Best approach for importing arrays (heatmaps) from a server location in realtime

Development Programming & Scripting
1

Hello Unreal community,

Would you be able to assist with the following?:

Arrays being generated outside UE4-5 on a remote server (RPi).
100x100 arrays that are FEA heatmaps.

Goal: Import the arrays in realtime (every 2-5 seconds) and generate a 2D heatmap from the values that are imported.
Ideally would like to generate a heatmap material from the imported values and overlay it on geometry as a realtime heatmap.

Current approach:
VaREST to import the array into UE4.
Store it as an array.

…step 3 profit.

Alternative idea tried.
Problem with generating the array as a heatmap image and importing it as a texture is that Python is generating the arrays and it can’t work in realtime if it has to generate an image.
it can only generate the arrays in realtime.

My apologies for the lack of development of this idea and thank you all for your time.

2

After some different approaches the simplest way for this novice UE4 dev was to use the openCV library/plugin and modify the video stream to open an image from a specified location. This was a 1 line modification. The heatmap is saved in a location and brought in at a rate of 15-30 fps. use the imported image in a dynamic material.
For a more experienced dev, I think you could simply import an image through REST or which ever API you use to get the image and display directly to a render target.
Hope this helps any engineers and future D.T. devs.