Spout is a framework allowing you to share texture between different Windows applications. You can read more about it here. Lightact allows you to both send and receive textures with spout.
Sending spout
To send a texture from Lightact using spout you should first open the Devices window by pressing F7. Once there, right-click in the empty area, hover above Spout and click Spout writer.
If you select the node you’ll see some properties on the right.
- Name is an arbitrary name of the Spout Writer node
- Spout name is the name of the spout stream. This will appear in the application that will receive the stream
- Texture width and height determine the resolution of spout stream.
After you’ve inserted all the properties, click Apply and make sure the Streaming checkbox is checked.
Sending spout in Layer Layouts
To determine which texture is going to be sent using this spout stream you have to open a layer layout. If you insert Spout sender node, you’ll see that it has just one Texture input.
In order to make this node work please make sure that:
- The correct Spout writer node is selected in the Parent device section
- that the texture is connected and that it has the same resolution as the resolution of the selected Spout client node
- that the Streaming checkbox of the Spout writer node is checked.
Receiving spout
To receive a texture via spout, the process is quite similar. In the Devices window insert a Spout Reader node.
Make sure that in the Spout name text box you write the name of the spout stream you want to receive. After changing it, click Apply and then check Listening checkbox.
Receiving spout in Layer Layouts
To bring the texture received via spout to Layer layouts, just insert a Spout Listener node and, in the Parent device section, select the Spout Reader node you created in the Devices window.
[vc_message]Please note, you can map several Listener nodes in a Layout to one Reader node in the Devices window.[/vc_message]
Troubleshooting
If you encounter any problems with Spout, the best way to approach the troubleshooting is with the help of SpoutReceiver.exe and SpoutSender.exe programs that are freely available on Spout website.
Once you install it, you should see a Spout icon on your desktop. Double-click on it.
Windows Explorer should open in Spout folder. Open DEMO folder and in there you should see SpoutReceiver.exe and SpoutSender.exe.
You can use these 2 programs to check if Spout is working properly in Lightact and Unreal Engine.
Texture sharing options
When installed, Spout should default to Texture share on GPU (GPU Texture Processing).
You can check if that is really the case in Spout Receiver window where it should say Textureshare. If it says Memoryshare or anything else, Spout probably won’t work either in Lightact or, more likely, in Unreal Engine.
You can change texture sharing option by going to SPOUTDXMODE folder and run SpoutDXmode.exe program.
In its window make sure Texture (GPU texture processing) radio button is selected as shown below:
Now, it should say Textureshare in SpoutReceiver window.