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Pixelwarp Evo

Two-Projector Curved Screen Setup Guide

Section 1 — Prerequisites & System Requirements

1.1 Hardware Requirements
 

●     Two matched projectors (same make/model strongly recommended — see Assumption A)

●     Computer with DirectX 9/10/11 or OpenGL support; minimum 2 GHz processor

●     GPU — NVIDIA: A single Quadro K4200, K5200, or RTX-class Quadro card supports two-projector output natively. Use NVIDIA Mosaic (Quadro) or NVIDIA Surround (consumer) to create a single spanning display group.

●     GPU — AMD: Use AMD Eyefinity in Catalyst/Radeon Software Control Panel to create a 2×1 display group (e.g., 3840×1080 for two 1080p projectors). See Assumption B.

●     Two matching signal cables (HDMI, DisplayPort, or DVI) from GPU to each projector

●     Curved projection screen: cylindrical, curved, or dome geometry — low-gain material recommended (0.6 gain ideal)

●     Optional: Webcam (HD resolution preferred; 720p minimum) for AutoBlend camera calibration

●     Two projector ceiling/floor mounts with tilt and pan adjustment capability

1.2 Software Requirements

●     Pixelwarp Evo software v6.x or current — installed and licensed (USB dongle or digital license)

●     Windows 7 / 8 / 10 / 11 (32-bit or 64-bit)

●     NVIDIA or AMD GPU drivers — latest stable release recommended

●     Optional: Pixelwix AutoBlend application (separate from Pixelwarp Evo — required for Section 8)

●     Microsoft DirectX Runtime installed

■ ASSUMPTIONS — Read Before Proceeding

Assumption A — Matched Projectors: This guide assumes both projectors are identical models from the same manufacturer and production batch. If projectors differ in model or age, additional color and brightness matching time will be required in Section 7, and results may be less consistent.

Assumption B — Display Spanning: Your GPU must support and be fully configured for display spanning (i.e., a single logical display address spanning two physical outputs) before launching Pixelwarp Evo. Pixelwarp Evo requires the combined resolution to appear as one contiguous display group.

Assumption C — Projector Overlap Zone: A physical overlap of 15–25% of each projector's image width on the curved screen surface is assumed for effective soft-edge blending. Overlap below 10% will produce a visible seam artifact; overlap exceeding 30% wastes usable resolution unnecessarily.

1.3 Screen Material Notes

●     Use a wide-viewing-angle screen material, especially for rear-projection configurations

●     Recommended gain: 0.6 (sub-unity gain) — reduces hotspots in the overlap blend region

●     Low-contrast projectors: consider a grey-tinted projection material to suppress the lifted-black overlap stripe in dark content

●     Pixelwix curved and flat projection screens are available directly at pixelwix.com

Section 2 — Physical Projector Placement & Mounting

2.1 Positioning Guidelines

1.    Mount both projectors at the same height and equidistant from the screen center, aiming symmetrically inward toward the center of the curved surface.

2.    Align throw angles so each projector covers approximately 50–55% of the total screen width, ensuring a 10–20% overlap zone at the center of the screen.

3.    Set throw distance per each projector's throw ratio for your specific screen size. Use the manufacturer's throw ratio calculator for your projector model.

4.    Level both projectors using a bubble level placed on each mount. Both lens planes should be parallel to the floor.

5.    Lock mounts firmly — any vibration or physical shift after calibration is complete will require a full recalibration cycle.

2.2 Projector Placement Diagram — Top View

Figure 1 — Top-view schematic of two-projector curved screen layout. Overlap zone is the soft-edge blend region processed by Pixelwarp Evo.

2.3 Pre-Alignment Checks

●     Disable any built-in projector keystone correction — set all keystone values to 0. Pixelwarp Evo handles all geometric correction in software.

●     Match zoom and focus on both projectors to produce equal image size at the screen distance.

●     Set both projectors to matching brightness, contrast, and color temperature settings as a baseline starting point before software calibration.

