No Contact Shadows,VIVE Headset Problems

Development Platform & Builds XR Development
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Started with a new project. Will be integrating HTC Vive for VR. Facing some problems with the project. I have linked the directional light with the BP SkySphere, and added HDRI in the SkyLight and used the bouncecard process.All lights are static. Have attached the required snapshots. Currently using 4.15.1 version. The main issues i am facing are-:

UNREAL ENGINE PROBLEMS:

  1. Although the lighting looks ok with proper GI, but i am not getting the required contact shadows. Whichever objects are in contact with the directional light are casting shadows(like the sofas), but other objects are not.

  2. Most of the materials are having a default specular highlight to it, which is producing an usual highlight/glossiness to the objects(these materials are not having any roughness or specualr added to it). I am linking a scaler parameter with 0 in default value in the specular slot to control the unusual highlight everytime.

HTC VIVE PROBLEMS:
1)After integrating the VIVE Headset, when i move/play the character in VR Preview, the character moves in the backward direction while i am moving in forward direction.(Pretty strange)How to fix this issue. It works fine sometimes,but malfunctions most of the time.

2)With the headset on, when i play with the character, by default the character starts at unusual height(more the 8 feet) above the floor. To control that i have reduced the capsule half height and capsule radius 30/30 respectively, and taken the first person camera down. It works fine in VIVE. But things become weird when i switch off the VIVE(Disconnecting the Steam VR). After doing so when i play the game, the character starts almost from the floor(it takes the parameters used for VIVE setup). How to fix this…?? Cant i have a balanced setup which can work properly with both(With and Without VIVE or any VR Headset).

  1. Also want know how the VIVE tracks the height of the person. Will a person of 5ft experience same height to a person of 6ft when playing the game through VIVE.

I am using the FirstPersonShooter template, not the VR template. As i had prior knowledge with the FirstPersonShooter template, so alt textopted for it. Ultimately considering its a VR project, am i doing wrong in not using the pre-built VR template…???
Will be glad if you guys can help me out with this.

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For the rest of your questions most of the times it’s actually not a problem with UE but with your approach. It gets a while to get the hang of where all the options affecting the pawn and VR template are but after that you’re done. If you want the VR pawn from VR template you need to migrate it together with it’s blueprints (basically migrate those 2 folders there) and then you put the “Motion Controller Pawn” into the level and you set it to posses player 0. Next you want to export input in project settings from the VR template and put it into your own project. Also note that teleportation won’t really work without navmesh.

Hi, you basically need to bake lighting for those contact shadows. Or you can attempt to fake it with larger radius AO but it’s not going to look as good and not good for VR.

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Thanks Alphisto… i have solved all the problems, except the contact shadow thing, some objects in my scene doesn’t cast shadows properly, and increasing AO is not a good option.

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You really need to look into lightmass (baking light)
Check here: https://ue4arch.com/ue4archs-unreal-engine-4-lighting-workflow-part-1/