Curved screen 180, 3 protector setup for racing

[Guest]

Hi

I`m pretty new in the simulator things, but i have read a lot on different forums, youtube++. Hoping some of you guru`s can help me out a bit.

As in the topic i would build a curved screen 180 degree cylindric shape in wood. I got a room that is 4,5m wide, so i going for about 4m diameter i think (2m radius),
and 1,95m height. Thinking about using some of Carls Place big screen material attached with velcro.
Considering to buy 3 Benq W1080ST+ projectors. I want a big screen as possible with the best resolution as possible, and the opportunity to run everything in 3D.
The cockpit would be the Rseat RS1 and Fanatec Clubsport series.

1: Is it possible to get this protection height (1,95m) with a good resolution? Possible to go for 4:3 instead of 16:9?
2: Would the screen be to big so the car cockpit going out of scale?
3: What about Benq TH682ST compared to W1080ST+?
4: Is NTHUSIM the only warping/blending software compatible with 3D?

Over to the PC setup.
5: Nvidia or AMD? Something tells me nvidia. Do i need to run nvidia surround? 1 or 2 grafic cards (SLI)?
6: Windows 7 or 8? Do i need a crazy power supply running this?
7: Do i need any adapters like TH2GO/Sensevision MST? Any specific HMDI cables for 3D?

A bunch of questions here, i`m very grateful for any answer =)

Daniel

[The_Nephilim]

[Guest]

Thanks for quick reply =)

Seems like i can run in 4:3. will give a 1,9m projection height and 2,5m width. with the cylindric (total) width of 6,3m, it would be 60cm overlap on every projection image. about 15% overlap. would this be good? a 16:9 ratio will give a way to wide image on 3,4m.
Would it be any difference running 4:3/16:9? resolution/pixel size?
I`m not very familiar using projectors, pc`s and all these stuff!

So, if i would like to run it in 3D, the best resolution possible is 720?

BHawthorne, seems like you also got a lot of knowledge and experience in this kind of setup. What are you thinking?

Do anyone have some experience with Carls Place screen material? maybe i prefer a big sheet instead of screen painting, because this would give me the opportunity to disassemble the whole screen without destroying the surface. if i ever gonna move this giant screen for some reason
looks like i can get a big sheet in sizes up to 126x302 inches!

[BHawthorne]

My thoughts. Whether you go 16:9 or 4:3 realize that the native resolution of the projector is important. I'd still pick a 1920x1080 1080p projector in preference of any other consumer option because the prime concern is pixel density. Most 720p projectors are actually 800p 1280x800, Most 4:3 projectors are 1024x768. Your 1080p projector is 1920x1080. I might be going a bit remedial in all of this but the important thing in all of that is the 768, 800 or 1080. The 1080 in that 1920x1080 means that you have 1080 lines of pixels for your screen vs 768 or 800. Any projector can do 4:3, 16:10 or 16:9 aspect ratio. I would just use a 1080p projector with 4:3 resolution. Both AMD and Nvidia drivers handle setting it in slightly different ways but you can do 1440x1080 4:3 on a Optoma GT1080 or BenQ W1080ST.

15% overlap is good. It's right at what you need. It's always ok to go over that with larger overlap. THe edge blending won't work right if you go less though.

At issue with Nvidia 3D vision is there are a very strict limitations Nvidia has on it. It has to be a certified projector in order for the driver to register it as something that can be used. Sometimes people will hack the EDID to make Nvidia think a non-certified projector is certified, but it's a three ringed circus to get that working correctly. Often times you'll have the wear the glasses upsidedown on hacked setups.

Often times I'm right on top of posting, but looking at the forums it doesn't really give others a chance to chime in on topics. I'm experimenting a bit with the idea of waiting a day or so before replies to see if that'll get the community to post more. Not sure it'll work, but I'm experimenting a bit. My main goal of hte forums is an open flow of ideas. That's not happening when I always chime in.

I used Carl's Place material on most of my early 2010/2011 projects. It's a PVC plastic material. At issue is getting it to lay properly on the screen curvature without ripples or bunching. I found my ultimate solution with that particular material is to put a run of adhesive velcro along the top edge and have the sides and bottom free floating. That way there is no potential for bunching or rippling of the material because it's free hanging instead of affixed on all sides. The problem with affixing it on all sides is that it must be perfectly flat and there be no flex in the circular screen frame in order for that to work perfectly. There is no such thing as a perfectly flat or perfectly rigid circular screen frame, so it never works out right if all sides are affixed. It's best to leave it top hanging and let the sides and bottom be free hanging.

He can do as big as you'll ever need. Just realize that while his material works, affixing it to the frame is an issue you'll have to work though. This isn't like stretching the material to a flat frame. Stretching material to a curved frame introduces some unique problems. A forward bow towards the screen radius centerpoint or bunching and rippling if applied unevenly to the frame. His screen material will work ok, but you're going to need to do some problem solving in relation to how it's affixed.

Back when I got his material he didn't have the gray material options yet. I'm curious how the gray PVC is vs the white for contrast. I'm thinking the gray might be better for circular screen application, but it's only a guess on my part. Someone will have to make the first leap and do an experiment on it.

[Guest]

Ok, i have read a bit about the w1080st in 3D, and its seems to be running pretty well in 720p up to 120hz.
I don't know what i`m going to run most often of 2D 1080/3D 720 when i`ve never tried a setup like this before. But 3D sounds pretty nice though.

Sorry, i called for your help a bit early then

I want i very good result, so maybe a go for plywood and screen paint which was my first solution of material.
Do any of you guys got some experience with screen paints? Goo systems, digital1crystal, mighty brighty? whats the best option?
quite expensive paint for such a big screen, but i think it`s worth it!

[BHawthorne]

I've not checked in to see if anyone has used the BenQ W1080ST with the Nvidia 3D Vision Kit. Being able to lock 120hz isn't the only requirement. Sometimes projectors can lock 120hz but it's via the scaler not native. I'd look specifically for people who outright say that they use the BenQ W1080ST with Nvidia 3D Vision Kit. I wouldn't trust it to work merely because people say they've locked 120hz on it.

The thing with ply is the wood grain will show if you don't watch out. I'd use thin MDF sheet like Masonite because of it's smooth and uniform surface, then mud and sand the seams like you would do a Sheetrock wall. I'm a bit weary of brand names like Goo Systems because they are designed for smaller screens and they see you coming with price. Digital1Crystal looks a little more reasonable with pricing but again, it's a case of people mixing up paints themselves and profiting from it. I'd just as soon suggest doing the paint mix yourself and save a bit. Of course if's always a trade off between time / experience / money in something like that. If you have the budget, I'll not discourage you from using an existing brand. I just don't like the pricing on Goo Systems.

Screen paints are pretty much their own specialized thing. There are people that obsess on them all the time in the AV forums. Probably the best people to talk with are those guys. I constantly hear a lot about different variations of Black Widow paint mixes that people do. I don't keep current on that side of things. So I'm sure there are newer developments than Black Widow in the DIY AV forums side of things.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Wido ... int_mix%29