With this option enabled the local system starts without launching a render engine or offering any outputs.
Rather, a presence.exe can be started on the same system and then used as the local engine for that machine. 

This decouples project editing and preview from output rendering on that machine. 

In the context of multi-user, the machine can fulfill a “hybrid” role in that, depending on which kind of replacement is needed for a failing machine, either the Director or the Presence instance on the machine can be used as a failover.

 

If this feature has been activated, a manager backup and a playout backup can be set up in the same way as in the familiar multi-user and backup workflow.

Please find more information about those workflows in PIXERA Backup and Usage Presets and Manager Backup 

Pixera 25.1 INTER 2 | 25. January 2025 | FE

The "Render on Top at Play" feature allows you to ignore the hierarchy structure of Timelines and play the selected timeline over the top of all others.  The feature can be enabled on a per timeline bases, allowing you more control and creative flexibility.

How to enable "Render on Top at Play"

The feature is enabled within the Compositing Tab.  Navigate to the Timelines library and select a timeline.  The feature can then be enabled/disabled using the option within the inspector window:
 

When the feature is enabled, the Timeline will play on top when triggered to play.
 

These indicators show on which timeline this feature is enabled and which timeline is currently the top most timeline
 

Known Issues and current limitations
 

• There are currently no API commands to access this feature.
   
• IMPORTANT: A timeline with this option enabled, gets set to play at top if a jump cue is triggered within this timeline - fixed in 25.1 R4
   

Pixera 25.1 INTER 2 | 23. January 2025 | FE

Layer Groups is a new feature in version 25.2 that allows the user to group layers together in order to more easily manage their timeline organization.

Create a Layer Group

To create a layer group, right click in the layer heading and then select ‘Add Group’, or click on the ‘Add Layer’ Icon in the Timeline Tool bar and select ‘Add Group’

Add Layers to Group

You can add a layer to the group in a couple of ways:

1- Click and drag a layer (or layers) into the created Group

2- Right click into the Group in the Layer header and ‘Add Layer to Group’

Group Multiple Layers

You can Group Multiple Layers together by shift or control selecting layers in the Layer Header, then right clicking in the header and selecting ‘Group Layers’

Group Inspector

You can rename a group by selecting the group and renaming it in the Inspector. You can also change the color of the group here

Moving Groups on the Timeline

You can select the group in the timeline to move all the clips in the group together. If you select a Clip within the group and move it, it will separate out the Group selection in the Timeline.

PIXERA 25.2  | 24. July 2025 | MB

Quick Overview

Create Mask

Via the context menu, you can go to “Add Resource" and select “Mask”

this will create a new mask resource in you selected directory,

This can be used like any other Resource in PIXERA, as default it contains a square Mask element.

This mask resource can now directly be used in a container on a timeline or in the Mask effect, See → Mask RGB Effect 

To use this mask element and to behave with the expected behavior of a mask, you need to set the clip or layer where it is assigned to, to Blending→Mode→Multiply
 

possible alternative of this is to set the background color to alpha:
 

Modify Mask

Resource Resolution

After the mask is defined in a resource, it must also include a resolution.
 

The size defined here specifies the dimensions of the element on the layer and is used for scaling in cases where different aspect ratios are applied. Subsequently, all layer parameters refer to the rectangular dimensions defined by this resource resolution.

Mask Element

A Mask Resource can contain multiple Mask Elements
These can be edited within the inner compositing.

After selecting the resource, the Mask points can be edited.
 

Background Color

Specifies the background color of the mask. By default, it is white, but an alpha value (transparency) can also be configured.

Mask Color

Allows adjustment of the mask color. When 'multiply' is selected as the blending mode, this enables easy creation of a colored highlight over the area.

Limitations

Currently, it is not possible to animate the mask points, but It is possible to animate the movement of the Mask Resource.
Export and Transfer of the Mask resource is currently not possible.

PIXERA 25.2 INTER 30  | 22. July 2025 | J.B.

Projectors, Displays and LED's can be color corrected in real time besides adding color correction via LUT. The real time color correction also includes the brightness per display. 

The feature can be found in the Mapping tab. Depending on the device, choose selection “screens” for Displays and LED's. 

 If you want to real time color correct projection screens, select selection projectors.

Select the display/LED/projector you need to color correct.

In the inspector's setup tab, you can find the color correction real time setup.

Adjust the settings as needed. The eye will mute and unmute the settings done on a parameter. The reset icon will bring back that parameter to its default state.

Below the Color Correction Real Time settings, you can find the DMX patch settings for the real time color correction.

Auto patch will patch all the parameters to the next available Universe/channel.
Patch Screen will open the DMX patch window, as described in detail in this article.

Pixera 25.2 RC22 | 23.July 2025 | O.K.

