How to Preview LED Content in the Scene View (LED Simulation)

Last updated 28 July 2026

How to Preview LED Content in the Scene View (LED Simulation)

Preview how content will look on a real LED installation directly in the 3D scene view, before any hardware is connected. The LED Simulation renders discrete LED pixels on Display surfaces, sampling the composited output to color each simulated LED.

Before you start

  • At least one Display added to the scene (the LED Simulation section appears only on Display surfaces, not regular Surfaces)
  • At least one mapping exists on the Display (the mask is mapped via the surface's UV mapping)
  • Content assigned to the Display (via a Sequence channel targeting the Display, or a Default Asset)
  • Optional: an LED mask image (black/white, where white = LED position) if you want to define specific LED positions rather than using every pixel, or you want to mask out Windows or Doors that will not have LEDs
  • Optional: an Art-Net output configured and routed to this Display, if you want the LED positions to come from the DMX pixel mapping

Steps

1. Select the Display in the scene

Select your Display in the Scene Objects panel or click it in the Scene View. The Inspector shows the Display's properties.

2. Open the LED Simulation section

In the Inspector, expand the LED Simulation (UI) collapsible section. This section appears below Split & Rasterization.

3. Enable the LED preview

Check the Enable checkbox. The scene view immediately begins rendering simulated LEDs on the Display. An "Updating LEDs..." indicator appears while the LED positions are being extracted.

4. Choose the mode

Set the Mode dropdown:

  • LED Wall — for dense LED walls where the pixel grid covers the surface. Renders the grid directly on the surface geometry. Scales to full output resolutions.

  • LED Facade — for sparse LED installations with visible gaps (media facades, pixel tubes). Renders one dot per LED as a camera-facing billboard. Includes distance-based behavior where LEDs grow to fill gaps as you zoom out, matching how bright LEDs appear in the real world.

5. Set the mask source

The Mask Source determines where the LED positions come from:

  • None (all pixels) — every output pixel is an LED. The display resolution defines the pixel grid.

  • Image File — a black/white mask image where white pixels mark LED positions in UV space. Click the Mask button to browse for an image file (PNG, BMP, JPG, TGA, TIFF, GIF).

  • Art-Net Output — uses the DMX pixel mapping from an Art-Net output. Updates automatically when the mapping changes. Select Auto to use the Art-Net output this Display is routed to, or pick a specific output.

6. Adjust LED size and appearance

Set LED Size to match the physical LED size of your installation in millimeters. In LED Facade mode, you can also adjust LED Shape (Circle or Square), Min Dot Size (the on-screen size at which LEDs start growing to fill gaps), and Edge Fade (softness of cell edges).

7. Exclude non-LED faces (optional)

If your imported 3D model has faces that show content but hold no physical LEDs (for example, edge returns), click Pick faces (3D) under LED Faces. Click faces in the 3D scene view to toggle whether they carry LEDs (green = carries LEDs). Press Esc or right-click to end picking. Use All or None to reset the selection.

Face picking is not available when LED Layout is set to Color Pipe, since Color Pipe places pixels along the tube's centerline instead of on individual faces.

Options explained

Setting

Description

Values / Range

Enable

Turns the LED simulation on or off for this Display.

Checkbox

Mode

Rendering approach. LED Wall renders the pixel grid on the surface itself. LED Facade renders individual LED dots as billboards with distance-based gap filling.

Dropdown: LED Wall, LED Facade

Mask Source

Where the LED positions come from. None uses every pixel. Image File loads a black/white mask. Art-Net Output uses the DMX pixel mapping from an Art-Net output.

Dropdown: None (all pixels), Image File, Art-Net Output

-Art-Net Output

Which Art-Net output supplies the DMX mapping. Auto uses the output this Display is routed to.

Dropdown: Auto, or a named Art-Net output

-Mask

Path to a black/white mask image. White pixels mark LED positions in the mapping's UV space. Shown only when Mask Source is Image File.

File browser (PNG, BMP, JPG, TGA, TIFF, GIF)

Mapping

Which UV mapping the mask is mapped in. Default follows the surface's current default mapping. Pick a mapping explicitly to pin it.

