INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION
TO THE
TO THE
USER
U SER
INTERFACE
INTERFACE

MadMapper delivers an intuitive user

interface, that is artist-friendly and allows
for a fast learning curve.

The UI provides quick access to all of the

application’s functions, so you can focus on
your mappings and unleash your creativity.
 1. Workflow

The basic steps of MadMapper’s video In both cases, MadMapper’s interface is

mapping workflow are : bi-directional, flowing from left (surfaces,
fixtures, modules…) to right (media) and
1. Import Media. vice versa.
2. Create surface(s).
3. Adjust Texture Coordinates (UV). And once the project is set up, you can
4. Adjust perspective output. animate it in realtime using physical controllers
for instance, or by using MadMapper’s built-in
For Light Mapping, the workflow is essentially Scenes and Cues feature.
the same : MadMapper handles a special type
of surfaces called Light Surface which convert This workflow is detailed in the additional quick
their texture data to DMX output signals guides.
suitable to control physical lights and LEDs.

MadMapper’s user interface is divided into The Tooltip status bar at the very bottom of
4 distinct parts: the application interface displays contextual
information when you mouse over any function/
the Media Panel 1 , the Views 2 , the Project button.
Tabs 3 and the Tool Panels 4 .

Introduction to the User Interface - 2

 2. Media Panel

1 The entire right side of the MadMapper interface is the

Media Panel, dedicated to the media and divided into
two parts : the Media Bin 1 which shows all the
available media and the Media Inspector below,
providing access to the selected media’s informations 2 ,
settings and parameters 3 .

Introduction to the User Interface - 3

2.1. Media Bin Options

Switch from thumbnail (default) to List View.

Increase or decrease the size of the media thumbnail.

Media are organized by categories. Each category can

be displayed or not by clicking on its arrow.

For each Media category, add a media in the Media Bin

either with the + button or by dragging and dropping
your media from your computer file explorer/finder.

Affect another media to the selected surface by

clicking the Arrow.

Introduction to the User Interface - 4

 Shows how many surfaces have this media applied.
Clicking the number will select all surfaces with this
media.

Remove a media from the pool at any time with the

Delete key.

2.2. Media Categories

Generators
The generators are built-in and are intended for tes-
ting and calibration.
They are rendered at a specified pixel size in a texture.

Note that generators also include the Text Generator

as well Materials if you drag and drop one in the
Generators list.

Materials
Materials are generative shaders, rendered directly on
the output destination (projector or preview windows).

Unlike generators where only one rendering will be

done regardless of their number in your surfaces, the
materials are rendered separately on each of the
surfaces where they are used.

The materials are allowing extra precision at high

resolution, at the expense of rendering speed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shader

Materials can be dragged to the Generators category

in order to convert them to a rendered texture at the
same specified rendering dimensions.

Introduction to the User Interface - 5

ISFs
Interactive Shader Format files are GLSL fragment
shaders, just like the materials.

https://isf.video

Note that MadMapper doesn’t support multi-pass ISF.

Quartz Composer
Quartz Composer files, the node-based visual pro-
gramming language.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quartz_Composer

Images
Gathers all types of supported images.

Movies
All your imported video files.

Playback performance may vary depending

on codec/resolution.

Preferred coded are HAP (for scrubbing) and H264

(for linear forward playback).

Introduction to the User Interface - 6

 Images Folders
Add image folders in your media bin.

If pictures are added to this folder, the folder

will automatically update in MadMapper (watchdog
feature).

Syphon/Spout /NDI
Texture data that can be shared between applications
using different protocols such as Syphon (Mac), Spout
(Win), NDI (Mac/Win).

The data source is live, continuous, e.g. displaying your

work done in parallel in Modul8.

http://syphon.v002.info
https://spout.zeal.co

Live Input
Live feeds that can be streamed into MadMapper, such
as webcams or Blackmagic capture cards.

2.3. Media Inspector

The Media Inspector will display for all media a

preview (which can be disabled) and options to update
the thumbnail of the selected media when a visual is
running (update instance in the thumbnail list).

The Media Inspector then displays for instance the

media’s informations such as the resolution, duration,
frame rate and codec (movies).

