Scalable Origin User Manual

Scalable Origin GUI

Licensing

How to Request a License

If this is the initial installation of Scalable's software on this computer, you will be prompted to request a license upon launching the program for the first time.

1. Navigate to "Help" menu, hover over "Licensing", and select Open License Helper.
   
2. Select Request License.
   
3. You will be asked if this is the computer on which you will calibrate the display. If that is true, select
   Yes , and you will be able to proceed. However, if you are making the request from a different PC, select No , and you will be instructed to make the request from the computer on which you will calibrate the display.
   
4. Confirm that the date on your computer is correct. An incorrect time will render your license unusable.
   
5. Complete the form with your personal contact information. The email address entered here is where the license will be sent.
   
6. Lastly, you will be asked how you prefer to upload this license information to Scalable. If you are on a computer with an active internet connection, it is recommended that you choose Email request, which will seamlessly send the file to Scalable. If the requesting PC does not have internet, you can save the request and email it using a different PC.
7. Please wait for Scalable to send your license via email. If the need is urgent, please contact your Scalable representative to expedite the license processing.
   

How To Upload a Requested License

If a red error bar appears above the toolbar, stating a valid license could not be found, please follow the steps below to resolve this matter.

1. Navigate to "Help" menu, hover over "Licensing", and select "Open License Helper".
   
2. Select "Install License File.
   
3. A file explorer will open. Navigate to the folder where you saved the license file provided by a Scalable representative.
4. Select the license file to install it.

Scalable Origin Menu Options

This section will look at the four menus located at the top left of the Origin GUI.

File Menu:

• New Project: Use shortcut CTRL + Shift + N to create a New Project.
• Open Project: Use shortcut CTRL + O to Open an existing saved Project.
• Save/Save As: Use shortcut CTRL + S to Save your current file or CTRL + Shift + S to Save As.
• Import: The ability to import external geometry in OBJ format, Camera Details, or a custom image to be displayed when Rendered Mode is selected, as long as the object has UV information.
  IMPORT OBJ
  
  • Bounding Box: This component shows the dimensions of all elements in the imported OBJ. You can utilize this information to help you determine the units of the incoming file.
  • Reset Origin: This option allows you to automatically re-center the imported geometry to 0,0,0 or to apply a specific custom translation.
  • Incoming File Units: From this dropdown, select the adequate units for incoming files and whether you wish to convert them to the current project units.
  • Coordinate System: It is strongly recommended that you convert the coordinate system to Origin's. Choose the incoming file's coordinate system, and Origin will apply the required transformation.
  • OBJ Groups: Uncheck any components that you do not want to import into the project.
  • Export: The ability to export all or parts of the current file as an OBJ. You can also export your current views as images.
• EXPORT OBJ
  
  • Bounding Box: This component shows the dimensions of all elements in the imported OBJ. You can utilize this information to help you determine the units of the outgoing file.
  • Outgoing Units: From this dropdown, select the adequate units for outgoing files and whether you wish to convert them.
  • Coordinate System: Choose the desired outgoing file's coordinate system, and Origin will apply the required transformation.
  • OBJ Groups: Uncheck any components that you do not wish to export.
• Settings: The ability to adjust Project Settings and User Preferences.
  PROJECT SETTINGS
  These settings will be saved in the project and preserved if you share the project file.
  
  • Units: This will convert the units of the project without scaling. For example: A 1-meter box will convert to a 39.37-inch box.
  • Camera Model Scale: Scale up or down the size of the camera body. Helpful when working with a large file.
  • Projector Model Scale: Works the same as Camera Model Scale.
  • Automatic Mesh Subdivision: Select this box only if the mesh density of the imported geometry is very low. This will impact performance.
    USER PREFERENCES
    These Settings will be saved on your PC and will be preserved after you close the application.
    
