Virtual Space Maker LITE Editor – types of layers

Composition of a studio consists of flat images and areas for the sources. These are the layers.They are placed one above the other, and their order ‘on the stack’ can be freely changed. There are four types of layers in the program:

  • a Studio layer,
  • an Object layer,
  • sources A and B (Talents),
  • sources C and D (Screens).

Studio layer – an image that covers entire screen – it cannot be scaled or moved. However, this layer may be partially transparent and more than one studio layer can be added.

Object layer – it is a graphic layer that can be scaled and moved. It is assumed that this layer is partially transparent, but it is not obligatory. There can also be several layers of this type.

Talent layer – it is an area for the ‘source signal’ from a camera. Such a layer can be scaled or moved.

Screen layer – a place where graphic files or video files can be displayed. This layer also can be scaled or moved.

Talent layers and Screen layers are represented differently in the editor, but the difference between them is arbitrary – they are identical on a technical level. It is even more evident later on, in the LITE Production module, where they can have any kind of input signal assigned, i.e. camera image, video, static image, etc.

Virtual Space Maker LITE Editor – work areas

Virtual Space Maker’s application screen can be divided into four areas. They will be described in detail in the further part of this manual.

  • Area 1 – Menu bar, where you have access to many of the editor’s functions.
  • Area 2 – Layers window – contains buttons for adding, removing and changing layers order. In addition, thumbnails representing project’s individual layers are shown in this area.
  • Area 3 – Control window with controls to change properties of a layer currently marked for editing.
  • Area 4 – Workspace screen window for previewing the created set design. It shows ongoing changes introduced to the studio’s design.

Virtual Space Maker LITE Editor – introduction

Virtual Space Maker – a virtual set design editor is an additional module of RECKEEN LITE system, complementing its Production LITE module. It has also been prepared to operate as a stand-alone program that can be installed on any PC. With its help, you can easily set up your own virtual studio
scenography. The design of a studio is carried out with the use layers placed one above the other. This way, you can make a composition of pre-prepared graphics and layers representing signals – sources A and B (Talents) and sources C and D (Screens). A Talent is a presenter or an actor in front of the camera. After saving a project prepared in this manner as rec2D file, you can use it as a ready-made virtual studio’s set design, that is, load it into RECKEEN LITE system. Before you begin working with VSM Editor, on a startup screen you should choose an image system in which you are going to work in the editor. See picture section: Reckeen 3D Studio System Startup> LITE VSM Editor.

Key features of the Virtual Space Maker editor

  • create your own virtual set designs,
  • graphic file layers layout,
  • edit layers: add a new layer, reorder the layers, hide existing layers or remove unwanted ones,
  • changes in a layer such as zoom, changes in its position and rotation along its X, Y and Z axes,
  • special .rec2D file format that can be easily loaded into the production module,
  • menu available in different languages,
  • various Talent views to be set: full, behind the desk, middle – showing shots of a set.
  • choice of application style: white or black.

Reckeen LITE: Virtual studio Configuration Panel – placement

Placement button allows you to change the camera’s position in a currently active phase manually, in a separate window. Controls in the window enable you to change both camera’s position and its zoom. With an additional Defaults button you can restore the default settings.

Camera settings are saved after closing the window. The program retains the settings introduced for a given V/C tray until a new shot or a new studio project is loaded.

For each newly imported studio, phase settings are defined by default – the first phase zoom is set to zero (0%) of the maximum zoom, the second phase 33%, the third 66%, and the fourth 100%.

Remember that the area of the presenter’s possible movement in the studio is the Talent area – limited by a white line.

Reckeen LITE: Virtual studio Configuration Panel – autoplay function

The AutoPlay feature allows you to animate the camera’s PTZ (Pan, Tilt, Zoom) transition effect. If AutoPlay function is enabled, the camera’s motion is smooth and animated. The time of this transition can be adjusted with up / down arrows placed on the right of the phase previews (Seconds, Frames).

If the AutoPlay button is turned off, the camera changes its position ‘sharply’ (without animation). For the ease of use, three default durations of transitions between phases has been defined – fast (1 second), medium (3 sec), and slow (5 s).

Reckeen LITE: Virtual studio Configuration Panel – loading a studio file

In order to load a selected studio project, choose one of the V/C trays to which a new studio is to be loaded. Press one of V/C buttons on the PVW switcher. You can also select the tray by pressing V/C button on the side bar. The selected button will lit up green.

Then, press Import button in the studio’s configuration panel.

Specify a proper file with *.rec2D extension in the file selection window that opens. After clicking on a file, its set’s preview is displayed in the window on the right.

The file will be loaded into the selected V/C tray. In order to load the consecutive projects or studio shots, the action should be repeated for the subsequent studio shots, choosing a different V/C tray number.

NOTE: For each studio’s set design, you should choose sources A, B, C, D that will be used in the displayed studio.

Such loaded studios are immediately ready to be used, so if you want the studio to appear on the air, you only need to press TAKE button.

