Create Scene for Projection, optionally Stereoscopic

Last updated 7 August 2026

Build a scene that represents your installation: the surface you project onto, the projectors that light it, and where both sit in the room. Backstage renders each projector's output from this scene, so the closer the scene matches reality, the closer the projected image lands.

Before you start

Collect this information about the installation first — every step below needs it:

  • Dimensions of the projection surface

  • Number and type of projectors

  • Projector positions and orientations in the room

  • Each projector's aspect ratio, horizontal field of view and lens shift, from its data sheet

Steps

1. Add a surface

Open Scene Objects, click + (Add scene object) and choose the surface that matches what you project onto:

Set the dimensions in Surface Default Properties so they match the real screen, then place and rotate it under Transformation.

2. Add the projectors

Click + again and select Device → Projector. In Projector Properties, match the object to the real projector:

  • Aspect Ratio

  • Horizontal Field of View

  • Lens Shift

Set its position and orientation under Transformation. Repeat for every projector in the installation.

If the projectors are already connected to the machine you are working on, use Video Routing Window to link each one to its GPU output. Once routed, the outputs update in real time as you change projector and surface parameters — so you can align against the real image.

3. Position objects in the scene view

Objects can also be transformed directly in the scene view. The buttons at the top left of the window switch between Move Object, Rotate Object and Scale Object.

  • Drag the gizmo indicators with the mouse, or use the arrow keys for the first two axes and Page Up / Page Down for the third — depth when moving, roll when rotating.

  • The world / local selector next to those buttons decides whether a transformation follows the room's axes or the object's own.

4. Optional: pair two sources for stereoscopic 3D

A Stereo Container pairs a left and a right source into one stereoscopic asset. Skip this step for ordinary single-image projection.

  1. Import one asset per eye in the Assets window.

  2. Click + under Stereo Container to create a container, then select it and rename it if you want to.

  3. Choose how many channels it has — usually two, for passive or active 3D.

  4. Assign the assets that belong together to each channel.

The container can then be selected as an event on any video channel assigned to the surface you created in step 1, in the Sequencer.

Common Mistakes

  • The image lands in the wrong place on the surface, even though the projector is positioned correctly — the projector object still carries default optics. Copy aspect ratio, horizontal field of view and lens shift from the projector's data sheet.

  • The scene looks right but the output stays black — a projector object produces a signal only once it is routed to a GPU output in Video Routing.

  • Surface dimensions entered in the wrong unit — the scene is built to scale, so a surface entered in centimetres against projectors placed in metres puts everything out of proportion.

Tips

  • The snap options next to the transform buttons constrain movement to fixed increments — useful for placing projectors on a regular grid or rig.

  • Model the surface before the projectors. Projector placement is judged against the surface, so a surface that changes size afterwards invalidates the alignment.

Get Started with Backstage — full walkthrough from an empty project to content on screen

Import Video & Audio Assets — how to bring media into Backstage

Edit Mappings — adjust how content is projected onto surfaces

Set up a manual panorama projection — manual warping for multi-projector panoramas