'What computer do I need to run 12 layers of HD?'

'I need to send 3 videos to 3 outputs, what graphic card do I need?'

We get these questions a lot and there is no easy answer for them. Performance depends on a lot of factors, and any recommendations we make are usually outdated a week later.

So we thought we'd try a different approach: the Resolume Benchmark, patent pending.

Click here to view the results in a handy spreadsheet!

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The idea is simple. You run our test compositions and content on your own computer. You start with no clips playing and you keep triggering clips, one at a time. The moment you cannot play more clips without dropping below 30fps, you got the benchmark for that computer. Then you post results.

This way, hopefully we'll get a good overview of how well different computers perform.

You'll notice that each resolution has two benchmarks, Clean and Noise. This is done because typical VJ content is easy to compress and decompress. Photographic content is usually a bit harder to process. To give an accurate overview, we made separate test material for each type of footage.

Now let's get this benchmark party started!
Download the comps and content and mark some benches!

Files for Resolume 6 and 7:
Benchmark files and composition for 480p
Benchmark files and composition for 1080p
Benchmark files and composition for 4K
Benchmark files and composition for 8K


Files for Resolume 4, and 5:
Benchmark files and composition for 1080p ( this is the main benchmark test, now updated with DXV3 files )
Benchmark files and composition for 4K part 1 and part 2
Benchmark files and composition for 480p

Add your own results via this handy Google Form!




Or read on below for extended results and discussion!

Model: Mac Pro desktop
Operating System: OSX 10.9.2
GPU: ATI Radeon HD 5770, 1024 MB
Harddisk: Samsung SSD 840, 512 GB
Processor: 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon
Memory: 8GB RAM
Resolume: 4.1.8

Output Setup: 1 Control Monitor at 1920x1200, 2 Fullscreen Outputs at 1920x1200

Benchmark 1920x1080
Minimal content: 5 layers
Noise content: 3 layers

Benchmark 640x480
Minimal content: 20+
Noise content: 20+


Model: Anttec desktop
OS: Windows 8
GPU: NVidia Geforce GTX 770
Harddisk: Samsung SSD 840
CPU: Intel Core i7 3.20GHz
RAM: 16GB
Resolume: 4.1.7

Setup: 1 Output Monitor at 1920x1200, 2 fullscreen outputs at 1920x1200

Benchmark 1920x1080
Clean: 20+ layers
Noise: 17 layers

Benchmark 640x480
Clean: 20+ layers
Noise: 20+ layers


Model: BTO laptop
OS: Windows 8 Pro
GPU: Nvidia Quadro K3000M 2048MB
Harddrive
CPU: Intel i7, 2.8GHz
RAM: 32GB
Resolume: Arena 4.1.8

Setup: 1 Control Monitor at 1920x1080, 1 Fullscreen Output at 1920x1080

Benchmark 1920x1080
Clean: 8 layers
Noise: 7 layers

Benchmark 640x480
Clean: 9 layers
Noise: 9 layers

( This really shows that the Quadro cards are not really performing that well at the moment. This thing should burn through the 640x480 clips )


Model: MackBookPro Retina Mid 2012
OS: OSX 10.9.2
GPU: NVidia Geforce GT650M 1024MB
Harddisk: Apple SSD 500GB
CPU: 2,6GHz Core Intel i7
RAM: 16GB
Resolume: 4.1.8

Setup: 1 control monitor at Best (Retina), 3 fullscreen outputs at 1920x1200.

Benchmark 1920x1080
Clean: 12 layers
Noise: 10 layers

Benchmark 640x480
Clean: 20+ layers
Noise: 20+ layers

Model: MacBookPro laptop, Mid 2010
OS: Mac OSX 10.8.5
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M 512 MB
Harddisk: SAMSUNG SSD 830 512 GB
CPU: 2.53 GHz Intel Core i5
Memory: 8GB
Resolume: 4.1.8

Setup: 1 control monitor at 1920x1200, 1 fullscreen output at 1920x1080

Benchmarks 1920x1080
Clean: 2 layers
Noise: 2 layers

Benchmarks 640x480
Clean: 12 layers
Noise: 12 layers

There you have it...