Introduction to the User Interface - 7

Access play mode as well for movies, within the
Inspector.

Choose the decompression method for the movie:

Using the CPU (processor) of your computer with
FFMPEG (default) or using the GPU (graphic card)
of your computer for hardware accelerated
decompression.

All these settings and parameters are specific

to the media.

For instance, these are many options to tweak

the Line Patterns shader.

Introduction to the User Interface - 8

 3. Views

Views are at the heart of the interface, where surfaces are created and manipulated.
This central space is split into two views: the input view and the output preview.

Input View Output Preview

In the picture above you can see that only part of the Input View is selected:
so only this part of the input is projected and adjusted in the Output Preview.

Introduction to the User Interface - 9

3.1. Input, Output

The input view (left) is where you choose what The output preview (right) is where you move
parts of your source media will be your surfaces around and change the perspec-
mapped. tive to conform to the geometry of the
This is also known as Texture object(s) you are projecting on to.
coordinates, or UVs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UVW_mapping

On both views adjust your surface(s) with :

The scale button : click, hold and scale.

The rotate button : click, hold and rotate.

The 4 handle buttons : clic, hold, adjust the corner’s

position. Use the Tab key to move to the next Handle.

Reminder: the dimensions of the stage are separate from the content. The size of the stage is
proportional to the output, but the resolution is fixed by your projector, not the size of your stage.

Introduction to the User Interface - 10

3.2. Display Options

Access essential display options with the toolbar, at the top of the views.

• Show the two views side by side (default view).

• Use maximum space for the input view or for the
preview output view (show one or the other only).
• Toggle orientations in vertical or horizontal views.

Output position : set the selected handle X or Y

positions (for your surfaces created in the preview
output view).

Activate snapping so objects will snap when

they are close.

View only selected objects, click first on what you

want to -only- see.

Select a group of surfaces or create a group using the

current selection. Allow on the fly selection group by
typing a name.

Share with us any remark or feedback : we’ll be happy

to hear from you!

Undo and Redo buttons.

Lock affine transformations : blocks the possibility to

move, scale or rotate any surface. Useful to edit Mesh
Warping.

Introduction to the User Interface - 11

Then, above the input and output preview views, there are several display facilities :

Zoom in.

Zoom out.

Fit the view to the window (will resize to the width of

the panel).

Zoom to fit selected surfaces (will resize the window’s

contents to accommodate all parts of the media that
have been selected to be mapped).

Master and Selection (preview output window only) :

preview groups - filters surfaces shown in preview.

”+” (preview output window only) : preview group from

current surfaces selection.

Above both views at top right, click on the gear incon

to invoke more setting options.

Last If the resolution of the views (or the interface in general)

does not suit you, which may be the case on a notebook for

Tip
example, the trick is to change the display resolution of your
system, in the Mac / Windows preferences.

Introduction to the User Interface - 12

4. Project Tabs

Set up your project with surfaces (video mapping),

fixtures (light mapping), manage your projectors
(outputs), add extra features with modules and
fiddle the master settings.

Show/hide the UVs view and preview. This mode is

specifically designed to remove 2 on-screen renderings
and might help gain extra performance for your show.

As for the Media and their Media Inspector, Surfaces,

MadLight, Outputs and Modules display an Inspector
below their list.

Introduction to the User Interface - 13

4.1. Surfaces Creation Tab

This is where you will create virtual surfaces that cor-

respond to your real world structure.

The Surface creation tab is generally the main place

where you will work and it’s therefore the default tab
when you launch MadMapper.

The different types of shapes, their flexibility of use and

their parameters will allow you to handle your simplest
or most complex projects with ease.

Added surfaces (and groups) will be listed on the left in

the surface list.

By clicking on their names, surfaces can be renamed. Other options are :

Display or not the surface.

Lock it or not. Locking a surface is useful when you

don’t want to change its settings anymore, it will avoid
accidents.

By moving your surfaces in the list, they will function as layers in a stack.
Example: if you have two surfaces, the first surface in your list will be in the fore-
ground and the second surface in your list will be in the background.

