Projection Calculator Software For Curved Screens

Since 2008 Pixelwix has been a market leader in curved screen display technology. Pixelwix Warp and Blend display software to our leading virtual display design software and multi media players are used worlwide in some of the most demanding displays. Our world class curved screen fabrication facility builds curved screens up to 360 degrees.

• Projection Calculator Software For Curved Screens Reviews
• Curved Computer Screens
• Curved Projection Screen Vs Flat

Image warping (geometric correction) is used to make an image look visually correct when it is projected onto a non-planar screen.

Image warping (geometric correction) is used to make an image look visually correct when it is projected onto a non-planar screen. This process is also referred to as distortion correction or geometric correction. The image is warped so when it is projected onto the screen it is visually correct.

Forms of image warping can be found in many projector models, with a function known as keystone correction being the most common. Keystone correction (trapezoidal in nature) is used when projectors have been mounted at an angle (generally pointing down from a ceiling to a screen), and the opposing angular correction needs to be applied in order for the image to be correct. Whilst most current projectors offer this feature, in many areas, advanced functions are required. For example, advanced off-axis correction and projection on curved and other unusual surfaces. For these applications, geometric correction tools such as ImmersaView Warp can be used.

Areas where geometric correction is required include:

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• Advanced off-axis correction where projector placement is awkward and needs an advanced mapping over the keystone function in a projector
• Non-planar screens such a curved screens and hemispherical domes
• Projecting one image from one projector onto more than one surface
• Unusual projection applications onto custom designed screens

To describe the process of geometric correction in greater detail, we have taken the example of projecting onto a curved surface. For cylindrical and spherical screens, variations of barrel and pincushion correction functions are required to correct the image. The exact mapping will be dependent upon the optical characteristics of the projector, the screen’s size and shape as well as whether the imagery is front or rear projected.

Geometric correction can be performed with some special high-end projectors with advanced modules, but they are not common and tend to be expensive. There are also external electronic devices which can compensate for any geometric correction, but these also tend to be expensive.

Recently with advances in computer graphics cards, software solutions can now offer the ability to perform geometric correction. One such tool is ImmersaView Warp. This method provides a user with a number of control points which can be increased/decreased depending upon the complexity of the screen shape (see Figure 5). These control points can be manipulated by the user so an image is aligned correctly to a screen.

Typically, when a standard projector is used on a curved (cylindrical) screen, the image gets a characteristic “smile” shape (see Figure 6). To overcome this we need to use the control points along the top and bottom of the image to pull the image back down into shape. Because the pixels in the middle of the image will be bigger than the pixels at the edges, we compensate for this by dragging the control points near the center of the screen closer together. This tells the software system that these parts of the screen are further away and it automatically adjusts. ImmersaView Warp displays a checkerboard, which helps to create the right image warping pattern. When all the checks in the checkerboard look the same size, the distortion correction is correct.

There are also other screen shapes that can be produced from complex curved and flat sections. One example of a linear based display is a wedge, composed from two flat screens. Here a single projector can be used with two advanced keystone correction patterns to project onto a single screen. Figure 7 shows an example of the pattern needed to rear project onto a convex wedge screen. To create these shapes the distortion systems need to be told that they are dealing with flat sections and rather than curved screens.

Warp and Blend are interfaces exposed in NVAPI for warping (image geometry corrections) and blending (intensity and black level adjustment) a single display output or multiple display outputs

Many display applications benefit from combining multiple projectors or displays into one larger display surface. If all the displays are aligned in a grid with no overlap, features like Mosaic make it easy to create a single unified display from multiple physical displays. When the displays are rotated at odd angles or the display surface is an irregular shape, multiple projectors need to overlap, blend together and be mapped or adjusted to the display surface. The Warp and Blend SDK provides an easy way to bring this functionality to any application with minimal performance impact and no incremental latency.

In the example above both warp and blend are used to achieve a seamless, blended picture from two projectors illuminating a curved screen. A standard practice when using multiple projectors is to overlap the seams where each projected image touches another. Since optics and screens are never perfect and overlapping can create hotspots (regions gets twice amount of light) blend is used to adjust the intensity of the overlapping region. Warp is used to modify geometry so that it matches the curve of the projection wall.

Traditionally, warp and blend operations are done with custom hardware using features built into the projector or with direct modifications to an application. The Warp and Blend SDK provides an easy way to bring this functionality to any application with minimal performance impact and no incremental latency.

Warp and Blend is part of NVAPI

NVAPI is NVIDIA's core software development kit that allows direct access to NVIDIA GPUs on windows platforms. Warp and blend is implemented as an interface in NVAPI that programmably exposes warping and intensity adjustment features before the final scanout. Working in conjunction with a supported NVIDIA Display Driver, the warp and blend features works on a single screen, multiple screens and multi-gpu configurations and are available only with NVIDIA Quadro GPUs.
Learn more about NVAPI.

Download Warp and Blend Sample

Download the Warp and Blend programming sample package to get started developing with warp and blend and NVAPI. To download, you must be a member of NVIDIA Developer - DesignWorks.

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Key Features

• Generate a seamless image on up to 16 displays or projectors with warp and blend using NVIDIA Mosaic Technologies and NVIDIA Quadro Sync (ability to synchronize up to four Quadro GPUs per system).
• Apply warping to any scenario that requires image geometry corrections such as rotation, skew, mirroring, offset, and geometry mapping.
• Adjust intensity and black level in portions of a screen, every pixel if desired.
• Minimal performance impact and no incremental latency.
• Works in single screen, multiple screens and multi-gpu configurations.

Projection Calculator Software For Curved Screens Reviews

Why do Warp and Blend on the GPU?

Traditionally, warp and blend is integrated into the projector or done using custom hardware appliances which adds performance delay to the display pipeline. It can also be done using software applications but that may not conform to all use cases. Dota 1 for mac free download. Since the pixel information is already available to the GPU, the GPU is the natural place to do this work. GPUs also bring additional benefits to warp and blend:

• GPUs are inherently parallel for fast image processing operations
• Ability to perform transformation in the display pipeline before the pixel get scanned out
• Minimal performance delay to display pipeline compared to external boxes using FPGAs
• Cost effective and easily scalable

Warp and Blend In Action

Immersive VR using a domed screen

The Operational Based vision Assessment (OBVA) Simulator at NASA.
Image courtesy of NASA

Projection mapping onto scale physical models

A 1:5 scale, blank canvas model car with car’s features projected onto the surface of the model to replicate a photo-real, physical object for real-time interaction and customization.
Image courtesy of Christie Digital

Simulator environment with large curved front displays

The PanoLab is a wide-area high realistic projection system for interactive presentations of virtual environments. The half-spherical screen of PanoLab allows the simulation of large visual fields providing an increased degree of immersion. The PanoLab was calibrated using nWarp, part of the ProjectionTools automatic calibration system from domeprojections.com
Image courtesy of Joachim Tesch. Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics.

Multi-projection display walls

Using a matrix of projections projected to a single screen to present a seamless large scale, single image.

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Resources

Warp and Blend Presentations

Curved Computer Screens

Additional Resources

Curved Projection Screen Vs Flat

• NVAPI Software Development Kit (Windows only)
• NVAPI Documentation (PDF)