Garage door ideas?

[Jayxdallis]

Hi everyone

Any good ideas for a prop build in front of a panel lift garage door? Id like not to limit access inside but some how use this big empty space!

A big matrix would be cool but can't see how to not limit access

Regards

Jay

 

[OzAz]

People have done a matrix on their garage door, looked like a lot of hard work though.

Other options are

• a large picture on the door, there's a company in the States that make them, can't remember who but one of the guys on here got one last year.
• Project videos onto the door
• a self standing Matrix mounted in such a way that you can swing it out the way to get in and out the garage (that's what I've been doing)

 

[Jimbo]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Hd3_Jo6aXY


I used 150 electric inch screen, and video projector in lieu of matrix. HD projector. 4 x moving head lights under garage eve onto driveway.

End of night projector screen goes up, and can use garage normally.

 

[Mark_M]

I've had lights on my garage before and a system for the cable not to get caught during opening. It was basically a slack in the cable and it hung from the middle of the track.
Now that I have a sectional door this cable entry method is viable but the door folds into sections..... Certainly with enough effort a cable guide could be made to stop cables getting pinched between. I haven't been bothered as things are in front of the door on weekends (snow machine and inflatables).

But for your tilt door; Another idea for routing a cable from a steady surface to the moving garage door is cable tracks like CNC, 3D printer, etc use.
Similar to this (don't need to watch the entire video):

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VnistB9LC8


Or DIY with a vacuum hose:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Epy-xaOm-7Y


For ideas on props; large spinners, stars or snow flakes would look cool. They're flat props and are easily hung from the door. Powerful magnets can save on drilling holes.
That's my few cents worth of ideas.

 

[Jayxdallis]

I like the idea of moving heads on the driveway maybe i could focus on the blank spaces around the garage to detract from the door itself! Runway strips along the driveway too!!!

 

[Jayxdallis]

My God Jimbo.... I'm coming to Canberra to see that!! If i can just have 1% of the time, money and patience to setup a display like that id be a happy man.

 

[Jimbo]

Hi Jay,

unfortunately I am not doing a show this year as I have decided to take a break for a while (after 9 years).

You can go to my facebook page for the lights www.facebook.com/eliawarelights it has a lot of the details and shows what I did throughout the last 6 or 7 years.

Essentially the electric screen as less than $200 from ebay delivered. I bought an $800 HD projector. Used it for 5 years so far. I only spent about $1000 a year, trick is to start small and build up.

Lights on the driveway are effective. Before these I had some dimple cheaper $30 laser pattern lights of different colours on the driveway. These moving heads were about $110 each landed from China when I bought a few years ago.

 

[drakky]

I used 150 electric inch screen, and video projector in lieu of matrix. HD projector. 4 x moving head lights under garage eve onto driveway.

End of night projector screen goes up, and can use garage normally.

what are those moving head lights Jimbo , do you have a link? is the project an ultra short throw mounted in the middle of the moving head lights? what projector is it?

 

[Jimbo]

The link to the lights are here

Please note that these lights require inputting the dmx values to change the gobos and colours (and for moving left to right / up down etc), using the dmx effect. They are fiddley, and you cant just select colours and put them in.

I set up a spreadsheet and entered the dmx values in for each of the gobos, colours, left and right positions, up and down, strobe etc.

I then set them up on a light bar above my computer and did a rough programming of them. Then about 3-4 days before I commenced the display I installed them under the eve and at night time fine tuned the programming to enure the lights on the driveway lined up and stayed on the driveway.

Whilst a bit of work, they are very effective. I think i paid about $400 AU (included delivery by DHL, but the dollar was much higher then when i bought them). These are the 60Watt Led (not the 30Watt cheaper ones on eBay). When show was finished I placed a plastic bag over them at night. Lights have done 2 seasons (52 nights in total) and have not had any issue with them

In regards to the projector, this is forward projection. I used an Epson HD TW550 3000 Lumen projector placed on the side of the driveway about 3.5 metres from the garage door in a projector box. The model of Epson projector has one of the widest keystone correction, enabling to project from that angle onto the screen.

The 150 inch electric screen is from ebay, You can now get these for about $179 delivered. I have used my projector and screen for 6 seasons now (initial investing $1000 for both). So over 6 seasons that breaks the cost down to $166 per season.

I went down this route as I wanted something easy to set up (and have access to the garage for both cars), cost effective and minimal components that would be easy to and reliable.