Video Wall help

[MattG]

I am attempting to render a video wall. The wall is made up of wall panels. Each panel contains these tubes. About 24 or so tubes per panel with a noticeable gap between each tube. We will be sending mapped video signal to the tubes in real life so what I am looking for is some way to apply an image across the entire wall but only have it appear on the tubes like it would in real life.

What I have done at the moment is create a symbol of one wall piece. Each tube an extruded circle like it is and on its own class. I am hoping that I may be able to just have a class that is all the video tubes only and be able to adjust the texture to apply over only the tubes? Does this sound crazy or does someone else have a better idea? To add even more interesting stuff to it the wall is not one solid wall. It is 4 panels high and 4 panels wide, but there are areas that panels will be removed for various reasons.

Thanks for the help in advance.

Matt

[CipesDesign]

If I'm understanding what you want, I wonder if it wouldn't be easier to use one large rendered surface with the image/video on it and then overlay that with a cut-out (or negative) of the panels. So in effect you'd be creating a mask with a bunch of holes in it.

[MattG]

Yes, that has been my other option. The problem is that I need something that I may be able to easily change when we propose this. So if these pannels go from one arrangement to another I do not have to recreate all that negative space.

Matt

[Benson Shaw]

Image props are another way to go. They are fairly easy to make and apply to a model. Same idea with the mask, but it's inside the prop. Hardest part for me is exact alignment and scaling of the prop with the fronts of the tubes.

Seems like no matter what technique you use, the reconfig process will involve new mask or new image proportion or something.

Example shows image, mask and masked prop placed in front of extrude of all the circles in the mask.

-B

[MattG]

that may be the way to go. thanks

[CipesDesign]

Pretty cool Benson. Thanks!

[MattG]

So I do not use image props to often and not like this. How do I apply the image prop to the tubes I am trying to render?

I put a small section of what I am doing as an attachment. This is where I am. I have the image prop surface and extruded tubes. Can I combine these?

Matt

[Benson Shaw]

Hi, Matt - The image prop is a separate object. In my example, the image prop is a separate, planar surface (transparent except the circles) placed a few pixels in front of the stack of extruded circles. You can see a white line (unintended) which is sort of a border around my image prop. Your prop will be stripes rather than circles. Perhaps you could post a 3d which shows all or part of your video wall components without an image. I don't quite understand your "tube" idea - do you mean cylinders, like cardboard tubes, or picture tubes (CRT video equipment? or?

Read up on how to make an image prop in VW's onscreen help or paper manual. I suggest you make a few in a new blank document until you get the hang of it. Additional things for your situation:

1. Both mask and image used to create the image prop need to exist both objects in your drawing and as files outside your drawing. In the drawing because you need to scale them so the image prop fits your other vid wall elements and as separate files, because image prop creation requires that you import them during prop creation.

A. The image is a still from your video. Paste or port it into your drawing and scale it so its rectangle covers the video wall. Note the dimensions. If you changed the rectangle aspect, paste or port it back out as Image1.jpg (or .png). Image1 will now be the image you will use during image prop creation.

B. Create the mask in VW, basically a big black rectangle with same dimension as the image (just draw it on top of the image - corner to corner), and a bunch of smaller white shapes for the places where the image will be visible - your tubes or slits. Now paste or port the mask out as Mask1.jpg (or.png)

2. During prop creation and editing you can use the size field in the image prop edit pane to key in the dimensions of your mask and image to match the elements in your model. If necessary.

3. If you want to record the model with several images, save a bunch of the images, all same dimension. You can swap them in the Shader/Color/Edit pane of the image prop edit pane.

Play around with this and post back if you are not having success.

-B