Space Engineers

Space Engineers

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Live Camera Feeds
   
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Type: Mod
Mod category: Block, Script, Other, Obsolete
File Size
Posted
Updated
387.024 KB
Jan 29, 2016 @ 1:49pm
Feb 2, 2016 @ 7:05pm
18 Change Notes ( view )

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Live Camera Feeds

Description
THIS MOD NO LONGER WORKS. TOO MANY INTERNAL CHANGES AND LACK OF TIME MAKES MAINTAINING IT IMPOSSIBLE. SORRY.

Overview
This mod allows LCDs to display feeds from cameras. This is a rather large change to the underlying game, so an extra download is required (as a plugin). Once the plugin is installed properly, you will then be allowed to select cameras as textures for your LCDs. When you select it, the LCD will update automatically with the feed.

PLUGIN REQUIRED
This mod requires a plugin be installed. I have provided this plugin here:

https://github.com/Tyrsis/SE-Client-Extender/releases/download/1.0.0.0/SEClientExtender_Inst.exe

In order for you to use this mod, Space Engineers must be launched with the plugin provided. The installer creates a shortcut for you to launch the game, which enables this plugin. It's a very simple install process.

If you would prefer to manually install without launching an executable. Please go here:

https://github.com/Tyrsis/SE-Client-Extender

Install instructions for automatic, and manual are listed in the readme. This is also where the source will be once it's cleaned up a bit more.

If you'd like to have the plugin always launch when you run Space Engineers, all you have to do is go to your steam library, right click on Space Engineers and click Properties. Then go down to the bottom and in "Set Launc Options.." type in -plugin SEClientExtender.dll

Crash On Launch
If your game crashes on launch, this may be due to how windows blocks some DLLs it mistrusts. There is a discussion created for this if you have this issue.

Details
This mod and associated plugin modify the game's renderer to allow rendering of what a camera sees to a texture, which can then be placed in the display of an LCD (any LCD, included modded ones!). The game does not have this function built in, so I had to create the ability to do so. (That is why a plugin is required). This will use very little memory, and only one texture exists in memory at a time for each feed. Multiple LCDs displaying the same feed still only use memory of that single feed.

Since turrets have cameras in them, you may also view camera feeds from turrets as well.

Performance
The process of rendering the scene to a texture can take 5-10ms. This will eat into your overall FPS, but I have balanced that by allowing you to set how much effort your GPU uses to do this rendering. In the Options -> Game Options screen you'll see a "Camera Processing" slider, that allows you to raise or lower the amount of processing required by the camera feeds. The higher you set it, the more it eats into your FPS, but the smoother the displays become. If you lower it down to 0, the process is turned off completely.

Every camera feed created takes processing time from a common "pool" of processing time. So the setting above allows you to control the maximum time spent on the pool, but each addition feed only takes from that pool, and not from the game itself. Therefore you can add 100 feeds, but they will just update very slow instead of slowing your game down.

You may set priorities on cameras that allow them to update more often. Cameras will have a new setting in the terminal for them called "Priority". This allows you to raise or lower the amount of processing time each individual camera feed has. This allows you to create a "main screen" that updates more often, while having security cameras that update much slower.

Options
In the game options menu, I have added a special slider to the "Game Options" screen. It defaults at 15%, but you may lower or raise it to increase or decrease the amount of processing time spent on cameras.

Also in the terminal screen, if you select a camera, you have the option to increase it's priority with a slider from 1x to 10x. The higher the priority, the faster it updates compared to other cameras. This allows you to create a "main view" while having slower updates on other cameras.

Multiplayer
The plugin itself is client side. Once you have the plugin installed, and launch with it, you can join a MP without this mod, and still use cameras in LCDs. The only issue is that it will not persist (so if you log out and back in, the LCD will not longer show the camera until you set it again). If other players have this plugin, they will also see the camera view (it syncs for all players online). This mod is required on the server if you want the camera view to persist on the LCD (not working yet). If a user does not have this mod installed, they will see a blank LCD.

Known Bugs
  • Camera views "slide" a bit. This manifests in the camera not being exactly where it should be. I'm trying to locate this issue, but it's a tough one.
  • Currently feeds do not persist in multiplayer. This means that if you relog, your camera selection will be gone. This will be fixed by the use of this mod on the server itself (doesn't require plugin on server).
  • Your head will disappear in first person mode. This was fixed at first, but the fix caused more issues so I will have to look into it more
  • Laser Antenna currently do not count as a connection. This will be fixed.

TODO
  • Finish off multiplayer implementation so that it persists
  • Allow embedding feeds into your HUD
  • Allow views of players (combined with above feature, will allow you to embed the view of faction members on screen)

Crashes
If you think this mod has caused SE to crash. Please go into your %appdata%/SpaceEngineers/SpaceEngineers.log file, open it up, and copy it's contents to pastebin.com or paste.ee. Then post a link in the Crash discussions thread. I will look them over and try to solve your issue.

If anyone has some cool videos showing this mod off, especially of bridges or fighters with enhanced cockpits, please link them to me, as I love viewing it.

THIS MOD NO LONGER WORKS. TOO MANY INTERNAL CHANGES AND LACK OF TIME MAKES MAINTAINING IT IMPOSSIBLE. SORRY.

- Thanks to piratep2r for the video contribution.
Popular Discussions View All (12)
52
Apr 17, 2020 @ 10:00am
PINNED: Installation Issues
tyrsis
43
Jun 29, 2017 @ 7:20am
Bug Reports
PerfectToast
8
Mar 8, 2016 @ 7:31am
Crash full log
peaceman001
673 Comments
Jord Wylde Mar 31, 2022 @ 4:03am 
I'm guessing this still no longer works :( Is there any intention on fixing it, ifnot why is it still up? i'd love to use this.
Rinke Feb 13, 2022 @ 3:22pm 
make this mod work
Ancient Demon Feb 12, 2022 @ 5:37pm 
stephens strikes again
[I.L]Methidox Feb 11, 2022 @ 3:47pm 
yerp, the bumps
Lunatricky Jun 25, 2021 @ 8:49am 
This is a bump. A bump to remind as all we need this in our Space Engineer lives...
Falieson Jul 12, 2020 @ 2:43am 
Wish this were built into the game!
Blade Viridian Jul 4, 2020 @ 4:13pm 
KEEN PICK THIS UP DUDES!
Ace781 Jul 1, 2020 @ 7:01pm 
really which Keen would pick this idea up and allow it to be implemented in game
Ancient Demon May 29, 2020 @ 12:30pm 
It was mine ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Vortex ♀ Pixalation May 29, 2020 @ 11:19am 
But seeing through walls isn’t the goal