ARwall Setup and Settings within Unreal Engine 5 with Trackers using LiveLink
  • 18 Oct 2023
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ARwall Setup and Settings within Unreal Engine 5 with Trackers using LiveLink

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Article summary

Section 5A: ARwall Setup and Settings within Unreal Engine 5 for Tracking Solutions using LiveLink (Vive Mars)

This section describes how to set up ARwall ARFX Pro Plugin, for use with alternative tracking solutions using LiveLink (Vive Mars, Mo-Sys, Stype, etc.). This for use with UE 5.1 and above.

To set up ARwall ARFX Pro Plugin to work with LiveLink/LiveLink FreeD (for use with Vive Mars, Mo-Sys, Stype, etc.), do the following:

  1. Make sure you can see the Plugin's folder in your Content Browser:
    1. Open Content Drawer on the bottom left, then select Settings at the top right of Content Browser window > Turn on "Show Plugin Contentimage-1697665310283
    2. Note: FreeD is an alternative tracking protocol typically used by some camera crane tracking solutions. It can also be used to send tracking data to a remote server on the internet.
    3. Make sure the following Required Plugins are turned on in Unreal Engine under Plugins: 
      1. ARwall
      2. Live Link
      3. LiveLinkFreeD (optional)
  2.  Setting Up Live Link
    1. Important: Make sure your hardware tracking device is physically connected, on, and tracking.
    2. In Unreal Engine, select Window > Virtual Production > Live Link. 
    3. In the Live Link Window, click on "+ Source" and navigate to Message Bus Source. Wait for the connected source to show and select it (ie. "ViveLiveLinkPlugin"). image-1697667478179
      1. If no source appears, check your tracking devices' connection to the network and make sure it is actually tracking.
        1. Be sure the server and the Vive Mars box are both connected to the same switch
        2. On Vive Mars box, note the network IP number that is listed on the Vive Mars screen 
        3. On Vive Mars box, tap the network box where the network IP address is listed, then tap Camera Tracking Protocols and note the Live Link Port number 
        4. In Unreal Engine, navigate to Edit > Project Settings and on the left, scroll down to Plugins and select UDP Messaging. Navigate to Static Endpoints and under Index [0] enter the network number listed on the Vive Mars screen and add “:” and add the port number after the colon. If no Index [0] exists, click on the “Add Element” button to add an array element.
    4. You should now see your trackers with green indicators (yellow = might be delayed, red = packet loss). 

 

  1. Make sure your hardware device is on and tracking.
  2. Make sure you've set the target computer's IP Address (local or global) and a unique port number (default:40000).
  3. In Unreal Engine, navigate to Window > Virtual Production > LiveLinkFreeD Source > Set IP Address to your computers local/global IP Address and make sure the port number match's device's (default: 40000) > Add.
  4. You should see that FreeD is receiving and has a subject or two under FreeD with green indicators (yellow = might be delayed, red = packet loss).
    1. If no subjects appear, make sure the IP address and port matches the tracking devices and make sure the tracking device is actually tracking.

 

Section 5A.3: Setting Up the ARwall Camera with a Single Vive Mars Tracker

  1. In Content Drawer, locate Plugins > ARwall Content > Blueprints. 
    1. If Plugins folder does not show up, click Settings option in the Content Drawer and click on “Show Plugin Content” 
  2. Drag and drop BP_ARwallCamera_LiveLink onto your scene viewport (do not worry about positioning it yet). 
  3. Make sure the placed camera is selected and visible in your Outliner window. 
  4. In the Detail Panel, navigate to the ARwall section and set the camera's "Screen Height" and "Screen Width" to your physical screen's height and width in centimeters.
  5. In the Detail Panel, navigate to ARwall Custom > Modifiers and make sure Flip Z and XYZ to ZYX are checked. 
  6. Select the LiveLinkComponentController within the BP_ARwallCamera_LiveLink camera's components. 
  7. In the details panel, navigate to Live Link > Subject Representation and set this to the tracker that was populated as described by the Setting Up Live Link section above.
    1. NOTE: You will more than likely see your camera move in the scene as its position is now controlled by the tracker. 
  8. Navigate to Role Controllers > Transform Role > Component to Control > Component Picker and change the selection drop down to "Hero Component" 
  9. Select ARwallTrackingComponentManual within the BP_ARwallCamera_LiveLink camera's components. 
    1. Navigate to the ARwall section and make sure "Lock Rotation" is off and "Use Hero Tracker as Calibrator" is on. 
    2. Note: If you select the Hero Component in the camera's component list, you should see its position and rotation update in Realtime to your tracker's movements. 
  10. Move the camera's position in the scene viewport to where you want (its position and rotation should no longer be tied to the tracker's)
    1. This will be the scene’s virtual start location when the scene is played
  11. Press Play and try moving the tracker, the tracker should be tracking and the perspective should change with the tracker’s movements.
  12. Calibrate as you would with a Vive Pro Tracker, but do know that you may need to orientate the tracker a few times until the screen moves properly. 
    1. Vive Mars Calibration: Hold it face up with the wires pointing towards the screen. 


Section 5A.4: Setting Up the ARwall Camera with Two Vive Mars Trackers (Hero + Calibration)

The setup is the same for both normal LiveLink and FreeD. Follow these additional steps:

  1. With the Camera selected, click on "+ Add" button and select LiveLinkController 
    1. Optional: Rename the second controller to something unique (ex: "LiveLinkCalibration")
  2. In the details panel, navigate to Live Link >  Subject Representation and set this to the second tracker that was populated as described by the Setting up Live Link section above.
    1. NOTE: You will more than likely see your camera move in the scene as its position is now controlled by the second tracker.
  3. Navigate to Role Controllers > Transform Role > Component to Control > Component Picker and change the selection drop down to "Calibration Component" 
  4. Select ARwallTrackingComponentManual within the BP_ARwallCamera_LiveLink camera's components. 
    1. Turn off "Use Hero Tracker as Calibrator"
    2. Note: If you select the Calibration Component in the camera's component list, you should see its position and rotation update in Realtime to your second/calibration tracker's movements and not your first/hero tracker’s movements.
  5. Reposition your BP_ARwallCamera_LiveLink camera as needed in the viewport. 
    1. This will be the scene’s virtual start location when the scene is played
  6. Press play to start the scene, and press Tab button to toggle on calibration mode.
    1. Place the physical second/calibration tracker in the middle of the physical screen and calibrate with your second tracker.
    2. Press TAB button to toggle off calibration mode when done calibrating. 
    3. Note: Moving the first/hero tracker should change the perspective and parallax independent of the calibration tracker movements.




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