Mapping on a building

[aventiq]

Does anyone have some experience in the (exact) workflow for making a projection on a building.

I can make a 3D model of the building in 3D Max and eport this to .3ds or .obj

I want to make all the animations in After Effects.

And really would like to make some lightning effects (maybe in combination with Element 3D from videocopilot.net)??

 

2 examples I want to get accomplished

1. I have a building with pillars and would like to have a light travelling behind it so you get a nice play of shadows.
2. I want the contours of the building animated (lines drawing the shape of the building)

I know how to make the animations but how can I project this in the right way on the 3D model in Watchout?

 

Some examples from internet:

[Josef Swanberg]

I can only guess how the professionals do this, but my suggestion is:

1. For simple animations on the surface of the building (such as lines drawing the shape of the building), create a video in a video editing software such as AfterEffects, adapted to the uv-map of your 3d model. Most 3d editing software should be able to export a uv-map-image to use as a template.
2. For more complex effects (such as shadows) use your 3d editing software to add lighting and bake these effects into a video texture. Texture baking should be supported by most 3d editing software.

For information on what you need to do in WATCHOUT, I recommend you take a look at all the tutorial videos on WATCHOUT 6: http://www.dataton.com/training

 

There is even one video about texture baking: http://www.dataton.com/3d-lighting

 

I hope this helps!

[tallscott]

Easiest option in watchout is to get a 3D model. Build your effects in 3D then render them out from the viewers perspective. In 2D software you can then add your tracelines and other effects. Back in 3D software put your 2D output back onto the model, calculate your projector positions in real life then render content for each projector. You can then use watchout to warp and blend your projectors. To project behind columns you'll need to make sure you have projectors hitting these walls.

 

It's not easy but we've done it for years. We now use other systems and software for these large style shows. Waiting for watchout to build in automatic edge blending on 3D projectors!

 

Scott

Senior Technical Consultant @ Projection Artworks

[Mike Fahl]

Easiest option in watchout is to get a 3D model. Build your effects in 3D then render them out from the viewers perspective. In 2D software you can then add your tracelines and other effects. Back in 3D software put your 2D output back onto the model, calculate your projector positions in real life then render content for each projector. You can then use watchout to warp and blend your projectors. To project behind columns you'll need to make sure you have projectors hitting these walls.

 

While that method certainly works (and has been in use very successfully for many years), it is the pre WATCHOUT 6 method, In WO6, you can work with the 3D model directly in WATCHOUT. For a large object, such as a building, you need to consider the resolution needed to texture the building. If you need very high total resolution (beyond 4k), you may need to divide the building into multiple "sub-meshes" in the 3D file, and then texture those separately in WATCHOUT. If you're OK with 4K or less total resolution, you can use a single mesh and a single texture for the entire building. Note that this doesn't require projectors to be 4K, as you may use multiple projectors to cover the entire building. But the video used to texture the 3D object in WATCHOUT need to be of sifficient resolution to look good at the desired viewing distance from the building.

 

The fitting of the video onto the building is all based on the UV mapping done in the 3D file. Once you have this figured out, the 3D program can generate a "template image" that shows where everything goes, just as Josef says. This can then be used as a basis for the content (e.g., video) creation. The video will then snap in place in exactly the same way when dropped onto the 3D model in WATCHOUT.

[Zotya]

Hello!

I would like to learn how to make building projection very much.

So, could anyone to teach me how to make animations and then how to make a complete building projection, please?

I am looking forward to hearing from you soon! Thank you very much!

[Axiom]

Hello!

I would like to learn how to make building projection very much.

So, could anyone to teach me how to make animations and then how to make a complete building projection, please?

I am looking forward to hearing from you soon! Thank you very much!

If you want to learn more, then I recommend video mapping toolkits! They also have a lot of guides!