Back to Introduction to AR Production
Introduction
In this article, you can read about the AR Camera compounds that come with Aximmetry. They are necessary for SE and DE workflows with moving studio cameras (tracked cameras). We will describe how to import and connect them to other items in the Flow Editor, and the Control Boards they include.
Compound Locations
Aximmetry's Common_Library content package offers a number of different AR Camera compounds, depending on if you are using Aximmetry SE or DE.
Compound Folder - Aximmetry SE
[Common_Studio]:Camera\ARCam
Compound Folder - Aximmetry DE
[Common_Studio]:Camera\ARCam_Unreal
Compound Names
Example: ARCam_3-Cam
- ARCam_ - the type of the camera compound. In the folders mentioned above, you will only find the ones that start with ARCam.
- _3-Cam - can receive and process video inputs and tracking data up to 3 tracked cameras (3-Cam, 8-Cam).
Other additions to compound names:
- _Unreal - must be used with Unreal virtual scenes (Aximmetry DE workflow).
Importing the Compound
Drag and drop the compound from the File Browser to the Flow Editor:
NOTE: If you already have another camera compound present in the Flow Editor and you want to change it, then you can simply drag and drop the new camera compound on top of the old one. This will preserve all compatible settings and connections while changing the compounds.
Connections in Aximmetry SE
AR Camera compounds used in Aximmetry SE workflow require the following compounds to be able to render a scene:
- [Common_Studio]:Compounds\Render\Render_General_PBR.xcomp compound or the Render_General compound.
- [Common_Studio]:Camera\ARCam\ARCam_3-Cam.xcomp Camera Compound
- Your AR model
Drag-n-drop them into the flow editor and set up the connections like so:
After this, you can position your model in the 3D space.
Connections in Aximmetry DE
IMPORTANT: If you are not beginning with the Aximmetry Blank project, you must configure the settings as outlined in the Open or Create the Unreal Project section of the Aximmetry DE documentation.
In addition, you also must set the following Unreal Project Settings.
Add an Aximmetry Camera in Unreal Editor
Add either a basic AR-only camera: AR camera (tracked)
Or one of two cameras capable of rendering AR elements atop their standard functionality: Green + AR camera (tracked, 1-3 billboards) or LED wall + AR camera (tracked, 1-9 walls)
NOTE: When using one of the +AR cameras, you still need to set up all the AR-related Unreal project settings.
Save and cook the project as described in the Cook the Project for Aximmetry section of the Aximmetry DE documentation.
Add Unreal Project to Aximmetry
In Aximmetry, drag in the .uproject file from your Unreal project root directory. This will create an Unreal Project module node.
Then connect the compound and Unreal project module as in the image:
Control Boards
After importing the compound, Aximmetry will automatically place the control boards included in the compound in the Menubar.
These are in the case of ARCam compounds:
- CAMERAS
- INPUTS
In the case of the +AR compounds, an "AR" control board is added along the camera's other control boards.
Continue to
In the case of using Aximmetry SE or Aximmetry's native render engine to render the scene:
Aximmetry SE Scene Setup (AR)
In the case of using Aximmetry DE with Unreal Engine to render the scene:
Aximmetry DE Scene Setup (AR)
