Question Display1, Display2, vCam1, vCam2 - how to assign?

I've only recently discovered that this is a thing, that multiple cameras can be used to project to different displays that can be shown concurrently in the Editor.

How do I set respective cameras of the Cinemachine type (vCams) to their respective Displays via their "respective Main Cameras" given that there's only seemingly one priority system for vCam... priority... so that I can see the same scene/game from multiple points of view at the same time, via Cinemachine vCams?

Not interested in this as a gameplay feature, though this will, obviously, be seen through Game Views in the Editor, merely wanting to do this for the purposes of better insight into the game world whilst editing in the Editor.

 

I think you might have misunderstood the question.

Am not concerned with multiplayer or even having this work in Game Mode.

In the Editor, whilst editing (not in Play mode) it's possible to have multiple Game views into the game world with multiple Unity cameras.

I want to use this... but with Cinemachine cameras unique to each Display (1 and 2 in the example given, for vCam's 1 and 2, respectively).

Is this possible, so that I can have multiple vCams to edit, in Edit mode, that I can look through via multiple Game views?

 

Sadly, I don't think anyone's familiar with the multidisplay features of Unity. It seems completely unused, by just about everyone. I'd only just recently realised what it was and what it could do.

Sadly, the ideal use case for it is that which I can't do with it: compare the animation and blends of different CMvCams side by side in different Game Views, and their respective differences in Post Processing... because only one hierarchy of CMBrain "priorities" exists.

I think, for multiDisplay (multiple Game Views) to work with independent choosing of CMvCams in each, each Unity Camera with each CMBrain would need to have a unique hierarchy of priorities... or... unique range:

eg.

CMBrain 1 on MainCam 1 for Display 1 (GameView 1) shows CMvCams with priorities between 0 - 100
CMBrain 2 on MainCam 2 for Display 2 (GameView 2) shows CMvCams with priorities between 101 - 200
CMBrain 3 on MainCam 3 for Display 3 (GameView 3) shows CMvCams with priorities between 201 - 300
etc

That, alone, would be amazing for prepping for cam switching and moves and post processing and lighting analysis and comparisons in the Editor. Just in the Editor, not in Play Mode, just using unique Game Views for each "Display".

Where this would go to an entirely different level and become irreplaceably useful outside the mere "editor" applications and transcend -- Play Mode and Builds for installations. eg. all the different ad boards/screens around stadiums and other live venues, each having a different view into an ads graphics/animations, score graphics/animations, celebration animations, replayss and their overlays, etc.

This could transform that industry, which is currently hobbled by a need to make custom applications each time with one of the C++ graphics frameworks like openFrameworks or Vvvv etc

 

This only helps if the whole view is only through one master camera, and then traditional split screens are done.

As I replied to that post... that's not the intention here... it's to have unique views into the Scene via unique Displays (a Unity feature in the top left of the Game View) of unique Game Views, with unique priorities for unique use of vCams.

I'm repeating myself. Again.

Try this drop down in the top left of the Game View:

 

Are you sure? How? Unique cameras (CMCams) per Unity Cam, in Unique Game Views, each in their respective Display.

I don't see how this is possible.

 

So layers, in this CM sense, are not layers in the other ways we think of layers in Unity?

 

argh... so Unity. I have to compromise between physics layers, masking layers and camera/culling layers, from a pool of less than 32.

I feel Unified.

And Volumes have some kind of integration with layers? I'll figure it out.

What I can't figure out...
The single most useful value on any Post Processing Volume is its "weight", that which determines the total amount of effect of the Post Processing... would be even more useful on vCams, but isn't there.

Can I get at it through the API?

Or is it not a thing for CinemachinePostProcessing to have a weight factor for the post processing?

// asking because I'd tuned all my volumes to work at a weighting of .75, so I had some headroom. But they're now all too strong as CinemachinePostProcessing "Profiles", and not easy to recalibrate with colour grading, bloom, vignetting and motion blur etc.

 

Sadly, a lot of very unfun work that will not be accurate... I've been trying with just one profile for about an hour, and not getting close, due to interesting extreme behaviours with blooms and colour grading.

Also... this is a one way trip. Once they're good at a weight of 1... they're no good for me to do the previous tricks with blending with volumes before.

Very annoying compromise has to be made... all vCams with their Post Processing and without the ability to easily change/animate weights, or the volumes and have to include 3D physics just for this... which is not nearly as performant as it should be for this "isolated" use of layers of physic objects etc...

Please, can you give me the way to hack the weight of the CinemachinePostProcessing on individual cameras?

// I've already realised I can probably have two identical vCams, one with and one without post processing, and blend between them, but that's not going to work with actual gameplay blending of cameras in any fun ways.

 

Re Layers... I had seen that you and the Marky Marc put out a video talking about 3, but haven't got around to watching it... mostly because that'd mean "upgrading" to a newer version of Unity...

 

I think so... will have a tinker. Have had a bit of success modding TMP lately, so might be able to do this... and get it to work.

THANK YOU!!!

