The Volkswagen stand at Auto China, a white Tiguan and a Phideon under the sweeping white ceiling ribbons with the blue-lit pixel walls and Volkswagen screens behind

Auto China International Automotive Exhibition

Scroll

Pixel wall installation illuminated by ENTTEC

Collaborating with SoulMates Interactive and A&A Expo, for Auto China International Automotive Exhibition the installation used ENTTEC's LED Mapper software, Pixelators, and PLink Injectors. Over 400 meters of pixel tape and 50,000 pixels created a stunning visual display, showcasing Volkswagen's futuristic automotive technology with sleek, moving beams of light.

What better way to convey the futuristic and fast-paced nature of roadcar technology than with sleek, moving beams of light? Netherlands-based SoulMates Interactive was asked by A&A Expo to think about a solution that would conceal LED strips within the walls of Volkswagen‘s booth at the 2018 Auto China exhibition.

After intense evaluation and testing, it was concluded that individually addressable LEDs with 144 pixels per metre would be required to guarantee smooth transitions and keep the individual pixels neatly hidden beneath dark opaque diffusers. It took three days on location in Beijing to assemble all the pixel strips and controlling hardware, with the resulting informative display providing eye-catching automotive echoes, highlighting selling points and features in a way somewhat reminiscent of the warning lights on a car dashboard.

In total, 10 Pixelators and over 200 PLink Injectors (running from 100 power supplies) were used to great effect. Because movement of light is key to the visual concept here, this is a project that is much better illustrated in video form.

So check out some of these captures of the wall in action:

Wide view of the stand from the aisle, the full array of lit rings overhead and visitors circling the orange T-Roc

Solution

Controls

Powered by ELM (ENTTEC LED Mapping Software), 10 x Pixelators, 201 x PLink Injectors

Lights

Lit up by 400 + Metres of Pixel Tape. Explore ENTTEC's range here

Wiring diagram running from a laptop with ELM to two rack-mounted Pixelators, on to PLink injectors and 400 metres of pixel tape totalling 50,000 pixels

With almost 400 metres of pixel tape and 50,000 pixels to control over 320 Universes, you have to seriously think about how to control it, and because we had good experiences in the past with ENTTEC, we soon selected ENTTEC LED Mapper (ELM) in combination with ENTTEC Pixelators. And because it’s so easy to control ELM software using the lighting desk, our light operator had all the options he wanted to control the LEDs on only a single Universe.

DENNIS WAGNERTECHNICAL DESIGNER, SOULMATES INTERACTIVE BV
  • SoulMates Interactive logo
  • A&A Expo logo
  • Volkswagen logo
  • Auto China logo

Result

  • Illuminated Volkswagen logo sign on a white rounded frame, shot from below against the exhibition hall rigging
  • A white Tiguan and a white Passat under curved white ceiling ribbons, blue-lit walls and screens behind them
  • Champagne Passat in the foreground with an orange hatchback and further cars lined up along the blue-lit back wall
  • Blue-lit feature wall carrying glowing Chinese and English callouts including All New Touareg, a brown SUV parked in front
  • Visitors packed around a car roof while the blue wall and its mirror balls glow behind the Innovation Cockpit screen
  • Close on the welcome wall, Willkommen, Bienvenue and the Chinese greeting picked out in light with blue pixel strips running between them
  • The same welcome wall from further back during the build, bare deck panels and a flight case still on the floor
  • Build stage of the dark wall, pink and white pixel strips already lit, a step ladder alongside and moving lights on the truss above

Related products

Explore products used

Explore the full range of ENTTEC products

View all products
Royal Botanical Gardens UK, Architecture, United Kingdom (UK)

Royal Botanical Gardens UK
2018, United Kingdom (UK)

Architecture

Next Project

Get Inspired

Talk to a lighting expert

Get In Touch