×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Any structural engineers using dual monitors?

Any structural engineers using dual monitors?

Any structural engineers using dual monitors?

(OP)
Posted here because I am looking for input mainly from structural engineers.

In considering upgrade of our computer systems (small structural design firm), we are looking into dual monitors.  Any structural engineers out there using a dual configuration.  If so, what are the advantages?  

Thinking about having multiple drawings open, or maybe drawing on one screen and calculations on another.  NOT looking for excuse for email to take even more control of my life by always being on one screen while working on another.

RE: Any structural engineers using dual monitors?

I used two monitors for a few years while using Tekla and STAAD & CAD simultaneously and also using many spreadsheets. It worked nice because you could have modeling software and CAD open with a full clean screen without having boxes open right on top of your work.

It was quite useful ...except for when some smarta$$ switched the position of my two monitors and it took me 15 minutes to figure out why my mouse wouldn't move from one monitor to the other!  

RE: Any structural engineers using dual monitors?

I use two all the time. Very very useful to me.

 

RE: Any structural engineers using dual monitors?

I use two
One wide screen for ACAD or Revit and the other for the design software.  Be sure and have enough "power" to be able to run these types of programs at the same time.

RE: Any structural engineers using dual monitors?

FSS...I use two.  Review drawings in PDF while analyzing in RISA 3D. Very useful for lots of things.  Wouldn't go back...might even want a third one!

RE: Any structural engineers using dual monitors?

I do. Very useful. You don't even realize how useful until you actually work with two for a while.

RE: Any structural engineers using dual monitors?

Been using two for years - quite helpful.  CAD on the left - women on the right

RE: Any structural engineers using dual monitors?

Haven't tried it yet and wondered why others did.

I have three computers with three monitors, two dogs and a cat.

Mike McCann
MMC Engineering

 

RE: Any structural engineers using dual monitors?

I would love to have two monitors but my company is to cheap to allocate the resources.

msquared

Sounds like you have a cat problem over there..... better take care of that soon.

 

RE: Any structural engineers using dual monitors?

Love the dual monitor setup.  I can have a FEM or CAD model open on one screen and MathCAD, Excel, Word, or e-mail open on the other. Any extra expense is easily made up by increased productivity.  

 

RE: Any structural engineers using dual monitors?

I had four at my previous job.  Two for a CAD computer, two for a laptop used to run spreadsheets, etc.
At my current job I have one, but there is no design.
I highly recommend getting two monitors.  As JoshPlum says, the expense will be paid back quickly.

RE: Any structural engineers using dual monitors?

I too have used dual monitors.

First tried using adjacent monitors as one big CAD screen, eventually found the 'bar' down the middle too annoying, so evolved to one monitor in landscape for the CAD program, and one monitor in portrait mode for text files and spreadsheets.

Then the company added some mandatory sales support bloatware that interfered with the CAD software to such an extent that I demanded and got a second computer just for running that and their email program.

At which point, I decided that the ideal setup is a single large monitor for CAD (23+" versions with 1080p resolution are getting cheap now), and a separate computer for everything else (small monitor and slow processor are perfectly satisfactory).
 

Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

RE: Any structural engineers using dual monitors?

I'd recommend getting a second monitor.  I recently upgraded my workstation from a 17" monitor to a 24" widescreen.  While it's a GIANT improvement, I still find myself constantly toggling between windows.  

And as others have noted, the cost is minimal now.  24" Monitors can be had for around $200 and most newer workstations can handle dual monitors.

RE: Any structural engineers using dual monitors?

Dual monitors rule for all applications.....Highly recommend.

RE: Any structural engineers using dual monitors?

I use a laptop with an external monitor both HD resolution.  I use the laptop screen as the main screen, and the external screen to look at anything that needs to be viewed at the same time, so typically:


Spreadsheet and VBA code
- E-mail and attached documents
- Spreadsheet and CAD or pdf drawing file.
- Spreadsheet and FEA model

Considering the low cost of monitors these days I'd say it was about the most cost effective productivity improvement you can get.
 

Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services
http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/
 

RE: Any structural engineers using dual monitors?

I have two and I don't know what I'd do without both.  I can have a calculation up on one screen and the code on the other or a reference drawing.  I highly recommend the upgrade.  

RE: Any structural engineers using dual monitors?

If you're upgrading and not too fussed about appearance just retain your old monitor and use that as the 2nd one.

I've used 2 for about a year now and would find it hard to go back to one.

RE: Any structural engineers using dual monitors?

Oh, and I also have a pet monitor lizard that eats all my old monitors.  I recycle naturally.

Mike McCann
MMC Engineering

 

RE: Any structural engineers using dual monitors?

Also two monitors and wouldn't change back to one.  Like everyone else says, it's extremly useful.

Regards,
Qshake
pipe
Eng-Tips Forums:Real Solutions for Real Problems Really Quick.
 

RE: Any structural engineers using dual monitors?

Two monitors is key. AutoCAD on one, PDFs / Outlook / Misc programs on the other.

