DOCUMENTATION

The set design editor provides you with various options of editing a single layer. Let’s examine an example.

Example: The goal is to insert into the set design a layer with a screen so that it fitted into TV housing. Image below: a studio with two TVs without screens.

Keep in mind that, when you add another layer, it will be placed in front of those previously added in the studio, i.e. the lowest layer is the furthest layer from the camera’s perspective. Therefore, most often the Talent layer is added at the very end (it will be at the very top), so that nothing obscures the form of a presenter.

Let’s use Rectangle mode to load the first Screen layer into the TV housing, and Points mode for the second TV to show you the difference between them.

Load the Screen layer.

Note that, after loading, the Screen layer fills an entire screen area, covering all the other layers.

Let’s use Rectangle edit mode. This edit mode is enabled by default. There is a control panel for this mode at the bottom, it comprises of five elements: a joystick, a vertical controller and three rotary knobs.

1. Joystick – changing the position of a selected element / layer. The position can be also changed by ‘grabbing’ the element with the cursor and dragging it with the mouse.
2. Vertical controller – resizing the element, scaling.
3. Rotary knob: X plane – rotation of the element in the X plane.
4. Rotary knob: Y plane – rotation of the element in the Y plane.
5. Rotary knob: Z plane – rotation of the element in the Z plane.

There are two ways to operate the vertical controller:

1. Click on any place on the controller’s knob and move it up or down
2. Use the arrows located next to the numerical value field for precise movement of the controller’s knob.

In the case of rotary knobs, there are the following ways to operate them:

1. Click on any place on the knob and turn it to the left or to the right.
2. Click on one of the four triangles around the knob to turn the knob setting the knob’s dot exactly at the point indicated by an arrow. It will be a rotation of exactly 90 degrees or of a multiple of this value.
3. Use the arrows located next to the numerical value field for precise movement of the knob. Use the vertical controller to reduce the size of the Screen layer’s green rectangle.

Since immediately after loading, the Screen layer fills up an entire area, the controller’s value is 100 (in%). After reducing the layer’s size, the parameter’s value also decreases.

The layer can be rotated along its X axis with the use of the first rotary knob. Click on any place on the knob and rotate it.

The Screen layer can be also rotated along its Y axis. Use the second rotary knob for that purpose.

You can also rotate the layer along its Z axis. Use the last rotary knob on the right side for that purpose.

Use the vertical controller to get the appropriate size of the Screen layer. Then use all the rotary knobs to set the correct position. At the end, the goal has been achieved: green Screen is correctly placed inside the TV housing.

You can achieve the same effect, but much faster, by using the edit mode: Points.

Just as before, after loading the Screen layer, scale it as so that it doesn’t cover an entire area. Use the vertical controller to reduce the size of the Screen layer’s green rectangle. After resizing, activate the Points mode. When the program warns you with a message, select YES option.

Points – this edit mode allows you to perform various types of transformations on the selected layer.

After switching to this mode, square points will show up in the corners of the green Screen layer. When you hook the cursor on the corner point (the point’s color will change to red), you will be able to move it to any place. By changing positions of the points, you can freely modify the shape and swiftly adjust the Screen to the TV’s housing. Just change the positions of the 4 points.

To facilitate the task, use the icons: Zoom Out, Zoom In and Zoom 1:1.

1. Zoom 1:1 icon – deletes all zoom changes made.
2. Zoom In icon – enlarges the image – for example, if you want to precisely set the points in the Points edit mode, you can enlarge the area. After adjusting the points, change the view back to 1:1 by clicking Zoom 1:1 icon.
3. Zoom Out icon – reduces the image’s view.

Edit mode: Points. Setting the points. Image enlarged with Zoom In.

If there are many layers in your project, remember to mark the layer’s thumbnail before introducing the changes. It will allow you to click with the mouse only on the selected layer.

After selection, a blue border in the shape of an arrow will appear around a letter D.

After this editing, there are two green Screens inserted into TV housings in the studio.

You can edit the Talent and Object layers in the same way as the Screen layer.

