Barcelona, Spain – Visitors to ISE were greeted by the sight of a custom-made 7.5m umbrella in February, where 61,500,000 pixels of animations enlivened every panel using six 10-bit, 4K, 20,000-Lumen projectors which were driven by Hippotizer Boreal+ MK2 Media Servers.
The project was realised by UK-based Motion Mapping, who were challenged with creating the concept and delivering the unusual exhibit, which was rigged on the Epson stand.
“We managed to load up the two Hippotizer Boreal+ MK2 Media Servers with the new Hippotizer 4.9 software and used the SHAPE toolkit to 3D map the undulating surfaces of the umbrella’s many panels,” says Stuart Harris of Motion Mapping. “We constructed a 3D model in C4D and then the real thing was constructed in Germany. SHAPE helped us to calculate everything and visualise it all in pre-production and then blend and line it all up on-site. We worked closely with Epson’s stand designer to achieve the projector positions, above their stand. I find Hippotizer to be adaptable and SHAPE is our go-to for many projects.”
The team worked with the eight panels of the umbrella and the canvas as a whole, with graphics focusing on images of a spinning world which zoomed in on individual countries, and a range of other content. The bright colours on each panel showcased vivid colours and high intensity graphics. Green Hippo’s Technical Product Manager Nick Spencer and Hippotizer Product Architect Zep Mouris were on site to offer support if required.
“The support we get from them is second to none,” adds Harris.
Hippotizer 4.9 brings 10-bit colour as well as native NotchLC playback support. With a 10-bit render engine, Hippotizer can now deliver projects from start to finish that can meet the demands of emerging display technologies, such as the latest projectors used on Epson’s ISE stand. Every aspect of 4.9 is now designed to work in 8-bit and 10-bit+ colour depth to suit the user’s needs, from complex 3D Shape workflows to even a standard 2D workflow.
ISE 2024 – held at Fira de Barcelona Gran Via – was the most successful edition in its 20-year history with more than 50,000 attendees on the opening day. “Standing out from the crowd was vital and this is what our initial brief focused on – to create something challenging that would attract attention,” says Harris. “Seeing people stop at the stand to take in all in, and then take photos on their phones before talking to the on-stand team was fantastic.”
Watch the behind-the-scenes ISE video: https://vimeo.com/920497657
Credit: © Motion Mapping
