# Rotate surface in qlab3



## akej (Dec 10, 2013)

I'm in a project where we are going to use three "standing" back projection screens that are 2,4m high and 1,5m wide. The three beamers will be flipped on side so the projection areas matches the screens.

My question is if there is a way in qlab 3 to make a big screen of these screens so I can put one big picture divided on all three screens. I looked in the surface preferences but can't see an option to rotate a screen in the surface. 

Maybe there is a way in or outside qlab to fix it?


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## metti (Dec 10, 2013)

You can rotate the display in Apple Display preferences and then QLab should reflect that.


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## Drew Schmidt (Dec 11, 2013)

Yes. Absolutely QLab3 can do this here are some steps / thoughts to get you going. Post back if you need more direction.

If i understand this correctly, you have 3 screens, vertically in line with one another, but with space in between?
If so, then you can simply make a new Surface in QLab3 and place you three projectors on the outputs.
When sizing your Surface, you'll need to make sure you use real life measurements to inform your locations. So if you have 1920x1080 projectors flipped on end, your vertical height is 1920px. This then correlates to your 2.4m meaning you have 800px per Meter. So if you have 1m betwen screens, make sure you have 800 pixels in between your projectors on your surface and that your surface is 1080 + 800 + 1080 + 800 + 1080 wide. Does that make sense? When when you put a video on this surface, it will show up on the three projectors with the appropriate space in between. 
If rotating your apple displays doesn't create flipped projectors in QLab, you could flip your surface and rotate all your cues 90degrees. To do this, select the video cue, change the geometry to "custom" geometry, then you have access to rotation, scale, location, etc. 
By the way, placing an individual cue on an individual screen is a pain, so if you're crossing screens for just one moment, be sure to make individual Surfaces for each projector. This will allow you to quick select the appropriate screen. Then pick your triple wide surface for the cue in question. 4 Surfaces total.

Again, holler if you need help!


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## akej (Dec 11, 2013)

Thank you for helpful answers! We will use a triplehead so I think it will work best to make a flipped surface, place the partial screens in it and then rotate the cues.


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## metti (Dec 11, 2013)

I don't know what version of the TripleHead you're using but the DigitalEdition and DP edition have built in support for portrait output


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## Drew Schmidt (Dec 11, 2013)

If you haven't purchased one yet, be mindful of which one you purchase and the accessories. I'll list some thoughts either way, someone might find it useful.

1) QLab 3 means you're using a Mac, so you'll want the DP to work with Thunderbolt
2) The displayport outputs on the TH2G are super close together, so some displayport cables don't fit. We've used the generic cables from CableWholesale (both VGA and HDMI). They were perfectly
3) The thunderbolt cable on the end of the unit has a bump. When using this with an iMac, you can't plug in anything into the firewire port (older iMac). We just purchased a short Thunderbolt extension.


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