  • Camera Resolution Scaling: Higher values will render camera & projector views at higher resolution, but it can impact performance. This is especially the case in projects with a high number of cameras/projectors.
  • Target Framerate: Higher values will impact performance.
  • First Person Camera Controls: Determines how the cameras/projectors will behave when adjusting their aim from their viewport.
    • Locked Roll: Roll angle will remain fixed.
    • Free Roll: Roll angle will be allowed to change freely.
    • Patial Roll: Roll angle change within a single interaction is capped at 180.
  • Exit: Select to exit Scalable Origin.

Edit Menu:

• Undo/Redo: Use shortcuts CTRL + Z to Undo or CTRL + Y to Redo actions performed.
• Create Custom Projectors: Create custom projectors by specifying their characteristics. These will be added to the list of available projectors in the projector selection dropdown, allowing you to easily add them to your project.
  
• Export/Import Custom Projectors: Export a created custom projector, or import a custom projector that was saved to your PC.

View Menu:

• Reset Render Layout Sizes: In Origin, you can adjust the viewport size by dragging the viewport borders, hovering over the edge between viewports until the cursor changes, then clicking and dragging to resize. Select "Reset Render Layout Sizes" under the "View" settings to reset to the default viewports.
  

Help Menu:

• About Scalable Origin: Opens a window that shows the current version of Origin.
• Licensing: Request or install a license. As well as see the current license information. See the "Licensing" section for more information.

Toolbar

This section will review the various tools and associated functions located on the Toolbar.

• Undo/Redo: Select Undo/Redo or use the shortcuts CTRL + Z to Undo or CTRL + Y to Redo actions performed.
• Add Object: Select Camera, Projector, or Eyepoint
• Add Screen Geometry: Select Flat, Cylinder, Hemisphere, Dome Section, Toroid.
• Shaded/Rendered: Select Shaded (Solid Color) or Rendered (Displayed Texture Test Image)

Overlay and Opacity: Origin view modes and Opacity scale.

• Overlay: Origin Overlays can be displayed over Shaded or Rendered views, and their opacity can be adjusted. Shaded views are useful to see the visualization values more accurately. Rendered views can provide additional information as to what section of the screen is being viewed.
• Opacity: When an Overlay is selected, you can set the opacity at which to display the Overlay. 100 will show only the overlay, 50 will show the overlay while letting some of the UV texture to be seen.
  
  Example: The left image shows Rendered Mode with Camera Test Image Overlay at 100 Opacity. The right image shows Rendered Mode with Camera Test Image Overlay at 42 Opacity.

Origin Overlays: Visualizing Test Images and Metrics

This section takes a closer look at how Origin can display a variety of camera and projector visualizations to aid with camera and projector placement, as well as resulting image metrics to validate designs. The visualizations update in real-time as you interact with the projectors or cameras.

• Camera/Projector Test Image: The table below explains the different test images available in Origin.
• Simple Overlap: White image that shows double brightness where cameras/projectors overlap.
• Device Color: Each camera/projector will display the color of its body.
• Overlap Images: Shows an image with a 20% inset edge.
• Checkerboard: Shows a black and white checkerboard image.

Camera/Projector Overlaps: Set and visualize a threshold or minimum overlap as a percentage of the camera/projected image size. The default recommended value is 20%.

• Green: Areas covered by one camera/projector.
• Light Green: Areas where the minimum overlap threshold is met.
• Red: Areas where the minimum overlap threshold is not met.
• Dark Gray: Areas not covered by any camera/projector

Camera/Projector Angle of Incidence: Allows you to set and visualize the angle of incidence threshold of the camera/projector rays to the projection surface.

• Bright Green: Areas below the set threshold.
• Red Areas Above the set threshold.

Projector Luminance: Visualize the predicted luminance on the screen. These results are affected by proper-ties of the projectors and screen, such as projector position, light source power, and screen gain.

• Automatic Limits Checked: Origin will calculate the minimum and maximum luminance values and map them to your selected colors, interpolating all values in between to create a color ramp.
  
• Automatic Limits Unchecked: Define your own minimum and maximum values. Anything below the minimum value will be mapped to the minimum color, and anything above the maximum value will be mapped to the maximum color.
  
