AR Suite

This page provides an overview as well as in-depth information about Ncam’s suite of UE5 plugins: NcamARSuite and NcamARSuiteLite, which offer tools for creating and configuring photorealistic virtual production projects using the Unreal Engine together with Ncam.

NcamARSuiteLite delivers all the essential tools for seamlessly integrating Ncam with the newest frameworks of the Unreal Engine and provides a complete example augmented reality pipeline. This plugin is available for free to everyone using Epic Games’ Marketplace.

NcamARSuite extends NcamARSuiteLite and improves its visual fidelity by adding rendering pipelines that deliver a higher visual quality for real-time virtual production.

What follows will provide the reader with a complete understanding of how Ncam's integration works with Epic Games' Unreal Editor 5.0.x, how to install it, and how to use it. Furthermore, all the differences and features of both NcamARSuite and NcamARSuiteLite will also be highlighted.

Major Changes over previous versions

This release of the AR Suite plugin brings two major changes:

Support for Epic's Lens Distortion Plugin

We have added support for the lens distortion plugin provided by Epic, this has been done through the addition of another LiveLink source.

This support allows for a much easier integration of Ncam tracking data with the Composure framework. Customers using the AR Suite BP cameras will not be affected by this update and will not be required to make any changes to their setup.

Please see the composure section for information on how the new Ncam/Composure setup works

Timed Data Monitor Support

Previous versions of Ncam AR Suite utilised the timecode synchronizer framework provided by Epic to manage the correct alignment of tracking data and video into UE4. This approach, while robust, required an inherent reliance on timecode being present to operate properly.

To provide more flexibility to use Ncam tracking data with UE4 the decision was made to adopt the "Timed Data Monitor" framework, this has necessitated a re-structuring of how the Ncam and associated media assets work together. It's strongly recommended to refer to the updated documentation to understand how to properly configure projects.

Ncam AR Suite Lite

Complete AR solution available to everyone for free.

• Create with no limitations, no restrictions and at no cost.
• Complete solution for producing real time augmented reality within UE4.
• Open source, modular and extensible design.
• An intuitive wizard allows new virtual production projects to be created and configured in minutes.
• Built from the ground-up using native UE5 frameworks, Ncam AR Suite Lite integrates seamlessly with:
  • Live Link - Providing instant, live camera tracking data to UE5;
  • Media Framework - Supporting combinations of AJA and Black Magic SDI cards;
  • Sequencer - To record and replay Ncam camera tracking;
  • Multi User Editing - Allowing many Ncam Cameras to share one virtual space that can be modified live;
  • nDisplay - To drive LED walls using Ncam tracking data including off-axis (POV) projection;
  • Composure - Supporting custom compositing pipelines;

Ncam AR Suite

Available to all Ncam customers on a subscription model. Owners of the NcamARSuiteLite Plugin can contact a local Ncam sales representative for pricing. Extends the feature set of the Ncam AR Suite Lite and includes:

• Two production tested compositing pipelines:
  • Virtual Overlay - Render and composite virtual objects seamlessly into a live video stream.
  • Virtual Studio - Virtual replacement of green screen and compositing with keyed elements.
• Photographic and rendering effects boost realism:
  • Depth Of Field - Naturally pull focus to and from virtual objects.
  • Screen Space Reflections - See the video stream reflected in the virtual objects.
  • Shadow Receivers (Holdouts) - Cast shadows from virtual objects onto the video stream.
• Renders Output also to Unreal ViewPort, selectable in Dirty Feed, Clean or Roaming.