There are various options of layers’ editing available in the control window in the lower left corner of the screen. The image below. Options available for an object layer – there is an image loaded from the disk on the layer.

Below, you can see a description of individual buttons’ operation.

1. Name panel – a place where you define the layer. A description ‘Source’ appears for the Talent and the Screen layers, while a ‘Static logo’ is shown for the Studio layer and for the Object layer, just as in the image above.
2. Image panel – a path on the disk to a selected file for Studio layer or for the Object layer. Click on an icon with 3 dots to choose a different graphic file from the disk and load a different Image in its place. In order to delete an image from a layer, click on an icon with bin mark.
3. Source Index – select a source for the Screen or the Talent layer from a drop-down list: A, B, C and D.
4. Source Type selection – from a drop down list: Talent Full, Talent Desk, Talent Middle, Screen and Other.
5. Layer’s Edit Mode – available modes are: Rectangle and Points.
   • Rectangle – in this mode, you can change shape, size and position of a layer with the use of icons set at the bottom of the Screen (joystick and knobs). A detailed description in the further part of the manual.
   • Points – this edit mode is available when you choose Talent, Screen or Object layer. It allows you to perform various kinds of transformations on a selected layer. You can move it anywhere on
     the Screen by hooking the cursor on a point located in the corner. You can change positions of the points to be able to freely modify the layer’s shape. A detailed description in the further part of the manual.
6. Solo – by default this option is disabled. By enabling it, you hide all the other layers except the selected one.
7. Visible – this option is enabled by default. Disabling this option hides the selected layer.
8. Opaque – opacity. This option is available for the Talent, Screen and Object layer. It is enabled by default for the Screen layer, while for the Talent and Object layer, it is disabled by default. By enabling this option a transparent area on the selected layer changes to black.
9. Reset Transformations – you can restore the selected layer to its default initial size and shape by clicking on this icon. All operations performed on this layer will be deleted.
10. Crop Layer – this function allows you to crop the loaded image. You can only use it on the Object layer. Description further in the text.

You can see Layers window on the right side of the screen – area 2. This window renders accessible the following 4 functions. Function icons are located at the top of the window.

Starting from the left:

• Create: Add a layer
• Delete: Delete the existing layer
• Move up: Move the layer up
• Move down: Move the layer down

In order to start editing, click the first icon on the left: Add a layer. A window will open: Select layer type.

In this window, you can find four different types of layers that can be added by clicking on a layer:

• Sources A and B (Talents),
• Sources C and D (Screens),
• Object layer,
• Studio layer.

After marking Studio Layer, click Add button. You can now browse graphic files on your hard drive. A single click on a file will open the file’s preview. To load a graphic file, press Open or double click on the file name.

After loading the image file, it appears in the workspace, while its thumbnail shows up in the Layers window. There are two icons on the right side of the image’s thumbnail: Visible and Solo.

Their functions are described below:

• Icon: Visible – by default, the visibility of a given layer is enabled, and you can disable visibility of a given layer in the studio by clicking on this icon. This way, you can, for example, turn off the visibility of a desk or other object in the studio, without removing it from the list.
• Icon: Solo – this icon is disabled by default. Click on Solo icon to hide all the other layers. Only the selected layer will be visible in the workspace. All the others will disappear. This feature is especially useful if the studio contains a lot of objects and some layers’ visibility is hindered.

Menu bar is located at the top of the screen. You can find four main options there: File, Edit, Configuration and Help.

The table below shows the following sub-options available after clicking on a main option.

• New – creates a new file.
• Load – loads an existing file.
• Save – saves the changes made to the current project.
• Save as – saves the project file under a different name (There is a function preventing unintentional overwriting of a file).
• Go to Startup – exits the editor.

• Undo – deletes the last introduced change. Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + Z.
• Redo – reverses the undo command. Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + Y.

• Language – allows you to choose the application’s language.
• Styles – changes the application’s appearance: black or white version.

• Help – About the program – User license agreement (EULA)
• QR Code- Here, you can scan the QR code to open the support Reckeen website.