The highlighted surface is also the one that is selected: its Inspector will be displayed
in the Project Tab, and the Inspector of the media used will also be displayed in the
Media Inspector.

Introduction to the User Interface - 14

Quads
Create a quad surface.
Use the output preview to adjust the scale, rotation and
perspective of a surface.

Line
Add lines as a surface : click, move the cursor and your
line is being created. Click again to have an interme-
diate selection. Press Enter when you have finished
your line.

Triangle
Add triangles as a surface - then adjust, scale and ro-
tate your triangle(s) in the output view.

Circle
Add circles as a surface - then adjust (with the four
handle points), scale and rotate your circle(s) in the
output view. The perspective is scaled with the center
handle.

Introduction to the User Interface - 15

Mask
Add an alpha mask over a surface, in the preview out-
put view only.
Masks don’t have textures, they are used to hide parts
of the composition on the projector.
In a manner similar to lines, click and draw your mask
that will be linked to an other surface.
Press Enter when you are finished.

3D Surface
Import and calibrate 3D objects in the .OBJ format.

Group
Create a group with as many surfaces as you want.
Drag them into your group, no matter what type they
are.
Or select a group of surfaces, then click on the group
icon holding the Shift key. A group will be created with
the selected surfaces, in the same location as the se-
lected surfaces.

Create multiple groups for your most complex projects

or simply for a better workflow.

Introduction to the User Interface - 16

Surface Inspector
The Surface Inspector, below the list of surfaces,
displays the settings and parameters of the selected
surface (highlighted in the surfaces list).

It’s divided into several parts : fusion modes, FXs,

inherent surface parameters.

There are common parameters : Blend Mode, Opacity,

Position, Perspective, Colors, FX, etc.

There are useful tools such as soft-edge or feathering.

It’s also the place to access essential techniques like

Mesh Warping (enable a grid mesh in order to warp the
shape, add as many control points as needed), Bezier
Mesh Warping (use bezier curves to change the shape
into a complex surface), etc.

More details about these techniques in their dedicated

In Depth guides.

Also, the 3D surface Inspector comes with specific

tools and parameters (wireframe, lighting, edit UVs,
etc.).

Last, with shift+select several surfaces, the Inspector

will only display the common parameters of the
selected surfaces.

Note that the percentage of a setting is multiplied by

the group setting.

Introduction to the User Interface - 17

4.2. Light Fixtures Creation Tab

This is where you will manage your fixtures for your

light mapping projects.
By adding fixtures you will somehow replicate your
physical lighting installation in MadMapper.

So technically, you must therefore create As for surfaces, you can rename your fixtures,
fixtures with channels corresponding to your display them or not, lock them or not, and
universe(s). move them in your fixtures lists, they behave
as layers as well.
MadMapper will then allow you to animate
your installation with an infinite number of Note that in MadLight, you only work in the
media and possibilities. input view.

The possibilities available are :

Add a DMX fixture.

Add a DMX Line

Introduction to the User Interface - 18

 Add a DMX Circle fixture.

Add a Group of fixtures.

Drag your fixtures into the created group or select a

group of surfaces, then click on the group icon holding
the Shift key. A group will be created with the selected
surfaces, in the same location as the selected surfaces.

Fixtures can be moved around in the fixtures list, but note that a fixture will overwrite
the one below it because there are no opacity settings for fixtures: you can’t define
two fixtures on top of each other and play with the opacity, it will «overwrite» it
instead.

Introduction to the User Interface - 19

 As for surfaces, when a fixture is selected, its settings
and parameters are displayed in the fixture Inspector.

The percentage of a setting is also multiplied by the

group setting.

The main settings are :

• Fixture definition - choose one from the

Fixture library and eventually click on Edit to open the
Fixture Editor panel.

• Channel and DMX Dip Switch - acting like a physical

dip swith.

• Filtering - change the surface blend mode. For a selected group of fixture, the Inspector
will allow opacity and color triggering.
• Response curve - defines how the device
luminosity responds to the value sent in DMX/ Much more settings are available directly in
ArtNet. the DMX Monitor and the Fixture Editor
(cf. Tool Panels section).
• Luminosity, Color, Position, Size, Rotation, Flip.
More information about the DMX fixture
creation in the In Depth guide.

