STAGE.LINK is a plugin for the Unreal Editor that allows for live animation, audio, and other input data to be routed into Unreal Editor. If you have a project using the Live Link Face app for iOS, the STAGE.KIT app combined with the STAGE.LINK editor plugin can be substituted one-for-one, with no content changes. But STAGE.LINK goes further, by allowing you to capture multiple live sources, even remote sources over the internet, and ensure they all stay in sync. STAGE.LINK essentially connects performers who are using STAGE.KIT to the Unreal Editor.
GETTING STARTED
Install the latest release of STAGE.CONTROL from the Downloads page. The application will run after installing and can be found under "StageControl" on the Windows start menu.
CONNECTING
Enter the email and password associated with your FUTURE.STAGE account.
The "Source Name" is a name that uniquely identifies you in the system. It is important that no other STAGE.CONTROL instance uses the same name. The Source Name specified here will have a "CTRL" suffix added in the uplink feed to differentiate it from our sources.
JOINING YOUR SHOW
Once you're logged in to your account you’ll be able to join your show if it’s running on STAGE.HUB. To join your show Select the Menu > Join > Your Show. Once selected you should be connected to your show and are ready to fire off some events!
Let’s also make sure the DemoProject is launched, connected to STAGE.HUB, and connected to the correct show. See the STAGE.HUB documentation to get things up and running. Lastly, let's go ahead and start PIE in Unreal — in order to see any triggered events or animation, PIE needs to be running.
UNDERSTANDING AND USING PANELS
Panels are simple button/slider style control interfaces that allow you to easily implement events ranging from different Camera Angles, lighting effects, animation queues, sounds, and much much more. We’ve included some panels we created for the demo scene that include Cameras, Backgrounds, Sound Board, Lighting, Animations, and Messages.
If you haven’t already, load up the Demo Project Panels. To do so select Menu > Load and navigate to:
/Resources/STAGECONTROL/FUTURESTAGE_DemoProject_PanelLayout
Let’s start with Cameras. If you click on MCU_Beardy you should see the camera updated to a Medium Close Up framed on Beardy. Press another camera angle and the camera should once again update. Fun, right? Lastly, go ahead and select the WS event to widen out a bit.
ANIMATIONS
This panel is filled with per character animations, including Idles, Pacing, and Bowing. Play around with pressing a few of them and see what happens. We’ve created this to be able to flow from one animation to the next. Some have timers so you won’t be able to interrupt the animations until finished, and others can be triggered immediately.
BACKGROUNDS
These events will update the image on the back stage screen. An easy way to change the setting/location of your animation just like on a virtual set. You can create and switch between presets to tell the story you want to tell.
SOUND BOARD AND LIGHTING
The Sound board has been set up to trigger a laughter event and a clapping event, and the Lighting has several sliders that are hooked up to control various lights.
LOG WINDOW
There is a Log Window that can come in handy for troubleshooting. It will lists the commands that are sent to Unreal and also status messages. To clear the log, select Menu > Clear Log
MESSAGES
This window is a way to push short messages to STAGE.KIT iOS App. This is useful for sending notifications to the actors and other team members.
That’s the basics of STAGE.CONTROL. These are just examples of what you can do, the possibilities are endless. Feel free to open up the blue prints and see how we made these so you can make your own.