VIRTUAL DISPLAYS

Just like an ordinary Stage display a virtual display is defined by a rectangular area in which cues can be placed. However, instead of outputting the rendered cues directly to a physical display device, like a monitor, the virtual display renders the cues to a buffer. This buffer can then be used just like a media asset that can be rendered to an ordinary display or projector.

You can think of this process as the virtual display is recording content and creating a media asset on the fly. The media asset can then be used as a regular cue or as a texture for a 3D model.

The short clip below shows the following sequence:

1. Create a virtual display.
2. Drag the virtual display from the Devices window to the timeline. This creates a cue using what the virtual display is capturing as a media.
3. Change the position of the virtual display, showcasing that it changes how it records the regular media cue.
4. Add a 3D model and apply the virtual display to it which means the recorded content will be used as texture.
5. Change the position of the virtual display, again showcasing how the virtual display output content changes.