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Geometric Correction Grid on Display


Daniel Quinn

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Up until recently, I haven't done much geometric distortion. I would appear that now we have done a few shows using it, everyone in our office wants to project onto the next weirdest object they can find!

 

Unless something has changed in V5 and I haven't found it, I would really find it useful to get the Warping Grid overlaid over the image on Screen.

 

To achieve something similar, and other people I am sure may have tried this, I have built a template up of Screen Shots of the Geometric Grid in full warp mode and made a bunch of different resolution Grid PhotoShop files, which I overlay on the Watchout stage to give me a grid on screen, so I have at least have some reference as to where my points might appear. This is especially handy when I am doing weird and wonderful curved shapes on a stage set for example, where I can put up the grid and a mask of my shapes at the same time.

 

The other way I have tried, with some success although it is not perfect, is to VNC my production screen live into the Stage, and scale it out so the grid is correct. This isn't perfect though.

 

Anyone else tried / succeeded with any other variation of this?

 

Cheers

 

Dan

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what i mean is to make some sort of preview (even a thumbnail) of your display output in the geometry tab just under the grid..

that way when u moving the geometric points u can kinda see what ur doing...

even if the preview will be low on quality its still can make a lot of sense sometimes.

 

just an idea

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what i mean is to make some sort of preview (even a thumbnail) of your display output in the geometry tab just under the grid..

that way when u moving the geometric points u can kinda see what ur doing...

even if the preview will be low on quality its still can make a lot of sense sometimes.

 

just an idea

I would prefer a preview of that display behind the grid, which scales along with the window when you resize it. It would not have to be full definition, although that would be preferred. Most of the time if I am using correction I am just using either a B&W mask or a wireframe anyway

 

 

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  • 3 months later...

I know its quite a long time since the last posting here but for what its worth...

 

We create 'line up slides' for each show that are specially designed for each installation. The 'slide' temanology comes from when we were doing this with slide projectors but the principal remains the same.

 

In most cases they include concentric circles and various parallel lines in 1-3 pixel widths (depending on the projector resolution) that are then converged to create perfect alignment. They can be white on black or black on white but its generally easier to read the overlap if the lines are white.

 

Most of our work is for permanent installation so the 'line-up slide' images are loaded on a non edge blended layer before or after the show timeline start or end points. Once we have done the mechanical line up of the projectors and made geometrical adjustments the house technician is able to maintain the alignment. A special maintenance mode cue in the control system jumps to the spot on the timeline and allows the house technicain to manually adjust projector alignment when required.

 

A short lesson in the principals of projector alignment and the provision of easily read and used line up images ensures most of our productions look as good as day one most of the time.

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