3D Mapping Projectors thru Datapath FX4 split

[Marius]

Hi everyone,

we want to project onto a curved 3D shaped surface. For that, we plan to have one Watchout Server with WX9100 that outputs 2x 4k to Datapath FX4s that split the Signal to 8 HD projectors.

Usually when working with aggregated Outputs, I used virtual displays to gather the content into the physical outputs. With 3D mapping projectors this is not working. Is there a different workaround in Watchout to accomplish that?

Thanks in advance!

Best,

Marius

[Josef Swanberg]

Hi Marius,

No, 3d mapping projectors are currently only built to output to a physical display output. I'm not saying this would ever change, but this is how it is right now, and there is no plan to change this any time soon.

/Josef

[RBeddig]

You could of course use two 4-channel servers and use the 3D projection mapping as built into WATCHOUT. This would need a 3D file of your object with a correct UV mesh (3DS, OBJ,...) which you would place into your stage. Then you would just use 8 3D projectors in WATCHOUT and align those to your real object. Softedge would need to be done manually through the display masking feature. Alternatively you could use the domeprojection.com ProjectionTools camera calibration which now supports 3D calibration as well.

[Marius]

Hi Josef and Rainer,

thank you for the replies.

Would it be possible to do the magic with just 2D Displays? We are kind of limited on the hardware side. It's a permanent installation and it needs to be as cost and space-effective as possible. Also two servers are, from my opinion, a bit oversized for "just" 8 Hds and disadvantageous when it comes to sync, backup and content delivery. I know that other media server systems could do the job, still we would like to go with Watchout as this is our preferred media-server system.

Thanks again.

[RBeddig]

While I don't see issues regarding sync and content delivery (there is no real difference from using one server or 20 servers in WATCHOUT), doing it with 2D displays in WATCHOUT would make it neccessary to do the actual warping outside the system.

But this would always work in two steps. First to record the outputs of a warped signal and then to take this into WATCHOUT and to position it in each corner of your 4K output linked to your FX4. This could be doable if you set it up once and then leave it as it is (without recalibration or content changes) but it's probably not the right way in your case.

You'd need a virtual 3D projector which you could then remap to a real output in WATCHOUT. Could be a nice feature and pretty useful if the actual stage setting changes during a show and you could just follow this by using different virtual screens at different parts of the show BUT it's not in WATCHOUT right now.

[Ventmedia]

I'd have to second this for a very helpful addition to Watchout - 3d mapping projectors being able to route through to a virtual display which then could be composed onto a more complex composition - a fx4 layout etc.

I have a relatively old 4x projector show that tours quite a lot, that we try to keep the touring kit to a minimum- we hope to update it onto Watchout for the future. Only one output requires, or would benefit, from a 3d mapping output. The show has run via a datapath programmed on Avolites Ai in the past and before that Catalyst, I'm struggling to work out the best way to make this work at the moment with Watchout