Unreal Engine is one of the most poplar and versatile videogame engines, and has seen use in a huge range of titles in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). The newest update brings in some improvements and new features for VR and AR developers and creators.
The newest version of Unreal Engine features improvements created by the team at Epic Games, who created Unreal Engine, but also many submissions from the expansive and dedicated Unreal user community.
New features devoted towards VR and AR development include features such as the Unified Unreal AR Framework. This framework allows for AR apps for both Apple and Android mobile devices to have a single development path. This allows developers to be able to use a single code base for apps, instead of having to build two different versions of an app for the two different mobile platforms.
The Unified Unreal AR Framework includes functions that support Alignment, Light Estimation, Pinning, Session State, Trace Results, and Tracking. Similarly, the Unified Unreal AR Framework Project Template has been introduced, which provides the HandheldAR Blueprint, providing a complete example project to demonstrate the new functionality.
The Live Link function provides a common interface for streaming ad bringing in animation data from outside Unreal engine, such as Motion Capture rigs. With Unreal Engine 4.19 Live Link can now capture information from motion controllers, such as the Oculus Touch or HTC Vive wands.
The release notes also confirm that all Unreal Engine 4 functions compatible with SteamVR is also compatible with the forthcoming HTC Vive Pro. No modifications are needed to port an Unreal engine 4 project to HTC Vive Pro, but developers will need to check the performance of the project as the HTC Vive Pro operates with a higher resolution.
A full list of release notes and changes to Unreal engine 4.19 is available on the Unreal Engine blog. The new version of the engine is available to creators and developers now. VRFocus will bring you further updates on Unreal Engine as it becomes available.