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SceneCapture

The SceneCapture node is needed to render the view from a SceneCamera.

While SceneCamera represents the virtual camera chassis, SceneCapture represents the virtual film: For capturing the textures SceneCapture is needed.

SceneCapture Node

Camera + Capture Relationship

SceneCapture works in tandem with camera nodes:

  • SceneCamera or LookAtCamera: Defines the viewpoint — the "camera chassis"
  • SceneCapture (this node): Renders the scene from that viewpoint — the "virtual film"

Set the parent property to link to your camera node. The capture inherits lens settings and stereo configuration from the camera.

Reference

The following properties can be configured for this node:

Property Type Description
capture - render group to draw. Model/Canvas/MeshWarp/Grid have an equivalent in which you can choose which group to draw to.
parent - select the camera node from where to render.
type (set by the Camera selection) can be one of the following:
  • off
  • camera capture
  • beamer capture
  • beamer mirror
  • special capture
  • special mirror
    		•
    stereo (set by the Camera selection) shows if the linked camera is stereo. If it is stereo, the Capture-node will have two texture outlets.
    dim - sets the texture size of this render pass. Beware: If used in conjunction with a Camera, the Camera will set the aspect ratio. Dim will only define the resolution of the rendered texture.
    shader - Applies this shader to all objects rendered in this renderpass.
    bgcolor - the background color
    pass - Renderpass. This defines when in a frame-pass (see reference) this Capure node does the rendering. A manual renderpass will only be executed right after loading a project or when pressing the 'manual renderpass button' in the main menu.
    blend - use alpha channels in textures
    antialias - render with antialias
    flip image - flips the rendered image
    Inlet Type Description
    properties properties properties | use message [set <propertyPath> <value(s)>] (without node/<nodeName> at the beginning) to set internal properties
    Outlet Type Description
    captured texture captured texture (left if stereo)
    if stereo texture if stereo: captured right texture

    Render Groups

    Controlling What Gets Rendered

    The capture property determines which render group(s) this node captures:

    • Objects (Canvas, Model, Grid, etc.) have a drawto property that assigns them to render groups
    • SceneCapture's capture property selects which groups to render
    • Use multiple render groups to separate content for different outputs

    This allows the same scene to be rendered differently by different captures — for example, one capture for projection and another for preview.

    Capture Types

    Understanding Type Modes

    The type property is automatically set based on the linked camera:

    Type Description
    off Capture disabled
    camera capture Standard capture from SceneCamera or LookAtCamera
    beamer capture Capture from Beamer (calibrated projector view)
    beamer mirror Mirror/reflection of Beamer view
    special capture Special rendering modes
    special mirror Mirror of special capture

    Render Pass Timing

    Optimizing Performance with Pass Modes

    The pass property controls when rendering occurs:

    Pass Mode Behavior Use Case
    Automatic Renders every frame Dynamic content, animations
    Manual Renders once on load, or when triggered Static content, textures, performance optimization

    For static content that doesn't change, use manual mode to reduce GPU load. Trigger a manual refresh using the Refresh button in SPARCK's toolbar.

    Resolution and Quality

    Configuring Output Quality

    Control the rendered texture quality:

    • dim: Sets texture resolution (e.g., 1920×1080). The camera determines aspect ratio; dim only sets pixel count.
    • antialias: Enable for smoother edges (higher GPU cost)
    • blend: Enable alpha channel support for transparency
    • bgcolor: Set the background color for areas not covered by objects

    Resolution vs Aspect Ratio

    When linked to a camera, the camera's ratio property controls aspect ratio of the view frustum. The dim property only sets the resolution — if you set dim to 1920×1080 but the camera ratio is 4:3, the output resolution will still be 1920×1080.

    Stereo Output

    Stereo Rendering

    When the linked camera has stereo enabled:

    • The stereo property automatically shows "on"
    • SceneCapture outputs two textures: left eye and right eye
    • Connect both outlets to ShaderAnaglyph for anaglyph 3D output
    • Or route to separate displays for VR goggles or 3D projection

    Global Shader Effects

    Applying Shaders to Entire Capture

    The shader property applies a shader to all objects in this render pass:

    • Useful for global color correction, post-processing effects
    • The shader affects everything rendered by this capture
    • For per-object shaders, use the shader property on individual Canvas/Model nodes instead

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    Last updated: 2025-12-01 | Edit this page on GitHub