Fullscreen Warp3D games with a dual GFX setup

[zzd10h]

Hi all,
I open this thread to know if somebody else with a dual GFX card setup encounters the same problem with full-screen Warp3D.

On my X1000, I have 2 gfx cards plugged on the same monitor (DVI and VGA).
Radeon9250 that I use for Warp3D (VGA)
Radeon HD6670 (I don't use Wazp3D) (DVI)

On the 9250, when I launch Warp3D games like Hurrican or SuperTuxKart :
Window mode = OK
Fullscreen mode = KO
the game display goes on the HD6670 who doesn't support Warp3D => failed (I see this by switching my monitor to DVI and seeing a freezed distorted picture)

On the HD6670, when I launch WarpView (who open his own screen)
The display switch to the Radeon 9250 on VGA.
It's strange, but, at least, it works.

When I start theses programs, I don't have a ScreenRequester asking for the ScreenMode that I wish.
I have tried NewMode promotion tool, but I don't succeed to make it working (I'm sure that it's the user the problem ).

To conclude, is somebody with a dual GFX setup encounters the same problem ?
Or is it me who have missed a parameter ?

Thank you for your help.

[cha05e90]

I can't test it (only one graphics card) but: Shouldn't it in theory be possible to use the Screens prefs program to "force" programs to a certain screen mode (incl. the selected card of course)?

[mbrantley]

I do not have a 9250 installed in my X1000 at present but instead two Radeon HD card -- so no Warp3D for me until the new driver is released. But I have experienced a similar situation, with DVPlayer, where I cannot specify which display is my preferred on for fullscreen videos. Program has a mind of its own in that matter. I cannot "promote" the screen to the display I won't because it is not named. However, with MPlayer I can do this.

So you might have similar luck mode promotion to get things on the desired screen -- or maybe not. It just depends on how the specific program works, and nobody was thinking about multiple display or multiple video card support on our platform. I think it's just dumb luck that it does work so much of the time. LOL.

When choosing an image viewer, I tried every one I could find. I settled on the excellent Warp3D (which is from the DVPlayer author, by the way) partly because it's so fast but largely because with it (or promotion, I can't remember right now) I am able to specific the images are shown on the monitor I want them on.

On my setup, by the way, my better Radeon HD 6850 video card is feeding the main display, a 1920x1200 monitor. A lesser card, the Radeon HD 4350, feeds the smaller 1280-x1024 display. If both my displays were the same I probably wouldn't care so much where things turn up. But with my arrangement I like to be in control of what is on the larger display and what is relegated to the smaller, side display.

I'm looking forward to more and more programs being system friendly and aware of screenmodes and letting the user choose. I'm also, of course, looking forward to that Warp3D driver, which will circumvent your problem too.

[Severin]

One thing you could try is to set the R9250 as your main card by renaming PCIGRAPHICS in devs monitors as 'Radeon 9250' and the HD6670 as PCIGRAPHICS, you'll boot from the 9250 etc. but can still use the 6670 for workbench etc.

[zzd10h]

Thank you all for replies

Cha05e9 :
No, I didn't find a way to fix a screen for a program in Prefs/Screens

Mbrantley:
How do you promote a named screen ?
Contrary to you, for me, WarpView don't open it where I want.

Maybe that after to have inhibited my 9250 on Linux, I will have to temporary inhibit my HD6670 on AmigaOS

Severin:
Yes, I will try it tomorrow, but maybe that it will resolve my WarpView problem. But the Warp3D games will continue to open up on the HD6670... Have to try, thanks.

Maybe that a program exist to say to the program that all screenmodes, except the one who is active, are unavailables.

[mbrantley]

zzd10h,

My solutions for these problems are different depending on the program... so I had to go look what I did with WarpView. In this case in the icon tooltypes I specified a screen width of 1920 and height of 1200 and color depth of 32. This causes WV to open on my large LCD screen fed by the Radeon HD 6850. My other card feeds a 1280x1024 monitor.

If I had two large monitors, I have no idea where WarpView would pop up.

On my system I promote screens in one of two ways. The included Screens preferences editor is a place where you can set up public screens or promote named screens. I do some screens this way. An old 68K program called ModePro comes in handy for some sophisticated mode promotions too. This is controversial because some folks consider the program a hack, but it works for me and I like it. ModePro will let you promote by screen name, program name or even screen mode. Some of the settings no longer apply, but there are a lot of settings.

Still, try to do things in Screens first and see how that works. I commonly will make many screens "like Workbench" (under GUI tab) to copy resolution, pen colors, etc. to keep some programs from looking odd. You can specify screen fonts too. Lots of tinkering you can do with these mode promotion programs to get some of our oldest software (68K stuff) working reasonably well on our new systems. Without this kind of thing, frankly, my interest in the new AmigaOS would not have been enough to warrant the purchase of my X1000.

[zzd10h]

Ah, ok, I was looking for a mode in WarpView tooltypes, I didn't think that I could use the resolution/depth.
My Radeon9250 have different depth, i will try to specify my HD depth.

And I tried, first, NewMode without success. I will follow your guide and try ModePro.
Thank you.

[zzd10h]

Unfortunately, I tried without success to

-add program to ModePro. I added SysMon, Hurrican and WarpView.
ModePro doesn't seem to detect them

-change WarpView Depth to match my HD6670 and not my Radeon9250.
No change, WarpView still opens on my 9250

-Try to change PCIGraphics (by duplicating my HD6670 and changing the CMPLENGTH)
it works, (because my HD6670 is no more detected )

Not a problem, I'll live with it and wait for Warp3D

Thanks for your suggestions

[Hans]

One thing you could try is to set the R9250 as your main card by renaming PCIGRAPHICS in devs monitors as 'Radeon 9250' and the HD6670 as PCIGRAPHICS, you'll boot from the 9250 etc. but can still use the 6670 for workbench etc.

That won't work. The primary card is chosen based on how the motherboard's firmware sets up the cards, and in which order they are detected by Picasso96.

Hans

[Hans]

On the 9250, when I launch Warp3D games like Hurrican or SuperTuxKart :
Window mode = OK
Fullscreen mode = KO
the game display goes on the HD6670 who doesn't support Warp3D => failed (I see this by switching my monitor to DVI and seeing a freezed distorted picture)

Possibly Hurrican and SuperTuxKart are trying to pick the screen themselves, and then trying to force Warp3D to use something that it can't. If they allowed Warp3D to pick a compatible mode, then this wouldn't happen. Both of these games are based on SDL, right? Maybe this is worth submitting as a bug report to whoever is maintaining the SDL port these days.

On the HD6670, when I launch WarpView (who open his own screen)
The display switch to the Radeon 9250 on VGA.
It's strange, but, at least, it works.

That's not strange at all. WarpView is a Warp3D program, and so cannot run on your HD6670. Hence, it switches to a screen on the graphics card that does have a Warp3D driver. Unlike Hurrican and SuperTuxKart, this program uses Warp3D directly, and no doubt lets Warp3D choose the best screen to open on (e.g., using W3D_BestModeID).

EDIT: Okay, WarpView has a software backup mode, so it will work without Warp3D if it has to. However, it's still intelligently preferring Warp3D when it's available.

Hans