projection mapping Moho export issue

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didjbusker
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Joined: Wed Oct 14, 2020 7:59 am

projection mapping Moho export issue

Post by didjbusker »

I am creating a Curse of the Lorax Halloween theme this year which will incorporate a triggered projection mapping animation. Mapping is new to me, but I have projector in place secured to a precise returnable spot. I did the rough mapping in Affinity Designer (iPad). I then cleaned up the map in Affinity Photo (also iPad). To make everything consistent, I created those documents with default dimensions based on "device" (1112x834) 144dpi. This automatically produces an export that is double those dimensions (2224x1668).

This then consistently lines up (at full screen with no tools showing) to align with the projected site. So then I create a new Moho document at 2224x1668, then import the master png map, and it looks like it fits the boundaries perfectly. Then I export that (even with no actual animation) as a short mp4. That mp4 does NOT line up. It is slightly larger. When I check the info on that mp4, it says it is 2224x1668. When projected, I see no reason why it should not match precisely the files in Designer and Photo. Even when I repeat the process, just to be sure I didn't miss something silly in the process, I get the same thing. The exported mp4 animation from Moho does NOT match the dimensions projected from the Designer and Photo files that have the same dimensions.

What I have tried so far...
- repeat the process of creating a new Moho document in case I accidentally moved something in Moho -same problem
- export from Moho in a few different formats - same issue every time
- use FCPX to import both the map png, and the Moho export. Then stack one on top of the other and bring down the opacity of the top one to see if they align. They align. (I did not however bring them into a 2224x1668 size fcpx, so that may not even be an indicator of anything. I don't know.)

what I will try tonight after dark...
- play the exported Moho mp4 into the projector from the Sprite media player I will ultimately use for the display (rather than the tests done so far where I played the Moho mp4 via the photos app on the iPad) The question here is- could it be an iPad photos app issue where the iPad displays mp4 files differently, even though the file was created to match the device's actual dimensions?

Does anyone have any thoughts or experience with these devices and apps? I can't even begin the animation until I resolve this fundamental issue of projected display altering from mapping image to Moho export.

Thanks.
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slowtiger
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Re: projection mapping Moho export issue

Post by slowtiger »

The outer dimensions of any file created by Moho are always correct, as long as you've used the correct project size.

However, bitmap artwork imported into this project may get scaled by accident. Please check those items, their scale value should be 1, and their Z value should be 0.
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didjbusker
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Oct 14, 2020 7:59 am

Re: projection mapping Moho export issue

Post by didjbusker »

slowtiger wrote: Wed Oct 14, 2020 5:40 pm The outer dimensions of any file created by Moho are always correct, as long as you've used the correct project size.

However, bitmap artwork imported into this project may get scaled by accident. Please check those items, their scale value should be 1, and their Z value should be 0.
First - Thank You! - But I do have to ask how do I check the scale value and Z value, and, do I do this IN Moho, or is this a setting that needs to be done when exporting the map from Affinity Designer of Photo?

I tried to research this and experiment to see if I could move further in getting to the answer to my alignment problem before having to ask this basic question.
I can't find anything anywhere in any of the apps that seem to offer the scale value or z value.
In those further experiments though, I am now thinking the issue is somehow related to the SVG or PNG files exported from Affinity Designer or Photo.
Going back to the original mapping file in Designer and trying to export in different ways, I don't seem to be getting consistent dimensions when then importing those exports into a new Moho document with the same 1112x834 dimensions (or another new Moho document with double that).

Having never learned any technical aspects of graphic work (only playing with the tools in Anime Studio when creativity took me there), I'm quite confident this is an ID10T issue and not an app bug, but I am keeping at it and learning as I go.
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synthsin75
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Re: projection mapping Moho export issue

Post by synthsin75 »

If you're importing SVG into Moho, you probably want to disable Edit>Preferences>Layers/Objects tab>Auto-scale imported vectors.
For images, here's a script that will fit the image to the project dimensions, in case it doesn't import at the right scale: https://www.lostmarble.com/forum/viewto ... 01#p186701

And you can check a layer's scale and z-depth using the transform layer tool.
didjbusker
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Oct 14, 2020 7:59 am

Re: projection mapping Moho export issue

Post by didjbusker »

THANK YOU! - The scale and z values I'm sure I have overlooked at least thousands of times in Anime Studio without ever paying any attention to them!

I tried to install the linked script, but it is a Lua file (new to me) and my Mac doesn't seem to recognize it.... but before going down another rabbit hole with Lua, I had an important realization...
since this is meant to play from a triggered Sprite medea wiz, and I haven't tried aligning anything in its output yet, I just read through the manual and realized that I should be creating the video in 1920x1080 anyway (and not the iPad dimensions of 1112x834), soooo...

I am going to start all over tonight at dusk and remap the garage wall, but in a document sized at 1920x1080. (I'm thinking I will resize the original mapping document in Affinity Designer and just transform all the points already there rather than start completely from scratch. Not sure yet.) But I think that in uniformly using these standard dimensions from start to finished mp4, this will hopefully prevent more issues. If need be, I will be back in a day or two begging for more help. Hopefully I won't need to do that, but either way, huge thank you for your generous help!!!!!
didjbusker
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Oct 14, 2020 7:59 am

Re: projection mapping Moho export issue

Post by didjbusker »

I think the problem seems to be in using an iPad to draw the original mapping. Its 1112x834 full screen seems to alter things even when setting the document to 1920x1080 and exporting that. Maybe I still missed something I did wrong in some export option somewhere, but I just gave up on trying to use the iPad for the mapping. I took the iMac outside and did the projection mapping right from Keynote. Then I did a quick export and import into Moho and exported that very short video. I FINALLY got everything to line up this way!
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