Composure X - Unreal Engine XR/AR Shadow Catcher Compositing

[@JDARRASVP]

really very interesting but obviously very complicated to recover only the shadows. Thanks for this tutorial !

[@outtoplay]

Very useful. Appreciate your time and effort to create this. Thanks!

[@dpredie]

Thank you. it is quite frustrating for me there isn't a comprehensive tutorial and workflow for composure ( people either use static shadow texture or comp in AE/Resolve), so i do hope this will help other folks

[@charliemooney8826]

Thank you, I'm struggling with the shadow catcher and my comp is ignoring the post process volume for lighting.

[@Hussain.Jebali]

Done it work in version 5.4.2 thank you

[@chah1653]

What is the math behind dividing composure elements to get shadow information? I do not understand the relationship between composure element's RGBA and shadow information

[@romankhairov]

Thanks mate for the tutorial!! And how to make the Matte Shadow in real-time? Like Shadow Catcher in Marmoset Toolbag

[@HyperGalaxyEntertainment]

thanks for sharing~ do you know if we can have shadow in latest Custom Matte IDs?

[@Unreal_240]

Thank you very much for your tutorial. Is there a way to render as final output? I followed the tutorial exactly, but in the final rendering, only the mesh was output, not the composite result. I used MP4 or MOV as the video source, but this solved the problem. Can you lose it?

[@dpredie]

You can output composure to the old sequencer

[@MALIKEENA]

Hey awesome tut I was wondering how would you go about using a skylight? Looks really good but shadows are too crisp/It's only direct lighting, and realism would be much better on FG objects with some sky lighting/ Indirect lighting. There really isn't a good composure tutorial out there so thank you very much

[@dpredie]

Same thing, the HDRI backdrop is basically skylight + blueprint. For harsh shadows, you can adjust the soft angle parameter in your lights. Since this is outdoors im using direct harsh lighting to match. You can always setup soft lighting, flag blockers, etc in your CG scene. This approach should still work.

[@dpredie]

see this is using skylight ibb.co/kJtBjxJ

[@MALIKEENA]

@@dpredie ok got you, I didn't mention that I was using a skeletal mesh BP, It seems that there is some type of bug, I am using a skeletal mesh BP with a groom, and only the groom recieves skylight, seems that this method isn't working for my specific setup. It's just a blueprint composed of multiple meshes, Head, Outfit , and Groom, But skylight does not work, only works on groom for some reason. Thanks for the response!

[@MALIKEENA]

Ha it's not a bug, for anyone else wondering, Make sure that the skylight is set to moveable otherwise it will not work properly. Thanks for your tut!

[@dpredie]

@@MALIKEENA yes, when working with dynamic lights everything should be moveable

[@izntech]

does this work with pathtracer mode?

[@NPCCrystal]

Thank you for a great tutorial! But I have a question that I hope you can answer for me. That is how the video camera motion information is obtained in sequnce? That is, how is the media layer camera motion information synced to sequnce?

[@NPCCrystal]

0:20 Lower right corner area, please!

[@dpredie]

@@NPCCrystal you can track in blender or AE and import to UE. I have another video documenting the process. Alternatively you can track the camera realtime

[@NPCCrystal]

@@dpredie thanks

[@LofiPixel-wg3xb]

Thank you for the tutorial! I've been learning a lot. I'm wondering, When I add the Overmask to the transform passes of the AR comp it seems like they are blended together (The opacity of the geo is translucent and not "Over" the plate. almost as if it was an add function) Do you know what could be happening? Thank you!!

[@dpredie]

Premult before overmask

[@LofiPixel-wg3xb]

@@dpredie I can't thank you enough!

[@LofiPixel-wg3xb]

​@@dpredie I tried pre-multing before the overmask inside the AR comp but it didn't work then I though my plate was the one without alpha so I tried in the media plate but it didn't work. I thought maybe premulting the CG but the layer goes black. My media has a Texture input (Still image).

[@cameronperry4296]

@@LofiPixel-wg3xb Hello, I am also trying to use this method with a Texture Input and it is only producing a black background. Were you able to get it working? I've been looking in documentation/other tutorials and I can't find any explanation.

[@카우재우소]

Hello. Does it work in version 5.3?

[@cameronperry4296]

Is there a way to get this method working without using a video for the media plate? I essentially just want to composite in a static background image and I've been trying to do that with a Texture Input on the media plate. It looks like it is working right up until the last step (placing the foreground over the Media Shadow group) and just results in a black background.

[@dpredie]

yes, in place of a video you can get the media plane to have Render Target as Texture input ( instead of media input). if your image is static then its background reprojection ala ian hubert, i suggest look at BP_CineCameraProj, you can project an image to your mesh. or reproject your UV outside UE and bring the reprojected texture to UE

[@cameronperry4296]

@@dpredie Thank you! I'll give that a try

[@DanielLiljar]

Does this work with 5.5?

[@Maxparata]

There's no alpha in the CG layer for me. So when I use the Over operator, it just shows the CG pass, not what's underneath. I deactivated the atmosphere like you explained, but no way.

[@FlyUpAndAway]

I noticed that when I'm working on the AR and media shadow layers etc. they do not have the same aspect ratio as my cine camera. is there a way to change the Layer aspect ratio?

[@dpredie]

Yes, they follow the camera override aspect ratio, each layer can have their own camera

[@tituladoraexitosatv9421]

Hello, how are you and why does the lumens not work in the composure when I try to make a neon look like a camera, it does not come out the same in the composure

[@dpredie]

Lumen only works with scenecapture in 5.1. 5.0 doesnt work. Composure uses scenecapture. If you have to use 5.0 you need to use OffWorldLive workaround

[@fawadfarooq]

awesssssommmmmmmeeee !

