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egifford12-Amethyst
12-Amethyst
March 1, 2013
Question

Dual Monitors

  • March 1, 2013
  • 25 replies
  • 8778 views

I'm curious as to how many of you out there are running Pro/E (Creo) on a dual monitor setup. I'm trying to separate the coolness factor from what is truly gained by having two screens. Having been a Pro/E CAD operator full time for many years I can see it as being helpful in several scenarios:



  • when assembling a component, having it open in a separate window on the 2nd screen

  • having a reference drawing open on the 2nd screen

  • reference part or assembly model open on second screen

  • PLM system open on second screen

  • other applications open while Pro/E is on its own screen

As a CAD admin I'd have to build a business case for it, we'd be looking at buying minimum of 50 monitors. I know I'd have some users that wouldn't want a second screen andsome to whom it would be a constant distraction. For those of youthat are using two screens, what are your thoughts? In what ways do you feel it improves your work process? I don't see it as something that is easy to quantify to justify the cost, especially if it starts the "two monitors" snowball rolling down the hill (all of a sudden it's $20k in monitors).


What technical issues / glitches have you run into?


I started a survey over on the PTC community page here: http://communities.ptc.com/polls/1312


Thanks


Erik


(WF4 M220, PDMLink 10 M030, Dell T3400-T3600, Win7 64, Nvidia Quadro 600 typical)



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25 replies

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E
egifford12-AmethystAuthor
12-Amethyst
March 4, 2013

Thanks to everyone for all the great feedback. Sounds like the general consensus is a dual monitor setup is worth the price.


I’m ballparking the price at $150 for a 23” LCD monitor. That’s what the majority of our ~50 CAD operators have now as a single screen setup. Ideally I’d want them to have two identical screens. The $20k potential cost I mentioned is because we have a total engineering staff of around 120, and I can see the “need” (whether it’s a need or a want) growing to that or beyond. Trouble is some people will interpret it as setting a precedent and you then have the receptionist claiming she’ll be more efficient with two screens.


I like the references to the old CRT monitors. I remember getting the first 21” Trinitron tube monitor on a Sun box. Thing was huge and heavy and cost a fortune. That and our first look at moving to PCs where they had Elsa Gloria video cards that cost more than a couple of entire setups do today.

J
JonathanHodgson13-Aquamarine
13-Aquamarine
March 4, 2013
I like the "percentage productivity" argument, having seen the various replies.

Let's say the productivity gain is just 2%... how many engineer-hours do you get for $7500 ($100 ÷ 0.02)? That must mean the payback period is less than a month!

Jonathan

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MikeFoster10-Marble
10-Marble
March 4, 2013
Hi Erik,

I never thought I would need a second screen but now that I've got it I could never go back.

Fundamentally it's a question of being able to see pertinent information (specs, analyses, catalogs, pictures, messages, etc) on one screen while working on the CAD model on the other screen.

This is the result of the progressive change from paper to electronic documents that has taken place over the past ten years. A decade all the pertinent information I needed to refer to was on paper and sitting in front of me on my desk while I worked on the model. Now the vast majority of that information is electronic and to be able to see it while modeling requires the second screen.

Mike Foster
ATK

S
23-Emerald III
StephenW23-Emerald III
23-Emerald III
March 4, 2013
I still have and use that massive IBM 19" monitor at the house. I can't stand to move it, the dang thing weighs probably 50+ lbs.

I definitely recommend matching monitor sizes. We have one engineer who has rotated his duals so he is running 2 tall monitors side by side and he uses pro/e across the 2 screens as if the center division between the monitors wasn't even there.


M
MIchael_Ohlrich1-Visitor
1-Visitor
March 4, 2013
I am just wondering how your company found 120 employees in your engineering staff that could still function on one monitor!

I have been on a 2-monitor set-up for the past 7 years and physically couldn't function without the second monitor. Our customer service just switched over the last year and they can't say enough about how much their job is easier. It comes down to being able to multi-task without delays and helping out our customers has been so much quicker and effective.

Just figure out how to make your case... you will get no complaints from ANYONE!

Michael Ohlrich, Design Engineer
Benchmade Knife Company
mohlrich@benchmade.com<">mailto:mohlrich@benchmade.com>
(503) 655-6004 x122

[cid:image002.jpg@01CE18A9.9873D230]
www.benchmade.com<">http://www.benchmade.com>

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This e-mail communication and any attachments may contain confidential and privileged information for the use of the designated recipients. If you are not the intended recipient, (or authorized to receive for the recipient) you are hereby notified that you have received this communication in error and that any review, disclosure, dissemination, distribution or copying of it or its contents is prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please destroy all copies of this communication and any attachments and contact the sender by reply e-mail or telephone (503) 655-6004).
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SteveFowler1-Visitor
1-Visitor
March 4, 2013
Erik
I am surprised that no-one has mentioned having the model tree in the second monitor. I run pro5 in one window with the layer tree/drawing tree in my main window and the model tree expanded About 80% with several parameter columns showing, with outlook and the calculator visible behind it. I like to have the size and resolution the same so I can drag my main window across both monitors occasionally. Columns stay aligned in excel( don't tell your non cad people or they may want one also) I have used it for all the afore mentioned uses also! Ref. Info etc.

Steve Fowler
Senior Tool Designer
Manufacturing Engineering
P
ptc-1412741-Visitor
1-Visitor
March 4, 2013
I have (2) 24" monitors and would not want to go back

I agree with all the comments made. Another one I don't think I saw (but might have missed) is you can be more green by not printing out that drawing to have next to you. You can now have it on the screen.

I have a attached a document that I used to help justify at my department.

I would like to have (3) monitors. Reason is, when looking at a document/spec, it is portrait, so I like to rotate the monitor to portrait, as this makes it very easy to read (giving away my experience level here 😉 ). But then engineering drawings are landscape so I rotate the monitor back. Our graphic cards currently don't support more than two monitors so I don't see this happening anytime soon.

TIP: Depending on what you view mostly in the second monitor, you might want to consider rotating it to portrait.

~Doug
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msteffke15-Moonstone
15-Moonstone
March 4, 2013
Your receptionist will be more efficient with two monitors.


T
TimKnier1-Visitor
1-Visitor
March 4, 2013
All this talk of dual monitors and making me feel like a dinosaur for not having them, got me thinking. Is anyone using 3D monitors to view their Pro/E models? I don't even know if 3D monitors exist yet but with 3D movies and televisions I have to assume they do exist or will shortly.

Tim Knier
QG Product & Support Engineering
QuadTech
A Subsidiary of Quad/Graphics
Sussex, Wisconsin
414-566-7439 phone
-<">mailto:->
www.quadtechworld.com<">http://www.quadtechworld.com>
D
DamianCastillo1-Visitor
1-Visitor
March 4, 2013

Many good replies on this topic, so I will not try to repeat what has been said so far.


We have Dual 24" Monitors for all our Engineers. Many examples have been given on how much more productive they are so I won't go into that.


Here is something to think about when trying to get justification. None of our Engineers would ever want to give up Dual Monitors.


"Too many people walk around like Clark Kent, because they don't realize they can Fly like Superman"

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