Unreal/Software-Overview.md

+**Table of Contents**
+
+[[_TOC_]]
+
+This page should give an overview of relevant internally and externally developed software for Unreal.
+
+## Audio
+
+- **3D Audio**
+  - **[Virtual Acoustics Plugin](https://git-ce.rwth-aachen.de/vr-vis/VR-Group/unreal-development/unreal-va-plugin)** \
+    This Plugin allows the user to use the VA Server from the Institute of Acoustics (ITA) of the RWTH Aachen to playback sounds in Unreal. These virtual sound sources components can be attached to any actor and can have directivity. Furthermore, the image sound source method is implemented for reflection. See [Unreal VA Demo](https://git-ce.rwth-aachen.de/vr-vis/VR-Group/unreal-va-demo) for examples.
+
+    **Maintainer:** @jonathan.ehret, M. Schmeling
+
+## Scientific Visualization
+
+- File Formats
+  - **PROPOSED: openVDB/nanoVDB Integration** \
+  [Add short description here.]
+
+  - **PROPOSED: NVIDIA Omniverse (Universal Scene Description)** \
+  [Add short description here.]
+
+  - **PROPOSED: Support for CAD files** \
+  [Add short description here.]
+
+- Simplex Rendering
+  - Points
+    - **[GPU Point Cloud Renderer](https://github.com/ValentinKraft/UE4_GPUPointCloudRenderer)** \
+      Efficient rendering of point clouds (no loading)
+
+      **Maintainer:** Valentin Kraft (external) \
+      **License:** The plugin is free for personal and academic use. Commercial use has to be negotiated
+
+    - **[LiDAR Point Cloud](https://pointcloudplugin.com/)** \
+      Loading and rendering of point cloud data
+
+      **Maintainer:** Externally maintained \
+      **Examples:** https://www.unrealengine.com/marketplace/en-US/product/lidar-point-cloud-sample
+
+  - Lines
+    - **[Line Rendering Plugin](https://git-ce.rwth-aachen.de/vr-vis/VR-Group/unreal-development/line-plugin)** \
+      This plugin adds functionality to Unreal which allows a highly performant rendering of static and dynamic (poly-)lines.
+
+      **Maintainer:** @david.gilbert
+  - Triangles
+    - **[Procedural Mesh Component](https://docs.unrealengine.com/en-US/API/Plugins/ProceduralMeshComponent/UProceduralMeshComponent/index.html)** \
+      Component that allows you to specify custom triangle mesh geometry. Also available for [blueprints](https://docs.unrealengine.com/en-US/BlueprintAPI/Components/ProceduralMesh/index.html).
+
+      **Maintainer:** Epic Games
+
+- Fields
+  - Volume Rendering
+    - **[Voxel Plugin](https://voxelplugin.com/)** \
+      Voxel Plugin - Dynamic Terrain for Unreal Engine
+
+      **Maintainer:** Epic Games \
+      **License:** MIT (basic) or custom (premium)
+    - **[Vector Data Visualization](https://git-ce.rwth-aachen.de/vr-vis/VR-Group/unreal-development/VectorDataVisualization)**
+
+      **Maintainer:** D. Helmrich
+
+  - **PROPOSED: Particle Tracing** \
+    with a paradigm for virtual wind tunnel (https://i.imgur.com/Yw1oH46.jpeg)
+
+## Immersive Analytics
+- **PROPOSED: Brushing and linking** \
+  [Add short description here.]
+
+- **PROPOSED: Multi-view semantically and/or spatio-temporaliy linked views** \
+  [Add short description here.]
+
+  **Examples:** ...
+
+- **PROPOSED: Embedment of annotations** \
+  [Add short description here.]
+
+  **Features:**
+  - Placement Algorithms
+  - ...
+
+## User interface
+- **WIP: Pie Menus** \
+  ViSTA-like pie menu for unreal.