Here's how to get started with some crazy projection mapping paper objects in twelve easy steps. Because sometimes it's good to step away from the computer. Get your hands dirty with glue, scissors and paper.

Step 1: Watch this awesome video.



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Step 2: Realise that you could actually do this at home, because it's a paper model.

Step 3: Be sad that you don't know how to make such models :(

Step 3: Be happy that sehrinde17 was kind enough to share how he does this :D

Step 4: Follow his instructions to the letter. If you don't like reading, watch the video and skip to Step 11.



Step 5: Export a 3d mesh (Cinema4d, Blender or Aftereffects) as an .obj file.


Step 6: Download and install PePaKuRa Designer 3 (http://www.tamasoft.co.jp/pepakura-en/). Mac users, be sad because it's only for Windows.

Step 7: Import or drag and drop the .obj File in the Pepakura window. You can rotate the camera view and change some adjustments.

Step 8: Next click on "unfold". You can notice that some edges of the model are open now. The software calculates the best way to cut the 3d model in a flat piece.


Step 9: Print the generated design and cut / plot it.

Step 10: Glue the parts together (this is the challenge!).


Step 11: Map it with any projection mapping tool that's called Resolume Arena 4.


Step 12: Head on over to http://www.sehrinde17.de to say thanks!

Here is your monthly dose of fresh footage, brought to you by Ghosteam, Raw Designs & Strangeloop.


NeonRoom VJ Footage by Ghosteam


Synthesize VJ Footage by Raw Designs


HyperFields 2 VJ Footage by Strangeloop

Suddenly FFGL effects are popping up left and right. From Oleg Potiy comes this wonderful triangle blend mode. Guaranteed to get your visual sets certified by the international hipster community, ready for posting as gifs on Tumblr.

Because we were into triangles before everybody else heard about them.
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Oleg explains the idea behind the plugin:

The mixer concept was taken from vj Eps (Vadim Epstein, in[visible] studio, http://vimeo.com/63057090). This video was made with his own vj-machine powered by VVVV environment. I thought it would be nice to get the same functionality in Resolume. Since I’m slightly familiar with OpenGL/CPP programming I’ve coded this pattern into FFGL-mixer and released source code and binary on GitHub. Nothing more, really :)

Besides being modest, Oleg used to be an active veejay for 5 years (2006 - 2011) and took part in Kazantip fest in 2008-2009 as part of the Russian vj-crew. He still perform once or twice in a season, but happily for us nowadays he's now concentrating on how things can be turned into software.

Part of his future plans involve more FFGL goodness: he wants to make the geometry in the FFGLTriangleMX user configurable. Also he's planning another effect that takes an input image as geometry profile and extrudes this profile along the depth axis.

But I'm sure he will have to deal with your cries of injustice first, because this plugin is PC only for now.

Read more about the TriangleMX plugin here: http://github.com/OlegPotiy/FFGLTriangleMX or get the direct download from here: http://github.com/OlegPotiy/FFGLTriangleMX/tree/master/Bins

The VJ game is becoming a major league sport. Have you got what it takes to be a player?

Even if you’ve been playing for years, there’s always new game changers coming out of left field. So step up to the plate and let us show you how to swing.

We’ll also talk about VJ’ing.

April 7th to April 11th 2014 at Res HQ.

More info and sign up at https://resolume.com/shop/workshops.php

Somewhere, over the rainbow…

Sometimes finding the right content to fit the mood seems like following a never ending yellow brick road. You feel like you have to fight of flying monkeys and douse green women in water. All the while surrounded by dancing midgets in some sort of munchkin land.

But with these new packs it's going to be piece of cake to defeat wicked witches east, north, west and south. Just click your heels and say: There’s no place like home.


