Normally when you are using 3D Vision you have control only on the level of depth by either turning the scroll wheel on the IR transmitter or by using CRTL + F3 or CTRL + F4 to decrease or increase it. And this is normal as in most games you don’t have to play with convergence, because everything is usually being set in the available profile, but what happens if you run a game that has not been profiled by Nvidia? If you run a new game, or some old and not very popular one you might notice that there is nothing impressive when you run it with 3D Vision. Here you can try to change the convergence in order to improve the situation and it actually helps… usually, but there is no guarantee. But even if the game looks good by default you can achieve even better results by changing the convergence and thus improving the level of depth, the pop-out of the screen effect or even both…
You should know that by default the keys for changing the convergence level are CRTL + F5 and CTL + F6, but they are not active so even when pressing them nothing will change. In order to be able to control the level of convergence you must first “Enable the advanced in-game settings” from Nvidia’s Control Panel by going in to “Stereoscopic 3D”, choosing “Set up stereoscopic 3D” and then opening the “Set Keyboard Shortcuts”. When you activate the advanced settings you would be able to use the CTRL + F7 key combination in order to save the custom settings you set by changing the level of convergence so that you will not have to make them each time you run a given game. However you should know that there is still no graphic representation showing you the level of convergence, so when you are changing it you must carefully watch the changes on the screen. Nvidia is probably going to build additional functionality into a later version of the driver that will show you visually the level of convergence such as the one already available for the level of depth.
8 responses so far ↓
1 applejack // Jul 6, 2009 at 04:44
when using iZ3D driver for anaglyph red/cyan, its wizard suggest to set up convergence so the closest object on screen becomes one image.
im confused though. I think the closest object on screen should use maximum pop out effect, but does a “one image” object pops out the most ?, or maybe its depth become the same as the monitor’s ?
do you agree with iZ3D instructions, or do you have some other method for setting up convergence for best results ?
2 Bloody // Jul 6, 2009 at 11:08
I’m setting the convergence on per application basis, not the same for every game. Sometimes it is not possible to make a game having a great pop-out effect. What iZ3D suggests it for getting only a depth effect an not pop-out, this is what happens when you set the closest objects to appear as single image.
To get a pop-out and depth effect at the same time your convergence point should not be too far or too close, but somewhere in the middle of the scene in the game. Meaning “the double image” should intersect (become single) somewhere in the middle of the scene of the game when you are viewing objects that are close and ones that are far. And as the detail goes backwards the image should start to go double again as it is in front (double when looking without the glasses on)…
3 applejack // Jul 6, 2009 at 14:18
I get it, so the “single image” object is some kind of a reference depth point where closer objects start popping out while further objects goes in depth..
thanks! (correct me if im mistaken :) )
4 Bloody // Jul 6, 2009 at 14:42
Yes, it is like that… but it might not be a single object, but just a part of an object where the two “images” just cross to kind of create that point ;)
5 jacob pederson // Jan 24, 2010 at 20:26
I find the convergence setting has no effect whatsoever. Does this only work in some games? I can see the effect in WOW, where convergance is part of the ingame controll panel.
6 jacob pederson // Jan 24, 2010 at 23:49
Figured it out. You have to HOLD ctrl-f6 for a good 10-15 seconds before you start to see an effect. It must adjust in really small increments. Anyhow, the difference this makes in top down games like Titan Quest and Torchlight is absolutely incredible: from hi down there, to holy crap that’s awesome in 15 seconds :)
7 jacob pederson // Jan 25, 2010 at 00:17
Noticed a couple games where convergence effects something other than the render window. In Company of Heroes it effects the gui only. Even stranger, In Mass Effect it effects the light blooms only.
8 Bloody // Jan 25, 2010 at 10:36
It does not provide better results every time, but for some games tweaking the convergence can bring much better results in terms of depth perception. That is usually if they do not have a profile already made for them in the 3D Vision driver…
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