Funan Atrium
"Due to its versatility, reliability and excellent support, LightAct became our go-to solution for all multi-media interactive installations."
Adrian Goh
Group Manager, Hexogon
In 2019, Hexogon Solution chose LightAct as the media server for 2 interactive installations in an iconic IT shopping mall in Singapore, called Funan.
The installation consists of 2 parts, an 11 by 12-meter projection area on the floor where visitors can play fun games and a long bicycle lane leading through the entire mall where embedded DMX lights follow the cyclists.
Interactive Games
Interactive Games area features a number of interactive projections based on the corporate identity of the mall. The system uses LightAct StereoView tracking camera to track people in the projection area, and Unreal Engine game to generate content in real-time.
LightAct runs computer vision algorithms on StereoView feed and passes the results to Unreal Engine which generates the game texture. This is then passed back to LightAct which splits it to 4 projector outputs with proper warping and blending. Everything is happening at 60fps on a single LightAct Pro XL server (predecessor to Sync 6k2) installed in the shopping mall’s server room.
"LightAct is an incredibly stable software. After several days of heavy use, we haven’t experienced a single crash or system error."
Gerard Henson
Systems Manager, Hexogon
Gerard Henson, System Manager at Hexogon, was pleasantly surprised at the reliability of LightAct: “LightAct is an incredibly stable software. After several days of heavy use, we haven’t experienced a single crash or system error.”
David Žalik, technical director at LightAct took care of the StereoView programming in LightAct said: “with the introduction of StereoView into our product portfolio we can track objects in dynamic projected lighting and with an almost infinite range. That’s a game-changer for us.”
Vladyslav Fomenko, an Unreal Engine programmer was amazed by the freedom Unreal Engine & LightAct combination gives to any UE4 programmer: “What LightAct brings to Unreal Engine is an ability to extend Unreal environment (aka the Game) into the real world. The biggest upside is that you can just create your game in Unreal as you would otherwise, knowing that LightAct will take care of projection mapping and all the inputs & outputs with 3rd party devices.
"What LightAct brings to Unreal Engine is an ability to extend Unreal environment into the real world. You can just create the game like you are used to and LightAct takes care of the rest."
Vladyslav Fomenko
Freelance Unreal Engine Programmer
To give the client an intuitive user interface to control the installation, the project team created a WebUI with a few simple buttons and sliders. The client can access this WebUI with a browser on any device on the network.
Also, to eliminate the need for user interaction after a power outage, the team set up LightAct Manager. It makes sure the installation always runs as it should by automatically starting up the projection whenever the server boots up. For an extra level of reliability, it also restarts the system once per day.
And to give Hexogon an additional feeling of safety & security, the team created an account on LightAct Cloud where they can monitor the installation over the internet or receive an e-mail notification in case something is amiss.
Adrian Goh, Group Manager of Hexogon after the completion of the project said: “We are very happy with LightAct system. Due to its versatility, reliability and excellent support, it became our go-to solution for all multi-media interactive installations.”
Bike Trail
Through the shopping mall runs a bike trail with embedded DMX fixtures. One LightAct Pro L (predecessor to Sync 5k2) server tracks every cyclist on the trail using 10 IP cameras and renders a particle system in real-time based on their locations. This particle system is then mapped to the fixtures.
A dedicated WebUI was created for the Client to easily switch between preset color scenes or create their own. LightAct Manager gives them the peace of mind knowing that in the case of a power outage the server will automatically start running the moment power comes back online.
Equipment
1 x LightAct Pro XL (predecessor to Sync 6k2) |
1 x LightAct Pro L (predecessor to Sync 5k2) |
10 x Axis IP cameras |
1 x StereoView |
4 x Christie Crimson Projectors with Christie Mystique and Guardian |