MJB

"We shape our buildings, thereafter they shape us." -WSC

RE: Any structural engineers using dual monitors?

I figured if I was going to spend most of my life working on a computer, I would do the best I can to be comfortable.   I've got two 31" Apple monitors running Windows 8 on a 64 bit machine.   Then I have Winsplit Revolution which can automatically move windows to the corners ect - allowing 4 - readable panes per monitor.  There are times where I have various pdfs, excel calculation books, ACAD 11, RISA as well as Windows Explorer and my email program.

Also have Ultamon which allows me to spread one screen over the two screens.  We also use Photoshop and InDesign as well as read a lot of stuff in Bridge.

RE: Any structural engineers using dual monitors?

2 x 31"; you've obviously got a lot more desk space than I have.

RE: Any structural engineers using dual monitors?

New to me desk:  L shape - 4' x 8' and mates to a 8' x 3' laminated table and an end file drawer cabinet- so basically a U-shape 8 feet long.  The desk is recently purchased for $250 from a defunct truss company where the owner claims he had it made especially for $3200.  (I don't believe that).

This replaces crappy tables and saw horses that I've been using in this location for 22 years.  (Thought I would treat myself and had budgeted $1800 for new furniture).  (The truss company guy and his friend even delivered it).

Have to admit that my commute is about 30 feet - back door of house to front entrance of a real building.  We're out in the country where I sometimes meet the deer face to face when I walk out of the office.

The problem now is that our area is going to be spoiled with about 1300 homes going in across our non-busy road.  Who would have thought this would be happening?

But I just attended a local structural engineering meeting and the county building official was there and said that there's starting to be a lot of activity lately.  (And we've hundreds of bank owned homes that originally sold for over a million dollars now going to around $350K.)(Of course a lot of these "million dollar" homes were really poorly planned and built and people used them as a piggy banks, buying their Cadillac pickups and fast speed boats)

I know this isn't about monitors.  Sorry.

RE: Any structural engineers using dual monitors?

I know you asked for structural input, though from a mechanical person, I found them very useful.
I too intially resisted, though found them to signficantly improve my efficiency (consider how may times per day do you have more than one item open and further more use the contents of one of the said open items for another said open item).

Regards,
Lyle
 

RE: Any structural engineers using dual monitors?

I am running dual monitors and can also testify to the usefulness.  My only complaint is software related and I call on all of you running RISA to email or call support.  The program will not run multiple instances and it should.  Sometime I need to have models side-by-side to compare, but I am forced to open one, close it, and open the other when I want to do any comparison.

Juston Fluckey, E.I.
Engineering Consultant

RE: Any structural engineers using dual monitors?

Couldn't work without 2 in the office. In Excel, have main sheet on one and the VBA on another. Look at drawings in Sketch Up and CAD on one whilst designing on the other with structural software. Cost very small - Don't hesitate

RE: Any structural engineers using dual monitors?

P1Eng...the RISA thing could be a function of the hardware key.  Check with them...

JoshPlum??

RE: Any structural engineers using dual monitors?

@Ron

Plummer is my favorite.  He is always quick to respond and very knowledgeable.  I often send models to RISA because they don't behave the way I think they should and he always lets me know why.  

Alas, this was the email I received back in 2010 from Michael Olson concerning wanting multiple instances:

I certainly understand your frustration with this.  Being in tech support here at RISA I run across your situation all the time.
 
I believe the biggest problem with this is the memory allocation and temporary files that are created while using the program.
 
We create files during solution and even pre-solution for your model.  If there were multiple instances then we would need to do a lot of coordination of these files.  
 
This is something we have considered, but up until this point hasn't gotten a lot of steam.  I will take note of your request and if we get more requests we can hopefully implement this.



Also, the files that store your unique data (saved report settings, custom shapes, etc.) cannot be modified with a text editor.  This would be helpful for organizing the shapes or reports into alphabetical order or other grouping.  These files (with extension .fil) are protected against my limited hacking ability (as well they should because they are important to the function of the program).

Sorry for being off-topic.

Juston Fluckey, E.I.
Engineering Consultant

RE: Any structural engineers using dual monitors?

I also use 2 monitors and get very frustrated if I ever take work home and have to work with only 1 monitor.  I have one monitor set wide screen and have the other rotated tall - this is great for spreadsheets!

Re RISA-3D running multiple instances, I was told that it had something to do with licensing.  With remote desktop and other sharing it is possible to have several different people access one computer.  If multiple instances were allowed, you wouldn't need to buy multiple licenses to have more than one person use RISA...  I don't think they plan to change this.

It would be nice if you could have multiple files open in one program instance, like Excel.  Then you could work on one while the other is running.

RE: Any structural engineers using dual monitors?

I prefer two separate computers. But the essence is still the same...I still use two monitors.

RE: Any structural engineers using dual monitors?

I also use 2 monitors.  At first I would forget that I didn't have to minimize windows to look at a spreadsheet or something else I had open.  Now that I have been doing it for about three or four years, I would never go back.

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources