080 HD
- 3840x2160 UHD

And what combination of the two thereof what works and what doesn't as far as menus and tool dropdowns in Hexagon, as well as being able to use the multiple viewports feature ...

Cost aside regarding the new 4k UHD tv screens - easily can buy 2 or 3 regular HD tv screens for the price of a single same sized 4k UHD tv screen. I'm not too worried about price, my main concern is functionality, what works and what doesn't.

Aliendoughnut: I'm assuming your 42" tv is the regular 1920x1080 HD type screen? How far back do you sit from it?

Also, is that via regular hdmi connection or the displayport connection? (displayport is a type of advanced hdmi some videocards and tvs have now, allows for higher screen redraw/refresh rates)

Subtropic Pixel: the 6yr old non-ips PC monitor i have right now, this 22" LG, is 1680x1050 resolution, its fine for menu and icon visibility. I can certainly understand your case with a slightly larger screen / display area and that much increased screen resolution would make the icons and text that much smaller / finer... My last monitor prior was a Dell Trinitron 4:3 crt 17" , and I opted to use 1024x768 since it was easier on the eyes versus the next resolution higher - iirc was 1280x960...

Also SP, - Windows defaults to 72dpi for fonts on monitors, however the font size can be increased in the display settings, up to 200dpi I believe, that might help with reading the menus and dropdowns (assuming hexagon would support that) however that doesn't do anything for tool icon so the point would be almost moot... Would be nice if Hexagon could get an update regarding scaling up its tool icon sizes (among other things like 64bit support and less crashing)

Hmm, just googled the Dell 30" and found this review link Dell UltraSharp U3014 30" review , has a resolution of 2560x1600, IPS. and a decent 6ms response time... I wonder if this would be decent or not... Would still be cheaper getting 2 or 3 of these (or one of these and a pair of 22's or 24's) versus a single 50" 4k UHD tv... Again, hexagon + 2560x1600 resolution, doable or not?

I'm just nicely getting comfortable with Hexagon (intuitive UI, easy to use, lots of tutorials, got it when daz gave it away for free, etc), so I'd rather not want to switch to some other modeling program and have to get acquainted all over again. I tried Wings3d once, and didn't like it, can't seem to make heads or tails out of Blender... I've no clue what Lightwave, Modo, or 3D Studio Max would be like, despite their much higher price tag...

Subtropic Pixel

Hi again!

If you're thinking of BUYING a monitor for PC use, I'd buy a real PC monitor. Only use a TV for a monitor if you have nothing else. Buying one for a purpose contrary to its intended purpose will only leave you disappointed.

And hey, if you see that a Dell Ultrasharp 30" is cheaper than any TV, then I would suggest you just get that; you'll love it. If you have a Microcenter store in your area, you might even be able to see one before you buy.