Cluster rendering or nDisplay (Unreal Engine) equivalent?

We're working on an interactive art installation that's 12 HD screens with one main processing computer with three nVidia Quadro P4000s and a sync card.

We're working at 7680x3240 pixels and getting a framerate of around 40fps with Kinect real-time interactivity. Have turned off nearly all post processing, using minimal lighting etc.

From what I've read on here, Unity used to support "cluster rendering" to multiple render nodes but old threads indicate it stopped working a few years ago and I didn't want to necro those. eg
https://forum.unity.com/threads/the-state-of-cluster-rendering.498397/

Confusingly Unity is now using the term 'cluster rendering' for unrelated lighting architecture in the HDRP.

What we're after is an equivalent of this: https://docs.unrealengine.com/en-us/Engine/Rendering/nDisplay

I really don't want to have to move to UE! Any ideas on if this can (now) be emulated in Unity?

 

I also want to know if clustering rendering is still supported.

 

Hello,

any news on this? Is there a beta version we can apply to?
Please @madleen_unity make an official update on this matter as it is quite important and critical to a lot of people working with clusters... With the alternative of nDisplay by Unreal, it becomes even more difficult to convince our stakeholders to stick with Unity.

Thanks,

Alex

 

What's the state on cluster rendering and will this come out in 2020.1?

 

I saw the roadmap highlighting this functionality at copenhagen.

Would love to hear official update on when we can use it

 

Hello,

@Matjio You got any news on that ?
I saw it was on improvements for 2020 alpha 7 and after no news, no doc, nothing

I dont' want to go to UE please give me some good news !

 

Trying to keep this discussion going. We are in need of this type of solution to support multiple screens with multiple computers. @Matjio What are the latest updates on this feature?

 

Any news on this?

 

we need this to, go unity go unity we love you!!!

 

@pachermann i totally agree on this!

 

Hi, just some new about cluster rendering should be great. I don't want to leave Unity for Unreal. Unreal is more and more present for events, tv shows, VR AR and one of the reason is ndisplay. Please give us a roadmap for cluster rendering. It's not possible to work on professionnal projects without a release date for this functionnality. I sent multiple messages to Matijo, but no answer.

 

For those needing cluster rendering, MiddleVR for Unity is still the best option! We just released MiddleVR 2.0 and we will soon have support for HRDP, DirectX 12 and curved screens.

 

@Matjio @JakeTurner
Well Unity 2020.1 is out now... but no cluster rendering in it, so whats going on?!

 

Any updates on this? Even a rough time frame would be sweet.

 

@Bluntfist I had a chat with Jarvis from the Asset Store Team. They wanted to release something 2020.1 but is pushed out dueto technical reasons. They wont talk alot about this feature really.. or even about when it comes again.. so we need to wait until offical news..

 

@dan_wipf Thanks for the update. While it sucks that it's not here, I'm glad it hasn't been completely forgotten

 

ok im waitting...too

 

@Matjio any chance for alpha/beta prelease package preview? I assume this is not suspended, given how hot the topic is?

 

Dear @Retrokat ,
you don't need to switch to Unreal, there is a Company who has Multiscreen Rendering since many years and it works on HDRP as far as i know.

Reach out to MiddleVR: https://www.middlevr.com/2/

Best Regards Pascal

 

So there is no equivalent to Unreal's nDisplay on Unity? I don't mean a third-party thing, I mean built-in. Unreal is getting some unreal press on this feature, it's hard to believe it does not exist in Unity.

BTW, regarding middleVR, any time I see a company that does not mention pricing up-front, I avoid them completely.

 

This solution would envolve network and determinism.
Probably will be at the bottom of the DOTS roadmap...

 

MiddleVR is much more advanced as far as i know and has much more tools and capabilities then nview, but yes there is no Equivalent solution to Nview directly in Unity, that is true.

Most solutions are form outside, the big strength from Unity is the Huge Community that brings the great stuff to the engine.

 

I don't agree on third-party stuff. In my experience a lot of it is very finicky on versions and it's just a lot more work than something that is built-in. I love the Asset Store, don't get me wrong, but for functionality vs. models, it's much better for functionality to be built in. It's surprising that Unity has apparently just conceded this loss.

 

it is certainly a question what Assets, but we have worked with so many amazing assets and we had always luck with responsive and amazing developers behind the assets. We had many very sucessful project thanks to assets.
Without Assets it would have been impossible to reach deadlines or even using a feature at all.

I think in terms of Multiscreen rendering and Clusters people very much underestimate how much technology is behind this things, it is many years of development to even make it work, not to mention that many effects in game Engine are not made for multi cam.

 

The cluster rendering system has been tested internally very early, and relevant information can be searched through youtube. At present, the old system has always had various problems, and the problems have not been solved. Currently unity2020.2.1f1 has been released, but the unity team has no explanation for this.

And now I have to switch to ue ndisplay, although I like unity. At present, the unity cluster has not been officially released. An important reason is that unity does not pay much attention to it and invests little, and the cluster relies on the unity internal network. The unity network system is very stretched. Everyone knows that Unity abandoned unet, but there is no formal alternative solution for a long time.