How to import/export cues via CSV

Import/Export all cues from a timeline

Create and edit cue lists in Excel, Google Sheets and Reaper. 

Timeline Inspector

The inspector > Cues setting has been extended with two buttons: Import Cues and Export Cues.
 

Export Cues

If you click the Export Cues button, you will get asked which Cue Values you want to export. “Basic” and “All” is available. The "All" setting will export every parameter of the cues while "Basic" holds a limited set of parameters:

Basic File

All File

Basic:

Cue Number

Time (ss:ms)

Label

Note

Color

Operation

Is Active

Timeline Name

Timeline ID

All:

Cue Number

Time (ss:ms)

Label

Note

Color

Operation

Is Active

Wait Duration (ss:ms)

Spontaneous

Triggers Inner Loop Outro On Leave

Exclude From Cue Lists And Countdown

Jump Mode

Jump Goal (ss:ms)

Jump Fade Duration

Timeline To Trigger

Timeline To Trigger ID

Timeline Trigger TriggerMode

Timeline Trigger TimeMode

Timeline Trigger Goal

Timeline Trigger Fade Duration

Timeline Trigger Show

Network Cmd Api Output

Network Cmd Data

Timeline Name

Timeline ID
 

Import Cues

A pop-up will appear on clicking the import cues button. 
Mode asks you if you want to merge the CSV with your current cues on the timeline. Replace will remove all existing cues first. 
Destination lets you choose the current timeline (the one you have accessed to press import on) or the original timeline, that is stored in the CSV.

If 

Workflows/tips:

Google or your favorite AI will gladly create a breakdown of the best possible way to open and convert CSV files in Google Sheets, Excel or Apple Numbers.
Great prompts:
how to open a CSV with Google sheets
how to open and convert a CSV with Excel

Besides the usual suspects, there are countless other CSV Viewers/Editors that can be found online.
 

Reaper Setup (Generated with AI)

To export markers from Reaper, navigate to the Marker/Region Manager, export the markers to a file (e.g., CSV), and then import the file into the desired application. Specifically, set the timeline to HH:MM:SS:FF, open the Marker/Region Manager, right-click inside the window, select "Export regions/markers...", choose a file format (like CSV), and save the file. 
Here's a more detailed breakdown:

  Set the timeline format: In Reaper, ensure the timeline is displayed in Hours:Minutes:Seconds:Frames (HH:MM:SS:FF). You can do this by going to View > Time unit for ruler and selecting the appropriate format.

Open the Marker/Region Manager: Access this window by going to View > Marker/Region Manager. 
Export the markers: Right-click inside the Marker/Region Manager window and select "Export regions/markers...". 
Choose a file format and location: Select a destination to save the file and choose a file format, and choose export format CSV (Comma Separated Values). 
Save the file: Click "Save" to export the markers to the chosen file

Current Known Issues:

• All time values shown as ss:ms. This is being worked on.

PIXERA 25.2  | 15 July 2025 | OK

Disclaimer

Virtual Production is a complex topic. It is mandatory to understand the basic setup to be able to advance to the advanced techniques (For example, Set Extension and Multi-Pos warp).
Furthermore, it is mandatory to understand all the basic principles of PIXERA.

Here is a list of the essential VP related documentation in chronological order:

XR System Design 

Unreal Engine (5.2.1) Setup 

Unreal Engine PIXERA Setup 

Unreal 5.2.1 Tips and Tricks (Performance and Testing) 

PIXERA Connect, an Unreal Plugin - General Usage 

PIXERA Texture Sharing to Unreal 

Studio Camera (Virtual Production) 

Set Extension (Virtual Production) 

Multi-Pos Warp 

Introduction

Starting with PIXERA 2.0, Unreal Engine 5.2.1 can be used as a resource in the compositing tab. 

Prior to starting the setup, please check the following prerequisites:

• Unreal Engine (compositing resource) only works with a Server License or official PIXERA Servers
   
• Unreal Engine 4.27 is NOT working with PIXERA 2.0.
  • In case you are currently working with an Unreal 4.27 Setup please follow the official Epic migration guide:
  • Unreal Engine 5 Migration Guide | Unreal Engine 5.0 Documentation 
     
• Unreal is extremely demanding. We recommend using a dedicated powerful director as well as a playout server (e.g. PIXERA 4RS. In case of a homebrew, we recommend using a RTX A6000)
   
• Download Unreal from the EPIC Games store from this URL: Epic Games Store DOWNLOAD
   
• Install the .NET 4.8 SDK. .NET is a Microsoft platform used to build and run applications. It is open-source, free, secure, reliable, and high-performance. .NET is required when installing and using Unreal. 
   
