Set up the NVIDIA Quadro GPU and 3D monitor for stereoscopic mapping

Follow the instructions below to set up the NVIDIA Quadro GPU and 3D monitor for stereoscopic mapping in ArcGIS Pro. These instructions are based on the Windows 10 operating system.

Requirements

The following hardware is required:

  • A 3D stereoscopic monitor that supports a minimum refresh rate of 120Hz, connected to the computer system
  • A desktop computer with a Quadro graphics card that supports stereoscopic viewing and has a 3-pin mini-din connection embedded or connected using a bracket

    3 pin Mini-Din bracket

Determine the type of graphics card

To determine the type of graphics card, complete the following steps:

  1. Right-click your desktop and select NVIDIA Control Panel.

    NVIDIA Control Panel

  2. At the bottom of the NVIDIA Control Panel dialog box, click System Information.

    The System Information dialog box appears that displays the graphics card type and version.

    System Information dialog box

  3. Make note of the information in the System Information dialog box.

Download the latest NVIDIA graphics driver version

To download the latest version of the graphics driver, complete the following steps:

  1. Open a web browser, and go to the NVIDIA download driver site.
  2. For Product Type, click the drop-down list and select the graphics card identified in the System Information dialog box.
  3. For Product Series, select the appropriate option identified in the System Information dialog box.
  4. For Product, select the graphics card used by your computer.
  5. For Operating System, choose Windows 10 64-bit.

    NVIDIA Drive Downloads settings

  6. Click Search.
  7. Download the driver identified from the search, and save it to a known location on disk.

Install the NVIDIA driver

To install the latest version of the graphics driver, complete the following steps:

  1. Double-click the downloaded graphics driver to start the installation process.
  2. Click Run if prompted.
  3. Click OK to accept the folder where the driver will be extracted and saved.

    Once the extraction is complete, a system compatibility check is conducted automatically. If the graphics driver fails the compatibility tests, you must download and install a different driver.

  4. If the graphics driver passes the compatibility test, click Agree and Continue to proceed with the installation.
  5. For Installation Options, click the Custom (Advanced) button and click Next.

    The driver is installed.

  6. Once the installation process is complete, click Finish.

Configure the monitor (single and double)

To configure the monitor, complete the following steps:

  1. Right-click your desktop and select Display settings.

    The Display settings window appears.

  2. In the Scale and layout section, for Display resolution, select 1920 x 1080 (Recommended) from the drop-down list.

    Stereo monitor settings

  3. In the Multiple displays section, ensure that Extend these displays is selected from the drop-down menu.

    If you're working with a single monitor configuration, proceed to step 6.

  4. In the Select and rearrange displays section, click Identify to determine the ID of the 3D monitor.
  5. In the Multiple displays section, select the 3D monitor and click the Make this my main display check box.
  6. Click Advanced display settings.

    The Advanced display settings window appears.

  7. In the Choose display section, ensure that the 3D monitor is selected from the drop-down menu.
  8. In the Display information section, click Display adapter properties for Display 1 or Display adapter properties for Display 2, whichever corresponds to the 3D display ID number.

    The display properties window appears.

  9. Click the Monitor tab.

    Monitor tab

  10. In the Monitor Settings section, for Screen refresh rate, select 120 Hertz from the drop-down menu, and click OK to save the settings.
  11. Click OK to close the display properties window.
  12. In the Advanced display settings window, click the back arrow in the corner of the window to return to the Display settings window.
  13. In the Multiple displays section, ensure that the 3D display mode toggle is on.
  14. Close the Display settings window.

Configure the stereoscopic view

To configure the stereoscopic view, complete the following steps:

  1. Right-click your desktop and select NVIDIA Control Panel.

    The NVIDIA Control Panel window appears.

  2. In the 3D Settings category, select Manage 3D settings.

    The Manage 3D Settings panel opens.

  3. Under I would like to use the following 3D settings, click the Global Settings tab.
  4. For Global presets, select 3D OpenGL Stereo from the drop-down list.
  5. Ensure that Stereo - Display mode is set to On-board DIN connector and Stereo - Enable is set to On.

    NVIDIA Control Panel settings

The computer stereo configuration is now complete.

Following these installation instructions, you accomplished the following:

  • Identified, downloaded, and installed the driver for the NVIDIA Quadro GPU
  • Configured the 3D monitor
  • Set up the 3D monitor for stereoscopic mapping

Next, you need to set up your stereographic vision kit. See Stereo mapping in ArcGIS Pro for instructions.

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