After loading the software on your computer, double click Virtual Space Maker Software icon on your desktop. The program will launch in English language. To change the language, click Configurations on the top bar and then Language on the drop-down menu that appears. Select the language afterwards.

Before opening the start screen, make sure that your computer monitor has its resolution set to 1680×1050 or higher.

Virtual Space Maker – apart from being an element of Reckeen LITE virtual studio software, this set design editor has also its stand-alone version. This software can be installed on your computer, just like any other standard software. But before installing, make sure that your computer meets the minimum requirements.

• CPU: i3 or faster
• Memory: 4GB RAM
• Graphics Card: GPU with DirectX 11 drivers
• Operating System: Windows 7 (64-bit) SP1 with ‘Platform Update’ , or higher
• Monitor resolution of 1680 x 1050 or higher
• CPU: the x64 processor must support the AVX2 instruction, i.e.: here
  • Intel
  • Haswell processor, Q2 2013
  • Haswell E processor, Q3 2014
  • Broadwell processor, Q4 2014
  • Broadwell E processor, Q3 2016
  • Skylake processor, Q3 2015
  • Kaby Lake processor, Q3 2016(ULV mobile)/Q1 2017(desktop/mobile)
  • Coffee Lake processor, Q4 2017
  • Cannonlake processor, 2018
  • Cascade Lake processor, 2018
  • Ice Lake processor, 2018
  • AMD
  • Excavator processor, Q2 2015
  • Zen processor, Q1 2017

A layer representing signal sources – sources C and D (Screens). It can be placed anywhere and freely scaled. The layer represents a place in the studio where additional content can be displayed (video material, panels, etc.), i.e. virtual Screens.

The Screen layer can be scaled and moved.

The simplest set design may consist of three layers (the program operates on two-dimensional layers, placed one above the other). The first one is a background layer (Studio layer). You can place any image depicting an interior of a studio (it can be, for example, a photo) on this layer. The image will be scaled to fill an entire video frame (in the pre-defined resolution).

Subsequently, you should add layers representing signal sources – source A (Talent) and source C (Screen). Both can be placed anywhere in the studio and freely scaled. The first source represents a form of a presenter, while the second one – a place in the studio where additional content can be displayed
(video material, panels, etc.), i.e. a virtual Screen.

A Talent layer should be placed on the very top, so that the presenter would not be accidentally covered. Unless, of course, you want to achieve such effect intentionally, when the presenter is, for example, partly obscured by a desk. In such case, a layer with a desk object should be placed in front of the Talent layer.

The program, however, allows you to change the order of already added layers at any time.

The image below shows a set design created with the use of three layers. A photo is loaded to the studio layer.

At this point, the studio is ready to be used in LITE Production module. As you can see, Virtual Space Maker editor is a tool that is very easy to use and which allows you to create a new virtual studio set design with layers in just a few moments.

In addition, the studio can be completed with an object layer, where you can place any piece of interior design, e.g. a lamp. This layer can be placed wherever you want on the screen by moving and scaling it.In the image below, 3 hanging lamps have been added to the studio.

If you have a set created with two layers – e.g. Screen (source C) and presenter (Talent – source A), then the presenter will be moving against the background of what is currently being displayed on the Screen. If you choose a video with an image of a street filmed with a stationary camera to be displayed on the Screen, it will be a background for your presenter. With that, you can achieve an effect that the presenter is visible, for example, on a busy street in the middle of a city.

Such created composition can be now saved and so it becomes immediately available in the production module.

Naturally, along with RECKEEN LITE system, you get a package of ready-made set designs that can be used in a program broadcast. You can edit any of these set designs supplied in the package using Virtual Space Maker editor module.

In the case of ready-made sets, you have, among others, the following editing options:

• hiding / revealing selected layers – an easiest way to get a different version of the same studio is to, for example, hide a table behind which a presenter should sit in the studio, creating an open studio set design,
• inserting additional graphics, e.g. placing additional objects in the studio.

Due to the fact that a structure of ready-made sets can be very complex (multi-layered), it is easy to accidentally ‘break’ such composition, e.g. by removing one of the layers. To protect against this kind of error, the provided set design files are protected against modification. However, you can always save such set under a different name, marking a new file as unprotected, and then modify it as you like.

