Output Selection
Wall Designer includes a database containing a selection of the more commonly used monitor manufacturers and models. Use the manufacturer and models dropdown list to select a specific monitor. When selected, the Monitor Properties are automatically populated with the specification of the monitor. Both dropdown lists have colour coded text, black text indicates that the outputs are part of the default database and blue text indicates the monitors have been added or modified by the user.
Add Outputs
Single click or click and drag to select cells inside the 8x8 grid of outputs to choose the number and arrangement of outputs to add to the wall. The Clear Selection button can be used to empty the grid if needed. Set the Rotation Angle and click on Add Outputs to Wall, you will now see the monitors appear in the main window.
Output Properties
The Output Properties are a group of specifications that are required by the application to ensure the device is configured correctly for the design of the display wall.
If a output being used in the design of the video wall is not listed in the database, then manually add the required values to the Output Properties fields using the manufacturer's datasheet and if you wish, save the monitor details using the Save Details button. It's important that the specification of the monitor is accurate to ensure the capture regions are calculated correctly.
To delete a custom entry simply select the manufacturer and model you wish to delete and the Delete Details button becomes active.
You may also modify the values of existing outputs and if you wish to revert to the default values then click on the Undo Changes button.
Output Type
Use the Output Type dropdown list to select the type of output you wish to connect your Multi-display controller to.
If LED Sender is selected the following changes to the interface occur:
Fixture Name
Input the name of the fixture i.e. the cabinet the LED tiles are encased in.
Resolution Field – is populated with Output Resolution
Describes the video mode that is presented on this output. E.g. 1920 x 1080 will output a standard 1080p video timing on the wire. When connecting this output to an LED Sender this is the resolution it will receive. Note, some LED Senders are restricted to certain timings.
Refresh Rate
Describes the refresh rate of the video mode that is presented on this output. When connecting this output to an LED Sender this is the refresh rate of the video it will receive. Note, some LED Senders are restricted to certain timings.
Fixture Resolution
This is the resolution of the whole LED Fixture connected to the LED Sender output. Putting a lower resolution in this field instructs Wall Designer to downscale the selected content region into the top left corner of the output resolution, allowing all the content to be displayed on the LED as intended.
Display Area
Input the Display Area. For an LED wall this will be the whole area in mm of the LED Fixture. This is the total area created by all the LED tiles contained within the fixture.
Designing a Wall
Once the desired models have been selected and displayed in the main window the design of the video wall can be adjusted. In some instances a basic 2x2 or 4x4 is all that may be required but by using Datapath Wall Designer software, more creative designs can be achieved by rotating outputs and moving them to specific positions for maximum visual impact.
Click on a output to select it, when selected the monitor is highlighted green. The monitor can then be dragged to a specific area in the design window. The panel at the bottom shows the X and Y coordinates of the monitor's position relative to the axes (shown as thick black lines). The buttons to the right of the X position can be used to toggle between showing left, center and right position of the monitor. Likewise the buttons to the right of the Y position toggle between showing the bottom, middle and top position of the monitor. The red and blue arrows displayed in the main window give a visual indication of what position is being measured.
The position of the output can be modified in the text boxes as an alternative to dragging them. Likewise the rotation angle of a monitor can be changed by clicking on the + and - buttons to the right of the rotation angle.
Right click on a output to bring up the context menu allowing you to change its rotation or delete it. Alternatively outputs can be deleted by pressing the Delete key.
The Snap to Grid, Snap to Output and Snap to Guides tools from the toolbar on the right help to achieve pinpoint accuracy when dragging outputs. Snaps apply to the left, center, right, bottom, middle or top depending on what is selected on the bottom panel. Snap to grid snaps the monitor to the currently visible grid cells. Snap to Monitor snaps the monitor to adjacent monitors. Snap to Guides is similar to snap to monitor except the monitors don't need to be adjacent, guide lines extend along both the X and Y axes.
Settings
A Background Image can be selected and placed in the design window enabling you to view a mock-up of your display wall in the environment where it could be sited. There are various example images available to choose from using the drop down menu, by selecting browse, you can choose one of your own images.
The background image can be resized by placing the cursor on the corner of the image and at the same time left click, hold and drag the image to the required size.
To move the background image around the design window, place the cursor on the image and at the same time left click, hold and drag the image to the required position.
To prevent the accidental movement or resize, the background image can be locked into position.
A Output Spacing can be specified to set the desired gap between outputs. This will affect the Snap to Monitors and Snap to Guides tools so that the desired spacing is kept between the monitors. Additionally any monitors added to the wall after this setting has been changed will respect the given spacing.
Conversely a Projector Overlap can be specified when using projectors. This behaves in the same way as Output Spacing except it applies an overlap rather than a gap.