Itâ€TMs
not just projection mapping on buildings as a cool gimmick any more.
Live visuals increasingly means adapting to spaces, using multiple
outputs and multiple projectors, tailoring your visuals to irregular
surfaces and integrating them with environments. Itâ€TMs projection, but
itâ€TMs also dealing with LED walls.
And flexible output isnâ€TMt just
something expected of high-end shows and media servers: itâ€TMs something
that increasingly is becoming something the lowly, laptop-in-a-backpack
VJ does, too. Itâ€TMs making your visual imagination look as good as
possible when others see it.
All
of this means itâ€TMs great news to see ArKaos, a long-time name in live
visual and VJ software, move toward integrating mapping with their
software. I got to spend some quality time with ArKaos at Pro Light +
Sound, the companion event to Musikmesse, last week in Frankfurt.
They
showed us the new video mapping technology, available in public for the
first time. (I got to discuss details of this technology in California
in January with ArKaos at NAMM, but it wasnâ€TMt ready to show yet.)We talk to ArKaos at top in our own video; below, hereâ€TMs what their booth looked like with this software set up:Youâ€TMve
seen this kind of mapping convenience in software before, of course.
The popular MadMapper tool, for one, offers similar features for taking
live visual output and mapping it to three-dimensional surfaces.
MadMapper works with any Syphon-compatible Mac application, too, whereas
– for now, at least – ArKaos is only talking integration with their
software.
But
just as MadMapperâ€TMs approach has some advantages, ArKaos is bringing
something new to the table. For one, Windows users arenâ€TMt left in the
dark. ArKaos tells CDM that theyâ€TMre using DirectX 9 extensions for
high-performance routing between applications on non-fruit-related
platforms. (Syphon is Mac-only, and uses OpenGL.)
ArKaos
is also promising that by the end of the year, this functionality will
be integrated directly with their software – not requiring, as MadMapper
does, running a separate app. I also like ArKaosâ€TM approach to output
and masking: itâ€TMs a whole lot easier to see which surface is which and
on which output, so multiple projectors (or LED walls) become
convenient. Once integrated in something like GrandVJ, that could be
even better.As ArKaos describes it:Designed
for people on the run who need to setup mapping projects in very short
times, the application can deform and project individual layers on the
shapes of a mapped stage, allowing to easily make visuals flow around
complex shapes in just a few clicks.Right
now, this is all an extension to MediaMaster, but if you canâ€TMt afford
that high-end media server solution, itâ€TMs coming to GrandVJ, too.
ArKaos
gives CDM the scoop on their planned timetable and release schedule.
These are planned dates, not set-in-stone ship dates, but it gives you a
good idea of what to expect:May 1stWe release the mapper running with MediaMaster, the Video Mapper is V1.0 and MediaMaster is V 3.0 betaMediaMaster 3.0 users needs the Pro license to have access to the Video MapperJune 1stWe release the Video Mapper running with GrandVJ 2.0 betaGrandVJ will cost 649 euros with Video Mapper (Pro), the upgrade for the mapper will cost 349 euros
July 1stwe release MediaMaster 3.0 final that can load mapping files and does not need the Video Mapper once the mapping is created.August 1stwe release GrandVJ 2.0 final that can load mapping files and does not need the Video Mapper once the mapping is created.Most
of all, Iâ€TMm glad to see the mapping field heat up. Competition can only
be a good thing.
I love the power of Syphon to route visual textures
between apps, but having these features designer directly for a piece of
software is also promising.Weâ€TMll get our hands on this as soon as we can, natch:http://www.arkaos.net/
http://createdigitalmotion.com/2012/03/arkaos-video-mapping-is-coming-to-mac-and-windows-exclusive-hands-on-video-images/
