Creating LED walls
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Tool |
Tool set |
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LED Wall
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Audio/Video |
The LED Wall tool creates straight or circular LED walls, as well as complex, curved LED walls. The LED walls can show an image or a video (from a file or media server). The LED walls can be drawn without specific panels, or they automatically populate with LED screen panels as individual plug-in objects. Once placed, you can edit the LED wall parameters directly, and generate detailed reports for efficient communication with the installation crew and equipment supplier rental vendors. You can use LED walls with Showcase, Braceworks, ConnectCAD, equipment lists, and inventory workflows. An LED wall is considered a distributed load, and can be included in load calculations (Braceworks required). The tool helps document video data signal flow and interfaces with cable tools for power calculations, meeting the requirements of live entertainment production engineering.
There are several workflows and modes for creating LED walls, depending on the type of design and the stage of the process. Options include creating a freeform wall and using an image or series of tiled images for conceptual design, all the way to specifying manufacturer's panel and support symbols with equipment specifications and set aspect ratios for the wall.
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Mode |
Description |
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LED Wall Style |
Opens the Resource Selector to select a resource |
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Freeform
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Draws LED walls without any restrictions apart from a specified wall height; useful for conceptual designs |
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Aspect
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Creates LED walls according to the specified aspect ratio, up to the maximum height |
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Builder
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Creates LED walls with the specified number of panels in columns and rows |
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Vertex
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Draws the LED wall using the selected polyline creation options. Straight and curved paths can be combined, as when following a stage area. |
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Center
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Draws a symmetrical LED wall starting at the center with the line drawn outward in both directions from the center point. The LED wall's insertion point is opposite to the final click. |
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Circle Outside
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Draws the LED wall as a circle using the selected circle creation options, and places the image/video and panels outside the object |
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Circle Inside
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Draws the LED wall as a circle using the selected circle creation options, and places the image/video and panels inside the object |
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Rectangle
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Draws the LED wall as a rectangle on another object's surface (or on the current working plane if there is no object), using the selected rectangle creation options |
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Polyline creation options (Vertex mode) |
Selects the method for drawing the polyline for the LED wall; see Creating polylines |
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Circle creation options (Circle modes) |
Selects the method for drawing the circle for the LED wall; see Creating circles |
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Rectangle creation options (Rectangle mode) |
Selects the method for drawing the rectangle for the LED wall; see Creating rectangles |
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Set Height (Freeform mode) |
Sets the LED wall height |
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Max Height (Builder mode) |
Specifies the maximum height of the LED wall. Depending on panels selected, the wall may be shorter than this value. |
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Width / Height (Aspect mode) |
Sets the aspect ratio by entering a width and height value |
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Columns / Rows (Builder mode) |
Sets the number of rows and columns of panels to create on the LED wall |
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Preferences |
Opens the LED Wall Preferences dialog box, to set the default preferences |
Drawing a freeform LED wall
Drawing an LED wall in Freeform mode allows you the freedom to draw a conceptual wall, specifying only the height of the wall. In most cases, a style is not needed for conceptual, freeform designs, and the wall is drawn without panels. Later in the design process, you can select a style or edit the wall to specify manufacturer's panels and set parameters more rigidly.
An image texture is applied to the wall. When the wall is drawn from left to right in Vertex mode, the image is placed on the front of the wall in Front view. When drawn right to left, the image is placed on the back in Front view. Drawing from bottom to top places the image on the wall facing the Right view. A clockwise curved wall places the image on the inside of the segments, while counter clockwise segments have the image on the outside.
By adjusting the Use panel and curve increments parameters in the Classes/Attributes pane of the LED Wall preferences before drawing, you can replicate panel size, curvability, and angular connectivity, even if you don't select specific panels.
To draw a freeform LED wall:
Click the tool and mode.
Select one of the following submodes: Vertex, Center, Circle Outside, Circle Inside, or Rectangle. Depending on the selected mode, associated creation modes become available on the Tool bar.
Specify the the wall's Set Height.
Do one of the following:
Do not select a style or any preferences (for concept design).
Click LED Wall Style on the Tool bar to select a resource from the Resource Selector.
Click Preferences to open the LED Wall Preferences dialog box and specify the tool’s default parameters. The parameters can be edited later from the Object Info palette.
Draw the LED wall.
Vertex mode: Click to set the start point; each subsequent click ends the current segment and begins the next according to the creation mode (see Creating polylines). Change the vertex type while drawing to combine straight and curved paths. To complete the object, double-click.
Center mode: Click to set the center start point; the line is drawn outward in both directions from the center point until the second click, which ends the current segment and begins the next. To complete the object, double-click.
Circle modes: Draw the circle (method depends on the creation mode; see Creating circles). The image is applied to the inside or outside surface of the circular wall, depending on which circle mode is selected. Hinge points specified in the panels, along with the wall's concave/convex curvature limits, set the pivot points, and the panels/wall adjust to fit the needed curvature of the line.
Rectangle mode: Draw the rectangle on the plane of the reference object (method depends on the creation mode; see Creating rectangles)
Freeform LED wall in Center mode
Freeform LED wall in Circle Inside mode
Drawing an LED wall by aspect ratio
Drawing an LED wall in Aspect mode allows you to specify the desired aspect ratio. As walls are drawn, their height automatically adjusts to meet the specified aspect ratio.
To draw an LED wall by aspect ratio:
Click the tool and mode.
Select one of the following submodes: Vertex, Center, Circle Outside, Circle Inside, or Rectangle. Depending on the selected mode, associated creation modes become available on the Tool bar.
Specify the the wall's Max Height (even though the wall will be constrained by the aspect height, setting a maximum value can prevent clashes with a venue's ceiling).
Set the aspect ratio Width and Height.
Do one of the following:
Do not select a style or any preferences (for concept design).
Click LED Wall Style on the Tool bar to select a resource from the Resource Selector.
Click Preferences to open the LED Wall Preferences dialog box and specify the tool’s default parameters. The parameters can be edited later from the Object Info palette.
Draw the LED wall as described above.
Aspect LED wall in Vertex mode with 16:9 aspect ratio
Drawing an LED wall with panels
Builder mode creates an LED wall out of rows and columns of panels. The panels can be default generic panels (for conceptual designs which may be refined later), or they can be specific panel symbols selected in the LED Wall preferences.
The created wall is segmented according to the panel settings, reflecting how the wall is actually built.
To draw an LED wall with panels:
Click the tool and mode.
Select one of the following submodes: Vertex, Center, Circle Outside, Circle Inside, or Rectangle. Depending on the selected mode, associated creation modes become available on the Tool bar.
Set the number of Columns and Rows.
Do one of the following:
Do not select a style or any preferences (for concept design); use a default, generic panel size.
Click LED Wall Style on the Tool bar to select a resource from the Resource Selector.
Click Preferences to open the LED Wall Preferences dialog box and specify the tool’s default parameters, including the panel specifications. The parameters can be edited later from the Object Info palette.
Draw the LED wall as described above.
Builder LED wall in Center mode with 16 columns and 9 rows
