Large Scale Projection Mapping for Towers, Stadiums and Halls

Some canvases are too big for one projector, or even ten. A hotel tower, a casino facade or a convention hall wrapped wall to wall needs an array of projectors that behaves like a single image, with no seam anyone in the crowd can find.

That is the work we do for brand takeovers and civic-scale spectacles. If your surface is measured in tens of thousands of square feet, send us the site and the date and we will start with the numbers.

Large scale projection mapping divides one huge surface into zones, gives each zone a projector, and blends the edges so the whole structure plays as one animated surface. It exists because a single projector has limits in image size, brightness and resolution. Every unit we add extends coverage, adds pixels and raises light output.

The defining technical point is distance. Stadiums, high rises, civic buildings and large facades demand precise planning around throw distance, lens selection, surface material, ambient light and viewing zones. So the content is written for distance too, using the architecture for depth and story beats that still read from far away.

• Measurements before anything else. We capture throw distances, target image sizes, rigging positions and sightlines, then calculate the throw ratios and narrow the lens options.
• A lumen budget. We build lumen budgets that account for lens position, overlaps and ambient light, and we keep projector models and lens families consistent across the array so color and brightness match.
• Overlap and stacking. Overlap zones are often 15 to 33 percent of each image. Where a show needs more light rather than more size, we stack projectors on top of each other, and on large shows we often blend and stack at once.
• Rigging and alignment. Solid rigging systems, laser alignment tools and fine-grain warping software let us join images with pixel-perfect accuracy. Our guide to blending multiple projectors explains the method in full.
• Content sized for the canvas. Our content team designs with blend zones, aspect ratios and resolution scaling in mind, so no key moment lands in a seam. More projectors mean more pixels, so storage, playback and render times are planned with it.
• A recalibration plan. Heat, vibration and space usage can nudge alignment, so we build in time and tools for quick touch-ups or automated recalibration.

Towers and high rises. Height pushes the projectors away from the surface and up onto scaffolding. Outdoor work also needs weather-proofing and high-lumen projectors to cut through city glow. Single-building shows have their own page on building projection mapping, and the open-air conditions are covered on outdoor projection mapping.

Stadiums and arenas. Stadium interiors are split into zones in the same way as a facade, with each edge blended into the next. Pregame and halftime shows are covered on stadium projection mapping.

Convention halls and indoor venues. Indoors the distances shrink, but the canvas can still run around a whole room. Here the challenge is matching brightness and color across many units on curved and flat walls at once.

Civic icons and statues sit on landmark projection mapping, river spans on bridge projection mapping and natural rock faces on mountain projection mapping. For shows that move from city to city, see mobile projection mapping; for citywide light trails, see light festival projection mapping; and for depth illusions at any size, see 3D projection mapping.

• Tropicana world record, Las Vegas. In 2022, thirty-eight Barco projectors and a few spares, fifty units in all, were blended, warped and mapped into one display. It was recorded as 47,397 square feet and live-streamed to tens of thousands of viewers around the globe.
• Nike Air Jordan at the NBA All-Star Game, Salt Lake City. Over 20 32k 4k Barco projectors, aligned to the shape of the Radisson Hotel, created an image over 40,000 sqft. To hold the aspect ratio on the building's unusual orientation, our team mounted the projectors on 40ft of scaffolding.
• Don Julio on the Stratosphere, Las Vegas. We projected on the south and east faces of the 1,149-foot tower, from one site 1000 ft away and another at 650ft. Two large scaffolding rigs carried custom weatherproof enclosures, and the show could be seen from the outskirts of Las Vegas.
• Toyota Dealer Meeting at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas. Six Panasonic PT-RQ22KU 4K projectors covered the curved front wall while twelve Barco UDX-4K32 projectors powered the surrounding walls, with edge-blending and color calibration across all surfaces.

See all our projects.

Tell us the structure, the date, and where the audience will gather. We will come back with the throw distances, projector count and rigging the show needs. To see every surface we work on, visit our projection mapping services page, or contact our team today.