TouchDesigner: Perspective (3D) (MPCDI) Quickstart Guide

This guide is designed to assist users in configuring TouchDesigner to implement Perspective 3D MPCDI warp and blend files after a successful Scalable Calibration. Before proceeding, it is assumed that the user has completed all necessary calibration steps within the Scalable software.

TouchDesigner Integration with Scalable

Update Advanced Options, Export your Calibration File, and Set a File Destination Within Scalable Display Manager

Scalable Advanced Options

1. Navigate to the Scalable dropdown menu in the top left of the screen and select Support > Advanced Options.
   
2. Select Add and configure the option: MPCDICoordinateFrameSelector | Int | 1. Select Accept.
   

Scalable Export Options Panel

1. Navigate to the Export Options panel, and you can choose where your calibration files are saved by selecting Remote Output Directory and adding a file pathway.
   If not manually changed, the default Remote Output Directory location will be - C:\Program Files\Scalable Display\DEI\LocalCalibration\
2. Select MPCDI as the Warp Application Method, select 2 as the MPCDI Version, select 3D as the MPCDI Profile.
   Select Update Calibration. Your warp and blend files will now be in the remote output directory that you defined.
   

Applying Perspective (3D) MPCDI Files in TouchDesigner

1. Set up a 3D scene within TouchDesigner. This could be any 3D scene pipeline.
2. For every projector, create a Camera COMP and a Render/Renderselect TOP.
   • This will be the setup for each projector’s “view” of the object.
   • Each Render/Renderselect TOP should be using a different Camera Comp.
     
3. Set the Render/Renderselect TOP(s) resolution parameters to the resolution of the projectors. This can be found by selecting each TOP and going to the Common tab.
   
4. For each Render/Renderselect TOP add an MPCDI TOP.
   • Connect one Render output to one MPCDI TOP input.
   • In the MPCDI TOP parameters, select the exported MPCDI 3D Perspective warp and blend file as the configuration file for each TOP. (The default file location is: C:\Program Files\Scalable Display\DEI\LocalCalibration).
   • For each MPCDI TOP, change the Buffer ID parameter to "Buff0". Set the Region ID parameter for each TOP to its "associated Projector" in the array. Starting with "Proj0".
     

     Note

     Views in the MPCDI TOP preview will not look correct. This will be resolved when we give each camera the correct position and view of the object.

      

1. For each Camera COMP, go to the Pre-Xform parameters tab and turn off Apply Pre-Transform.
2. For each Camera COMP, go to the View parameters tab and change the projection parameter from perspective to custom projection matrix.
   • Reference the MPCDI TOP associated with each camera to update the Xform Matrix/Chop/DAT>projmatrixop parameter.
     • Example: op('mpcdi1').projection(bufferId="Buff0", regionId="Proj0")
     • “mpcdi#” = "#" is the MPCDI TOP that the camera is referencing.
   • Select the blue box next to the parameter to activate the reference.
     
     

     Note

     Before moving forward: Check that every Camera Comp's Xform/Pre-Xform Translate, Rotate, and Pivot information is set to Zero.

      
3. The preview image should now show a view into the 3D scene based on the calibrated geometry. Your Scalable files are now applied via MPCDI TOP.
   

Example Output: Two Projectors on a Single PC

1. Reorder & Output MPCDI/Scalable TOPs to align with your projectors and .toe network.
   • Each TOP corresponds to a specific projector, so the signal path after each TOP should output to that corresponding projector. This can be managed at the container level with multiple Out TOPs or as one custom aspect ratio Out TOP with the calibration files combined with a Layout TOP.
   • The Perform parameters and Container parameters should facilitate launching the custom aspect ratio or multiple Out TOPS.
2. Example Output: 2 x ScalableDisplay TOP > Layout TOP > Out TOP.
   
3. Navigate to the Project Container and to the Look tab. Adjust Background TOP parameter to be set to ./out1. Go to the Layout tab and make sure resolution is set up to match the resolution of the Out TOP.

4. Navigate to the Perform Container and set the Window Operator parameter to the output project node. The Display Offset parameter can be set to 1. Next, the Justify Horizontal is set to left, and the Justify Vertical is set to bottom.