[@bromedy44]

Very nice tutorial! Thank you for this. Is there any way to render the AR view once you change perspective to the CineCamera directly?

[@dpredie]

If you change perspective in cinecamera you wont be able to match it with prerecorded footage. Except if your prerecorded footage is locked off and you put it on a media plane, or have cinecamera match a real world camera tracker (live feed, not recorded footage)

[@arthemos4627]

My objects don't receive GI, why? how to make the floor also emits gi?

[@dpredie]

Hdri settings

[@arthemos4627]

@@dpredie thank you for the answer, great tutorial by the way! what to you mean exactly with hdri settings? I think it's about setting the invisible floor that emits gi to the visible objects

[@elsolo1]

You are a master, I cannot thank you enough for these tuts. Anyway you'll be using UE5 soon? :p

[@dpredie]

UE5 Media bundle broken, cannot have live media feed so no but this tutorial should work in 5

[@sybexstudio]

How do you get shadows from a live feed composite?

[@dpredie]

Directional light to a invisible keyed plane (A bit flat). If you have processing power you can have one of the live mocap solutions drive an invisible mannequin or metahuman and drive the shadow that way

[@sybexstudio]

@@dpredie Nice, do you have a tuto for the plane solution? I’m guessing the alpha gets cutout and used as place holder for shadows.

[@dpredie]

@@sybexstudio my other video or go checkout joshua kerr

[@sybexstudio]

I can’t find it

[@dpredie]

@@sybexstudio kzbin.info/www/bejne/gnenoGCDpdV3jckfeature=shared

[@郭辉-z4l]

Sorry, I read your tutorial carefully, but I ran into a question, does this material plugin support ue5? After I set up the media and cg layers, I checked the naming, etc. After selecting the AR layer, the original material map is still displayed. Ask for answers

[@dpredie]

Same on ue5

[@郭辉-z4l]

@@dpredie Okay, thank you, I'll try again

[@cedricborn972]

Awesome stuff as always. Thanks for your tutorials. I'm wondering if there is a way to export the CG+Shadows with transparency instead of media ? in order to be composited in another software ? I guess it's possible but I can't figure how. Thanks

[@dpredie]

I think so.. you can output any composure layer either by using sequencer render OR composure layer EXR output.

[@DGFA-]

@@dpredie Hi, could you show in a short tutorial how to get it out? I haven't any success.

[@jamit63]

@@dpredie but the shadow is black.

[@pearljoe3814]

My object went behind a tree. How do i mask in Unreal Engine? Is that even possible? Or do i have to export then import into another software to mask?

[@dpredie]

Is the tree CG or real? If the shape is something u can make in UE you cam mask it

[@artrender8824]

Hello, really great tutorial it works very well on UE 5 and thank you for taking the time to show the procedure...I have a question, once finished what is the procedure to output a sequence of images to make a composition in Resolve or After ??? Thanks a lot for the answer... Sorry for my translation...

[@dpredie]

Epic Documentation to output : docs.unrealengine.com/4.27/en-US/WorkingWithMedia/IntegratingMedia/Composure/Sequencer/

[@artrender8824]

@@dpredie Hi, thanks for the answer, just for confirmation "Movie render queue" doesn't support shadow pass so we output the shadow pass with "Render movie" and the object with "Movie render queue" is it right? How would you do it?

[@dpredie]

@@artrender8824 ah okay.. 4:35 shadow pass layer- you just create this add it to sequencer as per epic documentation and render from there

[@artrender8824]

@@dpredie ok thank you very much, see you soon

[@cedricborn972]

Hi Duncan, Thanks a lot for your tutorials. they are super useful. I had kind of the same problem as Mathias did but a little bit different as I wanted to export the final composure result to a movie (or image sequence) and not the shadow pass. Because I was using a tracked camera and a media plate, these needed to be present in my level sequence so after trying tons of options, I've found that the one that works is simply to duplicate the original level sequence, add the composure comp in this new level sequence, and remove the camera cut track ... then use the movie render queue to render the final composite. Just in case someone has the same issue. Best regards,

[@renzocarocajara7071]

Do you know why when I bring my media texture into my media source it all black, but in your video you can see the video from your image plate?

[@dpredie]

You have to assign the media in sequencer

[@renzocarocajara7071]

@@dpredie thanks, I added to the sequence but it didn't work. Would you like to connect and share screen?

[@dpredie]

@@renzocarocajara7071 for your privacy, you can reach me at uecomposurex at gmail

[@mariorodriguez8627]

great work! what did you use to track thr video camera and import it to unreal ?

[@dpredie]

Blender

[@mariorodriguez8627]

I did all your steps with my own media and downloaded the CompsureX and didn’t work. The media shows but not the CG.

[@mariorodriguez8627]

@@dpredie @1:36. The AR shows my media but not the CG

[@dpredie]

@@mariorodriguez8627 you need to familiarize yourself with conposure and unreal first, CG layer needs input from CineCameraActor. I suggest watch videos by Andy Blondin

[@yingjie1113]

I also want to ask, is there a way to render output on Movie Render Quene?

[@dpredie]

Check the other comment thread

[@teck67josh]

Can you do this with reflections?

[@dpredie]

Yes same concept

[@ApexArtistX]

need a shader that does this in game

[@Prez3D]

Wow, all that just to capture a shadow? Epic needs to go back to the drawing board and look at VRay and how easy it is to set up a plane with material wrapper. This shouldn't be so complicated and long.

[@dpredie]

UE is firstly a realtime game engine, they dont render like traditional renderer.

[@menamariano]

why you did that sound at 1:27 ? haha