The instructions on this page provide a step-by-step guide to getting started with Switchboard. By the end of this tutorial, you'll know how to set up Switchboard to connect to multiple devices.
Prerequisites
You must have the following set up before completing the next steps:
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The Switchboard plugin enabled. After you've added the plugin and restarted the engine, Switchboard and SwitchboardListener options appear in the Toolbar.
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Dependencies installed. In the main menu, choose Edit > Editor Preferences > Plugins > Switchboard and click Install Dependencies.
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(Optional) If you're using Windows as your OS, you can choose to install a desktop shortcut for Switchboard. In the main menu, choose Edit > Project Settings > Plugins > Switchboard and click Add Shortcut.
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If you built the engine from source, you will need to build SwitchboardListener separately. You can either build the project in Visual Studio or run the following command in the root directory of the engine source code:
Engine\Binaries\DotNET\UnrealBuildTool.exe Win64 Development SwitchboardListener.
Step 1 - Launching Switchboard Listener
On each device you want to connect to Switchboard, you will need to launch SwitchboardListener. In the Toolbar, select Switchboard Options > Launch Switchboard Listener, which launches the listener on the local machine with the default address 0.0.0.0:2980, or the address you specified for Listener Commandline Arguments in Editor Preferences.
The listener minimizes its window automatically on start to avoid issues with nDisplay devices. You can find the application in your OS's taskbar.
You can also select Launch Switchboard Listener on Login which launches the listener on the local machine every time you log into the computer.
Step 2 - Launching Switchboard
There are multiple ways to launch Switchboard:
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Opening a project in Unreal Editor, and selecting Launch Switchboard from the Toolbar.
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Using the desktop shortcut, if you installed it on your computer. Refer to Switchboard Prerequisites for steps on installing this shortcut.
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Running Engine\Plugins\VirtualProduction\Switchboard\Source\Switchboard\Switchboard.bat.
The Add New Switchboard Configuration window appears when Switchboard is launched for the first time. You can either fill out the fields and select OK, or select Cancel and update them later in the Switchboard Settings. Both options open Switchboard in a window.
Switchboard Configuration Parameters:
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | The name you want to use to identify your Switchboard project. |
| uProject | The local path to the uProject you want to control via Switchboard. |
| Engine Dir | The local path to the engine directory of the engine you want to use. It is possible to either specify a path to an engine you have built from source or an installed engine release. Example: "C:\Program Files\Epic Games\UE_5.00\Engine" |
| Perforce | Enable this checkbox to use Perforce as your source repository. |
| P4 Project Path | The depot path to the directory containing the uproject file specified above. |
| P4 Engine Path | The depot path to the engine directory specified above. May be omitted if you don't plan on building the engine from source. |
| Workspace Name | The name of the locally available perforce workspace that has the uproject directory mapped. |
Step 3 - Adding a Device in Switchboard
Switchboard supports several types of devices. These devices are implemented as plugins for Switchboard. Refer to Switchboard Settings for the list of device plugins available by default, and steps on how to create your own device plugin.
The following example shows how to add an Unreal Device in
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In Switchboard, select Add Device > Unreal to open the Add Unreal Device window.
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In the Add Unreal Device window, assign a Name to the machine running Unreal Engine and the IP Address of the computer. Select OK. The device is added to the list of Unreal Devices in Switchboard.
You can also change the IP address and name of the device after it has been added.
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Click Connect to listener to connect to the SwitchboardListener application running on the remote machine. The status icon turns blue when the device is connected.
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Click Start Unreal to launch an instance of the Unreal Editor on the remote machine.
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The status icon on the left turns either orange or green when the Unreal instance launches.
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The green status indicates that the Unreal instance is connected through OSC so you can use Take Recorder from Switchboard.
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The orange status indicates that it is not connected through OSC.
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Click Stop Unreal to close the Unreal Editor on the remote machine.
Step 4 - On Your Own
This quick start showed you how to start Switchboard and SwitchboardListener, connect to remote devices, and control them from Switchboard. Refer to Switchboard Settings Reference for a complete list of options you can modify in Switchboard. Learn more about the following features to use in your project:
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Sync and build your project and engine remotely.
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Record a take remotely from Switchboard.
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Launch and monitor your nDisplay cluster.