Create and upload a custom Asset Pack

With a Skyglass Studio subscription, you can create custom Asset Packs in Unreal Engine and upload them to use in Skyglass.

If you prefer video, this tutorial walks through the basics of creating and uploading a custom Asset Pack.

Install prerequisites

To use custom Asset Packs in Skyglass, you will need to subscribe to the Studio plan from within the Skyglass app for iPhone or iPad.

Creating custom Asset Packs requires a Windows PC running Unreal Engine. Follow these instructions to download and install Unreal Engine 5.3 on your PC:

Download Unreal EngineUnreal Engine

Next, download the Skyglass Forge project. You will need to log in with your Skyglass account:

https://app.skyglass.com/downloadsapp.skyglass.com

Create an Asset Pack

Unzip the Skyglass Forge project and open . It may take a few minutes to load.

Some antivirus software may interfere with extracting the Skyglass Forge project and quarantine binary files required for it to load. If you have trouble opening the project, try disabling your antivirus software, adding the Skyglass Forge files to an allow list, or restoring any quarantined files.

Create a new Asset Pack by clicking File > Skyglass Forge > Create Asset Pack.

Choose a name for your Asset Pack, keeping the default location, and click Create Mod.

Add assets

Add assets to the content folder for your Asset Pack, located at Plugins/[Your Asset Pack Name] Content in the Content Browser. These linked articles describe several way to add assets:

1. Create new assets

2. Import assets from your computer

3. Import assets from the Unreal Engine Marketplace

When you are done, the content folder for your Asset Pack should contain one or more level assets (files with a .umap extension) along with any assets referenced by them. Any assets outside of the content folder for your Asset Pack will not be included when you package your Asset Pack.

When you upload an Asset Pack to Skyglass Cloud, you will probably want to provide thumbnails so your assets can be identified in the Skyglass app. The easiest way to create a thumbnail for a level asset is to first open it in the Editor Viewport. Adjust the camera to the perspective you want for your thumbnail, then right-click on the level asset in the Content Browser and click Asset Actions > Capture Thumbnail. This thumbnail will be exported automatically when you package your Asset Pack.

Prepare your assets for use with Skyglass

Make sure that each level contains a Player Start Actor. The Player Start Actor controls the initial placement of your camera when you load the asset in Skyglass.

You will also want to make sure that the level has a physical floor and that you can move around the level freely. You can click the Play button in the Unreal Editor toolbar, then use the W, A, S and D keys or the arrow keys on your keyboard and your mouse to navigate around the level. If the level does not have a physical floor, you may find that your viewpoint immediately falls through the ground. You can use Blocking Volumes to fix the physical geometry of your level to make it easy to navigate.

Skyglass uses Lumen global illumination. For best results, remove all lightmaps by enabling "Force No Precomputed Lighting" in the World Settings for your level and building lighting. Alternatively, you can disable Lumen for your level by adding a Post Process Volume and setting the Global Illumination setting to something other than Lumen. See this tutorial for additional guidance for upgrading your assets to use Unreal Engine 5 features like Lumen:

Upgrading Your Project to UE5 | Talks and demosEpic Developer Community

We recommend removing any existing cameras from your level. Depending on how they are configured, they can take control of the viewpoint from the Skyglass tracked camera.

Do not override the default Game Mode in your World Settings or Skyglass will not spawn its tracked camera.

Skyglass Cloud uses a rendering server with:

• 4 vCPU

• 12GB RAM

• 1 Quadro RTX 4000 GPU with 8GB VRAM

For best results, your level should be optimized to render at a minimum of 30 frames per second with this hardware configuration.

Package your Asset Pack

Click File > Skyglass Forge > Package Asset Pack > [Your Asset Pack Name] and choose a location on your computer to begin packaging your Asset Pack. When it is complete, you will see a folder:

[Your Asset Pack Name]/
├── [Your Asset Pack Name].sky
├── Information.txt
└── Thumbnails/
    ├── [Level Name]_0.png
    └── ...

[Your Asset Pack Name].sky is your Asset Pack that you will upload to Skyglass Cloud. Information.txt contains a list of level assets contained in your Asset Pack with a path for each. These paths will be required in the next step. If you set a thumbnail for your level assets, they will be exported in the Thumbnails folder and the path to each will be listed in Information.txt as well.

Upload your Asset Pack

Navigate to app.skyglass.com and log in with your Skyglass Account. Click New to create a new Asset Pack. If you don't see the New button, make sure you have an active subscription to the Studio plan. You can subscribe to the Studio plan from your account settings in the Skyglass app on your iPhone or iPad.

Click the Upload button and select [Your Asset Pack Name].sky from your computer.

For each level asset in your Asset Pack, enter a name and a description. Set the path to the value from Information.txt. You can optionally upload a thumbnail and set tags to make it easier to find and identify your asset in the Skyglass app.

To add more than one asset, click the Add asset button. When you are done configuring the assets in your Asset Pack and your Asset Pack is finished uploading, click Save.

Once your Asset Pack is saved, open the Asset Browser in the Skyglass app. Your new assets will appear in the Personal section near the top of the Asset Browser. Tap on one to start making your movie!