HoloSuite Player Unreal - 4.0.0 Release Notes¶
General¶
Added support for UE5.1 and 5.2¶
HoloSuite Player plugin supported has been expanded to both Unreal 5.1 and 5.2 versions.
Removed support for UE4.26¶
We will no longer be providing or supporting the HoloSuite Player for Unreal 4.26.
New Features¶
AVV format support¶
A new playback format can be exported from HoloEdit: Accelerated Volumetric Video (AVV). You can read more about AVV here. The HoloSuite Player is capable of playing back volumetric content in Unreal Engine using both OMS and AVV file formats.
Note that retargeting is not yet supported in AVV playback.
New Player Actor¶
A new Unreal Engine Actor has been added to the plugin named HoloSuitePlayer. This actor replaces OMSMeshActor for volumetric playback and, with it, users can now leverage both OMS and AVV codecs and enjoy several features that were previously unavailable.
Warning
HoloSuitePlayer version 4.0.0 does not have backwards compatibility, meaning you will have to recreate existing HoloSuite scene actors (previously called OMSMeshActors) with the new player tools.
Import external source volumetric files¶
Previously users had to place their source OMS files inside the Content directory of the UE project. It is now possible to import both OMS and AVV files that are located inside or outside the project’s directory.
The regular import workflow is acceptable, but the easiest way to do so is by simply dragging the source file from the Windows File Explorer and dropping it into the Unreal Editor Content Browser. If the HoloSuite plugin is enabled, it will automatically detect the file type and import it with the correct settings.
MP4 files exported from HoloEdit containing texture data for OMS playback still need to be placed inside the Movies directory of the project.
Added drag-and-drop functionality to instantiate Players¶
Any source volumetric file exported from HoloEdit (OMS or AVV), once imported into the project, can be used to generate a HoloSuitePlayer actor in an Unreal Scene. To do this, simply drag the asset and drop it into the scene. In the case of AVV, it’ll automatically assign a Mesh Material to it, whereas for OMS users need to assign the Texture Source of the HoloSuitePlayer before Materials are automatically generated.
Mute option added to OMS Players¶
HoloSuitePlayer actors configured for OMS playback have a new parameter ‘Mute’ added that allows playback without audio. This can also be configured at runtime using the Blueprint-callable function ‘SetOMSPlaybackParameters()’.
Receive Decals option added to OMS and AVV Players¶
Another parameter added is ‘Receive Decals’, which is available for both OMS and AVV playback. Using this new rendering option, Unreal Decals can be applied to a HoloSuitePlayer actors. By default this is enabled and a preview of the decal will be shown on any affected Player objects.
Skeleton attachment added¶
Previous users of the HoloSuite Player for Unreal are familiar with the use of the engine’s Skeleton system for mesh retargeting. OMS files, when exported with skeleton data, can be used to generate Skeletal Meshes inside UE that drive retargeting of the volumetric content.
With HoloSuitePlayer 4.0.0, users can now leverage this same system and the same encoded data to drive actor attachment. What this new feature allows is the attachment of any scene actors (Static Meshes, Lights, Particles, etc.) onto any bone of the volumetric video, so that they stick to it throughout playback.
This feature is accessible through the Blueprint-callable ‘AttachActorToSkeleton()’ function and it’s available for both OMS and AVV playback.
Improvements¶
Improved skeleton workflow¶
Configuring retargeting in Unreal Engine is not a trivial task, as it requires the user to generate several assets, instantiate different actors and design Blueprint interactions. We’ve been simplifying the workflow and providing example Blueprints in order to streamline this process.
In this release, users will no longer need to create Skeletal Mesh actors and configure them in the scene. Instead, it is now possible to simply assign the SkeletalMesh and RetargetingAnimation assets in the HoloSuitePlayer’s parameters and the Player will generate the remaining parts automatically.
Fixes¶
Meta Quest Vulkan Support¶
Besides numerous stability improvements over our support for the Meta Quest headsets, we have now enabled Vulkan support for both OMS and AVV playback. OpenGL ES will remain supported for OMS playback but unavailable for AVV.
Fixed framerate attribute¶
The ‘Framerate’ playback parameter allowed users to configure non-30fps source files for playback, but didn’t allow reducing or increasing playback speed. The parameter has now been modified to empower users to have full control over playback speeds.
Fixed possible texture de-synchronization¶
Some operations could result in occasional texture de-synchronizations. These have been resolved in this version.
Fixed intermittent crash using Standalone playback mode¶
Sometimes when using the Standalone player mode for previewing an Unreal scene with an OMS actor in it, the application would crash. This has been fixed entirely and should no longer occur.