Basics
To get started with CineStager, you can place a Location in your AR scene by tapping the Add Location button and selecting a USDZ model, then tapping the floor to place it. Move it with one finger, rotate it with two fingers, and raise or lower it with a two-finger swipe; only one Location can be active at a time, and you can remove it by tapping the minus icon.
You can also add Mannequins from the Mannequin Library and place them by tapping the floor. Tap a mannequin to select it (a blue ring will appear), then move it with one finger, rotate it with two, adjust its height with the left slider, or nudge it up and down using the arrows on the right. Double-tap a mannequin to remove it, or triple-tap anywhere to remove all mannequins.
Turning on Human Occlusion lets real people appear in front of or behind AR elements for realistic staging (this is unavailable in Game Mode).
Game Mode allows you to fly a virtual camera through your scene using on-screen joysticks or a game controller; it’s a viewing mode only, so return to AR mode to make changes.
The Camera button opens camera profiles and framelines, and the Lens slider lets you choose focal lengths.
Use Photo Capture to save a still image (optionally with metadata and a letterbox), and if models are present, CineStager can also save a top-down Map View of your scene. Video Capture records the entire screen, allowing you to capture camera moves or AR interactions.
In Settings, you can adjust letterbox opacity, metadata options, Map View exports, and more.
Features
Add Location
This is a button that allows the user to import a Location model and place it in the AR scene. When the button is hit, a new window opens and the user can navigate to any 3D model that they wish to import. For now, only USDZ models are supported. After selecting a Location model, CineStager will ask to tap on the real world floor to place the model.
Once placed, the Location model can be moved around by draging it with one finger. This works best by touching the floor of the location model and then draging it around. With a two finger rotation, the location model can be rotated. With a two finger swipe up or down, the location model can be moved up or down.
Note that the Add Location button transformed from a plus to a minus symbol. By hitting the minus button, the user removes the Location model. Only one Location can be in the scene at one time.
Add Mannequin
This is a button that allows the user to import a Mannequin and place it in the AR scene. When the button is hit, a new window opens showing the Mannequin Library. Here, the user has a selection of different Mannequins, that either stand (still or walking position) or sit (chair or floor). After selecting a Mannequin, CineStager will ask to tap on the real world floor to place the model.
Once placed, the Mannequin model has to be selected first before the user can make changes to it. By hitting the Mannequin once, a blue ring appears around their feit, confirming the mannequin is selected. After selecting, the Mannequin can be moved around by draging it with one finger. With two fingers, the Mannequin can be rotated. Note that while a Mannequin is selected, a slider on the left of the screen appears. With this slider, the user can change how tall a Mannequin is. The user can change the height from 120cm to 200cm. By default, all standing and walking Mannequins spawn at 180cm. The sitting Mannequins have a fixed height. While a Mannequin is selected, also an arrow up and down appear on the right of the screen. With these, the user can nudge the Mannequin up and down in 3D space. Tapping the screen anywhere else but the Mannequin, deselects it.
If you would like to remove a Mannequin, just double tap to remove it, or triple tap anywhere on the screen to remove all Mannequins in the scene.
Human Occlusion
The Human Occlusion function allows the user to place real life humans, standing in front of the camera, to be placed in front or behind the AR content. The button is by default turned off. Turning on Human Occlusion, allows the user to place real life actors inside of the Location model and perform complex mise-en-scene and placing. Human Occlusion is not available in Game Mode.
Game Mode
Game Mode gives the user a whole new way of navigating around their scene, with a broader lens selection and freer camera movements. After placing a Location model (and Mannequins) and choosing the right camera profile, the user can acces Game Mode. This spawns a virtual camera at the exact location the live camera was in AR mode.
With the on screen joysticks, the user can fly around in the scene. With a two finger swipe up or down, the user can go up or down with the camera. You can also connect a Game Controller to your device and use that to navigate, change focal length and take image captures.
Note that Game Mode is a viewing mode, not an editing mode. If you want to edit your scene, go back to the AR scene, make your changes, and just go back into Game Mode.
Settings
On the Settings page, these are the following things you can control:
• Letterbox Mask Opacity
• Show camera and lens data in image captures
• Export Map view with Image Capture
• Frame Map view to Mannequins + Camera Marker only
• Walkthrough
Photo Capture
When hitting the Photo Capture button, CineStager grabs a still of the current frame, crops it to the used aspect ratio and burns in (if present) the letterbox. Images are saved to the Photo Library of the device. By default, CineStager also burns in the camera and lens metadata into the stills, but this can be turned on or off in the settings.
If you have a Location model and/or Mannequins imported into the scene, by default, CineStager will export a top down Map view to the Photo Library as well. This is a top down view of the exact positions of all the 3D models in the scene and the exact position and rotations of the camera when the still was made. This is a great reference to have when planning shots.
Map view exports can be turned on or off in the setttings. You can also choose if you want all 3D assets to be included or to zoom in on the Mannequins + Camera Marker only.
Video Capture
When hitting the Video Capture button, CineStager will screen record the whole screen of the device. This allows the user to record complex camera moves or (only in the AR scene) complex movements of real life actors being cut out by Human Occlusion.
Camera
The Camera button is a live read out of the camera, format and framelines in use. Hitting the camera button opens the Camera Profiles page. Here, the user can choose a camera, profile and (optionally) framelines.
Lens
The Lens slider emulates different focal lengths and are carefully calculated to match the real world camera and lens combinations. In Game Mode, you have a wide variety of focal lengths to choose from. In Gamer Mode, hitting the lens read out, the user can select or deselect focal lenghts to be included.
FAq
• Why does my Location model look so flat?
CineStager disables Apple's enviromental lighting and uses a completely white HDRi for lighting only. This is so 3D models scanned with LiDAR devices look the best they can be. If you import a 3D location that is a model made in program like Blender, SketchUp or Unreal Engine, this can make those models look flat. Make sure to bake in some sort of lighting into the textures, to get a more three dimensions feel of your Location model!
• Why can’t I choose a wider lens in the AR scene?
Right now, Apple only allows the use of the main camera of an Apple device to be used for displaying Augmented Reality content.
• Why is there no Map view for Video Captures?
The Map view function is a heavy computational feature, that would make CineStager crash in video recording mode. Maybe in the future, we'll add this feature!
• Why is camera X not included?
If you would like to see additional camera's and/or profiles, send us a message and we'll try to add it in the next update!