MadMapper to Lights
Publish a mapped MadMapper projector over NDI so Spectralite can drive conventional fixtures alongside your projection mapping.
MadMapper handles the mapped surfaces. Spectralite handles everything the projector cannot reach, which on most installations is the moving heads, washes, and architectural fixtures around the mapped object. Publishing a projector over NDI keeps both halves reading from the same content.
Publish a projector to NDI
Select the video projector you want to send inside MadMapper, then press Publish to NDI. MadMapper starts streaming that projector, and the stream carries whatever the projector shows, mapping and warping included.
Resolution follows the published projector, so set the projector to the size you want on the network rather than looking for a separate NDI resolution control. To cap the frame rate, open Preferences > Engine, set Engine FPS to Manual, and choose the rate you want. MadMapper has supported that since version 4, and its troubleshooting notes recommend it specifically for limiting NDI output.
MadMapper's manual documents receiving NDI and limiting the frame rate of NDI output, but not the publish control itself. The Publish to NDI button is described by the garageCube team on their support forum, and NDI send is listed on MadMapper's own features page.
Pick up the stream in Spectralite
Under Edit > Inputs > NDI, turn on NDI input enabled and Auto-discover sources.
Put the video on your fixtures
Add a Timeline layer with the built-in NDI Input effect, or sample the stream with an NDI Input node in the Node Editor for a custom mapping.
Extending the mapping past the projector
The useful trick here is to build a region of the MadMapper canvas that no projector covers, and treat it as a lighting bus. Give it the colors and movement you want in the room, publish the projector that contains it, then aim your Spectralite position map at that region. The mapped surfaces and the surrounding fixtures then share one source of truth, and a content change updates both.
MadMapper also drives DMX fixtures directly. Where the two overlap, decide which application owns a given universe before the show rather than during it, since two senders on one universe fight each other.
Related
- Receive video from another app: performance and troubleshooting.
- Position Map Editor: choose which part of the video each fixture reads.
- Art-Net setup: sharing a network with other lighting software.
- Connect Your Software: guides for other applications.