Virtual Camera Actor Quick Start

Overview

Unreal Engine includes a sample VCam Actor that you can use as a starting point for your project. This actor is built using the Virtual Camera Component referenced in the Virtual Camera Component Quick Start.

Goals

In this guide, you will learn how you can use the VCam Actor in your scene.

By the end of the guide, you will be able to:

• Place the VCam Actor in the scene
• Connect your iOS device via Live Link
• Use the Virtual Camera Actor's built-in interface to change the camera's parameters

1 - Required Setup

Editor Setup

Before you start, you must enable the appropriate plugins inside your project.

1. To open the Plugins menu, click on Settings > Plugins.

2. Search for the VirtualCamera, Take Recorder, and Live Link plugins, and enable them.

3. Restart the editor.

iOS Device Setup

1. Download the Live Link VCAM app from the App Store to your ARKit enabled iOS device, and launch the app.

   

Section Results

You are now ready to start using the virtual camera actor.

2 - Adding a Virtual Camera Actor

Placing the Camera in your Scene

To place a virtual camera in your scene:

• On the Place Actors panel, select the Virtual Production category and click and drag the VCam Actor to your scene.

  

Connecting your Device

To connect your device:

1. In the World Outliner panel, select your VCamActor object, go to the Details panel, and select the VCam component.

   

2. In the VCam component's properties, enable the object by toggling the checkbox in the Enable property.

   

Section Results

Your iOS device can now operate the Virtual Camera in your scene. As you move the iOS device in 3D space, the Editor's view changes to reflect your movements.

Additionally, you can now use the VCam interface, on your iOS device, which contains many controls for managing the look and behavior of your Virtual Camera in the scene.

3 - Record a Video Clip

After connecting your iOS device to Unreal Engine via Live Link, you can record sequences, or shots of your project's animated scenes and characters using Take Recorder.

When you start a recording via Take Recorder, Unreal Engine automatically plays the current Level Sequence.

After recording a shot, you can play back a take for review from the Take Recorder panel. While you're reviewing the previous take, VCam's HUD hides. When you exit review mode, The HUD returns and the camera repilots.

To open the Take Recorder panel:

• In the Menu Bar, go to Windows > Cinematics > Take Recorder.

  

To record a video clip:

• Tap on the Recording icon to start the recording, and tap it again to end the recording.

  

Unreal Engine saves recorded animations as a Sequencer Clip. When a video clip is saved, it replaces any VCam Actors with a clean CineCameraActor named VCamProxyActor.

4 - Exploring the Virtual Camera Controls

The following is an overview of the features that come with the Virtual Camera Actor interface using a Live Link connected device.

The Interface at a Glance

The Virtual Camera's Controller Interface features a range of controls and settings you can use to modify the look and behavior of a Virtual Camera, using an external device.

Using your iOS device's ARKit features, the physical position and rotation of your device control the Virtual Camera's position and rotation within your project in real time while you're editing a project.

If you use a Gamepad, the camera's position and rotation will be controlled directly via the joysticks, layered on top of the device's movement.

Adjusting the F-Stop

By default, when you adjust the F-Stop in Unreal Engine's Virtual Camera setup, this only affects the camera's depth of field; it does not affect the exposure of the image.

To adjust the F-Stop:

1. To bring up the F-stop dials, tap on the Lens button in the left ear menu.

   

2. To adjust the F-Stop in real time, slide your finger along the Iris dial to rotate it.

   

Adjusting Focus Distance

1. To bring up the Lens dial, tap on the Lens button in the left ear menu.

2. To adjust the Focus Distance in real-time, drag your finger along the Focus Distance dial to rotate it.

   

Adjusting the Lens

You can change the virtual camera's lens using the Lens dial and observe the updated camera view in real time.

To adjust the lens:

1. To bring up the Lens dials, tap on the Lens button in the left ear menu.

2. To adjust the lens, slide your finger along the Lens dial. Unreal Engine renders your changes in real time.

   

You can configure the options available for the in Lens under your Project Settings > Cinematic Camera > Lens Presets.

If your Lens Preset supports a range of Focal Lengths, you can further adjust Focal Length via the Focal Length dial.

Adjusting Filmback

The Filmback settings control the dimensions of the image area.

