As swimmers step up to the blocks, a name in each lane tells viewers who's where. ScoreCastr's Lane Names graphic draws them on the water of your start camera, in perspective, so they sit in the right lanes. You line up the pool once. After that, every start list you send gives you the names for that heat.
What you need
- The Starter plan. Lane Names is set up in the Customization sub-tab.
- A start camera that doesn't move: on a tripod, with no panning or zooming. If the camera moves, the names won't line up.
- The overlay in OBS as a 1920 by 1080 browser source over the start camera, with the camera filling the frame. See Add your overlay to OBS.
Take a screenshot of the start camera
- In OBS, right-click your start camera source.
- Choose Screenshot. OBS saves a picture of what the camera sees.
Take it with the camera framed exactly as it will be during the meet.
Line up the pool
- Open Overlays, then Customization, then Lane Names.
- Under 1. Line up the pool, click Upload screenshot and pick the OBS screenshot.
- Drag the four numbered dots onto the four corners of the water. They can go in any order.
- Watch the preview: the names should land in their lanes.
Put the dots on the corners of the whole swimming area, so all the lanes are inside them. Reset corners puts the dots back where they started.
The screenshot stays on your computer and is only there to help you place the dots. Only the dot positions are saved. If you reload the page, upload the screenshot again to adjust the dots.
The preview uses Classic name plates. On air, the plates follow the match's graphics template (Classic, Apex or Primetime).
Choose the settings
Under 2. Settings:
| Setting | Choices |
|---|---|
| Style | Painted on water (names lie flat in the lanes) or Standing tags (upright tags at each lane) |
| Lane 1 is | Nearest camera or Farthest away |
| Start end is | Left or Right: which side of the picture the blocks are on |
| Names sit | At the blocks, A few metres out, or Mid pool |
| Hide after | Stay up, 5 s, 8 s (the default) or 10 s |
| Show | Lane number and Team logo, both on to start |
On Classic, the Color Customization panel below sets the plate colors: the name bar, the lane number box and the team logo box. On Apex and Primetime, colors come from the template. See Swimming graphics.
Channel Assignment at the top of the panel picks which output the names go to. If your start camera scene uses Channel 2, set it there.
Save
Click Save Lane Names. Nothing reaches the broadcast until you save. The line beside the button says Not saved yet. while you have changes, and Saved. Show it from the Scoring tab or the sidebar. once you've saved.
Show the names each heat
The names come from the lanes on the Scoring tab. Only lanes with a swimmer get a name.
- Fill in the heat and click Update Start List (or load the heat from your meet program). The names come from what's on air, so send the start list first.
- Switch OBS to the start camera.
- Click Show Lane Names in the Lane Names card on the Scoring tab. You can also use Show Lane Names in the Overlay Visibility panel, or code 1011 with a Stream Deck.
The names fade out on their own after the Hide after time. With Stay up, click Hide Lane Names when you're done. The card tells you which: "Hides on its own after 8 seconds." or "Stays up until you hide it."
Fix common problems
The names don't line up with the lanes. The camera moved, a dot is off, or the camera doesn't fill the OBS frame. Take a new screenshot and drag the dots onto the corners of the water again.
Show Lane Names is greyed out. The pool hasn't been lined up and saved yet. The card says "Line up the pool first in Overlays > Customization > Lane Names."
A lane has no name. Its swimmer name is empty on air. Fill it in and click Update Start List.
The names are in the wrong lanes, in reverse. Change Lane 1 is to the other choice and save.
The lane numbers are off by one. Set Lane Numbers under Customization, then Lane Results, to match the pool (for example 0 to 9).
The button still says Hide Lane Names after the names faded. The names fade on the broadcast by themselves, but the dashboard only switches the graphic off while the Scoring tab is open. Click Hide Lane Names, then Show Lane Names for the next heat.
Checklist
- Start camera locked off and filling the OBS frame
- Screenshot uploaded and four dots on the corners of the water
- Style, lane 1, start end, spot and hide time set
- Save Lane Names clicked
- Start list sent before showing the names
- Show Lane Names clicked on the start camera