Display the DCS World UFC on a second monitor using a custom MonitorSetup file, correct viewport coordinates, and fixes for blank exports.
To display a DCS World UFC on a second monitor, extend the Windows desktop, run DCS across the combined pixel area, and select a custom MonitorSetup Lua file that places the aircraft’s exported UFC viewport on the second screen. The exact viewport identifier is module-specific, and some aircraft do not provide a native UFC export.
How does DCS World export a UFC?
DCS exports the UFC’s electronic readout or symbology into a named viewport; it does not mirror the complete 3D panel, bezel and buttons. Viewport names are case-sensitive, differ between modules, and may represent separate parts of the up-front controls rather than one combined display.
Check the module’s included documentation or, where its cockpit scripts are readable, search the relevant indicator initialisation files for try_find_assigned_viewport. The argument declared there is the viewport name to use. Do not assume that every aircraft calls it UFC; if no assigned viewport is exposed, a MonitorSetup file alone cannot create one.
Avoid editing cockpit scripts inside the DCS installation merely to add an export. Updates can overwrite those changes, and modified scripts may cause multiplayer integrity-check problems. Keep the monitor configuration under Saved Games instead.
How do I create the second-monitor layout?
The layout is a Lua file that defines the main camera and places the UFC at pixel coordinates within the combined Windows desktop.
- Extend and align the displays. In Windows Display Settings, use Extend rather than Duplicate. We recommend putting the second monitor directly to the right of the main screen and aligning their top edges; this keeps all coordinates positive and easier to calculate.
- Calculate the combined canvas. For a 2560×1440 main monitor and a 1920×1080 secondary monitor on its right, DCS uses a 4480×1440 canvas. The second monitor begins at
x = 2560andy = 0. - Create the configuration file. Save a new file such as
UFC_Second_Monitor.luainSaved Games\DCS\Config\MonitorSetup. Older or branch-specific installations may use a differently named DCS folder under Saved Games. Create theMonitorSetupfolder if it is absent, and make sure Windows has not silently added.txtto the filename. - Define the viewports. The following example keeps the cockpit on the 2560×1440 main display and puts a 1200×400 UFC export on the secondary display. Replace the
UFCtable name with the exact identifier declared by your aircraft module.
_ = function(p) return p; end; name = _('UFC second monitor'); Description = 'Main view with UFC export'; Viewports = { Center = { x = 0; y = 0; width = 2560; height = 1440; viewDx = 0; viewDy = 0; aspect = 2560 / 1440; } }; UFC = { x = 2760; y = 200; width = 1200; height = 400; }; UIMainView = Viewports.Center;
- Select the layout in DCS. Open the System graphics options, choose
UFC second monitorfrom the monitor configuration list, and set the resolution to the combined 4480×1440 size. Disable exclusive full-screen mode if DCS will not span both displays. Restart DCS if the new layout was created while the simulator was running. - Test in the correct aircraft. Load the module for which the viewport was defined and power its avionics. Adjust
x,y,widthandheightuntil the readout is positioned and proportioned correctly.
Coordinates refer to the complete render canvas, not to “monitor 1” or “monitor 2”. Mixed display scaling can also cause unexpected offsets; if that happens, verify the Windows arrangement and test with matching scaling while configuring the layout. Our explanation of DCS screen coordinates, exported viewports and cockpit hardware covers more complex arrangements.
Why is the UFC blank or in the wrong place?
A blank or misplaced UFC normally comes from the wrong viewport identifier, incorrect desktop coordinates, an unpowered aircraft or a MonitorSetup file that DCS did not load.
| Symptom | Likely cause and fix |
|---|---|
| Layout missing from the monitor list | Confirm that the file is in the active Saved Games DCS folder, ends in .lua, and contains valid Lua syntax. Restart DCS after saving it. |
| Main cockpit stretches across both screens | The Center viewport was given the combined width. Its width and height should describe only the main flying display. |
| UFC area remains empty | Check the case-sensitive viewport name, use the matching aircraft module, and power the relevant avionics. The module may not support a native UFC export. |
| Export appears partly off-screen | Recheck the Windows monitor arrangement. With the secondary display on the right, its first horizontal coordinate equals the main monitor’s width. |
| Readout is stretched | Change the export width and height while preserving a shape close to the instrument’s original aspect ratio. |
| Frame rate drops | Every additional exported display adds rendering work. Reduce the export dimensions and use our DCS performance guidance for cockpit displays and extra viewports. |
Can I press the UFC buttons on the second monitor?
A native DCS viewport is video output only, so clicking the exported image does not operate the UFC. For a touchscreen or physical panel, bind the module’s UFC commands in DCS Controls or use a separate cockpit-control interface that sends those commands to the simulator.
The display export and control input are separate jobs: the MonitorSetup file positions the readout, while bindings or interface software operate the keys. If you expected the complete clickable 3D UFC panel to appear on the second screen, that is not what the standard viewport system exports.