• Optional for Packaged Projects:
  • Install Visual Studio including following Options (only necessary if you want to package a project):
    • Add Game development with C++ (under Workloads) and following options:
      • C++ profiling tools
      • C++ Address Sanitizer
  • Windows 10 SDK (10.0.18362 or newer)

Unreal Engine Installation Guide

Create an account or log in with an existing account. Navigate to the Unreal Tab and install the correct build version, 5.2.1:

Uninstall unwanted versions by choosing remove. 

Warning

Install Epic Games and Unreal Engine on the D - Drive. When installed on the C - Drive, PIXERA might not be able to access certain files. Furthermore, after a reimage of the system, the installed files will still be accessible.

 

Go to options and change the install options:

 

Unreal Engine Setup

New Project

Start Unreal Engine via the Epic Games launcher. In the welcome menu, select Film / Video & Live Events and open the default nDisplay project:

1: Select Film / Video Live Events

2: Select the nDisplay project

3: Warning: define the correct project location. We recommend choosing the same drive as the installation path.

4: Create project

Warning

Start once and compile shaders:

 

Created Project

If you already have a project and want to make it work inside PIXERA, you will need to manually set up the following for nDisplay.

You must first enable the nDisplay plugin by going to “Edit\Plugins” and activating nDisplay in the “Built-in” section.

nDisplay must now be turned on in the project itself. This can be done by going to “Edit\Project Settings” in the “Plugins\nDisplay” section and checking the Enabled box on.

Lastly, some Unreal Projects, such as the ones downloaded from the Marketplace, may not have a “Windows\WindowsEngine.ini” Directory in their Config folder. If this file is not available, then PIXERA will be unable to open the project. This folder and file can be copied from an Unreal Project that does contain it, such as the nDisplay template project.

Unreal Executable Setup

The “Unreal_Engine_5-2-1” zip contains the engine and should be extracted to wherever desired, usually in the initial C or D directory.

Navigating to “Unreal_Engine_5-2-1\Engine\Windows\Engine\Binaries\Win64” you will find a file which in the same location as other Unreal Engine builds being the “UnrealEditor.exe”. Use this executable to run the engine.

After selecting and opening the project, an Unreal popup will explain that the project should be copied as the Unreal Engine being used is different from what the project was first created it. It is recommended to copy the project and keep this copy available for any rebuilds you may need. Also, this copied project will not open immediately in the vanilla Unreal Engine version, it will instead also ask to copy.

Once the project is open, you can package by going to “Platforms\Windows\Package Project”. The editor will then ask for a location to place the executable. Once selected, the project will begin to be packaged and finish, depending on how large the project being packaged is.

Unreal Multi-User Setup

To run Unreal in Multi-User mode, you must first enable the Multi-User plugin.

After saving and restarting your Unreal scene, navigate to “Project Settings/Plugins/Multi-User Editing “.

“Enable Multi-User Toolbar Button“ and “Auto Connect“ have to be enabled.

Further, please enter the Windows computer name of your Unreal Server in “Default Server URL“ and assign a name for “Default Session Name“.

Save your project and re-open it.

Click on the arrow next to “Join“ in the toolbar and select “Launch Multi-User Server”.

A new window pops up, afterward close Unreal again, and you are all set to bring the project into PIXERA!

PIXERA Interop Setup

The Interop is an important part of Unreal Integration. Without the correct Interop version, Unreal setups can't be achieved. There are three different Unreal modes in PIXERA. Each mode requires the Interop to be in a different root directory:

• Dash Game: 
  • Interop must be placed beside the Unreal Editor (as seen in the screenshots below). Whilst installing the Interop the root install directory can be chosen. Please keep in mind that for multiclient setups, the interop can be transferred directly via PIXERA. If Unreal was installed on the C drive, PIXERA won't be able to copy the Interop because of windows.
• MultiUser:
  • Interop must be placed at the Unreal Editor which will be doing the editing work. Depending on the setup, the Control Instance could be placed on a different server in the network.
• Packaged:
  • Interop must be placed beside the EXE file. 

Download the PIXERA Interop from here: Downloads (pixera.one)

Select correct root path. This is the same path as the Unreal Engine installation.

As soon as the installation setups have been completed, unreal projects can be imported into PIXERA as a compositing resource.

Interop is installed into the PIXERA install path:

Furthermore, the Interop installer exchanges the available nDisplay DLL´s in the Unreal Engine root install path. The original DLL´s are being placed inside the “PIXERABackup” Folder.

The Interop is then either installed or copied via PIXERA to the root folder of the Unreal Engine:

Triggering the “Copy RXInterop.dll To Configured Nodes” button in PIXERA will take the interop from the PIXERA install path and copy it into the Unreal Engine root path.

The Unreal Editor path can be found in the PIXERA project:

PIXERA 2.0.65 | 09. July 2024 | CL