RECKEEN LITE system is delivered with a package of ready-made set designs, that is, virtual studio scenographies. In addition, the system includes a rich library of objects used in these sets. The objects are available as PNG files with a transparency layer. Each of these objects can be used also in other sets.

With the Virtual Space Maker editor, every user can create their own studio set design or make modifications to an existing one.

There is no difference between the set designs from LITE Production module perspective, regardless of how they were created. Note that some functions, such as assigning signals (media, camera, image) to the sources, only takes place in LITE Production module, not in the VSM editor.

In the VSM editor, a new studio consists of flat layers, previously prepared in, e.g. Photoshop, 3ds MAX or GIMP. No operations can be performed on the original set design (provided in the package), as its file is protected. To be able to modify it, you need to create a copy of the studio file, change its name and operate on a new file. However, for Reckeen LITE program, there is no difference between the previous studio and its modified copy.

A layer representing signal sources – sources A and B (Talents). This layer can be placed anywhere on the Screen and can be resized freely. It represents a figure of a presenter – the Talent layer is a ‘place for the source signal’ from the camera. For the ease of use, there are several Talent thumbnails depicting
different shots of the set. You choose a type from Source Type drop-down list.

Talent and Screen layers are represented differently in the editor, but the difference between them is arbitrary – they are identical on a technical level. It is even more evident later on, in the LITE Production module, where they can have any kind of input signal assigned, i.e. camera image, video, static image, etc.

It is possible to place several Talent layers in your studio’s set design. The maximum number of layers with sources (Talent + Screen) in the set design is 8.

The maximum number of sources in the set is 4 and they are marked with letters A, B, C and D. It means that if you put more than 4 sources in the set, e.g. 1 talent and 5 screens, then on some screens the same content will be displayed (they will have the same source, e.g. A).

By default, A and B sources are for the Talents and C and D are for the Screens, but you have always a possibility to change the source. Image below: selecting a signal source from Source Index drop-down list.

You can complete the studio with object layers. These can be any objects of a studio decor: a desk, a lamp, etc. You can also place logos anywhere in the studio, e.g. a sports club logo on the studio’s floor. This layer can be scaled, moved, and rotated by any angle. It is assumed that this layer is partially
transparent, but it is not obligatory. There can be also several layers of this type. However, if you want to insert a TV station’s logo that is supposed to be in the same place on the Screen all the time on the air, regardless of the virtual camera’s movements, you should not put it on your set design. Instead, use DSK function in LITE Production module at the production stage and load your logo as DSK. On the image, you can see the object layers with two different objects loaded.

This type of layer is used for placing graphic files representing the studio’s interior (background).

Graphics loaded into studio layers are scaled so that they fill an entire Screen. Graphics with a resolution lower than the Screen’s resolution will be stretched to full Screen, which may cause deterioration of their quality. It is therefore recommended to use files in PNG, JPG, JPEG, or BMP formats with resolution of 1920×1080 or 2880×1620, that is with image aspect ratio of 16:9.

You cannot perform any transformations on Studio layers, therefore, when you select such a layer to be edited, its transformation controls are not active (they are dimmed) and a padlock symbol appears next to the layer’s thumbnail. PNG files that you place on a studio layer may contain transparency. This allows you to create a background by combining several graphic files, you just have to note that the files should have the same resolution. If you load a PNG file with no transparency or a JPG, JPEG, or BMP file on a studio layer, it will completely cover all the layers placed below the layer containing such file. The order of studio layers can be freely changed using arrows located at the top of Layers area. On the image
below, a file on a studio layer contains transparency in the areas of studio’s windows (areas with a grid representing transparency on the thumbnail).

NOTE: if you want to avoid automatic stretching of the file you are planning to put as a studio layer (e.g. when you want to use some part of it or scale it appropriately), then you should load it as an object layer.

On the image, you can see a view with an additional loaded layer of a city panorama outside studio windows. When you click an object layer’s thumbnail in the layers window, the size and location of the image is indicated with a white frame.