Best practices
This document describes our recommended flow of rendering the space.
Getting Started
Rendering your 3D environment is now easier than ever, our built in automated renderer removes all the need for manual labour and it automates the entire process.
Rendering with Automated Renderer
The Auto Rendering feature employs Unreal's native MovieRenderQueue functionality.
It involves capturing six different views: upward, downward, leftward, rightward, forward, and backward. Subsequently, we utilize a Utility Widget blueprint to combine these six views into a 3x2 projection image, which is then transformed into an Equirectangular monoscopic 360-degree image.
Prerequisites:
In order to activate automatic ray tracing rendering, you need to initially configure the following project settings as prerequisites, which only need to be done once for the entire project:
Activate ray tracing in your project settings.
Next, launch the editor utility widget, You can reach the rendering editor by navigating to Toolbar, then selecting Window followed by Emperia3DKit. Doing so will launch a fresh editor window where you can modify Interactable elements within the level and also generate or modify Experiences.
Here, you will find the paths and commands that are generated specifically for your current project within the Paths to set" section on the last page.
Subsequently, you should copy the MPE Executable path into the "Project settings - Plugins - Movie Pipeline CLI encoder - Executable Path" field. Similarly, paste the MPE Command line format into the "Project settings - Plugins - Movie Pipeline CLI encoder - Command line format" field.
Additionally, it's essential to modify the following post-process settings to prevent any visual artifacts or seams in the scene.
Process:
Once you've configured the project settings and command line arguments, proceed by selecting a UI Model to use, we have a default UI you can find in the Plugins > Emperia3DKit Content > UI_Config folder in your content browser. Next, define the range of panoramas you intend to capture. Following that, fill in the necessary parameters—such as "ExperienceName," and "SceneName"—required to generate the experience.
Upon clicking "Create," this action will remove all temporary renders, generate a JSON file, capture 360 panoramas, create a payload file using both panoramas and the JSON file, and subsequently upload this data to Creator Tools Dashboard. This process is designed to either create a new experience or update an existing one on the platform
The AR model allows you to visualize 3D models within the experience.
To create a new AR model, follow these steps:
- Right-click in the Content Browser.
- Go to Miscellaneous → Data Asset.
- Search for "ARModel" and select the corresponding type.
- Click "Create" to generate the asset.
- The AR Data Asset contains all necessary configurations for the AR Viewer.
Key | Description |
MeshURL | The URL or references for the 3D Mesh to display in the AR model. |
iFrame Model
The iFrame model allows you to embed websites or iframes within the experience.
To create a new iFrame model, follow these steps:
- Right-click in the Content Browser.
- Navigate to Miscellaneous → Data Asset.
- Search for "iFrame" and select the appropriate type.
- Click "Create" to generate the asset.
- The iFrame Data Asset contains all necessary configurations for the iFrame Viewer.
Key | Description |
URL | The URL or references for the web page to display in the iFrame model. |
Media Model
The Media model allows you to embed videos and images within the experience.
To create a new Media model, follow these steps:
- Right-click in the Content Browser.
- Navigate to Miscellaneous → Data Asset.
- Search for "Media" and select the appropriate type.
- Click "Create" to generate the asset.
- The Media Data Asset contains all necessary configurations for the Media Viewer.
Key | Description |
URLs | The URL or references for the Videos, Images to display in the Media model. |
Automated Action Model Creation Process
To streamline the process of creating action models, assets, and attaching them to interactables, we now support direct editing within the Details Panel of interactables placed in the scene.
Using the Action Type dropdown, you can specify the type of interactable action. Once selected, the relevant properties will appear below the dropdown for configuration. This automatically creates and attaches the corresponding action models and action type assets to the interactable, significantly reducing the number of steps required.
If you forget to save your action models or action type assets, you can simply clear the action models array on the interactable and make a slight modification to any Action Type property. This will automatically regenerate the entire asset.
Help & Support
If you have questions, suggestions, or feature requests, please join the Official Emperia Discord channel!
You can find support here through private support tickets or general conversation. You will also have the opportunity to showcase your work and chat with like-minded individuals across industries using Creator Tools, Unreal Engine, those creating immersive experiences, and more!
If you prefer, you can also reach out to us via email.