Section 3 — GPU Display Spanning Setup

NVIDIA Mosaic / Surround Setup

1.    Right-click the Windows desktop → NVIDIA Control Panel.

2.    Navigate to Configure Surround, PhysX (consumer GPU) or Set Up Mosaic (Quadro GPU).

3.    Select Span displays with Surround (or enable Mosaic).

4.    Choose 2 displays and arrange them in a horizontal 2×1 configuration.

5.    Set the combined resolution — for example, 3840×1080 for two 1920×1080 projectors.

6.    Click Enable Surround → Apply.

7.    Verify: your Windows desktop now spans both projector outputs as a single wide logical display.
 

AMD Eyefinity Setup

8.    Right-click the Windows desktop → AMD Radeon Software.

9.    Navigate to Display → Eyefinity.

10. Click Create Eyefinity Display Group.

11. Select both projector displays and arrange in a 2×1 horizontal layout.

12. Confirm the combined resolution (e.g., 3840×1080).

13. Click Create → Apply.

14. Verify: Windows desktop now spans both projectors as one logical display.

▶ IMPORTANT After creating the display group, the Windows taskbar should stretch continuously across both projectors as a single wide desktop. If the taskbar appears only on one projector, or if Windows reports two separate monitors, the display spanning configuration was not applied correctly. Verify your GPU driver version and all cable connections before launching Pixelwarp Evo.

Section 4 — Launching Pixelwarp Evo & Creating a Project

1.    Insert your USB dongle (if using hardware licensing) or verify your digital license is active and connected to the internet if required.

2.    Launch Pixelwarp Evo from the Start Menu or desktop shortcut. Always launch Pixelwarp Evo before launching any simulation, game, or media application.

3.    In the main interface, Pixelwarp Evo will detect the display group created in Section 3. Confirm that your combined resolution is listed correctly (e.g., 3840×1080).

4.    Select your display group from the display list in the Pixelwarp Evo interface.

5.    Click New Configuration (or navigate to File → New).

6.    In the configuration dialog, select 2×1 warp configuration — this declares to Pixelwarp Evo that two projectors are arranged side-by-side horizontally.

7.    Name your project clearly (e.g., CurvedScreen_2Proj_Main) and click OK.

8.    The Pixelwarp Evo workspace opens, displaying two side-by-side warp grids — one per projector output channel.

✓ TIP — Save Early and Often

Save your project immediately after creation: File → Save As. Continue saving frequently throughout the entire calibration process. Use descriptive filenames with date stamps (e.g., CurvedScreen_2Proj_2026-05-27_v1.pwx) to preserve calibration milestones.

Section 5 — Warp Grid Setup & Geometric Correction

5.1 Understanding the Warp Grid
 

●     The warp grid is a mesh of movable control points overlaid on each projector's output channel.

●     Moving control points distorts the projected image to compensate for the geometric distortion introduced by the curved screen surface.

●     Default grid density: Pixelwarp Evo supports up to 40×40 warp control points per projector output. Begin with a coarser grid (e.g., 10×10) and increase density only as required.
 

5.2 Enabling a Test Pattern

1.    In Pixelwarp Evo, click Test Pattern (or press T) to overlay a grid or crosshatch test pattern on the projected output.

2.    Select the Grid or Crosshatch pattern type — this makes geometric distortion clearly visible against the curved screen surface.

3.    Project the test pattern onto the curved screen and observe the distortion produced by the screen's curvature. This is your baseline for correction.

5.3 Manual Geometric Correction Steps

4.    Select Projector 1 in the Pixelwarp Evo interface (left panel).

5.    Click on a warp grid control point near an edge of the projected image that shows visible distortion.

6.    Drag the control point to correct the geometry — align it with where the projected grid line should land on the screen surface.

7.    Work systematically from corners inward: correct corner control points first, then edge midpoints, then interior points.

8.    Use the arrow keys for fine-grained sub-pixel adjustment of any selected control point.

9.    Repeat for all distorted regions until the crosshatch test pattern appears geometrically accurate and even on the curved screen surface.

10. Switch to Projector 2 in the interface and repeat steps 2–6 for the right-side warp grid.

11. Enable both projectors simultaneously and verify that the overlapping center region is geometrically consistent and continuous across the seam.

ⓘ NOTE — Curved Screen Distortion Characteristics

On a cylindrical curved screen, expect barrel or pincushion distortion at the left and right edges of each projector's image. Correct outward-bowing grid lines by pulling edge control points inward toward the image center. Correct inward-bowing lines by pushing edge control points outward. This is normal behavior for curved surface projection and is fully compensated by the warp grid.

5.4 Increasing Warp Grid Density

1.    If coarse grid correction is insufficient for complex surfaces (dome, irregular curves, or large-format screens), increase grid density: navigate to Settings → Warp Grid → Increase Points, or right-click the warp area and select Add Points.

