Rcam2

Rcam2 is my second attempt at a real-time volumetric AR VFX system with Unity (the first attempt is Rcam). This time I used iPad Pro with a LiDAR scanner.

The Rcam2 system consists of two software components: RcamController and RcamVisualizer. RcamController runs on an iPad device and sends a video stream and metadata (camera position, control data, etc.) to RcamVisualizer, which runs on a desktop computer and renders VFX. It uses NDI to communicate between these two components, so it doesn't require any special hardware but only a network connection

I used Rcam2 in a Boiler Room stream on 24th September 2020. You can watch the recorded video on Vimeo.

System Requirements

RcamController

• Unity 2020.1.6
• iPad Pro with LiDAR scanner (2020 model)
• iOS 14 and Xcode 12
• NDI SDK 4.5

RcamVisualizer

• Unity 2020.1.6
• HDRP-compatible desktop system

How To Run

1. Build and run the RcamController project on the iPad device.
2. Play the RcamVisualizer project on the desktop system.
3. Select a controller from the dropdown list. You can hide the UI by clicking an empty area of the screen.

TIPS

• Although Rcam2 works with a wireless connection, it's recommended to use a wired ethernet connection for better latency and framerate. NDI works in a zero-configuration fashion, so you can directly connect a device and a computer without a router/switch.

• Holding an iPad device for a long time could be painful in a physical sense. You can relieve it by using a camera handle.

• Under a normal configuration with a wired connection, RcamController runs up to about two hours with a full charge.

• You can blur boundaries between rendered objects and real objects using the color grading and the depth-of-field effects. It's recommended to enable the "Film" and "DoF" toggles whenever these effects are acceptable.

FAQ

I can't find the iPad device on the dropdown list.

Try turning off the Windows firewall. It solves the problem in most cases.

I chose the right device from the dropdown list, but it's unresponsive.

If you're using a virtual network device, try turning it off. Note that WSL2 implicitly creates a virtual network device (vEthernet). You have to turn it off to establish a connection correctly.

Does it work with iPhone/iPad?

No. Rcam2 requires a LiDAR scanner. iPad Pro 2020 is the only device that supports LiDAR at the moment.

Is it possible to make it run on an iPad Pro device as a standalone app?

It's technically possible but requires lots of changes. You might have to remove some HD features (like the DoF effect) and reduce some performance-related numbers like particle capacity counts in VFX. You also have to tackle several device issues like thermal throttling, battery life, etc.

Don't expect that I do anything in this direction. The controller-visualizer design of Rcam2 is the most convenient way to avoid these problems.