Setting Up Unreal Engine for AR/MR

To get started using the ZED with UE4, follow the steps below.

Download the ZED SDK

The ZED SDK contains the core libraries that powers the ZED. It also contains tools to let you experiment its features and parameters. Download and install it from here.

Download the Engine

To gain access to the modified UE engine code, please follow the steps below:

  1. Create an account at GitHub: Sign up
  2. Create an account at Epic Games: Sign up
  3. Login to your Epic Games account and associate your GitHub account in the settings by entering your username into the GitHub account field.
  4. Login to your Github account and accept the Epic team invitation*. (Can take a few seconds to appear)
  5. Download or clone the modified UE4 engine code on Stereolabs GitHub. Be sure to pull/download the branch associated with your preferred Unreal Engine version (ex. 4.21-zed)

The link above will result in a 404 error if your GitHub account is not linked to an Epic Game one. Make sure to follow all the instructions above.

*If the invitation isn’t sent, clicking on the following link seems to trigger it: Unreal Group. Note however that the Unreal Engine displayed on the page isn’t the one that you should download.

Build the Engine

Download the ZED Plugin for UE4

  • Download and install the latest ZED SDK.
  • Download or clone the ZED plugin source code. Be sure to pull/download the branch associated with the Unreal Engine version you downloaded, and the ZED SDK version you’re using (ex. UE4.21_ZedSdk2.8)
  • Create a Plugins folder in your project root directory and move the folder Stereolabs inside.
  • In your project root directory right click on the YourProjectName.uproject file and select Generate Visual Studio project files in the context menu.
  • Open Visual Studio and compile. Launch the project from the uproject file or Visual Studio.

Plugin Organization

The plugin contains the following modules:

  • Stereolabs: Implements an interface to the ZED SDK in UE4.
  • ZED: Contains the actor, player controller, pawn and utilities that allow to create and render mixed-reality video.
  • SpatialMapping: Contains a spatial mapping manager to use spatial mapping.
  • EnvironmentalLighting: Contains an environmental lighting manager to enable realistic lighting.
  • Devices: Contains actors to use VR controllers.

Explore Sample Projects

Explore the different sample projects available on GitHub and get started with MR development.