• Units: Select between Candela Per Meter Squared or Footlamberts.
• Color Selector: Ability to select different colors to be used for the color ramp.

Optical Resolution: Optical Resolution allows you to visualize the predicted optical resolution from a selected eyepoint (if available) or from the world origin.

• Automatic Limits Checked: Origin will calculate the minimum and maximum optical resolution values and map them to your selected colors, interpolating all values in between to create a color ramp.
  
• Automatic Limits Unchecked: Define your own minimum and maximum values. Anything below the minimum value will be mapped to the minimum color, and anything above the maximum value will be mapped to the maximum color.
  
• Eyepoint Dropdown: Select which eyepoint to calculate the optical resolution.
• Kell Factor: Set to describe the expected loss due to image sampling and/or subjective assessment.
• Unit: Arc Minute Per Optical Line Pair.
• Color Selector: Ability to select different colors to be used for the color ramp.

Viewports

This section looks at the navigation and menu options for Origin Viewports.

Viewport Navigation:

• Reset View: Recenters and resets the view orientation.
• Zoom To Extents: Zooms the view to fit all components within the viewport.
• Pop Out View: Creates a pop-out window of the active viewport.
• WireFrame: Renders the active viewport as a wireframe.
• Show Grid: Hides/shows the grid in the active viewport.
• Perspective/Top/Bottom/Etc: Choose what view to show in the viewport. Camera/Projector views will populate here as you create them.

Component List Panel

This section will review the panel where Screen Geometry, Projectors, Cameras, Eyepoints, and imported OBJs populate.

Utilizing the Component List Panel:

• On/Off Lightbulb Selector for Geometry and Eyepoints: Hides/Shows the object in the scene.
• On/Off Lightbulb Selector for Projectors and Cameras: Keeps object bodies in the scene, but turns on/off their output.
• Selected Objects: Selected objects can be dragged to reorder in the list. Selected objects in the panel will show with a green outline in the viewport. Locked objects will be outlined in orange.

Object Context Menu:

• Right-click on a Component in the list: This will bring up the Object Context Menu.
• Zoom To: Zoom in the component and center it in all viewports.
• Delete: Deletes the component from the Scene and Component List.

Component Properties Panel

This section will look at the different components in Origin and the properties available for each type of component.

Common Properties For All Components:

• Color: Select the Color Square (Shown as white in the image) to change the color of the selected object.
• Name: Select this field to edit the selected object's name
• On/Off Lightbulb Selector for Geometry and Eyepoints: Hides/Shows the object in the scene
• Lock/Unlock: To prevent moving the component or changing its properties.
• X/Y/Z: Selected component's coordinates in space.
• Yaw/Pitch/Roll: Rotate the selected component around Y, X, and Z.
• Textboxes with a Left Border: These textboxes can have their values edited by selecting and dragging the mouse over the textbox.

Projectors Properties Panel:

• Make/Model/Lens: Select from built-in makes, models, and lenses. Also select custom-created projectors (See Create a Custom Projector).
• Settings: Ability to adjust zoom, lens shift, and light source power.
• Output Box: Displays the current parameters that the projector is outputting. This included Left, Right, Top, and Bottom Angles. In addition, Throw Ratio, Brightness, and Contrast Ratio.

Screens Properties Panel:

• Geometry Parameters: The available parameters will vary depending on the screen geometry type (Flat, Cylinder, Hemisphere, Dome Section, Toroid).
• X and Y Resolution: The number of faces in the X and Y direction. Controls the mesh resolution: higher subdivisions increase detail but may reduce performance. Too few can reduce the accuracy of the mesh or cause visible artifacts.
• Screen Gain: Setting this value to represent the screen manufacturer's stated Screen Gain is recommended if planning to analyze display luminance.

Imported OBJ Geometry Parameters Panel:

Eyepoints Parameters Panel:

Command Line

The Origin Command Log currently shows live, informative feedback related to user undo and redo commands. This log allows for useful tracking in the event of unwanted changes. In the future the Command Line will be updated with more tracking information.