2.    Fine-tune additional control points to smooth any remaining residual distortion.

3.    Do not increase density unnecessarily — more control points require significantly more calibration time and can introduce instability if over-fitted to minor irregularities.

Section 6 — Soft-Edge Blending & Overlap Settings

6.1 Defining the Blend Region

4.    In Pixelwarp Evo, select Projector 1 and open the Blend / Edge Settings panel.

5.    Set the Right Edge Blend width for Projector 1 to match the physical overlap zone on screen — typically 15–25% of the image width. Example: for a 1920px-wide output, set blend width to approximately 300–480 pixels.

6.    Select Projector 2 and set the Left Edge Blend width to the identical pixel value used for Projector 1.

7.    Confirm that both blend regions are mirrored and symmetric at the center seam line.
 

6.2 Blend Curve (Gamma) Adjustment

8.    In the blend settings panel, adjust the blend curve / gamma for each edge:

●     A linear (straight diagonal) blend curve is a useful starting point.

●     An S-curve or soft gamma rolloff typically produces the most seamless result on curved screens, where brightness falloff must be gradual.

9.    Pixelwarp Evo provides individual RGB gamma adjustment for the blend region — particularly useful for color-mismatched projectors where red, green, and blue channels age at different rates.

10. Adjust the blend curve until the brightness of the overlap region visually matches the non-overlapping image zones at both sides.
 

6.3 Black Level Matching
 

11. Display a full black test image on both projectors simultaneously.

12. If the overlap zone appears as a brighter grey stripe (common with lower-contrast projectors), use Pixelwarp Evo's Black Level / Dynamic Black Offset Correction:

○     Navigate to Settings → Black Level Correction (v6.x label: Dynamic Black Offset Correction)

○     Raise the black floor of the non-overlapping zones to match the lifted-black level of the overlap region

13. Iterate the adjustment until the black level appears visually uniform across the full screen width at the primary viewing position.

⚠ WARNING

A visible grey stripe in dark content scenes is almost always a projector contrast limitation, not a software error. If Black Level / Dynamic Black Offset correction cannot fully eliminate the stripe, the most effective hardware solution is switching to a grey-gain screen material (e.g., grey ALR screen) with a gain below 0.8. Software correction alone has physical limits based on the projectors' native contrast ratios.

6.4 Overlap Region Diagram

1.    If coarse grid correction is insufficient for complex surfaces (dome, irregular curves, or large-format screens), increase grid density: navigate to Settings → Warp Grid → Increase Points, or right-click the warp area and select Add Points.

2.    Fine-tune additional control points to smooth any remaining residual distortion.

3.    Do not increase density unnecessarily — more control points require significantly more calibration time and can introduce instability if over-fitted to minor irregularities.

Figure 2 — Soft-edge blend zone diagram for two 1920px-wide projector outputs. Values are illustrative; adjust to your physical setup.

Section 7 — Color & Brightness Matching

1.    Display a 50% grey test pattern on both projectors simultaneously.

2.    Stand at the primary viewing position and visually compare the brightness of: the left image zone, the overlap zone, and the right image zone.

3.    If one projector appears noticeably brighter:

○     Reduce that projector's lamp output / brightness in its OSD (on-screen display) menu to match the dimmer unit, or

○     Use Pixelwarp Evo's per-output color balance / gain controls to reduce the overall output gain of the brighter channel.

4.    Display a full white test pattern and compare white points between projectors:

○     If color temperature differs (one projector appears warmer or cooler), adjust Color Temperature in the projector's OSD menu.

○     Use Pixelwarp Evo's per-output RGB gamma sliders in the blend region for fine-grained color temperature matching.

5.    Display a color bars test pattern (SMPTE or EBU) and compare reds, greens, and blues across the seam boundary:

○     Adjust individual RGB channels in Pixelwarp Evo's color correction panel until each primary color appears identical in hue and saturation across the seam.

6.    Repeat steps 1–5 iteratively until no perceptible brightness or color difference is visible at the seam from the primary viewing position.

✓ TIP — Assumption A Reminder

Even identical projector models of the same make and production batch can diverge in brightness by 10–20% due to differential lamp aging, especially if one projector has significantly more operating hours than the other. Always complete the full color and brightness matching procedure (this section) even when using a perfectly matched pair. Check lamp hours in each projector's information menu before beginning.

Troubleshooting Checklist

Use this quick-reference table to diagnose and resolve the most common issues encountered during and after two-projector curved screen calibration.