After looking at ue, a lot of publicity was carried out in the field of industry and simulation. Most provide out-of-the-box solutions. As far as I know, the unity cluster solution has been tested internally from unity5.0, with a small range of internal tests, and some customers have purchased the solution.
The deeper the love, the deeper the hatred. @Matjio @rsodre @swredcam @pachermann

 

Hi, got an interview today and i told them last time i check unity support cluster rendering (I am not realizing that is knowledge from Unity 5 era), and they will hire me if i am able to research into this and implement it..i am f*cked arent i..gosh..what a blunder..need to go to UE ASAP i guess and prepare good excuse..

 

We have already produced commercially on LED Walls with Unity and MiddleVR on URP, HDRP and standard Pipeline it works like a charm!

The whole approach is very technical and over expencive but Software wise we won't ever leave Unity, we love the Framework and the rapid Development possabilites.
We have found nothing we could not visualize in Unity, it's always learning no matter what engine you use.

The Huge community has all the devs you would ever need to programm eny kind of shader or tool for LED volume and rendering.
Unity lives from Assets so i see no problem in unsing ithem.

 

Pacherman, please share with us the rough cost of MiddleVR. I don't believe it resembles the typical Unity asset in terms of cost.

Unity seems to be backing away from clustering. Earlier releases mention it but there is nothing in the current release.

 

Hi Swredcam,
I'm working at MiddleVR. We don't have yet a pricing for virtual production because it is really a new market.
I would love to get your inputs if you are available for a phone call next week ?
Contact me privately if you agree
Have a great day,
Seb

 

Thank you so much for hopping in

 

Unity is making a lot of noise about virtual production but none of the resources mention using more than one monitor.
https://resources.unity.com/media-e...E_INT_TTL_BUYER_FB-fb_B-Facebook_Desktop_Feed

 

Virtual Production is large field, i like the casestudies you shared thanks! You can use MiddleVR for Multiscreen btw.
If you have that much Resoluition that you have to jum on multiscreen you have an amazingly large Setup, i would love to see some more about it if that is posssible? Please keep us posted

 

By the way we just announced that MiddleVR is now a Unity Verified Solutions Partner for cluster rendering: https://www.middlevr.com/2/2021/03/08/middlevr-becomes-a-unity-verified-solutions-partner/

 

This is good news and bad news. This means that unity itself may have abandoned the development of cluster rendering, and the midvr price is not transparent. There is one more choice for developers, in addition to ue ndisplay.

 

MiddleVR costs thousands of euro’s for a license, so can you really call that a good alternative?

 

really? where did you find the pricing?

 

I got a quote from them, because we are also looking for cluster rendering. It is licensed per gpu and several thousands per license (5+). And don’t get me wrong, I am not saying it isn’t worth it!

But for our projects it just isn’t an option. So we are now testing with unicave

 

Even if they released today, this will need a few iterations to get usable.
So Unity is years away from Unreal regarding Virtual Production and nDisplay technology.

 

I jump in here, our team at vrfx is allready working with middleVR and Unity for virtual production, you can have a look at our instagram account for footage.

For us we're really happy with the solution over the 3rd party plugin middleVR with excellent support and worth each penny!

https://www.instagram.com/vrfxrealtimestudio/

 

I didn’t say it wasn’t worth it As long as it is affordable for your projects, but mine can’t afford 20k for 3 gpu licenses ;-)

 

Yea virtual production it is a expencive world, do you use LED walls in your studio as well?.

 

Why do you think it is not usable?
The tech works perfectly in Unity, there are a few problems with screenspace effects in HDRP but we will overcome this as well.

Afterall it is a new frontier that takes time, what we like most is that we can program very quick almost everything in unity for setups.

cheers!

 

You just answered yourself, it takes time, and that's a huge delicate task. Unity is turning itself upside down, with so many systems being re-developed from scratch, and they are investing heavily on other markets like Architecture and Automotive. I never seen Entertainment or Live Shows as a priority, so I doubt there's a big team working on this, or any team at all.
Even if they release today, based on previous package features, it would probably be preview/experimental, with a few limitations and not recommended for production.

 

Nope i did not answer myself, my question aimed at you, if you have worked with it.
And i think you don't see the whole picture, it's weird to claim unity don't have an entertainment team and can not be used for these fields.

It is used in many places for Film and Virtual Production, i have no worldwide user statistic, but the engine is used from many vendors for film, animation, previsualisation, LED volume tracking and much more.
They have whole workshop series where they show how to get into it "road to real-time" it's called for example.
If you say they have no NDisplay for free, but your claim for the rest is simply wrong.
MiddleVR is the same technology, but it is not free in the engine that is the only difference, the market for this use is so small so i think it's clear why they used their time on other tech.

 

Disappointing that there is still not a cost-effective solution for this.

 

Awesome, cluster rendering is now on the roadmap of virtual production , look at the "Live" tab, it seams to be in progress.
Here the link : https://unity.com/roadmap/virtual-production

 

Update on this feature request:

As many have reported in this thread, MiddleVR licensing model is terrible.

We have leveraged UniCave ( https://github.com/widVE/UniCAVE ) and use it in our custom CAVE system.

Check it out.