Hi,

Since Aximmetry 2024.3.0 version, you need to enable Custom Depth on the objects in front of the Billboards, you can read more about it here: https://aximmetry.com/learn/virtual-production-workflow/green-screen-production/aximmetry-de-scene-setup-green-screen/#setting-up-objects-in-front-of-the-billboard

Warmest regards,

Thank you for your reply.

I was able to successfully bring the billboard forward by following the steps in the tutorial.

I also understand that this procedure must be done for versions after 2024.3.0.

However, the procedure is very cumbersome because before 2024.2.0, it was easy to swap the placement of the person and the CG object.

Can we place billboards more easily in the next version?

Hi,

We have this on our to-do list to automate the process. However, I cannot provide a timeline for when it will be completed.

Warmest regards,

this is the worst update

@Eifert: How are we supposed to handle animated objects that move behind and in front of the billboard? It’s so weird that Aximmetry has taken this huge step backwards in functionality, with barely a mention in the release notes. We know it’s possible to accomplish this without manually tagging objects since your competitors do it in 5.4. 

Hi TwentyStudios,

You don't need to take any additional steps for the animation. When you enable Custom Depth, you aren't specifying whether the object is in front of the Billboard; rather, you are telling the system to calculate if it is in front or not. This allows the billboard to move around objects seamlessly. In fact, you could enable it for everything in your scene, and it would function correctly from the start. Some of our competitors might even do this, but this can lead to a significant increase in performance load.
We are exploring methods to achieve this dynamically with less performance overhead, and if successful, these methods will be included in a future release of Aximmetry.
Unfortunately, the method that Aximmetry used in Unreal version 5.3 has been removed in Unreal version 5.4.

Warmest regards,

Hi Eifert,

One question from me as well.

Why did you make this change? In all likelihood, the 5.3 version was a smarter way with fewer steps.

Did you have no choice but to make this update in accordance with the UE 5.4 specifications?

Hi,

Yes, there was no choice because the features previously used have been removed in Unreal version 5.4.
Note that these features of Unreal typically affect the entire rendering pipeline of Unreal, so we cannot simply reintegrate them to make them work.

Warmest regards,

Hi, Eifert

Thank you for your response.

I now understand that it is a lot of work on Aximmetry's part.

Good luck with the modifications and changes.