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LiveLinkVISCA

Unreal Engine plugin that adds a Live Link source for VISCA over IP. It receives Sony-style VISCA camera control commands and publishes camera state to Live Link so PTZ cameras, hardware controllers, and desktop VISCA tools can drive Unreal cameras.

The plugin is designed for virtual production, broadcast, previs, and test-control workflows where a VISCA sender should control a Cine Camera or expose camera state to Blueprint tools.

Features

  • Live Link source for VISCA over IP.
  • Configurable IPv4 bind address and one receiver per Live Link subject.
  • UDP listen mode for simple datagram senders.
  • TCP session mode with VISCA-over-IP ACK/completion replies for controllers that wait for responses.
  • Standalone VISCA-over-IP command capture utility for inspecting control panel traffic outside Unreal.
  • Standard Live Link Camera subject for compatibility with existing Camera-role workflows.
  • Additive custom VISCA Camera role subject named <Subject>_VISCA with extended VISCA state.
  • Continuous pan, tilt, zoom, and focus drive until a stop/direct/home/reset command is received.
  • Simulated state and inquiry replies for common VISCA commands.
  • Live Link VISCA Camera component for applying standard and extended data to Camera/Cine Camera actors.

Requirements

  • Unreal Engine 5.x.
  • Developed and tested against Unreal Engine 5.7.
  • Required plugins:
    • Live Link
    • Live Link Camera

The repository build scripts look for UE 5.7 by default. Set UE_ROOT when using another installed engine path.

Installation

  1. Copy or clone LiveLinkVISCA into your project plugin folder:
YourProject/Plugins/LiveLinkVISCA/
  1. Build the plugin.
  2. Enable Live Link: VISCA in Edit > Plugins > Virtual Production.
  3. Restart the editor if prompted.

Build Guide

The plugin is compiled with your project editor target. It is not a standalone executable.

Prerequisites

  • Windows.
  • Visual Studio 2022 with the C++ toolchain required by your Unreal version.
  • A full Unreal Engine 5.7 install.
  • A C++ Unreal project that includes this plugin.

BuildPlugin.bat

When working from a source checkout, BuildPlugin.bat expects this layout:

YourProject/
  YourProject.uproject
  Plugins/
    LiveLinkVISCA/
      BuildPlugin.bat

Run:

cd Plugins\LiveLinkVISCA
BuildPlugin.bat

Optional inputs:

Input Description
BuildPlugin.bat Shipping Builds another configuration instead of the default Development.
UE_ROOT Engine root folder. If unset, the script checks E:\UE_5.7, D:\UE_5.7, and %ProgramFiles%\Epic Games\UE_5.7.
VISCA_UPROJECT Full path to the host .uproject when the plugin is not under Project/Plugins/LiveLinkVISCA.

Example:

set UE_ROOT=C:\Program Files\Epic Games\UE_5.7
set VISCA_UPROJECT=D:\Work\MyGame\MyGame.uproject
Plugins\LiveLinkVISCA\BuildPlugin.bat

PackagePlugin.bat

When working from a source checkout, use PackagePlugin.bat to create a release archive with Unreal AutomationTool:

cd Plugins\LiveLinkVISCA
PackagePlugin.bat Win64

The script runs RunUAT BuildPlugin and writes:

Plugins/LiveLinkVISCA/Releases/LiveLinkVISCA.zip

The zip contains one top-level LiveLinkVISCA folder. Marketplace-facing release archives omit executable and script files.

Quick Start

Add The Source

  1. Open Window > Virtual Production > Live Link.
  2. Add a source and choose VISCA over IP.
  3. In Source Settings:
    • Set Bind Address to 0.0.0.0 for all interfaces, or a specific local IPv4.
    • Add one or more receivers.
    • Set Subject Name, for example Cam1.
    • Set Listen Port, typically 52381.
    • Choose UDP (Listen) or TCP (Session + Replies).
  4. Confirm the source status shows that it is listening.

Drive A Cine Camera

  1. Add a Cine Camera actor.
  2. Add the Live Link VISCA Camera component to the same actor.
  3. Set Subject Name to the standard subject, for example Cam1.
  4. Enable Evaluate Live Link.
  5. Enable Update in Editor if editor viewport updates are required.