Reckeen LITE: Virtual studio Configuration Panel – aspect ratio function: KEEP/STRETCH

With this function, you can set the aspect ratio for sources A, B, C or D, for movie files or for images.

The Keep option allows you to maintain the source’s aspect ratio, while the Stretch option stretches the image to cover the whole desired area. See the following example.

If, for example, a video file with its aspect ratio of 4:3 is placed in a studio on a display, which has an aspect ratio of 16:9, the image file proportions will be maintained and the ‘lacking’ space on the screen will be transparent.

If you select the Stretch option, the image of an aspect ratio of 4:3 will be stretched to 16:9 proportions, and there will be no uncovered space on the display. You have to remember that the stretched picture will not have the previous aspect ratio.

Reckeen LITE: Virtual studio Configuration Panel – selection of signal sources A,B,C,D

Unlike Reckeen 3D in Reckeen Lite, the setting of sources A, B ,C and D is different for each camera V/C.

The fundamental part of studio configuration is a selection of a source. Usually, a studio project allows you to place there 4 input signals A, B ,C and D that are set on the mixer in an additionally opened panel.

In a studio design, the first two of them, namely A and B, are almost always images of presenters (Talents), from CAM 1 to CAM 4 sources. A keying filter is applied to these sources.

The applied key removes a uniform background (e.g. green), on which the presenter is filmed.

The third and fourth signal source – C and D may be a film or a still image. They are usually displayed on virtual screens that are a part of studio scenography. Everything depends on the project. In the picture, you can see two images of presenters (source A and B) and studio screens, where a film (source C and D) is displayed.

Most often the default A, B , C and D sources were defined by a studio designer, but you go to the VSM Lite Editor and create your own settings, e.g. remove a Talent or add a screen. In each studio, signals can be used in a different way. Due to this flexibility, the signals have been described in a studio configuration panel in a universal way – symbols A, B , C and D.

There are four separate rows of buttons with identical descriptions for sources A, B ,C and D. This enables a separate regulation of parameters for sources A, B , C and D.

The input signal for studio composition can be: a transparency (Off), a camera image (CAM_1, 2,3,4), a video file (Media 1, 2), an image/bitmap (Still 1, 2),

And so are called the buttons located in four rows below the studio previews. The button with selected source is highlighted . Changing the input source takes place immediately, so you can change it during the live broadcast.

After selecting the appropriate signal sources, a figure of a presenter will be displayed against a studio scenography, and a selected video file or a still image will be shown on virtual screens. If a keying filter has not been enabled for the source with a presenter figure, you have to switch it on and set its parameters.

After applying the correct keying parameters, a background against which the presenter is filmed (e.g. green) will be removed and the figure of the presenter will be visible against the background of the studio scenography.

In order to make the figure of the presenter fit better into set design you have used, you can adjust the figure’s size and position in the studio. A separate window is used for changing these parameters. The window can be opened with a button located next to the buttons used for the studio’s signal sources
selection.

This window works on the same principle as the Placement window earlier described in the DSK section. The only exception is an additional function Aspect Ratio: Keep / Stretch described on the following pages of the manual.

Reckeen LITE: Virtual studio Configuration Panel

After opening a production screen of LITE Production, you will find the virtual studio Configuration Panel in the lower left corner. The Reckeen LITE Studio system will always open a new session with a starting studio loaded.

A studio file’s path on the disk is displayed at the top of the panel.

The Reckeen LITE Studio system is equipped with 4 V/C channels, that is Virtual Cameras. The backlit buttons V/C 1 to V/C 4 on the left side of the configuration panel allow you to choose which group of V/C shots you can currently configure.

The V/C buttons in the panel are fully compatible with the main video mixer. If you change the status of the main mixer (switch the V/C on the mixer), whether it is in PREVIEW (PVW) section or PROGRAM (PGM) section, the button in V/C control panel will switch automatically. V/C tab button is highlighted in red when the virtual camera V/C to which it is assigned, is on the air, that is, in a live signal on the PROGRAM screen. And when the button is highlighted in green, it means the virtual camera V/C image is displayed on the PREVIEW screen.

Each V/C shot of the studio enables definition of virtual camera movements in 4 different phases.

Control panel allows you to define four phases for one virtual camera V/C shot (Phase 1, 2, 3 and 4 previews). The current phase is marked by a highlighted stripe above the preview. Phases can be switched at any time, both when the studio is on the air, and when it is being prepared for broadcast. Clicking on a preview of one of inactive phases switches the view to that phase.

After loading to the control panel a studio’s set design that has several virtual camera shots, the shots will be loaded into V/C 1, V/C 2, V/C 3, and V/C 4 trays. This will correspond to images from 4 virtual cameras in the studio. Switching between the trays allows you to quickly change the virtual camera’s view.

In the Reckeen LITE system, you can also load one studio into the V/C 1 container, which is going to be on the air, and a completely different one into the V/C 2 tray, which we is going to be prepared for broadcast on the PREVIEW screen.

PROGRAM and PREVIEW screens for two different studios loaded into two V/C trays.

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