To adjust the filmback:

1. To bring up the filmback dial, tap the Filmback button in the left ear menu.

2. To select the desired filmback for your camera, drag your finger along the dial. Unreal Engine renders any changes to the image area in real time.

   

You can configure the filmback options under Project Settings > Cinematic Camera > Filmback Presets.

Adjusting Exposure

1. To bring up the ISO dial, tap the ISO button in the left ear menu

2. To select the desired ISO for your camera, drag your finger along the dial to rotate it.

   

Lower numbers give lower light sensitivity, higher numbers give higher light sensitivity.

Adjusting exposure

When you've set the exposure via the ISO dial, the Iris dial appears. The Iris impacts both exposure and depth of field.

Adjusting Exposure Compensation

You can adjust the Exposure Compensation Dial to change the camera's exposure compensation. Compensation is measured in stops. Lower numbers give higher exposure, and higher numbers give lower exposure.

Adjusting Near Clipping Plane

The near clipping plane determines the distance from a camera at which an object "clips" and doesn't render.

To adjust the near clipping plane:

1. Tap the Clipping Plane button in the left ear menu to bring up the Near Clip Plane dial.

2. To select the desired Near Clipping Plane distance, drag your finger along the dial to rotate it. Unreal Engine renders any changes in real time.

   

Adjusting The Custom Mask

If you have a custom mask present in your render, you can adjust its values.

To adjust the custom mask:

1. To bring up the Custom Mask dial, tap the Viewfinder button in the left ear menu.

2. To select the Custom Mask Aspect Ratio for your inner mask, drag your finger along the dial to rotate it. Unreal Engine applies the changes within the mask already defined by your camera's Filmback.

   

Adjusting Axis Scaling

To adjust the scale of an axis:

1. To bring up the Axis dials, tap the Scale button in the right ear menu.

   

2. Drag your finger along the Inner Axis dial to rotate it and select between scaling All Axes, Planar Movement (X,Y), or Vertical Movement (Z).

   

3. To select a motion scale for the axis selected on the inner dial, drag your finger along the Outer Scale to rotate it.

   

   If you want to lock the axis, you can set a Scale's value to 0.

Repositioning your Camera

You can tap Hold in the right ear menu of the HUD to freeze the camera's location and rotation in place. You can then move the controlling device to a new position without losing the camera's current transformation. You can unfreeze the camera by tapping Hold again. Your camera remains in the original held position, even if you have physically moved your controlling device.

Taking Bookmarks

You can use bookmarks to save a Virtual Camera's position, rotation, and settings in the scene.

To save a bookmark location in the scene:

1. Tap on the Bookmark. The camera's position and settings have now been saved as a bookmark.

   

2. (Optional) To reload a bookmark, tap the forward or backwards buttons in the Bookmark panel to cycle between your saved bookmarks. To re-inherit the camera controls from a bookmark, tap the camera icon to the right of the bookmark button.

   

3, (Optional) To delete the current bookmark, tap the Minus icon in the Bookmarks panel.

Bookmarks also exist as actors in the scene. You can add or delete bookmarks manually from the editor using the World Outliner panel.

Using the Virtual Joysticks

You can control the VCam Actors movement and rotation with a set of virtual joysticks on your Live Link-connected device. To use the virtual joysticks, tap and drag anywhere in your device's viewport.

• The left joystick appears as soon as you press down on the left side of the frame and moves the camera along the X and Y axis within the level.
• The right joystick is direction sensitive and only appears after dragging in an initial direction, giving you contextual controls. Dragging the right joystick up moves the camera along the Z axis or booms the camera. Dragging the right joystick side to side pans the camera left and right. You cannot operate both modes simultaneously. To switch the right joystick's operations, lift your finger from the screen and then re-apply your gesture.

Changing Joystick Sensitivity

To change the sensitivity of your on-screen joysticks select the Axis Scaling button in the right ear menu, and drag your finger to rotate the Joystick Gain dials.

Viewing the Recording Information

When the virtual camera is active, it can display the current Timecode, Slate, and Sequence Frame in the HUD. This data is derived from the Unreal Engine Take Recorder panel, and displays the same information simultaneously.

Controlling Sequencer When a sequence is open in Sequencer, you can view and control the timeline and playback of the sequence using the transport controls on your Live Link-connected device.

You can use these controls to preview the animation, use the Seqeuncer's Play, Pause and Scrub controls, and observe the current sequence's current frame data.