Multiscreen Views

Section 8. Multiscreen Views

Found within the Details menu when the Multiscreen Camera is selected, a view is the virtual representation of a single facet of your physical stage’s display in dimension, position, and orientation. As you can see in the example image below, we make use of several variables that make up each screen and there is more you can do depending on how complex your stage setup is.

Thankfully, you do not need to fill this out manually.

Section 8.1  Deeper Dive Into a View

Should you have the need for it, once you’ve either imported or generated your views, you can use these options in each segment to further customize and perfect the view for your physical screen.

• Vertices - A list of the 4 points in 3D space that make up a single segment of your view.

• Rotation – The rotation of the view segment  with the origin point being the exact middle of the 3D plane. It is not recommended you modify this for now.

• Width - The calculated width of the view segment. Calculated from the 4 vertices.

• Height - The calculated height of the view segment. Calculated from the 4 vertices.

• Offset - This allows you to move the segment relative to its starting calculated center point. Especially useful when using the View Generator.

• Margin - Allows for the editing of the spacing between segments, use this to nudge a panel into position when they do not align with your physical wall.

Section 8.2  Importing from OBJ file

The first way to import your display stage is by an OBJ file.

Before the add and empty buttons, at the top of the Views list is a button with 3 dots. Clicking this will open a dialog asking you to choose an OBJ file to import. This file is a 3D object that can be created in most 3D authoring software and we have a tutorial on how to do so the open-source Blender. Please refer to Multi_ViewsBlender for more information.

Section 8.3 View Generation

Our easiest method to produce your Views list!

When generated, the above inputs create this screen on our camera!

Below Views is this setting along with a “Generate” button. Expanding it will display something like the image above. With this, you populate each segment of your screen in a particular manner to then generate the Views that was detailed previously. There are limitations, however.

It can only create a single interconnected screen. This means that you cannot create “floating” segments that are separate from the rest of the model.

You cannot create floors or ceiling segments. Again, like the first point, it must be a single unified panel that goes from left to right

You cannot create panels of varying heights.

If your needs fall within the above, then your only choice is to create an OBJ file. For more information on this topic, please visit [Multi_ViewsGenerator]

Section 8.4 How the Views Are Made and Their Theoretical Limits

Each view segment in Unreal is technically its own separate internal Viewport. A good example to think of is how split screen works in multiplayer games or even picture-in-picture on TV programs. Unreal treats each viewport as their own separate graphics window that it must render into sequentially.

Unfortunately for us, this sequential method of rendering causes a delay that grows exponentially as more views are added to the stack. At around 5 or 6 views, you will begin to notice a heavy toll on the frame rate of Unreal as it begins to wait longer and longer for the other views to finish rendering before moving on. This is especially a problem if the scene is heavy to begin with.

We are currently looking into optimizing it (possibly with multi-GPU support), but until then, keep this rule in mind: Keep your view count as low as possible.

At best, use as many as your system can handle, then scale it back a segment or two to give yourself overhead.

Section 8.5 Examples of ARFX Multiscreen Configurations.

The rest that follows are examples of actual multiscreen setups we at ARwall have actually done for our clients in the past!

This stage comprises two LED panel walls, approximately 6 x 3.5 meters (or 2 x 12 feet), that take up the corner of their space.

This was a small test case we implemented for a client with 3 panels that made up two walls and the floor. As an aside, we found that our clients never actually used their floor panels if they had them installed.  

This massive wall is actually an example of a curved screen. In total there are 7 column segments; 6 on each side are 50cm wide with 2.5° increments and a single massive flat wall that is 9m across (totals to around 12 x 3.5 meters or 40 x 12 ft) . This is likely the absolute limit that our camera can go on current hardware while still being usable in a film-making space.