Virtual Cameras

A Virtual Camera drives a Cine Camera in Unreal Engine by using a modular component system to manipulate camera data and output the final results to a variety of external output devices. In addition, the Virtual Camera system provides its functionality while in the editor and during Play In Editor (PIE) or Standalone Game mode.

The Virtual Camera Component (VCamComponent) is the base component that enables building custom virtual cameras in Unreal Engine. With the VCamComponent, a user can drive a Cine Camera inside Unreal Engine by adding custom Modifiers and Output Providers. The Modifiers manipulate the camera data with custom effects such as filtering, tracking, and auto focus. The Output Providers route the output of the virtual camera to Composure, Media Framework, editor viewports, or any devices running the Unreal Remote app.

In addition, this new architecture includes the following:

• Multi-User editing support for all features.
• The ability to overlay custom UMG controls over the output and interact with them in the editor or on a device.
• Built-in support for input hardware such as controllers and touchscreens.
• Provides the functionality to switch to any custom tracking system with Live Link.
• An updated Unreal Remote app with a new UI and improved streaming performance.

For further documentation regarding the virtual camera system, please see the page links below which include a Quick Start on how to use the Virtual Camera Component to build a custom camera, and an overview of a built-in virtual camera that comes with the engine.