Universal Pixels and Disguise unite rendering and real-time video on Dave's latest tour

British artist Dave relies on the creative and technical services of Universal Pixels to shape their first UK tour in four years, a tour to present the album 'The Boy Who Played the Harp' in which the servers Disguise GX3 play a fundamental role in bringing the show's narrative to life.

The great differentiating element of the tour Dave are their eight mobile screens with monitoring suspended on stage, designed to change position and orientation throughout the performance. The system is built around a real-time workflow that links the automation, content tracking and rendering, and in which the position data of the mobile screens is entered directly into the multimedia servers Disguise GX 3.

This approach allows servers continually update a digital model of the stage, with content mapped and re-rendered frame by frame. Instead of activating predefined signals, the system constantly recalculate how content should be displayed in relation to the position and angle of each screen, ensuring that spatial integrity is maintained as the physical configuration is moved. The visual effects of the show were controlled through software Designer of Disguise by the programmer and operator Richard Turner.

The potential of a digital twin

James Morden, Universal Pixels technical specialist, explains that for the success of the complex technical framework of Dave's tour it was necessary to create a “digital twin “from the real world”. With a speed of 50 frames per second, The system provides the necessary refresh rate so that the content accurately follows the movement of the screens in real time, while keeping latency low enough that the relationship between motion and image remained consistent. “You are not just playing content; “You are responding to movement in real time and making sure that what the audience sees always makes sense in the space.”, duck.

The servers Disguise GX 3 are in charge of reproduction, data tracking, live camera feeds and generative content through Notch. This level of integration allows you to create a series of effects based on the alignment between physical movement and rendered content., including layers, transparency and lighting states.

Screen design, content and lighting

Universal Pixels has relied on a wide network of partners to shape the production of Dave's tour. The panels ROE Visual Vanish V8T, with its transparency 60 % and its high brightness, allow light and images to pass through and interact across multiple layers of the system. As screens move and lighting states change, variable levels of opacity and visibility are created. Besides, two other screens are used ROE Visual Vanish V8T as static IMAG screens, also fed through Disguise multimedia servers, and all of them controlled by video processors LED Tessera SX40 of Brompton Technology.

On the other hand, six 4K studio cameras are used Panasonic AK-UC4000, including two mounted on motorized platforms with Junior remote control 5, along with six cameras Blackmagic Micro Studio 4K G2 for reverse shot shots. Matt Askem is in charge of mixing the signals in one of the Kula PPU of Universal Pixels, incorporating live performance into the server system and delivering real-time images to media servers and displays.

Record to V-log allows cameras to retain a wide dynamic range, something essential in an environment where lighting levels and color temperatures were constantly changing. This gives the team greater control in synchronizing the camera signals with the rendered content and LED output., guaranteeing a coherent image in both real and generated elements. “There is a lot of color science working in the background to make everything look cohesive”, explains Morden.

The tour demonstrates the effective implementation of complex real-time video systems in a large-scale touring environment. Real-time rendering, Integration of live color tracking and processing worked as a single system, supporting complex creative elements.