Test Patterns

Test patterns are built-in diagnostic output modes rendered directly by the Runner on a per-display basis. They are independent of show content and timeline playback, making them essential tools for verifying display setup, signal routing, geometry correction, and color calibration before or during a production.

Accessing Test Patterns

Test pattern controls are found in Device Properties → Test Pattern for any selected display. The section provides a set of output mode buttons and an additional toggle for the render info overlay.

To activate a test pattern, select the desired mode from the button group. To return to normal show output, select None.

Output Modes

WATCHOUT provides five display output modes, controlled from the Test Pattern section:

• None — normal show output. This is the default mode.
• Muted — black. The timeline keeps playing but nothing reaches this display's output.
• White — a solid white field at full brightness, bypassing the warp and mask pipeline.
• Masked — a solid white field passed through the warp and mask pipeline.
• Pattern — a built-in grid / alignment chart passed through the warp and mask pipeline.

See Common Use Cases for when to reach for each mode.

Render Info Overlay

The Render Info toggle (next to the output mode buttons) enables a heads-up diagnostic overlay drawn directly onto the display output. It shows the display name, resolution, the average measured draw frame rate, and other runtime diagnostics. The overlay is drawn on top of whatever output mode is currently active — show content, a test pattern, or a white field — so it stays visible regardless of what is on screen.

The draw frame rate is the average rate at which the Runner is rendering frames for this display. Small variations against the output's refresh rate are normal. Large variations almost always indicate a performance problem — for example, if the output is running at 60 Hz but the draw rate reads 45 FPS, the GPU is not keeping up with the rendering workload and the output will drop frames.

See Common Use Cases below for when to enable the overlay.

Common Use Cases

White-point calibration: Put each display in White mode, then match color temperature across displays with the per-display White Point sliders. White bypasses warp and mask, so you measure the device's raw output. See White Point Calibration for the procedure.

Brightness uniformity — external blending: When overlaps between projectors are handled by the projector hardware (built-in edge blending) or by physical blend masks on the lens, use White mode. WATCHOUT is contributing no masking, so the result on screen is the projector's own uniformity. Adjust projector blend settings or physical masks until the overlap reads as uniform brightness.

Brightness uniformity — WATCHOUT masking: When WATCHOUT is generating the soft-edge masks, use Masked mode. This applies the warp and mask pipeline, so the white you see includes everything WATCHOUT contributes. Tune the soft-edge gamma and mask alpha until the overlap zone matches the surrounding brightness. See Edge Blending and Display Masks for the underlying settings.

Projector coverage: With each projector in White, verify that its illumination reaches the intended area of the projection surface. Gaps or spill outside the target indicate that the projector needs to be re-aimed or the lens shift adjusted.

Projector focus: Switch the display to Pattern mode and adjust the projector's focus ring until the grid lines are sharp. The high-frequency edges in the pattern are far easier to focus against than show content or a flat white field.

With Render Info enabled:

• Identify outputs.
• Detect performance issues.

Isolating content issues: If a display appears incorrect during playback, switch it to Muted and then back to None to determine whether the issue is in the content, the display configuration, or the signal path.

Interaction with Show Playback

Test pattern modes operate at the output stage of the rendering pipeline. When a non-default mode is active:

• The timeline continues to run and cues continue to be evaluated, but the rendered show content is replaced (not overlaid) by the selected test pattern or solid color.
• Switching back to None immediately resumes normal show output without interrupting playback.
• Test pattern modes are not saved as part of the show file. They are runtime-only display states that reset to None when the Runner restarts or the show is reloaded.

This means you can safely use test patterns during setup and rehearsal without affecting the show data or worrying about accidentally leaving a display in test mode for the performance.