+
+  **Maintainer:** S. Oezer, @spape
+- **[VisUI](https://git-ce.rwth-aachen.de/vr-vis/VR-Group/unreal-development/visui)** \
+  [Add short description here.]
+  
+  **Maintainer:** K. Karwacki\
+  **Features:**
+    - LUT Editor
+    - Color Picker
+- **[Likert Scale Plugin](https://git-ce.rwth-aachen.de/vr-vis/VR-Group/unreal-development/likert-scale-plugin)** \
+  A plugin to Simply create Likert Scales in VR. It also provides standard questionnaires
+  
+  **Maintainer:** @jonathan.ehret
+
+  **WIP:** currently J. Müller does a redesign of the complete plugin
+
+- **[Widget Interaction Plugin](https://git-ce.rwth-aachen.de/vr-vis/VR-Group/unreal-development/widgetinteraction)** \
+  This plugin allows to easily interact with UMG Widgets, both in VR and on the desktop
+  
+  **Maintainer:** @jonathan.ehret
+- **PROPOSED: 2D UI via *inline browser*** \
+  [Add short description here.]
+ 
+- **PROPOSED: Speech Interface** \
+  A way to easily interact with a program using only spoken natural language
+  
+  **Features:**
+  - [ ] Text-to-speech for annotations
+  - [ ] Voice commands for virtual assistant (see Social VR, planned soon)
+  - [x] Limited conversation with virtual agent (partially work in progress, see Social VR)
+
+## Social VR
+ **WIP: [Virtual Humans](https://git-ce.rwth-aachen.de/vr-vis/VR-Group/character-plugin)** \
+  A WIP plugin to simply add virtual humans with different features to your application. See also [Unreal Character Test](https://git-ce.rwth-aachen.de/vr-vis/VR-Group/unreal-character-test) for reference.
+
+ **Features:** \
+    A planned/achieved feature list can be found [here](https://git-ce.rwth-aachen.de/vr-vis/VR-Group/character-plugin/-/wikis/home)
+
+ **WIP: Body Avatar** \
+     To simply add a calibrated avatar to your application
+     Currently done in a [bachelor thesis](https://git-ce.rwth-aachen.de/vr-vis/VR-Theses/ba_2020_nossol_code) by P. Nossol
+
+ **Maintainer:** @jonathan.ehret, @Andrea.Boensch
+
+## Interaction
+- Interactions metaphors which are not native in Unreal
+  - **[Cave Gun](https://git-ce.rwth-aachen.de/vr-vis/VR-Group/unreal-development/Cave-Gun)** \
+    [Add short description here.]
+  
+    **Maintainer:** @spape
+
+  - **PROPOSED: Jedi pick-up (From Half-Life Alyx)** \
+    [Add short description here.]
+
+  - **PROPOSED: Force grip** \
+    [Add short description here.]
+
+  - **PROPOSED: Intent-select** \
+    [Add short description here.]
+
+  - **PROPOSED: World-in-miniature?** \
+    [Add short description here.]
+
+- Navigation
+  - **[Navigation System](https://docs.unrealengine.com/en-US/API/Runtime/NavigationSystem/index.html)** \
+    [Add short description here.]
+
+    **Examples:** https://docs.unrealengine.com/en-US/Resources/ContentExamples/NavMesh/index.html
+
+- Locomotion
+  - **PROPOSED: Teleportation** \
+    [Add short description here.]
+
+  - **PROPOSED: Walking in place** \
+    [Add short description here.]
+
+- Desk VR interaction techniques
+  - **PROPOSED: Desk menu** \
+    [Add short description here.]
+
+  - **PROPOSED: When Spatial Devices are not an Option: Object Manipulation in Virtual Reality using 2D Input Devices** \
+    [Add short description here.]
+
+## Cave / nDisplay
+- **[nDisplay Launch Button Plugin](https://git-ce.rwth-aachen.de/vr-vis/VR-Group/unreal-development/NDisplayLaunchButton)** \
+  [Add short description here.]
