Commercial Integrator March 2021 - 35

INTEGRATION Installation Tips
INSTALLATION
TIPS FOR
PROJECTION
MAPPING
SYSTEMS
These are some tips for installing projection mapping
systems collected from integrators who specialize in this
dazzling area of pro AV. By Adam Forziati
WE'VE ASKED SOME of the industry's
most experienced integration firms who
specialize in this area in order to assemble
some best practices and tips for installing
projection mapping systems.
Pre-planning is the most important
step because there are no 'take-backs' in
mapped systems
Jesse Miller, GM of Midtown Video, says
the first step is to use a software tool to
map out the location of the projectors and
simulate their beam.
" The exact placement in the field may
differ slightly, but it remains essential to
have a solid layout and understanding of
the potential mapping specific to each
projector and lens, " Miller says. Identifying
where the viewer will stand is also critical.
The manufacturer may have tools downloadable
from their website, and other
tools such as Cinema 4D can assist.
Mike Rideau, managing partner for operations
for Interstate Electronics Systems,
says the buildings which house projection
mapping systems often sway slightly, which
has big impacts on system delivery.
" We had 20 projectors approximately
40 ft. above a 90×120 ft. scientific model
space. After getting the projectors fired up,
we began to notice some jitter in the imagcommercialintegrator.com
es.
Ultimately, we determined that strong
wind gusts or a windy day caused enough
movement in the steel frame of the building
to slightly vibrate the area. This also would
occur when freight trains on nearby tracks
passed the building. The solution was a
series of interlocking guy wires tying all projector
mounts essentially together, forming
one large grid. "
" As we had a ring of 5 projectors mapping
a circular room, we had to include a
downward angle of the projection so that
no projector was in the path of another's
beam (casting shadows), " Miller says.
Select a projector with flexible geometry
software available from the manufacturer.
" We used Panasonic PT-RZ970 which
have a 'simple' geometry program available
as a download from Panasonic, and
an enhanced geometry program available
from their technical support team or for a
license fee. "
Blending Has More Leniency
Than You'd Think
Feathering the edges and using between
10 and 20% overlap between edges will
give you some leniency in blending multiple
projectors.
" Try to blend in a single axis only, as
multi-axis blending means fixing ALL projectors
any time you have to fix one, " Miller says.
Double-stacking is incredibly important
in many situations where projection mapping
is used to enhance large shows. When
lots of money is on the line, it doesn't hurt
to provide a failsafe.
Maris Ensing of Mad Systems recalls a
project that didn't allow him to " take the
building, 3D laser scan it, and map it.
" We started with a detailed image of Los
Angeles from the same GIS database that
also holds height data. The model of Los
Angeles was cut using a CNC machine that
used that height data made from the same
file that we used to create the overlay, so
when the topo map was installed, the only
thing we had to do to get the mapping spot
on was to align the projector with the map
and set the zoom on the lens. "
In this case, data is overlayed, and since
all that information is also provided from
the same GIS database, this one was relatively
easy to set up and align.
" The interface between the horizontal
part of the map and the projection onto the
vertical back was the only part where the two
needed to be matched up, and that was taken
care of by making sure that the shape on
the mountains on the transition was softened
so that the edge looks clean - but there is
(intentionally) very little detail in that area so
that we knew that the alignment would be
relatively easy to handle - the artist took
a look at that boundary and did some final
touch-ups to make it look just right. " CI
MARCH 2021 Commercial Integrator 35
http://www.commercialintegrator.com
Commercial Integrator March 2021

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