Projection mapping 101: what's possible on any surface

Short answer: almost any surface can be mapped if you have enough brightness, a clear throw path and content built for that exact shape. Ambient light is the limit, not the surface.

What projection mapping is

Mapping aligns projected content to a real object so the light appears to belong to it. Instead of a rectangle on a wall, the building, product or stage set becomes the screen.

Surfaces you can map

• Building facades and interior architecture
• Products, cars and sculptural objects
• Stage sets and scenic pieces
• Floors, tables and ceilings

What it takes

• Measurement — a scan or accurate survey of the surface.
• Brightness — enough lumens to beat the room's light.
• Blending — several projectors stitched into one image for large surfaces.
• Content — made to the map, not adapted from a video.
• Alignment time — on site, in the dark, before the audience arrives.

Indoors and outdoors

Indoors, you control the light and can do more with less. Outdoors, you wait for dusk, protect the projectors from weather and plan for power and permits.

Budget and timeline

Small object or wall maps start around $5,000. Building-scale work runs well into five figures. Allow four to eight weeks, most of it for content.

The bottom line

Decide the surface and the viewing position first. Everything else in a mapping job follows from those two choices.