The component automatically looks for the matching custom VISCA subject named Cam1_VISCA and applies supported extended camera settings when that subject is available.

VISCA Command Capture Utility

The source repository includes a standalone command capture utility at:

Tools/ViscaIpCapture/

Use it when validating a control panel, checking whether commands are reaching the machine, or identifying the exact VISCA bytes a panel sends before configuring the Live Link source.

Run on Windows:

Tools\ViscaIpCapture\Run_VISCA_Capture.bat

The utility listens on 52381 by default, supports UDP, TCP, and Both, decodes common VISCA commands, displays raw packet hex, and exports captures to CSV or JSONL. Enable Send ACK/completion replies when testing TCP panels or any panel that waits for camera responses.

Only one process can bind the same protocol and port. Stop the Unreal Live Link VISCA source or choose another port while the capture utility is running.

Live Link Subjects

For each receiver subject, the source publishes two subjects:

Subject Role Purpose
<Subject> Camera Role Standard Unreal camera data: rotation, focal length, aperture, focus distance.
<Subject>_VISCA VISCA Camera Role Extended VISCA camera state in a custom Live Link role.

Example:

Receiver Subject Name Published Subjects
Cam1 Cam1, Cam1_VISCA

Use Cam1 for maximum compatibility with existing Live Link Camera tooling. Use Cam1_VISCA when Blueprint or custom systems need direct access to VISCA-specific fields.

Supported Control Areas

The plugin currently tracks and/or applies these command areas:

Area Behavior
Pan/Tilt Continuous drive, stop, absolute, relative, home, reset.
Zoom Continuous standard/variable/high-resolution drive, stop, direct position.
Focus Continuous standard/variable drive, stop, direct position, auto/manual/toggle.
Iris Step up/down, auto iris state.
Presets Set, reset, recall. Stored in plugin runtime state.
Power/Menu/Color Bar State tracking and inquiry replies.
ND Filter Mode, preset, variable value, auto ND, clear/filter state.
Exposure AE level, backlight compensation, spotlight compensation.
Shutter/Gain Auto shutter and AGC state.
White Balance Mode, preset/color temperature, R/B gain approximation.
Detail/Knee Enable states, level, knee mode.
Tally/Recording Red/green tally and recording press/release state.
Audio Audio level mode, channel, and normalized input level.

Commands that do not map cleanly to Unreal Camera/Cine Camera properties are still tracked in the custom VISCA role and Live Link metadata.

Custom VISCA Camera Role

The custom role is ULiveLinkVISCACameraRole.

It uses:

  • FLiveLinkVISCACameraStaticData
  • FLiveLinkVISCACameraFrameData
  • FLiveLinkVISCACameraBlueprintData

The custom frame data extends standard camera frame data and adds VISCA fields such as:

  • bPowerOn
  • bMenuOpen
  • bColorBar
  • bAutoFocus
  • bAutoIris
  • bAgc
  • bAutoShutter
  • bBacklightCompensation
  • bSpotlightCompensation
  • bDetailEnabled
  • bKneeEnabled
  • bVariableNdMode
  • bAutoNd
  • bNdFiltered
  • bTallyRed
  • bTallyGreen
  • bRecording
  • bAudioLevelAuto
  • NdPreset
  • WhiteBalanceMode
  • KneeMode
  • AudioLevelChannel
  • NormalizedNd
  • NormalizedAeLevel
  • NormalizedDetailLevel
  • NormalizedWhiteTemperature
  • NormalizedRGain
  • NormalizedBGain
  • NormalizedAudioInputLevel

Blueprints and custom tooling can evaluate the <Subject>_VISCA subject with the VISCA Camera role to read these fields directly.

Cine Camera Application

The Live Link VISCA Camera component applies:

  • Actor rotation from pan/tilt.
  • Focal length from zoom.
  • Aperture from iris.
  • Manual focus distance from focus.
  • Exposure mode and exposure bias from VISCA AE/shutter state.
  • White temperature and tint approximation from VISCA WB/R/B gain state.
  • Physical exposure toggle, shutter speed, and ISO approximation from VISCA shutter/gain state.

