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https://www.boxx.com/autodesk-intel-w4%20 Creating 3d video projection mapping content directly from 3dsmax for architectural visualization.
Videomapping its always a very spectacular way to showcase clients new propositions, or to create amazing shows.
Mappings can be in real-time or offline. When we work in 3d usually they are offline, every time you need to do a test, can take quite a lot of time to prepare the output to be displayed. You usually render out the images, comp them, warp them to be projected on the correct place.
Even on interactive mappings, normally its a lot of time to prepare the 3d content to be driven in another software, making mappings more time consuming that they should. Thanks to improvements on viewport in 3dsmax, and also more recently the floating viewport, and the “Presentation mode” in 3ds Max 2022, now we can finally project directly without leaving our 3ds Max application. Sure we will loose some of the flexibility we can have in compositing creating advance overlays, but in exchange, we get a way faster and direct feedback. Being able to test new effects directly over our physical model.
Also thanks to the motion capture, and midi device inputs in 3dsmax we can add interactivity in a very easy way. We will need a projector, and a good computer, on this case Boxx technologies offered an Apexx w4,
featuring an Intel Xeon w-2295 with 36 Threads, and an rtx 3080 to run everything smoothly. Building the model in Lego bricks has been a personal choice, I am a big lego fan. You could do the same with cardboard, but if you have lego’s at hand makes it very modular and fast to sketch the volumes you need. I used retopology in 3dsmax and smart extrude for fast modeling. Improvements on the modifiers allow me to work way faster. The awesome OSL integration in 3dsmax makes things easier too, allowing me to create switchers in materials to be controlled with a midi device. This way its possible to change lights, materials, and edit all at the same time. Tyflow has been a very great addition, being able to test different effects and speeds directly ove the physical model without any type of waitings is priceless and makes all the workflow way faster. Overall I hope you can see that creating mappings directly from 3dsmax its not only possible, its also a very good alternative. The usual workflows of using external applications for the mapping part are still good for some situations but using only 3dsmax makes possible to sketch mapping shows in a really fast way, and for visualization presentations for example, makes it a totally viable option way faster and cheaper.