+
+  **Maintainer:** @spape
+
+- **[nDisplay Extensions Plugin](https://git-ce.rwth-aachen.de/vr-vis/VR-Group/unreal-development/ndisplayextensions)** \
+  Unreal Engine nDisplay plugin extensions, including custom CAVE game modes, pawns, and more.
+
+  **Maintainer:** @all
+
+- **[Cave Overlay Plugin](https://git-ce.rwth-aachen.de/vr-vis/VR-Group/unreal-development/unreal-cave-overlay)** \
+  [Add short description here.]
+
+  **Maintainer:** @spape
+
+- **[Launch Scripts](https://git-ce.rwth-aachen.de/vr-vis/VR-Group/unreal-development/unreallaunchscripts)** \
+  Contains the configurations and scripts for launching the Unreal nDisplay projects in the Cave and on the TDW.
+
+- **[CI Scripts](https://git-ce.rwth-aachen.de/vr-vis/VR-Group/unreal-development/unreal-ci)** \
+  This repository stores the shared scripts, the launcher metadata file, and two sample .gitlab-ci.yml that are necessary to build unreal projects on our build machines.
+
+  **Maintainer:** @spape
+
+- **[aixCAVE WebLauncher](https://git-ce.rwth-aachen.de/vr-vis/VR-Group/unreal-development/aixcave-weblauncher)** \ 
+  Web UI for launching Unreal demos in the cave and on the TDW.
+
+  **Maintainer:** @martin.bellgardt
+  
+
+## Other
+- **[Unreal Project Template](https://git-ce.rwth-aachen.de/vr-vis/VR-Group/unreal-development/unrealprojecttemplate)** \
+  Unreal Engine project template catering to the common use cases at RWTH VR. Contains nDisplayExtensions, AixCAVE config files, launch scripts, and more.
+
+  **Maintainer:** @all
+
+- **[Project Setup Script](https://git-ce.rwth-aachen.de/vr-vis/VR-Group/unreal-development/unreal-project-setup-script)** \
+  The setup script to initialize new unreal engine projects based on our [template](https://git-ce.rwth-aachen.de/vr-vis/VR-Group/unreal-development/unrealprojecttemplate) as well as managing their plugins.
+
+  **Maintainer:** @simon.oehrl\
+  **Features:**
+    - Project initialization
+    - Plugin management (installing/updating/removing)
+- **[Google Drive Upload](https://git-ce.rwth-aachen.de/vr-vis/VR-Group/unreal-development/google-drive-upload)** \
+  [Add short description here.]
+
+  **Maintainer:** @spape\
+- **WIP: [Study Framework](https://git-ce.rwth-aachen.de/vr-vis/VR-Group/unreal-development/unreal-study-framework)** \
+  A framework to quickly build studies, providing most building blocks needed
+  
+  **Maintainer:** @jonathan.ehret, M. Schmeling\
+  **Features:**
+  - [ ] Session Management
+  - [ ] Logging
+  - [ ] Virtual Questionnaires
+
+- **[Universal Logging Plugin](https://git-ce.rwth-aachen.de/vr-vis/VR-Group/unreal-development/universallogging)** \
+  This plugin was developed to have a unified way of logging that can be used in shipping builds.
+
+  **Maintainer:** @martin.bellgardt
+
+- **PROPOSED: Interface to python for domain researchers** \
+  [Add short description here.]
+- **PROPOSED: Elements/techniques to reduce cybersickness** \
+  e.g. https://github.com/angsamuel/GingerVR (for Unity)
+- **[Unreal Plugins](https://git-ce.rwth-aachen.de/vr-vis/VR-Group/unreal-development/unrealplugins)** \
+  Contains the plugin list that is used by the [Project Setup Script](https://git-ce.rwth-aachen.de/vr-vis/VR-Group/unreal-development/unreal-project-setup-script).
+
+  **Maintainer:** @simon.oehrl
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