Realtime Preview Feutures

Realtime Preview is a core part of Camera Render Studio. It allows users to instantly visualize projection results directly in the Unreal Engine viewport without launching a final render. It does not participate in Movie Render Queue rendering, but it provides a clear and practical representation of how the final result is expected to look. It should be used for interactive preview, scene validation, and situations where dynamic adjustment of stereo parameters such as IPD and Convergence Distance is required.

The system works by capturing the scene into a Render Target and applying projection logic in real time, allowing immediate feedback for composition, distortion, and stereo setup. Unlike traditional approaches, it does not rely on SceneCapture2D, which results in significantly better performance and lower overhead.

To enable Realtime Preview, simply add the Camera Render Studio component attach to any camera in the scene. The component will automatically handle all preview rendering logic.

• Instant visual feedback inside the editor
• No need to launch Movie Render Queue
• Fast iteration for camera and projection setup
• Immediate validation of distortion and projection behavior
• Early detection of rendering artifacts

Projection Modes in Preview

Realtime Preview supports all projection types available in the plugin. The preview provides a clear representation of how each projection maps the scene before final rendering, allowing you to validate framing, distortion, and overall composition.

All stereo projections share the same core stereo settings. This means that IPD and Convergence Distance configured during preview will be consistently applied across all projection types. You only need to set up stereo once, and those settings will remain valid regardless of which projection is used for final rendering.

• CineCamera Capture (Mono) — Standard real-time preview using a single camera without projection distortion
• CineCamera Stereo — Lightweight stereo preview mode recommended for setup and validation
• Face Projections — A limited set of predefined projection directions (faces), typically used for cube-based workflows. These modes use a fixed number of views and are optimized for controlled projection setups.
• Extend Modes — Advanced projection workflows that use multiple panels to cover the scene. These modes significantly increase the number of rendered views and provide extended coverage, but require more performance due to the increased rendering workload.
• FullDome / VR180 / Cylindrical / Spherical Mirror — Fully supported immersive projection types available for preview and final rendering

Face-based projections are typically more performance-friendly due to the limited number of views, while Extend modes provide higher flexibility and coverage at the cost of increased computational load. Choosing the appropriate mode depends on the required projection type and performance constraints during preview.

Working Mode

Working Mode defines how the preview behaves inside the editor.

• Editor mode – is an active preview in real time in the viewport.

• User / Default Modes — Manual control modes for custom workflows

  User Mode -4 settings for your use.
  Disable Render to Texture, Disable Viewport Rendering, Auto Follow Active Camera, Preview Render Target in Viewport

Render Target System

The preview uses a Render Target to display the projected image. This allows flexible resolution control and integration with the viewport.

• • You need to create and asign Render Target texture

• Control preview resolution manually
• Preview output independent from final render resolution

Resolution Control

• Manual Size X / Y — Defines preview resolution
• Auto Resize from Filmback — Automatically matches camera settings for 2D camera
• Base Width from Filmback — Maintains proportional resolution for 2D camera

Update Behavior

• Capture Every Frame — Continuous real-time update
• Capture on Movement — Updates only when camera moves

These options allow balancing between performance and responsiveness depending on scene complexity.

Component-Based Workflow

Realtime Preview is enabled through the Camera Render Studio Component, which is attached to a camera actor in the scene.

• Works with CineCameraActor
• Can be added or removed dynamically
• Automatically drives preview rendering behavior

Realtime Preview ensures that users can prepare scenes efficiently, reduce iteration time, and avoid costly rendering mistakes before launching final output.

Realtime Preview also provides a set of advanced tools that allow deeper control over rendering behavior, debugging, and stereo configuration directly inside the viewport.

ShowFlag Control

ShowFlags allow you to control which rendering features are visible in the preview. This includes lighting, post-processing, shadows, reflections, and other engine-level rendering elements.

• Enable or disable specific rendering features
• Debug visual components of the scene
• Optimize preview performance by disabling heavy effects

Use Projection Transform Offset

This feature allows applying additional transformation offsets directly to the projection.

Pass Visualization Mode

Pass Visualization Mode allows you to preview internal rendering buffers directly in the viewport. This is useful for debugging shading, lighting, and compositing workflows.

• View buffers such as BaseColor, Roughness, WorldNormal and others
• Debug material and lighting issues
• Validate data before final rendering or compositing

Show Hidden Objects (Alpha Support)

This feature allows rendering hidden objects into the preview, typically through alpha or mask-based workflows.

Advanced Stereo Controls

The preview system includes extended stereo tools for fine-tuning and debugging stereo rendering.

• • Anaglyph Mode (2D Preview) — Allows quick stereo validation using red/cyan visualization

• Convergence Distance Debug — Helps visually adjust and validate convergence settings
• IPD Control — Real-time adjustment of stereo separation
• Convergence -(Manual, Tracking)

These advanced tools transform Realtime Preview into a powerful debugging and setup environment, allowing precise control over projection, rendering behavior, and stereo configuration before final rendering.