gamedevlists-windows

RE: [GD-Windows] Monitor aspect detection

[Phil T. <ph...@mi...>]

I think these are only going to work if the monitor is correctly
identified (i.e. through plug-n-play); otherwise, if the monitors are
using the generic drivers/settings there is no way for GDI to return the
real information.

Phil

-----Original Message-----
From: gam...@li...
[mailto:gam...@li...] On Behalf Of
Nicolas Romantzoff
Sent: Tuesday, December 09, 2003 9:43 AM
To: gam...@li...
Subject: RE: [GD-Windows] Monitor aspect detection

Hi !

Thanks for reminding me that GDI function !

Had already looked into it, alas ASPECTX and ASPECTY always returned
identical values whatever mode was selected, and whatever monitor I was
using. Looks like ASPECTX=3DASPECTY for screen ! (btw, never understood
the "meaning" of ASPECTXY... But who cares).

Gave it another try today, but this time using the "HORZSIZE" and
"VERTSIZE" I completely missed the first time... And those seem to work
!
So... Using the current mode resolution and those HORZSIZE/VERTSIZE
values, I've finally been able to compute a correct aspect whatever the
mode is (at least on my machine). Still have to try it on some weird
LCDs and settings, but hope is back !


Thanks everyone !

Nicolas


> -----Original Message-----
> From: gam...@li...=20
> [mailto:gam...@li...] On=20
> Behalf Of brian sharon
> Sent: Tuesday, December 09, 2003 4:11 PM
> To: gam...@li...
> Subject: Re: [GD-Windows] Monitor aspect detection
>=20
>=20
> Does GetDeviceCaps() give you a clue about whether pixels are=20
> square? =20
> I'm thinking specifically of the ASPECTX and ASPECTY arguments.
>=20
> --brian
>=20
>=20



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RE: [GD-Windows] Monitor aspect detection

[Gareth L. <GL...@cl...>]

Surely what you are describing means you have a 4x3 backbuffer or projection
matrix and you are rendering to a non 4x3 front buffer ? 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Nicolas Romantzoff [mailto:nic...@fr...]
> Sent: 09 December 2003 17:50
> To: gam...@li...
> Subject: RE: [GD-Windows] Monitor aspect detection
> 
> 
> Hi,
> 
> Well, frankly not really an obsession, but had a bug-report on
> point-lights lighting not being spherical. In fact, the lighting was
> making a ellipsoid mark instead of a circular one. Trust me, this was
> really obvious, and the only reason was the 1280x1024 resolution.
> 
> I know some games do "remove" those resolutions, and propose the
> 1280x960 instead, but never found that removing options from the user
> was a nice way of correcting "bugs".
> 
> The other reason for that is handling the "new" features of some LCD
> monitors being put vertically instead of horizontally. This could have
> been patched by simply comparing width and height, but that's a very
> unnatural ugly way of doing it ! :)
> 
> Nicolas.
> 
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > 
> > I'm quite curious why this obsession, though: is it just to 
> > get it "right" or is there some virtual/physical match-up 
> > issue involved? Could you go the other way, and ask that the 
> > user adjusts his/her monitor so that the pixels are square? 
> > Perhaps ship a ruler in the box?
> > 
> > Cheers,
> > 
> > 			/ h+
> 
> 
> 
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> 

RE: [GD-Windows] Monitor aspect detection

[Nicolas R. <nic...@fr...>]

Ok...

I'm not speaking of projection matrices yet... We don't need to dig into
that right now :)
Speaking of field of views is enough.

Let say that I want a hFov of 60=B0 on a 1280x1024 mode.
We agree that vFov =3D 2*atan(height * tan(hFov/2) / width).
On a 4:3 display vFov should be 45=B0
If I only take into account the display mode vFov would be 48=B0.

This case is quite common and not really a problem... Until you need a
large hFov, for example 120=B0.
Instead of the 90=B0 you should get for vFov, you will have 96=B0.

As Jon stated, they are also perfectly pixel-square 1280x1024 LCD modes
(5:4 LCD monitors) !!!

You have four choices then:
- Live with that, and let those squares be rectangles.
- Assume user is always on a 4:3 monitor. (bye bye good old 16:9
projector).
- Remove the pesky resolutions (those not clearly 4:3, 16:9 or 3:4,...)
from user choices.
- Try to find an algorithm, working 100% in 90% of cases, and using one
of the above choices for the rest.




> -----Original Message-----
> From: gam...@li...=20
> [mailto:gam...@li...] On=20
> Behalf Of Gareth Lewin
> Sent: Tuesday, December 09, 2003 8:00 PM
> To: gam...@li...
> Subject: RE: [GD-Windows] Monitor aspect detection
>=20
>=20
> Surely what you are describing means you have a 4x3=20
> backbuffer or projection matrix and you are rendering to a=20
> non 4x3 front buffer ?=20
>=20

RE: [GD-Windows] Monitor aspect detection

[Jason B. <ja...@in...>]

>>You have four choices then:
>>- Live with that, and let those squares be rectangles.
>>- Assume user is always on a 4:3 monitor. (bye bye good old 16:9
>>projector).
>>- Remove the pesky resolutions (those not clearly 4:3, 16:9 or 3:4,...)
>>from user choices.
>>- Try to find an algorithm, working 100% in 90% of cases, and using one
>>of the above choices for the rest.


If it was an option I'd go with number 4 but add an explicit "calibration"
menu to your graphics setup.
This would allow for FOV adjustment (i.e. "press left/right cursors until
this looks square")
along with other usual suspects - gamma/colour/contrast balance etc.

Its seems you're going to have to except that there's just no way of telling
what the user is seeing unless they tell you somehow.

Jason.