You can call Laak a wizard, because, because, because…. Because of the wonderful things he does.
http://www.resolume.com/footage/blackcube



Schneefeld will get you, and your little Toto.
http://www.resolume.com/footage/disco


You can find Mikkel in a land you have heard of, once in a lullaby.
http://www.resolume.com/footage/glowingnights

Club3D is a hardware company that, aside from making AMD and Nvidia graphic cards, make a lot of useful adapters, dongles and gadgets. For instance we’ve been using the Club3D USB to DVI dongles quite a bit to add an extra highdef output to a laptop setup.

So when we heard that they make a dongle which can extend a single Displayport output to 3 Displayport outputs, we just had to order a few units for testing. We simply can’t resist a fancy new dongle.

Here’s the nitty gritty on this little gadget.
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It’s not a simple splitter, the operating system will see each of the three monitors as an individual output and you can send each different content, or one big video stretched over the 3 displays. That’s 3 times 1920x1200, son!

Although the spec sheet claims it works with any card with a DP output, it’s recommended to use a Radeon™ HD 5000, 6000 or 7000 series.

It costs a little over 100 euros.

Displayport is a good cable, but very uncommon outside of an office setting. You can use miniDisplayport to Displayport going into the box, and Displayport to VGA/HDMI/DVI adapters going out of it, to convert from the DP cable to a cable you can actually use.

Pushing pixels

So after we got our two test devices in the mail (because we don’t mess around with only one if they’re only 100 euros) we quickly realised we only had miniDisplay connections, so we spent 30 euros more and waited another week for 2 miniDP to DP adapters. Sigh.

After a quick unboxing session, we found out that although the device looks very neat on the website, it comes with a big old power block which is nearly twice as big as the device itself. You can say things like that shouldn’t matter in a review, but it’s good to know about when you need to pack for aircraft regulation limits or stuff things into a backpack.

What it actually looks like

Then we grabbed the first available computer with a Displayport output, which happened to be Bart’s old MacBookPro. On OSX Mavericks it didn’t do anything at all. After booting into OSX Lion we were only able to get two monitors to work at some weird stretched resolution, or three monitors mirrored at 1920x1200. We’re not sure if this was to do with the Nvidia card in the machine, or to it being a Mac. All we could was shrug and move on.

Next up was our trusty old PC, also known as ‘old faithful’. Running a Club3D HD7970, it already handles 5 monitors, so it was the ideal candidate for pushing things a bit further. We didn’t have enough dongles to test with DVI or VGA leads, so we ran each box with a MiniDP to DP cable and then 3 DP cables to the monitors.

Getting every monitor recognised required a little setup dance. Sometimes a single monitor wouldn’t show up. Turning it off and on again causes the MST boxes to refresh, and each monitor would then turn off and back on, giving a nice cascading effect of monitors refreshing. Repeating this process once or twice always got the setup with 6 outputs working. Going through this dance felt a bit wonky, but compared to the hassle we’ve had with some Matrox TripleHeads, it was relatively painless.

This allowed us to run an impressive 5 individual outputs + 1 control monitor from two single miniDP outputs. Each display was running at a whopping 1920x1200, so we were able to run content at 5760x2400. It’s a powerful feeling and beautiful to watch.

Yeah, that's a Plexus plugin running at 60fps at 5760x2400

Computer says No

Of course we had to push the limits, and also connect the two remaining miniDP ports as well as the DVI output. The desk looked fancy sporting 9 monitors, but all we got was a lot of blue screen of death. So even though two MST hubs works flawlessly, using them in combo with a third display on the card was a no go. We're still not sure what exactly caused this, but there was no way around it.

We also got out our MacPro with a Radeon 5770 in it. This one did not do anything at all. Two hubs, one hub, OSX Lion, OSX Mavericks, with additional monitors connected via DVI/MiniDP, or without. Nothing would show up on the screens or cause OSX to even recognise them. Very confusion, much try, such disappoint.

