INSTALL STORY - UDAIPUR CITY PALACE
Udaipur City Palace Comes Alive with Splat Studio & Dataton
Splat Studio makes use of Dataton's Watchout software to highlight India's culture and heritage
on the palace's facade
A grand start to a grand affair: Udaipur City Palace appears animated with 3D projection mapping as
it opens
its doors for the G20 Summit delegates
The G20 Sherpa Meet in Udaipur, India witnessed a congregation of world leaders, who partook in key
conversations on sustainable lifestyle, technological transformations, and more. The City of Lakes -
the host of the G20 Sherpa Meet - is already a heritage enthusiast's delight. But, the need of the
hour was to enthrall the visitors with an immersive display of the above-mentioned heritage, but
with a tinge of trailblazing technology. Splat Studio, a multidisciplinary design studio, took to
hand the task of beautifying the historical walls of the Udaipur City Palace with 3D projection
mapping using Dataton's Watchout software. PALM + AV-ICN spoke to Hitesh Kumar, Managing Director,
Splat Studio to understand how the concept of 3D projection mapping was brought to life onto the
walls of the palace.
The Initial Conceptualization:
For a seasoned design studio, it is a matter of immense glory to be associated with a large-scale
project such as the G20 summit. Hitesh Kumar confirms the same as she talks about Splat Studio being
approached for the project, "Splat Studio is in this industry from past 11 years and over time we
have been blessed to develop strong relationships with our clientele and market value for the
quality of work we deliver. Due to the reputation that we hold, our old client brought us on board
for G20 projection - Udaipur City Palace."
Twelve Barco UDX-4K40 projectors used alongside Dataton's Watchout software resulted
in a breathtaking 3D projection mapping at the venue
The team at Splat Studio was tasked with creating a short but mesmerizing opening sequence for the
G20 Sherpa Meet, highlighting Rajasthan's culture and heritage, underlined with futuristic
innovations that are helping the state move forward with a fusion of tradition and technology. Kumar
comments on the brief Splat Studio received from the client, "G20 Sherpa's Meet needed an
enthralling opening segment to highlight Rajasthan's rich cultural heritage, as well as the
country's emerging technology ecosystem and commitment to sustainable development goals. With the
short brief provided, we were able to build a 5-minute show to mesmerize our delegates. This project
was conceptualized and delivered in record 15 days, start to finish."
Channeling Challenges Into Unique Opportunities:
As is the norm, the team at Splat Studio performed a recee of the site - the Udaipur City Palace.
The observations made by the team presented several challenges when it came to delivering a
noteworthy 3D projection mapping. Hitesh Kumar recalls, "Our team went to the site and 3D scanned
the facade for the projection and created an accurate digital replica, the key ingredient of our
delivery. The facade was humongous and architecturally so intricate, that it took us two whole days
to finish the 3D scanning."
He adds, "Considering the audience seating arrangement was quite a challenge as the distance between
seating and the facade was quite packed, also spread lengthwise, so there was no single point of
view (for 3D projection to work, we have to have a single point of view) so visualization had to
consider this. Also, because people were seated close and there was ambient light, the projection
resolution and the projector luminosity was an important factor, and we decided to use the best
available option for both of these variables."
It took two days for Splat Studio to finish the 3D scanning for Udaipur City Palace_web
But, the team's unending dedication towards the profession allowed it to turn these challenges into
opportunities. Kumar shares how the Splat Studio team accomplished the same, "The complexity of the
facade was the major challenge, and we needed considerable time to develop the template required to
begin the work. But the team stayed overnight at the site and made every minute count to bring the
template to completion and ensure that the venue's limitations do not limit the precision and
perfection of the 3D projection mapping."
Kumar adds that the audiovisual software and equipment used in the project played a major role in
its success, "We used Barco UDX-4K40 projectors along with Dataton's Watchout 6.6 mapping for the
show. In order to cover the facade, six projectors were needed. However, to boost the illumination,
we double-stacked the projectors, making the projector count reach to twelve."
The Trajectory For The Indian AV Industry:
As India continues to rely more and more on audiovisual technology and software to attract a larger
footfall to several events and deliver enchanting, immersive experiences to the visitors, the
country will also continue to depend on multidisciplinary design studios like Splat Studio and AV
software stalwarts like Dataton to put together these AV installations from behind-the-scenes.
Talking about the promising trajectory that the Indian AV industry is moving forward on, Hitesh
Kumar shares a remark filled with optimism, "The AV industry has steadily grown over the years, and
the demand for good quality experiences has only grown with it, because of the technological
upgrades and the exposure. People expect better experiences, and technology access has also become
much easier. We expect that in the next five years, we would not only be creating world class
experiences here in India, but also deliver our professional services in this domain across the
globe. The technology development will also enable us to go further and create world standards."
For now, Kumar is ecstatic that Splat Studio's 3D projection mapping, accomplished the right way
with Dataton's Watchout 6.6 has garnered praise from everyone present at the G20 Sherpa Meet. She
concludes, "It was a pleasure to work at such a prominent occasion, and we feel fortunate that we
were able to play a significant part in the G20 Sherpa's meeting because our 3D projection mapping
was the star of the show and received praise and appreciation from everyone."