House Mapping Kit
“What equipment do I need to project on my house?”
Here is a list of suitable equipment that will form a great starting point for your own further research. Remember that every house mapping set-up is slightly different and you will need to consider whether this equipment is right for you.
Each of the links below will take you through to an Amazon page for the item. They are affiliate links which means I earn a small commission if you purchase an item through this link.
Projectors
I recommend using a projector with a short throw lens and recommend a minimum brightness in the 3000-3500 lumen range. Full HD resolution is usually enough for a standard house, but you might choose to go to 4K if your house is large or that extra resolution is important to you.
Optoma GT2000HDR
– Laser light source
– 1080p HD with 4K HDR Input
– 3500 Lumens
– Short throw lens
Optoma GT2100HDR
– Laser light source
– 1080p HD with 4K HDR Input
– 4200 Lumens
– Short throw lens
Media Player
A media player is a little device which handles playback of your media files from your projector and is an alternative to playing media directly from your computer. You can load your video onto an SD card or USB thumb drive and plug it into the media player and then connect the media player to your projector, usually via HDMI.
Some people use a Raspberry Pi running FPP as a media player.
NEUMI Atom 4K Ultra-HD Media Player
– Plays 4K/UHD 60fps Videos
– HDMI and Analog AV
– Automatic Playback and Looping
MedeaWiz DV-S1 Sprite
– Looping HD Media Player
– 1080p 60Hz
– HDMI, NTSC and PAL Outputs
– Trigger Input and Serial Control
Computer
Check the minimum requirements of all the software you intend to use in your projection mapping workflow and use those as a guide to what you will need.
Using After Effects as an example: multicore processor, 16GB of RAM (ideally 32 GB), a graphics card with at least 2GB of VRAM (ideally 4GB) and at least 15GB of disk space.
ASUS ROG Strix G15 Gaming Laptop
– 15.6” 300Hz IPS Type FHD Display
– NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti
– AMD Ryzen R7-5800H
– 16GB DDR4
– 1TB PCIe SSD
Lenovo Legion 5
– 15.6″ FHD Display
– AMD Ryzen 7 5800H
– 16GB RAM
– 512GB Storage
– NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050Ti
Apple MacBook Pro
– 13.3″ with Retina Display
– M1 Chip with 8-Core CPU and 8-Core GPU
– 16GB Memory
– 1TB SSD
Audio
If you’re hoping to incorporate music and sound in your show your options are either speakers or an FM transmitter, or both.
OontZ Angle 3 Bluetooth Speaker
– Portable Bluetooth Speakers
– 10 Watt Output
– 100 Foot Wireless Bluetooth Range
– 14 Hours Battery Life
– Water Resistant (IPX5)
Ortizan Portable Bluetooth Speaker
– IPX7 Waterproof Wireless Speaker
– 24W Loud Stereo Sound
– Bluetooth 5.0
– 30H Playtime
– 66ft Bluetooth Range
Whole House FM Transmitter 3.0
– Broadcast 150 feet throughout your entire home, office, backyard, etc.
– Transmit across the entire public FM band (88.1 to 107.9) on both even and odd frequencies
Syncwire Headphone Splitter
– Nylon-Braided 3.5mm Extension Cable Audio Stereo Y Splitter
– 3.5mm Male To 2 Ports 3.5mm Female
Cables
You will likely need an HDMI cable or equivalent depending on what your projector accepts as a media input. You will also need extension cables that are rated for outdoor use.
In terms of safety, if you are very concerned about your cables in wet conditions you might consider extension cord gaskets and a connection protector box. You might also want cable covers to reduce tripping hazards.
PowerBear 4K HDMI Cable
– 10 ft
– High Speed Hdmi Cables
– Braided Nylon & Gold Connectors
– 4K @ 60Hz, Ultra HD, 2K, 1080P
100 Foot Outdoor Extension Cord
– 100ft
– 16/3 SJTW Durable Green Extension Cable
– 3 Prong Grounded Plug for Safety
Weatherproof Extension Cord Gasket
– 10 pack
– Keeps rain on extension cords from causing a short and tripping GFCI outlets.
RESTMO Waterproof Connection Box
– IP44, Weatherproof Electrical Extension Cord Cover
D-Line 6ft Floor Cord Cover
– Floor Cable Protector, Extension Cord Cover
– Cord Cavity = 0.63″ (W) x 0.31″ (H)
Window Covering
You need to put some kind of opaque material in your windows in order to catch the projection, otherwise the light will simply go straight through the glass.
Your cheapest options include paper or cardboard. Some people use frosted shower curtains. The best options are static cling blackout vinyl or perforated vinyl so that you can still partially see out of the windows.
FEOMOS White Total Blackout Window Film
– Static Cling
– 100% Light Blocking Film
– 17.3×78.7 inches
VViViD One Way Perforated Window Vinyl
– Privacy Wrap Film Roll Decal Sheet DIY Easy to Use Air-Release Adhesive (1ft x 54 Inch)
LiBa PEVA 8G Bathroom Shower Curtain
– 72″ W x 72″ H, Frosted, 8G Heavy Duty Waterproof Shower Curtain Liner
Enclosure
There are some options out there for purchasing professionally manufactured outdoor-rated projector housings. Then there is the DIY route which might combine several pre-made components.
Pre-Made
Outdoor Projector Enclosure
Max Projector Dimensions (WxDxH): 17.1×15.7×6.1 inches (43.5x40x15.5 cm)
DIY Components
Rubbermaid Tote Storage Container
Rubbermaid Commercial Products Brute Tote Storage Container With Lid. 20 Gallon
Projector Tripod Stand
Laptop Tripod Adjustable Height 23 to 63 Inch DJ Mixer Stand Up Desk The Outdoor Computer Desk Stand Portable
WALI Projector Ceiling Mount
Universal Low Profile Projector Mount with Retractable Arms and Multiple Adjustment Function (PM-002-W)
Home Theatre Glass
Sometimes called projector porthole or port glass or water white glass.
Inkbird ITC-308 Digital Temperature Controller
2-Stage Outlet Thermostat Heating and Cooling Mode Carboy Homebrew Fermenter Greenhouse Terrarium 110V 10A 1100W
AMPELE 2 Pack 1-1/4'' NPT Cable Gland
Waterproof Adjustable 18.5-25mm/0.73-0.98inch Nylon Cable Glands Joints with Gaskets (1-1/4″, 2 Pack)
10 Inch Spiral Ground Anchors
Heavy Duty Screw in Earth Anchors with Crow Bar, 4 Pack Folding Ring Shed Anchor Kit
Apparel
Certainly not required for house mapping but a fun way to show your projection mapping love. See the range of projection mapping apparel and accessories.