Important limitation: Unreal does not expose one-to-one Cine Camera properties for every physical VISCA command. ND, tally, recording, many menu controls, and some detailed color controls remain available as custom role data and metadata rather than direct Cine Camera properties.

Live Link Metadata

The standard Camera-role subject also includes extended VISCA values in FrameData.MetaData.StringMetaData. This keeps extended state accessible to tools that read metadata but do not evaluate the custom role.

Metadata keys include:

  • ViscaSubject
  • ViscaPowerOn
  • ViscaMenuOpen
  • ViscaColorBar
  • ViscaAutoFocus
  • ViscaAutoIris
  • ViscaAgc
  • ViscaAutoShutter
  • ViscaBacklightCompensation
  • ViscaSpotlightCompensation
  • ViscaDetailEnabled
  • ViscaKneeEnabled
  • ViscaVariableNdMode
  • ViscaAutoNd
  • ViscaNdFiltered
  • ViscaTallyRed
  • ViscaTallyGreen
  • ViscaRecording
  • ViscaAudioLevelAuto
  • ViscaNdPreset
  • ViscaWhiteBalanceMode
  • ViscaKneeMode
  • ViscaAudioLevelChannel
  • ViscaNormalizedNd
  • ViscaNormalizedAeLevel
  • ViscaNormalizedDetailLevel
  • ViscaNormalizedWhiteTemperature
  • ViscaNormalizedRGain
  • ViscaNormalizedBGain
  • ViscaNormalizedAudioInputLevel

Boolean metadata values are stored as 1 or 0.

Transport Notes

UDP

UDP mode is stateless and suitable when Unreal only needs to receive commands.

TCP

TCP mode accepts a VISCA session and sends ACK/completion replies. Use this for controllers that block until they receive a response.

Each receiver must bind a unique port on the selected bind address.

Component Options

Option Purpose
Evaluate Live Link Enables or disables applying Live Link data.
Disable Evaluate Live Link when Spawnable Skips evaluation when the actor is a Sequencer spawnable tagged SequencerActor.
Update in Editor Ticks in the editor viewport.
Update in Preview Editor Allows ticking in Blueprint preview worlds when editor ticking is enabled.
Map Lens Values from 0-1 Treats incoming focal length, aperture, and focus as normalized values and maps them to Cine Camera lens limits.

Troubleshooting

Issue Checks
No subject appears Confirm source status, bind address, firewall, and listen port.
No movement Confirm the VISCA sender is targeting this machine and port. Confirm Evaluate Live Link is enabled.
No editor viewport update Enable Update in Editor on the component.
TCP controller does not connect Confirm only one client is using the receiver port and the port is not blocked.
Need to verify panel output From a source checkout, run Tools\ViscaIpCapture\Run_VISCA_Capture.bat and point the panel at this machine and port.
Existing Camera-role tooling ignores extended state Use the <Subject>_VISCA custom role subject or read metadata keys from the standard subject.
Extended settings do not exactly match hardware Some VISCA fields are approximated because Unreal Cine Camera/PostProcess has different controls than physical cameras.

Known Limitations

  • Runtime preset memory is not persisted across editor sessions.
  • VISCA command coverage is broad but not exhaustive.
  • Physical ND, tally, recording, and menu state do not have direct Cine Camera equivalents.
  • Exposure, shutter, ISO, and white balance application is an Unreal post-process approximation.
  • The source simulates camera state from incoming commands; it does not query a physical camera directly unless the controller sends inquiries to this plugin.

Author

Timothy YU - noodledostuff.com

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Timothy YU. All rights reserved.

Fab purchases and downloads are also governed by the applicable Fab license and marketplace terms.

About

Unreal Engine plugin that adds a Live Link source for VISCA over IP.

Topics

visca virtual-production visca-over-ip unreal-engine-5

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Releases 3

LiveLinkVISCA v1.0.2 Latest
Jun 15, 2026
+ 2 releases

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