4.3. Projectors Tab

Manage your projectors here.

Note that as with surfaces and fixtures,
the Inspector displays the information of the selected
projector, highlighted in the projectors list.

Although unlike them, the order of projectors doesn’t

matter, projectors don’t behave like layers.

Introduction to the User Interface - 20

Add Projector
Add as many projectors as you want, double-click on
their name to rename them, adjust, scale and rotate
the projector(s) in the output view so that it matches
the surfaces you want to project.

Output Size, Destination (Inspector)

The Inspector displays the projector’s settings and
parameters : change the output size, lock/unlock the
aspect ratio, capture the destination’s resolution.

Below you can flip your projector and then select the
atual corresponding projector in the Destination list.
The information of the projector will be mentioned be-
low the Destination list.

Access other parameters below.

Background : Load an image to facilitate your mapping,
this image will not be seen in the output. If you modify
your image you don’t need to re-upload it, just click on
the refresh button.
Mask : same process with a mask in .png, although the
mask will be seen in the output.

Introduction to the User Interface - 21

 Output Tools (Inspector)
The last part of the output Inspector brings several
useful output tools:

-Show or hide the preview with the “desktop windows”

button.
-Activate or deactivate a show test pattern for the
selected projector.
-Publish the -live- content of the selected projector to
Syphon or NDI.

More information the setup of multiple projectors in

the In Depth guide.

4.4. Modules Tab

Access extra tools as well as specific functions within

the Modules tab.

Add and set up as many Modules as you want with the

+ button.
Once a Module is added, its Inspector will be displayed
in order to set up the Module.
More details in the Modules In Depth guide.

Example of the Audio Player Module

Allowing the use audio files : drag and drop a mp3, wav,
aiff, etc. in MadMapper to instantly launch the module
and even create cues with it.

Introduction to the User Interface - 22

The other Modules are (non-exhaustive list, Modules can be added during
the lifetime of MadMapper) :

Calendar Scheduler
Trigger Scenes and Cues at specific dates and times
from any calendar application with the Calendar Sche-
duler Module.
More information about the Calendar Scheduler Mo-
dule in the In Depth guide.

Cue Scheduler
Schedules your cues/columns with the Cue Scheduler
Module.
More information about the Cue Scheduler Module in
the In Depth guide.

DMX Router
Allow you to route ArtNet / sACN universes to one or
multiple USB DMX devices (Enttec Pro/mk2, garageCu-
be USB-DMX).

MIDI Out
With the MIDI Out Module, MadMapper becomes a MIDI
controller for your compatible third-party software or
devices.

OSC Out
The OSC Out Module allows you to send OSC requests
from MadMapper.

Oscillator
Use this module as a control with numerous
signals and parameters.

Oscillator 2D
The Oscillator 2D module is identical as the previous
one but with two phase settings.

Oscillator Bank
Identical as the previous Osciallator modules but
integrates offset.

MiniMad Controller
Control your MiniMads (Video & Light) from MadMapper,
with the MiniMad Controller Module.

Introduction to the User Interface - 23

4.5. Master Settings Tab

Access quickly to global settings within the Master

Setting tab.

Master: affects everything.

Video Master: affects only surfaces.
DMX Master: affects only your Light mapping.
Audio Master: affects audio only.

If the Master setting is zero, everything will be at zero.

And as for surfaces or fixtures groups, the percentage
of the Video, DMX or Audio setting is multiplied by the
Master setting.

Freeze engine allows to stop the activity, except if an

Ableton Link / BPM is in progress.
The Master Speed value is then set to 0.
Playing with this setting with the Master Speed value
will also affect the Audio.
Freeze Video and DMX Output: stops the Output (but
does not stop playback). Interesting function in Live
when assigned to a control.

Access to other settings below such as your BPM

source for audio analysis.

Access useful functions within the last part such as the

Output cursor size (useful with the Desktop Window) or
the Force media ratio in order to define the same ratio
for your media.

