User Manual

Table Of Contents
Projector 3D [3PJ]
The Projector3D node
Projector 3D Node Introduction
The Projector 3D node is used to project an image upon 3D geometry. This can be useful in
many ways: texturing objects with multiple layers, applying a texture across multiple separate
objects, projecting background shots from the camera’s viewpoint, image-based rendering
techniques, and more. The Projector node is just one of several nodes capable of projecting
images and textures. Each method has advantages and disadvantages. For more information,
see Chapter 76, “3D Compositing Basic” in the DaVinci Resolve manual or Chapter 25 in the
Fusion Studio manual.
Projected textures can be allowed to “slide“ across the object if the object moves relative to the
Projector 3D, or, alternatively, by grouping the two with a Merge 3D so they can be moved as
one and the texture remains locked to the object.
The Projector 3D node’s capabilities and restrictions are best understood if the Projector is
considered to be a variant on the SpotLight node. The fact that the Projector 3D node is actually
a light has several important consequences when used in Light or Ambient Light
projection mode:
Lighting must be turned on for the results of the projection to be visible.
The light emitted from the projector is treated as diffuse/specular light. This means
that it is affected by the surface normals and can cause specular highlights. If this is
undesirable, set the Projector 3D to project into the Ambient Light channel.
Enabling Shadows causes Projector 3D to cast shadows.
Just as with other lights, the light emitted by a Projector 3D only affects objects
that feed into the first Merge 3D that is downstream of the Projector 3D node in the
node tree.
Enabling Merge 3D’s Pass Through Lights checkbox allows the projection to light
objects further downstream.
The light emitted by a Projector 3D is controlled by the Lighting options settings on
objects and the Receives Lighting options on materials.
Alpha values in the projected image do not clip geometry in Light or Ambient Light
mode. Use Texture mode instead.
If two projections overlap, their light contributions are added.
To project re-lightable textures or textures for non-diffuse color channels (like Specular Intensity
or Bump), use the Texture projection mode instead:
Projections in Texture mode only strike objects that use the output of the Catcher
node for all or part of the material applied to that object.
Texture mode projections clip the geometry according to the Alpha channel of the
projected image.
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