Oh no!

When Push Comes to Shove

Probably one of the more interesting things was how well Resolume performed. Performance wise it didn’t really seem to matter if we ran with the hubs or with a single card with 5 outputs. So we finally have some benchmark tests on multiple HD streams on a PC rig. The specs of this guy are as follows: Antec eight core i7, 3.2 GHz, 8GB RAM, Win7, one Club3D Radeon HD7970, with OCZ Vertex SSD drive.

When running a 1080p comp with 1080p content, with layer 1 through 4 routed to its own screen via Arena’s Advanced Output and the comp routed to the last screen, we could rock 6 layers at 60fps steadily and easily. Up to 8 layers was still doable, a few dips in fps, but nothing going below 30 fps.

Next we upped the ante, and created a 5760x2400 comp, and spread it out over the 5 monitors. We ran this with a variety of content. We downloaded a few Apple 4K trailers and got busy with clips at 4096x1716 and 4000x2250 and even some custom content made to fit at 5760x2400. BTW, 4 minutes of photorealistic content in DXV weighs in at 87GB. Playing with the big boys.

One layer is fine at all resolutions, with a smooth 50-60 fps. Adding another layer brought things down considerably. Interesting enough, a lot of this is dependent on the content itself. Photorealistic material taxed the system a lot harder, dipping to the low 20s with two layers and unusably slow with three. More VJ oriented content with lots of black and high contrast imagery ran a lot better, and we could mix 3 layers of 5760x2400 at around 30 fps. Remember the days when 3 times 320x240 was impressive?

Playing with the big toys

So What's the Dealio

All in all the MST boxes are a cheap alternative to what Matrox has to offer, and can support up to 3 times 1920x1200. But with compatibility issues and the startup process not completely hassle free, we wouldn’t recommend this for permanent installs. If you have a compatible graphic card and are looking for a cheap way to considerably extend your output, you can’t beat the price. Just be prepared for a little more hassle during your setup process.

A while back we had a whole thread on making visuals with Resolume. So we already knew it was possible.

But to see a whole music video based on the concept is still taking it to the next level. Coming to you courtesy of Masanori Yamaguchi (aka Reelvision), this wonderful piece of minimal glitch design manages to walk that elusive fine line: reactive without becoming repetitive, visually interesting without becoming cluttered.



Perhaps best of all, he's not afraid to share with the rest of the class. [fold][/fold]Masanori started a separate blog, where every element of his video is explained in detail. Both in video and still images, he recreates his work step by step.

Truly inspirational.



Be sure to click through to http://resolumextheater.blogspot.jp/ to see the rapidly growing amount of tutorials there!

Here is the first Resolume release of 2014! Version 4.1.8 fixes a few critical bugs, and the Mac installer is now signed with our Apple Developer ID so it will install without complaining on Mac OS X 10.8 and 10.9. We are still working on a few fixes for 10.9 Mavericks but those require a bit more time and will be released in version 4.1.9.

Hit that download, then read the short releases notes:

[FIXED] Crash when setting autopilot for individual clip and switching to non-empty deck
[FIXED] SMPTE delay causes weird jumps around the 1 (and 2 and 3 and...) minute mark
[FIXED] Arena doesn't remember DMX Preferences
[FIXED] Clip menu does not always work for active clip
[FIXED] Crash on shutdown with windowed output

Happy New Year Everybody!

We are rapidly approaching the end of 2013. The year always ends with the best party; New Years Eve! The NYE gig is always a special one, everybody comes out to party and you get paid trippple, right?

Make that NYE gig a special one and get some fresh footage. We have Luminator dropping a successor with Lumotion 2. Laak gives you the versatile VJSurvivalKit and STV releases the colorful StripeTease.


LuMotion 2 VJ Footage by Luminator


VJSurvivalKit VJ Footage by Laak


StripeTease VJ Footage by STV in Motion