Introduction to the User Interface - 24

 5. Tool Panels

You can in one click make a panel of producti- performances. Each panel has its own interface,
vity tools appear, which will be useful from the adapted to its function.
implementation of your projects to your Live

5.1. The Tool Panels UI

Note that the Tool Panel is the only part of the interface that can be enlarged or reduced with the
window splitter.
Click on the very first arrow to enlarge or hide the tool
panels

Next, the drop-down list allows you to select a panel

and easily switch from one panel to another.

By clicking on the undock button, the panel will detach

Once the panel is undocked, it can be kept in the

foreground with the bottom right button “Keep this
panel on top of other windows”

5.2. Scenes and Cues

This feature really changes the way we
program a show, it completely replace the handle in an easy way the most common cases,
former Presets and offers a much more flexible while Cues allow finer control of you show.
way to store / restore the status of surfaces, Using one or the other, or combining both,
fixtures, media or any parameters. depends on your scenario.
More details in our Scenes and Cues guide
The two tools have different purposes and about the Cue Banks, the Autoplay Settings and
different advantages, Scenes are made to the Cue Inspector.

Introduction to the User Interface - 25

5.3. Control List

This panel will allow you to add, configure and First, by clicking Learn, you can assign controls
manage your controls according to their to many MadMapper functions. These functions
category. will be highlighted in purple :

Next to the Learn button, select and define nu- your Playstation controller, created modules
merous custom controls to the selected target such as the Oscillator (MadMapper controls) or
parameters with your keyboard, your MIDI «other» like Leap Motion (needs to be activated
controller, OSC (Open Sound Control), Audio, in the preferences).

Plus, when you have a lot of

controls set up, filter them
by clicking on the category
or selecting the category
from the list if your screen is
narrower.

Introduction to the User Interface - 26

5.4. Library

The Materials Library panel is a great place to The panel also allow to :
share your materials and access those of the
community. • Add a new material.
• Access online public ones, your owns.
For a good start, a curation is made in the fea- • Access your local ones: built-in (defaults
tured section. ones), installed ones from the library, your
owns.

5.5. MadLight Recorder

This complete tool is dedicated to the recording For more information, there is the MadLight
of your fixtures, that you will then export to Recording Quick Guide available.
your MiniMad(s) for your installations or
performances.

Introduction to the User Interface - 27

5.6. DMX Monitor
The DMX Monitor, now fully integrated within MadMapper’s UI, is remarkably faster and more
convenient to use.

5.7. Fixtures Editor

More information about the Fixture Editor in the In Depth guide.

5.8. Code Editor

Now completely native within MadMapper’s UI https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenGL_Shading_
with multi line comments, fast editing, better Language
syntax coloring.
GLSL quick reference card: https://www.khro-
You can drag and drop materials from the Media nos.org/files/opengl41-quick-reference-card.pdf
Tab to the editor to start coding.
The materials are coded in GLSL More information about material coding in the
(version max 4.1 for Mac, 4.5 for Windows). In Depth guide.

Introduction to the User Interface - 28

 6. Menus and Settings

The MadMapper menu, at the top of the window (Win) or at the top of the screen (Mac) allow you
to access many functions manually, to know the keyboard shortcuts, and also to access additional
features sometimes only found in these menus such as:

• Export video mapping to MiniMad (File Menu). More details in the «My first video export to
MiniMad» guide.

• Toggle between Desktop & Full Screen Mode (Output Menu).

• Spatial Scanner and LED Scanner (Tools Menu). More information in their In Depth guides, avai-
lable here.

• De-authorize MadMapper: a window inside the software will ask you to confirm with your com-
puter’s Administrator password (leave it blank if you don’t have one).
A new window will appear with the message «the authorization was successfully removed».
You can click on «ok», MadMapper will close and you’ll be able to install it on a new computer with
the same license.
Note that authorizing MadMapper is necessary to download or publish materials.

Plus, in the Help Menu you’ll find some useful resources and links :

Last, access to important settings via the MadMapper Preferences, such as the Workspace set-
tings or DMX Input and Output settings.

Final If the resolution of the views (or the interface in general)

does not suit you, which may be the case on a notebook for

Tip!
example, the trick is to change the display resolution of your
system, in the Mac / Windows preferences.

Introduction to the User Interface - 29