Pixera helps create a mapping show combined with drones

The media server Pixera de AV Stumpfl provided the precision for 3D mapping, synchronized with the 3.500 drones for the Beating Retreat in Delhi. An initiative that included 61 laser projectors Christie of 20.000 lumens and eight 40W RGB lasers.

Modern Stage Services Turned to media servers and software Pixera to offer 3D projection mapping, Synchronized with a drone show, for Beating Retreat in Delhi.

The Pixera media server platform AV Stumpfl was on the front line for the Beating Retreat, the military ceremony at the heart of India's Republic Day celebrations, that this year transformed New Delhi with a state-of-the-art projection-mapping experience synchronized with a drone deployment.

As the official culmination of Republic Day, Beating Retreat 2023 presented a 3D anamorphic projection on the façade of the Secretariat buildings in New Delhi. It was the first time that a show of this type was projected in these buildings., that occupy a central place in the Delhi of Lutyens, The historic district of the capital, where the presidential palace Rashtrapati Bhavan is also located.

The ceremony also included a drone show, with 3.500 Drones, in sync with projection mapping, as well as military parades and performances of Indian classical music by the bands of the armed forces and the state police.

“This is the largest mapping initiative to date in India, as well as the first event in which projection mapping and a drone show are synchronized”, Says Pratik Wadhwa, General Manager, Modern Stage Services, based in Delhi, who won the competition for projection mapping. The theme focused on the latest 75 years of history of India as well as in the present and future development of the country.

To ensure stability and reliability to deliver the demanding spectacle of 14 minutes, which took place during what Wadhwa describes as “one of the most prestigious events taking place in India”, Modern Stage Services turned to AV Stumpfl's Pixera media server platform.

“We have been using Pixera for all our projects since 2021”, Wadhwa states, “and we are very satisfied with the stability of the software. Features like 3D preview, The live input and the dynamic soft edge make our work much easier”.

Fourteen systems, including a license Pixera Director, reinforced a montage of Beating Retreat that included 61 Christie laser projectors of 20.000 Lumens, another eight 40W RGB laser projectors and lighting composed of 96 moving heads and 180 PAR led lights.

Pixera software also helped solve many of the logistical challenges posed by the show., such as positioning projectors and synchronizing content with timecode.

“It is a televised show with a live audience, so the projectors could not be placed directly in front of the buildings”, Wadhwa continues. “Using the Pixera 3D viewer we solved the positions of the projectors during the planning phase”.

The screening show was scripted and directed by Atul Tiwari, while the content was created by Knownsense Studios.

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