Content Template Advice

[JoeLott]

Hi Everyone

I am a brand new user to Watchout so please go easy on me! I usually use d3, Catalyst or Hippo but am currently designing content for a project running on Watchout.

I have gone through the manual but still have a few questions.

We are projection mapping onto a series of rectangles forming the backdrop to an awards show. I have designed a template for creating the content but I wanted to make sure this will work!

click image for full scale original                                       <image added by moderator>

 

Is Watchout able to capture sections of a video file and then individually keystone them to map onto the surfaces? I have attached the template I have designed below. Sorry if this is a stupid question!

Thanks!!

Joe

 

image origin: http://imgur.com/QJk9yDM

[jfk]

Interesting challenge. 

Have you determined how many projectors you will use to cover the area?

 

At first glance, it would appear a 2D approach would suffice.

However,

"Is Watchout able to capture sections of a video file and

then individually keystone them to map onto the surfaces?"

 

A video file can not be told to play-out just a subsection,

it must always be decoded in its entirety, and once that is done

unused areas are simply not displayed -

i.e. there is no performance savings to displaying a subsection of a video,

it is more typically a performance penalty.

 

I do not think multiple independent geometry areas

within single WATCHOUT output are feasible with WATCHOUT 2D display objects.

 

To achieve that, you would have to use WATCHOUT 3D projectors with

a corresponding 3D model file accurately describing the various surfaces

and their physical relationships.

 

In the process of creating that 3D model file

you also define the mappable areas and

how 2D media should be placed in those areas (UV data).

If you want one movie to map to multiple areas,

then you would create one mappable area in the 3D model to 

remap to the display areas you have defined.

 

Alternately, WATCHOUT does support multiple mapped areas in a single 3D object.

But then you would create a unique movie for each defined mappable area.

Of course, the bulk of the setup in that technique

is in the 3D software you choose to use

to create the model and accurately define the mappable areas.

Once that is done accurately, WATCHOUT handles

placing the 2D source media (of any type)

and manipulating it to the surfaces as defined in the 3D file.

[Bluetonesblue]

Hi Everyone

 

I am a brand new user to Watchout so please go easy on me! I usually use d3, Catalyst or Hippo but am currently designing content for a project running on Watchout.

 

I have gone through the manual but still have a few questions.

 

We are projection mapping onto a series of rectangles forming the backdrop to an awards show. I have designed a template for creating the content but I wanted to make sure this will work!

click image for full scale original                                       <image added by moderator>

 

Is Watchout able to capture sections of a video file and then individually keystone them to map onto the surfaces? I have attached the template I have designed below. Sorry if this is a stupid question!

 

Thanks!!

 

Joe

 

image origin: http://imgur.com/QJk9yDM

 

What is the actual shape that you're going to be projecting onto? This looks like multiple sides of a cube and something else...

[Thomas Leong]

...

click image for full scale original                                       <image added by moderator>

 

image origin: http://imgur.com/QJk9yDM

 

Should be do-able with Watchout 6's Virtual Displays where -

 

- Virtual Displays 1 & 2 and possibly also 3,4,5 & 11 are assigned to one Actual Display (If so, then may need a mask because of the 'overlap' with 6&7)

- Virtual Displays 6,7,8,9,10 & 12 to a 2nd Actual Display (otherwise, it is 3-12 to this 2nd Actual Display; a bit much depending...)

- Virtual Displays 13 & 14 to a 3rd Actual Display

...and so on, ending up with 5 Actual Displays, 6 if 13 and 14 are assigned to an Actual Display each instead of sharing.

 

How 3-12, and 15-24 are grouped and split will probably be critical depending on the hardware capabilities, and the respective resolution of each video. Alternatively, if the width of #11 (and #16) could be shrunk down to meet the vertical edge of 4 (#23), this would simplify things a lot as 1-5 & 11 (16 & 22-26) could share an Actual Display with no complications.

 

Thomas Leong

[jfk]

Hi Thomas,

 

Should be do-able with Watchout 6's Virtual Displays

...

 

How does that provide what OP describes as "... individually keystone them " ?

i.e. what would essentially be independent geometry for each virtual display, which is not there.

That was the only reason I went the 3D route. It accomplishes individual correction elegantly.

Hence my statement "At first glance, it would appear a 2D approach would suffice."

Granted, the 2D method with virtual displays is a

quicker / simpler process if you forfeit the individual geometry.

Just not sure that approach fulfills the request.

 

Should be do-able with Watchout 6's Virtual Displays where -

 

- Virtual Displays 1 & 2 and possibly also 3,4,5 & 11 are assigned to one Actual Display (If so, then may need a mask because of the 'overlap' with 6&7)

- Virtual Displays 6,7,8,9,10 & 12 to a 2nd Actual Display (otherwise, it is 3-12 to this 2nd Actual Display; a bit much depending...)

- Virtual Displays 13 & 14 to a 3rd Actual Display

...and so on, ending up with 5 Actual Displays, 6 if 13 and 14 are assigned to an Actual Display each instead of sharing.

 

How 3-12, and 15-24 are grouped and split will probably be critical depending on the hardware capabilities, and the respective resolution of each video. Alternatively, if the width of #11 (and #16) could be shrunk down to meet the vertical edge of 4 (#23), this would simplify things a lot as 1-5 & 11 (16 & 22-26) could share an Actual Display with no complications.

 

Thomas Leong

 

[Thomas Leong]

Well, looking at the template submitted, despite his 'request' there does not seem to be any keystoning required.

If there are small bits here and there, it could be fulfilled with a mask(s) from within the respective Watchout Displays. 

[JoeLott]

Thanks for the advice. The surface is not a flat screen so masking isn't an option. It seams like I would need to go down the 3D model route.

 

However I am now using Resolume Arena which solves all my issues as it has the ability to capture slices of an image in the output settings and then keystone them individually meaning it should be quite simple to map the surfaces.

 

I would have liked to try and do it in Watchout but the show is happening on another continent and I won't be on site to solve content issues so it needs to be as simple and reliable as possible!

 

Thanks again!

[JJ Myers]

If all he has to do is corner pin adjustments for keystone, I would advise to useThomas' approach, and then use the corner pin tween on your virtual display layers that are placed on your 2D displays. Seems a lot simpler than using a 3D approach, which requires creating a mesh, UV map, etc...

[Bluetonesblue]

This looks to me like a texture for the UV coordinates for a couple of boxes, and maybe a couple of rectangles. That's why I was asking about the actual 3d model that would be mapped to.

[Thomas Leong]

If all he has to do is corner pin adjustments for keystone, I would advise to useThomas' approach, and then use the corner pin tween on your virtual display layers that are placed on your 2D displays. Seems a lot simpler than using a 3D approach, which requires creating a mesh, UV map, etc...

 

JJ, that is a brilliant idea! The Corner tween works as a simple keystone adjustment applied either on the virtual displays or the media content itself.

 

Thomas