01 · MASTER CANVASHow large is the complete production stage?
The Master Canvas is the shared coordinate system for the event. It provides the overall stage dimensions in which every logical surface can be positioned.
STAGE + OUTPUT MAPPING
Design the stage independently of the hardware delivering it.
Ascension separates the production coordinate system, the logical surfaces in the show and the physical outputs that deliver those surfaces. Build the model once, then map real I/O underneath it.
THREE LAYERS OF THE PHYSICAL SHOW
Canvas. Spaces. Outputs.
Each level answers a different question. Keeping those questions separate is what lets Ascension scale without forcing the programming model to mirror the cable plant.
01 · MASTER CANVAS
02 · PIXEL SPACESWhat logical surfaces does the show contain?
Pixel Spaces define the actual stage surfaces the programming targets. Each one has a name, raster, position, engine channel and render rate.
03 · OUTPUTSWhich hardware delivers each region?
Physical outputs consume mapped regions of Pixel Spaces. Screen, DeckLink/SDI and NDI destinations can be assigned without turning those connectors into the identity of the show.
PIXEL SPACES
Model the surfaces the audience sees.
A stage rarely behaves like one rectangular monitor. Pixel Spaces let the event describe center screens, side surfaces, banners, scenic columns, floor or walkway canvases, projection areas and other logical destinations inside one larger production canvas.
- Independent raster dimensions and render rate
- Positioned anywhere inside the Master Canvas
- Stable logical targets for layers, cues and timeline tracks
- Visual snapping and grid tools for stage layout
- One Pixel Space can be delivered by one or more physical output mappings
PHYSICAL OUTPUTS
Make hardware an assignment layer.
Output Mapping brings the available local and Extended-node I/O into one editor. Assign a physical output to the appropriate Pixel Space region and place it using the same stage coordinate system.
- Screen outputs discovered from the operating system
- DeckLink / SDI outputs with device-specific properties
- NDI output destinations
- Local and Extended-node output inventory in the same production model
- Independent source and destination geometry for precise placement and scaling
WHY THE SEPARATION MATTERS
Change the delivery system without changing what the show means.
The logical production remains stable while the physical implementation changes underneath it.
Programming remains readable.
CueBoard rows, Timeline routes and layer states address logical Pixel Spaces instead of being built around specific display connectors.
Hardware can be reassigned.
Move a destination from one local display to another output or an Extended system without redesigning the creative stage model.
Additional nodes fit the same model.
Extended nodes contribute physical I/O and rendering capacity to the same mapped production rather than creating another independently operated show.
REGISTRATION + TROUBLESHOOTING
Test the stage in the same coordinate system you mapped.
Ascension's registration grid can target selected Pixel Spaces and generate continuous geometry that follows the logical stage model. That makes installation alignment and output-boundary troubleshooting part of the same workflow.
Explore monitoring and registration →
NEXT: DISTRIBUTE THE STAGE