Set up a Vicon Origin actor

This page covers how to set up a Vicon Origin actor in UE5.

A Vicon Origin actor is an empty actor in a scene. Use this empty actor as a parent actor to which you add child actors. Doing this ensures all streamed data is aligned correctly.

Prerequisites

The steps outlined below assume you have set up Live Link. If you have not, please complete the steps outlined in Connect to Vicon Datastream using Live Link.

Add an empty actor

1. In UE5, open the scene in which you want to create an empty actor.
2. In the scene, click Quick Add >Basic >Actor.

   

3. Provide a name for the empty actor (for example Vicon Origin).

   

When you add child actors to the Vicon Origin actor (and subsequently props and meshes) they will all be aligned correctly.

Add child actors to your Vicon Origin actor

You can now use the Vicon Origin actor that you created in Add an empty actor as a parent for all other actors that are driven by the Vicon motion capture data stream through Live Link.

These other actors must be child actors of the parent actor.

To create another actor:

1. Clicking Quick Add > Basic > Actor)
2. Go to the Outliner panel.
3. Find the actor you just created, then drag and drop this actor beneath the Vicon Origin actor to create this parent/child link.

These two actors are now linked so you can easily align the streamed data.

The following image shows the Vicon Origin actor with two character skeletal meshes attached and also two props. Each of these props are also empty actors to which the actual props have been added. This enables you to adjust the mesh positioning more easily.

If the position of the streamed data is not in a good position or at a bad angle, select and move the Vicon Origin.