Create New Project
- Start PRIME VSAR.
- Create a new project by selecting the PRIME VSAR example project and press Next.
- PRIME VSAR comes with a couple of Virtual Studio samples originating from Unreal marketplace. Select the Blank project and press Next.
- As for any Unreal projects, settings may be set up before creating it, but may be later changed. It is recommended to have Maximum Quality and Desktop/Console by default. Specify the Project path where the related files will be saved, its name and then press Create Project.
PRIME VSAR will automatically restart and load the new Project.
The Project will load an empty Level (or Map) in the main window. It is possible to create other Levels and save them as Assets than can be found in the Content Browser. Within the Content Browser you can organize your content by creating folders.
- Create a ‘Levels’ folder and save the empty Level in it.
If the system has a Matrox Card, by default there should be an existing Video Output using the first playout port of the card (VSAR Config > Video Output > Outputs).
- If not, create a Video Output by adding a NDI output (VSAR Config > Video Output > Output Configuration).
- Add a MT Cesium Camera (VSAR Config > Cameras).
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Usually the Camera is controlled by Cesium, you can test it with Cesium and the ‘Simulation’ driver and the PanTilt rig (mapping the PanTilt in the mechanical Transform to Pan/Tilt) and enabling the Cesium Tracking on Cesium Camera, by changing the Pan value or others.
Tip: to easily manipulate the Camera you can use the Pilot option as follows:
The camera output is as well connected to the first output port of the Matrox Card through HAL:
- If there is no Matrox card present in your rig, change this setting to NDI, enable the ‘Force alpha’ checkbox (in the Camera properties under Video Output - Key) and open the NDI Video Monitor application to get the Camera Video output.
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- The Matrox card status can be displayed as real-time logs on the main window. To enable/disable or change the logs level, use the ‘On Screen Verbosity’ (Video Output > Video Output Configuration).
If you plan to work in Tracking mode, or facilitate the work of designers by setting up special references of the real studio, you can load a tracking file in Tools > Targets:
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Adding a Virtual Screen controlled by an AB Switch
The AB Switch is used to provide video transitions within virtual screens or between Scenes.
- Start by creating an AB Switch (VSAR Config > Tools > AB Switch), select the created AB Switch and click the ‘Create Render Target & Material’ button. This will create a new Material object in the Content Browser.
- Add a Plan Actor from the left side menu. Then change the Plan position from the right menu to be vertical (Transform > Rotation > X=90), upper on the set (Location settings), its size to be 16/9 (Scale settings), etc.
Tip: press the F shortcut to frame the object.
- At this stage this Plan is just an opaque object to interconnect the Plan and the AB Switch and change the Plan surface, select the previously created Material Object (Content Browser > ABSwitch) and drop it onto the plan.
- To test it use the Effects and Simulate settings of the switch.
- To autoplay media files or Matrox video inputs with the AB Switch, open the Level Blueprint.
- Create a new Variable with a name such as ‘MediaPlayer’, of Type ‘Media Player’ and subType ’Object Reference’ to allow to drag and drop it.
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- Compile and add the target Media Player object as value of the variable.
- Drop the Variable onto the Event Graph window and select the displayed option ‘Get MediaPlayer’.
- Add a ‘Open Url’ element and fill the Url setting with the source media file or stream.
- Add a Play element.
- Link the elements as follows and press Compile.
- we can also set the sources
Reflections and Shadows
- Add a Cube (Using the Place Actors Window) to the main Window.
- In the Camera Settings, deactivate the Force Alpha option and set the Cube as a Foreground Object:
↓ - Add a “AR Shadows and Reflection Plane” Actor to substitute the default to one allowing shadows and reflections in Alpha and place it to roughly cover the existing one:
- Hide the default Floor by deselecting the Visible checkbox.
- Go to the Camera settings and set the ARPlane Object setting to the created Mt ARPlane object. This should correctly enable the display of the reflexion and shadow to the Camera:
- To add the reflection and shadow of the screen panel, add it in the Camera’s Object in Foreground list.
TIP1: to change the light origin, change the Rotation Z value of the Light Source object.
TIP2: the Reflection and Shadow opacity settings are under the MtARPlane settings.
Text
- Add a Mt TextPrimitive object to the main window.
Animations
In this scenario we just want our object to be moved between 2 Keyframes.
- A simple way to add Animations (or Actions in Prime) is to launch from the top menu Cinematics > Add Level Sequence.
Name the new Sequence and save it in the Content Browser in a folder or your choice (e.g. Sequences). This will open a Timeline window similar to that in PRIME.
- Click + Track and add an Actor (Actor to Sequencer > Actor).
- On the Actor line, click +Track and select Transform.
From there the same way as in PRIME, you can create Keyframes and change the XYZ values at each Keyframe.
NOTE: Animations can also be created using Blueprint functions. Example here with a growing Box Primitive triggered by a T shortcut: