Newbie advice: selecting a laser for prototyping an art installation

[studiosmink]

Hello everyone,


I am currently working on a new art installation and I am in need of advice on how to select the right laser for prototyping. Specifically, I am looking for a laser that can be controlled through TouchDesigner using the TD network designed by Daniel Davolfo (or something similar). https://derivative.ca/community-post...d-lasers/63736


My goal is to create a setup that works with 2 laser projectors and 1 video projector working together and creating content on a mapped surface. For the final installation, I plan to work with the phaenon accurate laser by Laser Animation Sollinger. However, at this point, I am looking for advice on a cheaper alternative to the phaenon accurate laser so that I can build a prototype setup and start designing content for the art installation.


I would really appreciate any advice or suggestions that you may have on this topic. Thank you in advance for your help!

Best regards,

Sebastiaan

[buffo]

Welcome to PhotonLexicon! Your project sounds very interesting. Before we dive too deep into it though, please fill out the rest of your profile so we know where you are located. (The answers to many questions will change depending on where you are in the world.)

I'm impressed with your selection of the Phaenon projector series from Laseranimation Sollinger. Very nice kit indeed! Although from your description of the project, it would seem that the power output (over 7 watts) of the Phaenon Accurate projector is probably more than you need, unless this is a very large installation.

Just to be clear, your goal is to project laser graphics and video onto a mapped surface of some kind, but you are not trying to create beam effects (fans, sheets, tunnels, etc) in the air, right? Also, will this be an indoor installation, or outdoor? (And if it will be outdoors, will you need weather-proof enclosures for the laser projectors?) Finally, how large will the projection area be, and what other light sources (besides the video projector and the lasers) will be present?

Adam

[studiosmink]

Hi Adam,

Thank you for your reply! Will fill out the rest of my profile today :-)

Location:
I'm located in Amsterdam, The Netherlands and my colleague is located in Dublin, Ireland.

Reference installations
I think it is best to show you some references so you understand what we're after, see below.
https://vimeo.com/342449199
https://youtu.be/8OmlH-xen_s

Scale
In terms of scale I think the first reference (TUNDRA - NOMAD) comes close to what we envision
The installation will be indoor.
We have no intention of using other light sources besides the two lasers and video projector

So many thanks! I'm really excited I found someone that is able to provide me with some help <3

Best, Sebastiaan

[james]

Something worth mentioning is that laser signals that control x y r g b can easily be made with a multichannel audio dac. LaserBoy is 20 years of development, so it's quite comprehensive. Plus there are other systems that use PureData to combine vector data and video in a live environment. You should check out some of the people and their projects on the Facebook group Vector Synthesis. You will find a lot of helpful people there and they're almost all in Europe.

One of the more interesting objectives of several of these artists is to create an audio visual experience that is in fact the sound and the laser display of the same signals. What you hear is what you see.


.

[swamidog]

laserboy is useless for real time applications.

since he's using touchdesigner, there are libraries for using etherdream dacs. that'll do the trick nice and easy. etherdream is compatible with any laser that has the industry standard ILDA (db25) connector.

https://derivative.ca/UserGuide/EtherDream_CHOP

Something worth mentioning is that laser signals that control x y r g b can easily be made with a multichannel audio dac. LaserBoy is 20 years of development, so it's quite comprehensive. Plus there are other systems that use PureData to combine vector data and video in a live environment. You should check out some of the people and their projects on the Facebook group Vector Synthesis. You will find a lot of helpful people there and they're almost all in Europe.

One of the more interesting objectives of several of these artists is to create an audio visual experience that is in fact the sound and the laser display of the same signals. What you hear is what you see.


.

[james]

laserboy is useless for real time applications.

LaserBoy has nothing to do with controlling a dac in real-time. But it has everything to do with making art that can be used with any solution that can provide real-time control of a laser.

I'm not telling him what he can't do or to not use anything else.

That's another thing I like about the FB VS group.

No one posts dumb shit like this.



.

[swamidog]

you haven't watched his videos....

LaserBoy has nothing to do with controlling a dac in real-time. But it has everything to do with making art that can be used with any solution that can provide real-time control of a laser.

I'm not telling him what he can't do or to not use anything else.

That's another thing I like about the FB VS group.

No one posts dumb shit like this.



.

[james]

Wow.

Nuff sed.

.

[buffo]

Wow, Sebastian! This is going to be an ambitious project indeed! Thanks for the videos; they explain your concept quite well. Now I understand why you plan to use more powerful projectors.

I would like to caution you to be mindful of where your audience will be positioned; some of the clips in the first video had beams passing dangerously close to people. While it is possible to perform audience-scanning shows safely, it is a lot of extra work (and risk) that will only distract you from getting the project up and running.

So, back to your question about less expensive projectors that you might use to program the effects you'll need: Finding an exact replacement for the 7.6 Watt Phaenon Accurate is going to be difficult, but for programming purposes you will probably be OK with anything in the 5 to 6 Watt power range. (You might even be able to drop down to a 3 Watt projector, especially if you can eliminate any extra ambient light in the venue while you are programming.) Also, the Phaenon has a very tight beam, while more affordable projectors will have a larger beam diameter, but here too you may find that the larger beam diameter isn't a major issue for you when you are programming.

Since you are in the Netherlands, I suggest you reach out to some of our members near you for advice. (Hobbybob, aka Dimitri Modderman, is a super cool guy, for example, although he is just one of many cool people in your area.) There are lots of European brands that I am unfamiliar with (as I am in the United States), so you can probably get better shopping advice from someone local to you. However, if I were looking to do this project here in the USA, I would probably consider the X-Laser Skywriter HPX 5 Watt, the Kvant Clubmax 6 Watt, and possibly the Unity Raw 5 Watt if budget constraints were extremely tight.

It's a shame that you just missed the recent Dutch-LEM that was held last month. Attending a LEM (Laser Enthusiast's Meeting) is a great way to learn about the strengths and weaknesses of all sorts of equipment, from laser projectors, to controllers, software, hazers, fog machines, cabling, computers, and so much more. Plus you'll meet some truly amazing people who are quite wiling to help new people as they get started with lasers. Keep an eye on the "Meet and Greet" sub-forum for announcements of other LEMs that might be near enough to you such that you could attend one. Even if you can only make it for part of the event, I promise you that it will be well worth the trip.

Please do keep us informed of your progress! This project looks very interesting, and I'm sure lots of our members here will appreciate the chance to follow along as you bring this idea to life.

Adam

PS: Regarding your plan to use TouchDesigner to control the entire system: Chris Short (Swamidog above) is one of our members here on the forum who has quite a bit of experience with this, so he would be a great resource. Likewise, Jacob Potter (J4cbo) is the guy behind the Etherdream controller, so he's another good source of information for you as you develop your plans. When you start working on the interface and control portions of this project, I would suggest you start a discussion thread in the "Programming and other assorted Bit-level alchemy" sub-forum and ask for suggestions / advice on how to tie everything together.