NOTES FROM THE UE WEBSITE - DO NOT PUBLISH!

You can save and load CVT sessions to store annotations, measurements, and transparency information. With Cavrnus, these saved states are automatic, and do not need to be shared or distributed as individual files. Objects that have been placed and configured by multiple users will remain persistent in the collaborative Space, even after all users leave.

The host and other participants in a collaborative view can save annotations, measurements, Xray transparency state, 3D Cut sections, and the position of items moved by Transform .

Saving a Session

To save your session, select the Save button, type a name for the session, then press Enter.

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Each participant saves their session in their own local copy of the collaborative view package. Sessions are saved With Cavrnus, you now have two ways to store the configuration of a scene.

Saving/Restoring States

Saving a session as a state works the same as in standard CVT.

• Click the Save button Image Added in the HUD to store the current scene configuration as a local file.

• This file is stored in the YourProjectName/Saved/SaveGames sub-folder

• of the packaged project

• The

• list of sessions includes those you have saved, as well as those saved by other participants in the Space.

• You cannot

You cannot save and restore sessions while in VR mode.

Loading a Session

To load a saved session, select the menu next to the Save button, then select a session.

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The list of sessions includes those you have saved, as well as those saved by any other participants who are currently connected.

Load States in the Unreal Editor

You can now reload saved states directly in the editor:

1. Copy the .sav files representing the states you want to reload as well as the MainSaveGame.sav file from your Saved / SaveGames folder from your application into the same folder in your project.

2. In the editor, open the CollaborativeViewer > Blueprints > Tools folder, select the Editor_CollabViewerUtility_BP . Right-click and select Run Editor Utility Widget .

3. A widget containing the Default state selector will appear, you can now select one of the copied states from the drop down list.

4. You might need to move the camera in the viewport to refresh the parameters.

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Nice-to-Have Features

• Being able to save in VR mode seems like low-hanging fruit.

• Ability to swap back and forth quickly between multiple Spaces to compare and contrast.

  • This is a feature that CVT kind of has that we don’t, since you can easily fliip between different saved states.

  • At the same time, though, this comes at a cost. There is nothing preventing someone from flipping through your saved states while you are logged in, since they have access to your complete list.

  • Also, there doesn’t seem to be a way to push a state for all attendees in a space.

• Treating the Journal like a version history system (e.g. GIT)

• Being able to merge changes made in one Space with changes from another.

• Being able to store the changes in a format that can be reintroduced back into Unrealedit existing saved states, and you cannot save or restore states in VR.

The Journal

Cavrnus uses the concept of a Space to define a unique connection between users during a session. Each Space has a database called the Journal which stores changes to the scene in real-time as a series of edits.

• The Journal includes a complete history of all the changes that take place within that Space, going all the way back to when the Space was created.

• Changes are stored automatically in real-time. No buttons or triggers are required to update the Journal with a new addition or property change.

• Your team can have as many different Spaces, each with a unique Journal to store different configurations for your scene.

• Spaces are persistent. So when everyone leaves the session, the scene will still be in the same state it was left in when you return. No save file loading required.

Pro-Tips

Combining the use of both Saved States and the Journal provides new strategies for users to enhance their design/review experience.

• The Journal stores a history of changes made within a Space on the Cloud, including the addition and removal of objects.

• Saved States store a snapshot of the current state of all object properties that have changed.

• NB: The following strategies are not supported features. They simply represent opportunities for advanced users to discover emergent behavior by combining two powerful systems, such as Collab Viewer Template and Cavrnus Spatial Connector.

Transfer changes between duplicate Spaces

If you have teams working in parallel developing a scene in duplicate Spaces, you may be able to capture specific changes in one Space using a Saved State and merge those changes to another Space.

• This would be analogous to creating branches in code and merging specific changes.

• This will only work between duplicate Spaces, as each object instance placed in the scene is assigned a GUID in the Journal.

• This requires isolating the objects whose properties you wish to merge. Currently this must be done manually.

Capture changes in a Space Feedback

If you have teams working in parallel developing a scene in duplicate Spaces, you may be able to capture specific changes in one Space using a Saved State and merge those changes to another Space.

1. Save the state of the Space from the CVT HUD.

2. Grab the .sav file from the packaged SavedGames folder and put it in the source project folders.

3. From the editor Content Browser, navigate to Content/CollaborativeViewer/Blueprints/Tools

4. Right-click "Editor_Collab_ViwerUtility_BP" (yes, it is misspelled in UE 5.0) and select "Run Editor Utility Widget".

5. From the menu that pops up, select the state that you saved in Step 1.

6. Caveat: This cannot be undone! So check everything out before you hit Save All.