The Global Digital Signage Awards, dedicated to honoring visionaries worldwide, celebrates those whose digital signage installations not only defy current standards but also propel the industry forward. We are immensely honored to announce that four projects showcasing our high impact LED display content have been selected as finalists for the prestigious 2024 Global Digital Signage Awards!
Hotel 42
The new Hotel 42 located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY has an industrial-rustic vibe throughout the property with a stunning lobby space. The lobby boasts a 32-foot wide by 10-foot high fine-pitch, direct-view LED wall that can be seen from the bustling Brooklyn street outside thanks to an all-glass front entrance. The location and size of the video wall provides an immersive experience for hotel guests and pedestrians alike. The hotel owners requested a mix of experiential 3D content that would provide a WOW-factor experience for guests in the lobby and also captivate exterior patrons as they walk past the lobby.
Experiential 3D Content
For the first phase, our team created several pieces including a pixel mapped CG-animated fluid simulation waterfall with interaction on the hotel logo and the structural cutouts of both doorways, and a stunning underwater scene with mystical jellyfish swimming freely in the depths of the ocean. Additionally, we created a 3D forced perspective zen garden and deep screen simulated staircases with branded dodecahedrons, or 12-sided three dimensional shapes, tumbling down the stairs where they collect at the bottom of the staircase, wait for a moment of anticipation, and then release at the viewer and tumble out of view.
Most importantly on this project, our team had to take into account that we had two different viewpoints and viewers simultaneously experiencing the media. For the hotel guest, we wanted to provide a memorable first impression unique to Hotel 42. For the casual observer walking by, we wanted the content to make them question the reality of what they saw and create a lasting impression in their minds. In both cases, the goal was for both viewers to tell someone else about what they saw and/or take a video to share online about their content experience. In either case, the video wall becomes a must-see destination.
Pearl River Resort - Triggered Jackpot Celebration
Triggered jackpot celebrations use high energy digital display animations when a jackpot is won, such as eye-catching text, fireworks, falling cash and flashing lights. The Pearl River Resort jackpot celebration brings excitement to the entire property when a jackpot is hit by displaying real-time data such as the player’s first name, amount won and even the machine it was won on. Not only does the unique archway-shaped video wall get taken over with dynamic, 3D forced perspective content, but all digital signage displays on property are interrupted with the same 3D jackpot celebration for a casino-wide moment of celebration.
Triggered Jackpot Celebration
For this project, we knew the intent was to not only draw attention to the winning jackpot, but to present it in a unique way. The archway LED video wall is a centerpiece on the casino floor and provides an excellent canvas to display 3D forced perspective or “deep screen” style content. The unique video wall was set up for an anamorphic illusion by using the corners, but that would have reduced the optimum viewing angle, so we ultimately decided on a forced perspective design as we didn’t have to worry as much about the optimum viewing angle and the content could be viewed properly from a much wider perspective.
With this new, high-energy 3D forced perspective triggered jackpot content, Pearl River has raised the level of excitement on the casino floor when jackpots are hit and have reported increased gameplay following jackpot wins. Pearl River has told us many of their guests take out their cell phones and record the jackpot celebration on the video wall because it has become an “Instagrammable” moment.
RiverSouth - Virtual Living Plant Walls
RiverSouth is an iconic new, 15-story Class A 350,000 square foot office building located in Austin, TX. It has achieved the award of the smartest building in Texas by SmartScore and is also one of the most sustainable and innovative. WiredScore’s SmartScore certification identifies best-in-class smart buildings that deliver an exceptional user experience, drive cost efficiency, deliver high standards of sustainability, promote healthy environments, and are considered future proof. At the platinum level, an asset must offer cutting-edge innovation and showcase processes and automation that deliver world-class outcomes for occupants and guests.
3D CGI Living Plant Wall
The building's integrated technology offers a unique experience for tenants and visitors. Notably, two LED video walls, strategically placed in the lobby and near the elevators, contribute to an immersive atmosphere. Initially planned as a real living plant wall, the lobby's design evolved to feature a fine pitch 1.2mm direct-view LED wall, offering versatility. Render Impact was then engaged to create virtual 3D CGI living plant walls, representing different biomes, providing a dynamic and calming backdrop.
Our team aimed to provide a distinctive experience for both daily workers and guest visitors. The five different biomes of plants allow for a different plant wall every day during the week, creating a refreshing experience for workers passing through the lobby. Rich details, including digital masonry and interplay of light and shadow, enhance the experience for guests. The forced perspective design, open ceiling concept, and attention to detail in matching virtual content to physical space contribute to the realism of the piece, fostering a sense of connection to nature within the lobby. Continuous testing and fine-tuning ensure the content adapts to varying lighting conditions, ultimately delivering a unique and captivating experience that has led viewers to perceive the digital display as a tangible glass wall containing real plants.
Sixteen:Nine Mixer: Immersive 3D Content Experience - “Windows Into Other Worlds”
Our team was selected to create an immersive content experience for the Sixteen:Nine + AVIXA mixer held at the Vu Studios in Orlando as part of InfoComm 2023. The LED Volume at Vu Studios is the largest in the U.S. at 155-feet wide by 26-feet high and includes a ceiling display. The LED Volume is over 18,000 pixels wide and 3,000 pixels high. Unlike the majority of our projects where the client already has an idea in mind for the content, this one was entirely up to us. Our team was given two minutes on a blank canvas with the creative freedom to show off our skillset without client oversight, a storyboard, or even branding standards to adhere to. We had a tight eight week timeline to produce, test, revise, render final full resolution ProRes Files, and ensure everything was ingested properly into the Vu Studio System.
Immersive LED Volume Content
Our team immediately gathered as much information on the screen specs including developing a full resolution pixel map that accounts for the physical dimensions of the multiple curves in the screen. We also learned about the display’s environment including key factors such as natural and artificial light sources, surrounding wall textures, paint colors, and any windows or glass doorways that will affect the amount of sunlight that hits the screen or enters the space.
Confronted with the vast canvas, we ultimately decided to create an art gallery showcasing immersive forced perspective content. The 3D illusions showcased 13 different environments, providing guests a glimpse into distant places and pushing the boundaries of imagination on modern digital displays - from a mountainside waterfall to a futuristic alien landscape, each 3D illusion in our gallery served a unique purpose. The design aimed for unity while showcasing a variety of experiences, from classic art with a twist to captivating moments including our CGI giraffe peeking at its surroundings within the gallery.
Most importantly, we were able to adapt our workflow to leverage UnReal Engine and expedite rendering processes for many of the forced perspective scenes contained within the overall 3D content experience. The realtime power of UnReal Engine in conjunction with massive LED volumes allows for greater creative freedom in designing impossible locations, ultimately resulting in more interesting scenes and unlocking a new world of possibilities for productions of all sizes.
We created a truly immersive visual experience that captivated viewers at this event. The cohesive design guided viewer's eyes across the 155-foot wide LED screen and WOW'd them with 3D illusions as each new window opened to reveal a new and unexpected scene. Just as one window closed and disappeared into the stucco wall design, another one opened with another compelling illusion, promoting the idea that anything is possible within the gallery's interconnected world.