Dropdown: Default, or any mapping on the surface

LED Layout

How mask pixels map onto the geometry. Faces maps via UV. Color Pipe treats the geometry as a pixel tube with pixels running along the centerline (for LED tubes and pixel strips). Auto selects Color Pipe for 1-pixel masks, Faces otherwise. LED Facade mode only.

Dropdown: Auto, Faces, Color Pipe

LED Shape

Visual shape of each LED dot. Also affects how cells grow toward neighbors. LED Facade mode only.

Dropdown: Circle, Square

LED Size

Physical LED size in millimeters. For Color Pipe layouts, the size is derived from the tube's cross-section and this value scales relative to that.

0.10 – 10000.00 mm (drag)

Min Dot Size

On-screen pixel size below which an LED starts growing toward its neighbors, gradually closing the black gaps. Simulates how bright LEDs merge into a continuous image at distance. LED Facade mode only.

1.0 – 48.0 px (drag, default 4.0)

Edge Fade

Width of the fade-out zone at the edge of each LED cell. 0 = hard edges. The cell interior keeps full brightness. LED Facade mode only.

0.00 – 4.00 px (drag, default 1.0)

LED Faces

Per-face selection of which mesh faces carry LEDs. Use Pick faces (3D) to click faces in the scene view. Not available in Color Pipe layout.

Pick faces (3D) / All / None buttons

Copy LED List

Copies the extracted LED positions (UV coordinates and surface-local XYZ) as CSV to the clipboard. Useful for diagnostics or external tools.

Button

How content colors are determined

The LED colors come from one of two compositing paths, selected automatically:

  • Composited output content — when the Display is connected to an output, the LEDs sample the exact pipeline the real output would use. Layer order, opacity, fades, blend modes, and keying all apply.

  • Composited content layers — when no output is connected, render layers are composited using the scene content pipelines instead. Same layer compositing rules apply.

The status line at the bottom of the LED Simulation section shows which path is active.

Art-Net Locate mirror

When an Art-Net output's Locate function is active (blinking selected pixels on the physical LED hardware), the LED Simulation mirrors that highlight in the 3D scene view. Located LEDs flash in the locate color while non-located LEDs are dimmed. This lets you identify individual pixels in the scene without looking at the physical installation.

Common Mistakes

  • No LEDs appear despite enabling the preview — Check the status line at the bottom of the section. Common causes: no UV mapping on the surface, the mask image path is wrong or the image failed to load, or Art-Net mask source is selected but the Display is not connected to any Art-Net output. The status line shows the specific issue.

  • Mask has white pixels but no LEDs are generated — The white pixels in the mask must fall inside the mapping's UV range (0..1). Check the UV range shown in the status line. If the mesh UVs extend beyond 0..1, the mask pixels may not overlap.

  • Looking for the LED Simulation section on a regular Surface — LED Simulation is only available on Display objects, not on regular Surfaces or projection Surfaces. Create a Display in your scene if you need LED simulation.

  • LEDs appear on unwanted faces (edge returns, back faces) — Use the Pick faces (3D) tool to toggle off faces that should not carry LEDs. For double-sided geometry (outside + inside shell), only the visible face emits LEDs automatically.

Tips

  • Use LED Wall mode for dense LED panels where every pixel is visible. Use LED Facade mode for sparse installations, like buildings where the gaps between LEDs matter for the visual result.

  • For pixel tubes and LED strips, use a 1-pixel-high mask image. The Auto layout detects this and automatically switches to Color Pipe mode, which places pixels along the tube's centerline.

  • The mapping follows the surface's default mapping by default. If you change the default mapping, the LED preview updates automatically. Pin a specific mapping if you do not want this behavior.

  • Use Copy LED List to export the extracted LED positions as CSV for verification in external tools or for sharing with fixture manufacturers.

  • When using Art-Net as the mask source, the LED positions update live whenever the DMX mapping changes. This is useful during the mapping design phase.

Display — Display object reference (the scene object that carries LED Simulation).

Play a Video on a Segmented LED Screen — Play a Video on a Segmented LED Screen (installation scenario).

How to Set Up ArtNet and sACN Pixel Output — How to Set Up ArtNet and sACN Pixel Output.

Set Up a Projection Surface — Set Up a Projection Surface.