Starting stream-enabled virtual environments

Stream-enabled virtual environment is implemented by a group of processes. A common configuration is to have one or more streaming applications and one receiving application, the virtual environment. All of these processes must be running to see all the streamed displays in the virtual environment. You can start the processes in any order. In this topic you can learn how these different processes are started.

To start the processes, use either of these methods:

• Recommended. Start all the processes of the virtual environment in one go.

  With this approach you can only start processes that run on a single computer. You must separately start processes that run on other computers or devices.

• Recommended for live-editing. Starting a streaming application in the Kanzi Studio Preview.

• Advanced. Start each of the sending and receiving processes:

  1. Streaming Kzb Player (sending)

  2. VR Viewer (receiving)

  3. Kzb Player (sending / receiving)

  4. Kanzi application (sending / receiving)

  5. Android streaming (sending)

Starting all virtual environment processes

With this approach you can only start processes that run on a single computer. You must separately start processes that run on other computers or devices.

To start all virtual environment processes:

1. Write a virtual_environment_configuration.yaml configuration file using the instructions in Virtual environment configuration file.

2. Run the start-virtual-environment.exe using a directory that contains virtual_environment_configuration.yaml for your projects as the working directory.

   For example, copy the start-virtual-environment.exe to the same directory as the virtual_environment_configuration.yaml and start it from there.

   You can find start-virtual-environment.exe at

   <Kanzi VR Package>\examples\ExampleDashboard\bin\start_virtual_environment.exe

   When you run start-virtual-environment.exe, the application launches the configured content in the Streaming Kzb Player and the VR Viewer.

Note

To edit one of the projects in Kanzi Studio while receiving it in a virtual environment using the virtual_environment_configuration.yaml approach:

1. Start start-virtual-environment.exe for a virtual_environment_configuration.yaml.

2. Close the window of the streaming application that you want to edit.

3. In Kanzi Studio edit the project.

Starting a streaming application in the Kanzi Studio Preview

To start a streaming application in the Kanzi Studio Preview:

1. In Kanzi Studio open the project.

2. Select Edit > Project Properties and in the Properties set the Preview Working Directory to the directory that contains the virtual_environment_configuration.yaml.

3. Restart the Kanzi Studio Preview.

When you use the Kanzi Studio Preview to show the virtual environment, VR functionality is disabled. When you require VR functionality, use VR Viewer instead.

Starting a streaming application with the Streaming Kzb Player

The Streaming Kzb Player Windows executable is available in the Kanzi VR package at:

<Kanzi VR Package>\plugins-streaming\applications\streaming-kzb-player\bin\Win64\GL_vs2017_Release_DLL\StreamingKzbPlayer.exe

To start the Streaming Kzb Player it needs:

1. These DLL files in the PATH environment variable or in the working directory:

   • Kanzi DLL files in the <KanziWorkspace>\Engine\lib\Win64\GL_vs2017_Release_DLL directory

   • Streaming Plugin DLL file in the <KanziWorkspace>\Engine\plugins\kanzi-vr\plugins-streaming\lib\Win64\GL_vs2017_Release_DLL\KanziStreaming.dll

   • Any other plugin DLL files that the kzb file uses.

2. Path to the kzb file to load as a command-line argument.

3. Command-line arguments described in Command-line arguments for the Streaming Kzb Player.

Starting a virtual environment with the VR Viewer

The VR Viewer Windows executable is provided in the Kanzi VR package at location:

<Kanzi VR Package>\plugins-vr\applications\kanzi-vr-viewer\bin\Win64\GL_vs2017_Release_DLL\KanziVRViewer.exe

To start the VR Viewer it needs:

1. These DLL files in the PATH environment variable or in the working directory:

   • Kanzi DLL files in the <KanziWorkspace>\Engine\lib\Win64\GL_vs2017_Release_DLL directory

   • Streaming Plugin DLL file in the <KanziWorkspace>\Engine\plugins\kanzi-vr\plugins-streaming\lib\Win64\GL_vs2017_Release_DLL\KanziStreaming.dll

   • Any other plugin DLL files that the kzb file uses.

2. Path to the kzb file to load as a command-line argument.

3. To set the configuration file, use the --config <path> command line argument. By default VR Viewer looks for virtual_environment_configuration.yaml in the working directory.

Starting a Kanzi VR application in the Kzb Player

You can use the Kzb Player to start kzb files with either sending or receiving content.

Compile the Kzb Player as instructed in Kanzi documentation.

To start the Kzb Player with a kzb file that uses the Streaming Plugin it needs:

1. These DLL files in the PATH environment variable or in the working directory:

   • Kanzi DLL files in the <KanziWorkspace>\Engine\lib\Win64\GL_vs2017_Release_DLL directory

   • Streaming Plugin DLL file in the <KanziWorkspace>\Engine\plugins\kanzi-vr\plugins-streaming\lib\Win64\GL_vs2017_Release_DLL\KanziStreaming.dll

   • Any other plugin DLL files that the kzb file uses.

2. Path to the kzb file to load as a command-line argument.

To export the Kzb Player and its dependencies using Kanzi Studio:

1. In Kanzi Studio open the project.

2. Select File > Export > Export KZB Player for Windows.

3. In the Status Bar click Binary exported.

   Kanzi Studio opens the directory where it exported the kzb file.