kevinpbuckley/viewport

Viewport Control Skill

Methods

| Method | Description | |--------|-------------| | get_viewport_info() | Get full viewport state (type, camera, FOV, exposure, layout) | | set_viewport_type(type) | Switch perspective/orthographic views | | get_viewport_type() | Get current view type as string | | set_view_mode(mode) | Switch rendering mode (lit, wireframe, unlit, etc.) | | get_view_mode() | Get current rendering mode | | set_fov(degrees) | Set field of view (5-170, default 90) | | get_fov() | Get current FOV | | set_near_clip_plane(distance) | Set near clipping plane (-1 = engine default) | | set_far_clip_plane(distance) | Set far clipping plane (0 = infinity) | | set_exposure(fixed, ev100) | Set fixed/auto exposure with EV100 value | | set_exposure_game_settings() | Reset exposure to auto (game settings) | | set_game_view(enable) | Toggle Game View (hides editor icons) | | set_allow_cinematic_control(allow) | Allow Sequencer to control viewport camera | | set_realtime(enable) | Toggle realtime rendering | | set_camera_location(vector) | Set camera world position | | set_camera_rotation(rotator) | Set camera world rotation | | set_camera_speed(speed) | Set camera movement speed (1-8) | | set_viewport_layout(name) | Switch viewport layout (single, quad, etc.) | | get_viewport_layout() | Get current layout name |

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Critical Rules

⚠️ Valid View Types for set_viewport_type

Only these exact strings are accepted (case-insensitive):

| String | View | |--------|------| | "perspective" | Perspective (3D) | | "top" | Top-down (XY) | | "bottom" | Bottom-up (-XY) | | "left" | Left side (-XZ) | | "right" | Right side (XZ) | | "front" | Front (-YZ) | | "back" | Back (YZ) |

# ✅ CORRECT
unreal.ViewportService.set_viewport_type("perspective")
unreal.ViewportService.set_viewport_type("top")

# ❌ WRONG — these are not valid strings
unreal.ViewportService.set_viewport_type("ortho")
unreal.ViewportService.set_viewport_type("iso")

⚠️ Valid View Modes for set_view_mode

| String | Rendering Mode | |--------|----------------| | "lit" | Default fully lit | | "unlit" | No lighting | | "wireframe" | Wireframe overlay | | "detaillighting" | Detail lighting | | "lightingonly" | Lighting only (no textures) | | "lightcomplexity" | Light complexity heatmap | | "shadercomplexity" | Shader complexity heatmap | | "pathtracing" | Path tracing | | "clay" | Clay rendering |

⚠️ Valid Layout Names for set_viewport_layout

| Name | Layout | |------|--------| | "OnePane" | Single viewport (default) | | "TwoPanesHoriz" | Two side-by-side | | "TwoPanesVert" | Two stacked | | "ThreePanesLeft" | Large left + 2 right | | "ThreePanesRight" | Large right + 2 left | | "ThreePanesTop" | Large top + 2 bottom | | "ThreePanesBottom" | Large bottom + 2 top | | "FourPanesLeft" | Large left + 3 | | "FourPanesRight" | Large right + 3 | | "FourPanesTop" | Large top + 3 | | "FourPanesBottom" | Large bottom + 3 | | "FourPanes2x2" | Quad view (2x2 grid) | | "Quad" | Alias for FourPanes2x2 |

🚨 FOV Only Works in Perspective Mode

Setting FOV has no effect in orthographic views. Always switch to perspective first:

unreal.ViewportService.set_viewport_type("perspective")
unreal.ViewportService.set_fov(75.0)

🚨 Realtime Mode vs On-Demand

When set_realtime(False), the viewport only repaints on interaction. All ViewportService methods force a redraw after changes, so this is transparent to Python callers — but be aware users won't see continuous animation/particles until realtime is re-enabled.

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Workflows

Inspect Current Viewport State

import unreal
info = unreal.ViewportService.get_viewport_info()
view_mode = unreal.ViewportService.get_view_mode()
print(f"Type: {info.viewport_type}")
print(f"View Mode: {view_mode}")
print(f"Location: {info.location}")
print(f"Rotation: {info.rotation}")
print(f"FOV: {info.fov}")
print(f"Layout: {info.layout}")
print(f"Realtime: {info.is_realtime}")
print(f"Game View: {info.is_game_view}")

Cycle Through Orthographic Views

import unreal
for view in ["top", "front", "right", "perspective"]:
    unreal.ViewportService.set_viewport_type(view)

Switch to Quad View and Back

import unreal
# Switch to quad (2x2) layout
unreal.ViewportService.set_viewport_layout("Quad")

# Switch back to single pane
unreal.ViewportService.set_viewport_layout("OnePane")

Set Up Architecture Review Camera

import unreal
# Perspective with narrow FOV for minimal distortion
unreal.ViewportService.set_viewport_type("perspective")
unreal.ViewportService.set_fov(60.0)
unreal.ViewportService.set_game_view(True)
unreal.ViewportService.set_exposure(True, 1.0)  # Fixed exposure
unreal.ViewportService.set_realtime(True)

Wireframe Debugging

import unreal
# Switch to wireframe to inspect mesh topology
unreal.ViewportService.set_view_mode("wireframe")

# Return to normal lit view
unreal.ViewportService.set_view_mode("lit")

Position Camera at Specific Location

import unreal
# Move camera to a bird's-eye view
unreal.ViewportService.set_camera_location(unreal.Vector(0, 0, 5000))
unreal.ViewportService.set_camera_rotation(unreal.Rotator(-90, 0, 0))

Configure Clipping Planes

import unreal
# Tighten near clip for close-up work
unreal.ViewportService.set_near_clip_plane(1.0)

# Set far clip to avoid rendering distant objects
unreal.ViewportService.set_far_clip_plane(50000.0)

# Reset to defaults
unreal.ViewportService.set_near_clip_plane(-1)  # Engine default
unreal.ViewportService.set_far_clip_plane(0)     # Infinity

Exposure Control

import unreal
# Fix exposure for consistent lighting review
unreal.ViewportService.set_exposure(True, 1.0)

# Adjust to bright/dark scene
unreal.ViewportService.set_exposure(True, -2.0)  # Darker
unreal.ViewportService.set_exposure(True, 4.0)   # Brighter

# Return to auto exposure (game settings)
unreal.ViewportService.set_exposure_game_settings()