MadMapper: Manipulating Mapping and Lights
The future of mapping as technique is doing more than just mapping as a technique. And so, having seen how ArKaos targeted LED lighting, here’s the popular MadMapper working with a wide array of lighting, via DMX.
Aptly-dubbed “MadLight,” lighting is the banner feature of MadMapper 1.3. With the use of the ArtNET protocol – in turn converted to DMX – you can mix mapping with lighting and stage rigs. The implementation is unique: the light itself, in color and intensity, becomes a “fixture” in your mapping setup, so that the light itself is controller by the video source. There’s an editor and library for the fixtures, too.
MADLIGHT from Modul8 on Vimeo.
Other highlights of this release:
- Automatic channel numbering
- 7 types of pixel configurations (RGB, RGBL, RGBW, LRGBW, RGBWL, L, CMY)
- ArtNet support with up to 131,072 channels of DMX, and real-time fixture preview.
- Real-time pixel mapping setup
- Numerical input for parameters (at last – seriously annoying in previous releases, great to see this fixed)
- Syphon improvements
As with Modul8, signing means no nagging when launching on Mountain Lion. I know many artists going nuts over that change from Apple, but it really seems no cause for alarm – signing is very different from the App Store, in that it’s a basic way of verifying software that’s common across operating systems. And as with GarageCUBE’s updates, it can all continue working.
The lighting stuff is great, but I expect many CDM readers will be more excited about the 1.4 beta, thanks to complete Quartz Composer integration.
Also in that version, among other enhancements:
- Lock and unlock presets, for editing
- Improved render performance via the Display Link high priority thread
- Tab and Shift-Tab through Surfaces, Handles (again, finally!)
- Copy and paste between presets or MadMapper instances.
- Zoom to fit current surface selection
And, if you find one of the first five unknown bugs, they give you a t-shirt. Cute.
http://madmapper.com
Downloads for current users: http://www.madmapper.com/yourspace