 

Some of the colour grading and bloom is pretty strong to get that 80's look, and then to animate it through pushing around weights values. Not extreme use, just more than might be considered normal for "realistic games".

eg:

 

in the version I've got, of CM, that line, I think... looks like this:

state.AddCustomBlendable(new CameraState.CustomBlendable(profile, 1));

Is it much the same, that that 1 at the end is weight?

 

It sort of works... in that I can get an extension available and add it to the Camera, but it's only got the Gain variable showing, not the usual extras to make it work... ABO = modified version:

 

Brilliant. THANK YOU!!! That did it

I wasn't looking far enough down through the conditionals. Ripped them all out, and things are working.

AND the gain. Amazing. It just works!

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Almost... this is entirely an:




But I still haven't got the settings showing for the Post Processing Effects. I can load a profile and adjust the gain, and that all works, but the editors for the different post processing effects (color grading, bloom, vignette etc) aren't showing.

Any tips on what else I might be doing wrong?

 

Very cool! Actually better, as can lock a inspector doing this, and just this, and then mess with the cameras at will.

For anyone else doing this, there's a line about documentation that needs to be deleted, as it seems to be an internal call:

    [HelpURL(Documentation.BaseURL + "manual/CinemachinePostProcessing.html")]

That link is broken, too. Even when it was in the actual cs file.

 

Another workaround for the inability to show the full GUI in the Inspector for the Post Processing Effects:

Add "back" the original CinmachinePostProcessing Extension, deactivate and pick the same Profile as used in the new WeightEnabled gain driven extension. Now editing is available in the deactivated original Extension and is live.

 

Bug?

Going into Play Mode, everything works fine, the first time.

Exiting Play Mode, the Post Processing turns off, somehow throughout the project. No amount of deactivating and re-activation of components and game objects (cameras and their associated Post Processing stacks etc) reinvigorates the Editor Mode running of the Post Processing stack(s).

Entering PlayMode, they come back on. Exiting again, they're off again.

EDIT: additional info - making any changes to the script extension and reloading reinitiates the Post Processing, but upon next exit of Play Mode, all Post Processing is off and problem returns.

EDIT- MORE INFO:

This is almost certainly a Unity and Post Processing bug. Deleted my custom CinemaMachinePostProcessing cs file, restarted etc... and this behaviour still occurs, everytime.

ie Post Processing is only available in the Editor in Edit Mode prior to the first time Play Mode is entered. After that, there's no Post Processing in the Editor in Edit Mode.

 

I've cleaned out all my (one) class extension.

This is definitely a bug. I've found a lot of complaints about this online, and even recall my prior endeavours, when first trialing Post Processing, being shocked to find it worked in Play Mode, but not in the Editor. This is a thing, for sure, for normal users of 2019.LTS, and seemingly 2020.LTS, and 2021.LTS... judging by some quick googling. Some have even discovered a way to add a camera to reinitialise it, with a new post processing volume, etc.

Others work around it by using a Volume based approach and never go back to trying to use CinemachinePostProcessing.

 

Do you have 2019.LTS?

 

Could be like that bug where it's only possible to edit a dolly rail if you've only got one Inspector open - wherein there's how users use Unity versus how the developers test it.

Like you've chosen .17f1... what's special about that one that's better than those that precede it?

I'm on an earlier version due to a bug that happens in TMP in later versions.

 

I get a stream of red ink in the console:

type of namespace cinemachine not found etc etc... lots of them. issing in Assembly reference etc.

 

Just to be perfectly clear... mine, and everyone else, seems to work first time on load/start Unity - post processing visible in the Editor in Edit Mode.

However, enter Play Mode... exit Play Mode... there's the problem. Now no Post Processing in Editor, only upon re-entering Playmode does it reappear.

this is all over Reddit, SO and other sites.

Search for "Post Processing not working" Unity. There's a lot of other issues, too. But this one pops up about 1 in 10, and is particular to the usage of the Post Processing Extension on a CM

 

2.6.4 here. I don't even see 2.9.5, only up to 2.9.4

 

You might be able to do that, and consider that normal. I have no idea what it means.

I've started a reboot. And am watching a "Resolving packages... " dialog snail its way across the screen...

 

My experience with Unity has led me to using the oldest of everything I can get away with.

Annoyingly, CM 2.9.5 and PP 3.2.2 of post processing are not causing the dropped connection when coming out of Play Mode.

Annoying, because this combination runs 10+ Celsius hotter on my laptop, even with this minimalist scene, and the motion blur is significantly inferior to the earlier version I was using, and there seems no way to get anywhere near back to the smearing in the earlier version.

Thank you... sort of...

Yeah.. yeah... yeah... I know.

----------------

UDPATE:
For those following along and wondering "how's this going", to all none of you:

Updated CM to 2.9.5, restarted Unity, but DID NOT update Post Processing. Just doing this fixed the issue of losing Post Processing in Editor Edit Mode after Play Mode session.

 

Indeed!

How do I send you back a tiny (no extraneous stuff) project with the couple of little additions I've aded (animation and some more post processing) ?

 

Here it be....

A little animation of the camera to show the issues with the motion blur, and minor collection of post processing...