garageCube

I have a fairly complex map using 9 quads on 9 physical rhombus panels. In one mode, I send 3 separate video channels distributed across the 9 panels
(kind of 9 repeated images thing) -- but in the other mode I put one video channel distributed across a group of 3 shapes. For this I created a mask for this complex shape, plus 3 more masks to cover the gaps between shapes, and a quad behind the mask. The latter mode is quite a pain to calibrate.

I should note that this is on a major concert tour, so I have to do this procedure every day, over and over again all over the world. (200 gigs+)

It would be SO MUCH EASIER if I could calibrate with the '9 quads' method, then simply have a function 'create mask from quads' -- or rather it should be 'inverted' (the mask is everything outside the boundries of the quads)

inverted masks are already developed and will be in the next release of MadMapper
- namely 1.1 release -

That's great to hear! -- what is the ETA on the release? Our tour is coming to Europe for six weeks starting Jan 16 -- perhaps I can also beta test?

--johnny

bejohnny wrote:That's great to hear! -- what is the ETA on the release? Our tour is coming to Europe for six weeks starting Jan 16 -- perhaps I can also beta test?

--johnny

Second that one!!! Got a couple of big events coming up and keen to know what new features might be of use !

Any chance of spilling the beans??

PHIL

Check out the RC1 update of 1.1
=)

Thanks for the tip.. I had no idea it was posted on 'yourspace'

I wish madmapper.com would email news about such things!


--johnny

Ok I have had a chance to test out RC1 -- I like what I see in the update, but unfortunately it doesn't fulfill my needs:

Invert mask is a great feature, but I need it to work with multiple masks... for example I have 9 unique masks, I then select them all (a 'group' feature?) and toggle 'invert' and all the masks become holes revealing the quad underneath. currently if you do this, each mask inverts, and blocks out masks underneath. I suppose if there was a feature to 'combine' unique masks into a single mask layer, (and then invert) this would be super and fix it totally.

bejohnny wrote:Ok I have had a chance to test out RC1 -- I like what I see in the update, but unfortunately it doesn't fulfill my needs:

Invert mask is a great feature, but I need it to work with multiple masks... for example I have 9 unique masks, I then select them all (a 'group' feature?) and toggle 'invert' and all the masks become holes revealing the quad underneath. currently if you do this, each mask inverts, and blocks out masks underneath. I suppose if there was a feature to 'combine' unique masks into a single mask layer, (and then invert) this would be super and fix it totally.

Couldn't agree more.... I have suggested this in several different posts, as it would be a great solution.

A "lasso" tool might solve the problem, or layer specific masks with transparency.

My major use for Madmapper is to project onto Irregular Set Surfaces which vary from show to show, and to be able to "map" these on the fly would be an absolute godsend !

FIngers crossed....

Oh, and again, the suggestion of PRESET triggering via Hotkeys or OSC might be an idea too....

Greedy I know, but I just want ot take this great software to the limit

Best

PHIL

Ah yes, Presets... I was happy to see they have been added... I am hoping there will be triggering of some sort! One has to realize that when you are running a big show, clicking something with a mouse is difficult and SLOW.

I currently switch presets by triggering different mad mapper project files via Max/MSP (with MIDI) There really should be better remote control support! Presets are cool, but I would like to see also see the ability to preset only input mapping. Within a project, it seems that an output map is pretty much a static thing in the 'real' world no? whereas I want to switch freely the input map for all kinds of different effects. (currently this is all done from the input source, in my case VDMX via Syphon)

Bump for awesome suggestions!
As stated the invert mask tool is useful but to be able to make a mask out of the quads, combine masks, and grouping would be wonderfully useful as well as osc/midi control of presets. I love the software otherwise.

why no bezier control on the masks? surely if i don't need to warp a shape that is already curved, i should be able to mask it with curves...

call me old fashioned, but there is no reason why you cant make your masks in photoshop.
expecting Garagecube to add a million features you can easily get elsewhere is just going to stop them from doing more important stuff

Yep...... Just like I think Photoshop should get rid of such pointless features such as crop and resize which can so easily be done in Paint ! Simply unnecessary.

A more appropriate example is why you don't see full on 3D animation in a compositing software. The current focus of MadMapper is to map existing materials to objects. For the moment it is not a content creation tool, but more of a content delivery tool. Possibly the same reason do you don't see a wave form editor in Ableton Live.

The point above aside, we of course want to have all of the things on the wish lists to exist. But it is just not possible to just snap a finger when it comes to developing software. We are doing everything we can to meet demands within the time and resources available to us.

it still would be very handy to have a mask tool with bezier cures, when at the moment you are projecting something and the next day it is moved for example..