Quick Start Guide

This guide will help you record your first video in under 5 minutes!

Your First Recording (Blueprint)

Step 1: Get the Recorder Subsystem

In any Blueprint (e.g., your Player Controller, Game Mode, or custom Actor):

1. Right-click in the Event Graph
2. Search for "Get Engine Subsystem"
3. Select Runtime Video Recorder as the class

Step 2: Start Recording

1. Right-click and search for "Start Recording"
2. Connect it to your Begin Play or a custom event (like a button press)

Event BeginPlay → Start Recording

Basic Setup:

Out Filename: "%auto%"  (auto-generates timestamp-based filename)
Target FPS: 30
Width: -1  (uses viewport width)
Height: -1  (uses viewport height)
Record UI: ✓ checked
Enable Audio Recording: ✓ checked

Step 3: Stop Recording

1. Search for "Stop Recording"
2. Connect it to your custom event (e.g., key press, button click, or End Play)

Event (e.g., Key Press R) → Stop Recording

Complete Example

Here's a complete example that records when F9 is pressed and stops when F10 is pressed:

// Start Recording on F9
InputAction F9 Pressed
  → Get Engine Subsystem (RuntimeVideoRecorder)
  → Start Recording (OutFilename: "%auto%", TargetFPS: 60, Width: 1920, Height: 1080)

// Stop Recording on F10
InputAction F10 Pressed
  → Get Engine Subsystem (RuntimeVideoRecorder)
  → Stop Recording
  → Get Last Recording Filepath
  → Print String (to show where video was saved)

Your First Recording (C++)

Step 1: Include the Header

#include "RuntimeVideoRecorder.h"

Step 2: Add to Build.cs

In your module's .Build.cs file:

PublicDependencyModuleNames.AddRange(new string[] { 
    "Core", 
    "CoreUObject", 
    "Engine",
    "RuntimeVideoRecorder"  // Add this
});

Step 3: Implement Recording

// MyPlayerController.h
UCLASS()
class AMyPlayerController : public APlayerController
{
    GENERATED_BODY()
    
protected:
    virtual void SetupInputComponent() override;
    
    void StartVideoRecording();
    void StopVideoRecording();
};

// MyPlayerController.cpp
void AMyPlayerController::SetupInputComponent()
{
    Super::SetupInputComponent();
    
    InputComponent->BindAction("StartRecording", IE_Pressed, this, &AMyPlayerController::StartVideoRecording);
    InputComponent->BindAction("StopRecording", IE_Pressed, this, &AMyPlayerController::StopVideoRecording);
}

void AMyPlayerController::StartVideoRecording()
{
    URuntimeVideoRecorder* Recorder = GEngine->GetEngineSubsystem<URuntimeVideoRecorder>();
    
    if (Recorder && !Recorder->IsRecordingInProgress())
    {
        FRuntimeEncoderSettings Settings;
        Settings.VideoBitrate = 20000000;  // 20 Mbps
        Settings.Profile = ERuntimeEncoderProfile::Profile_High;
        Settings.TargetQuality = 75;
        
        bool bSuccess = Recorder->StartRecording(
            TEXT("%auto%"),  // Auto-generate filename
            60,              // 60 FPS
            1920, 1080,      // Resolution
            Settings,
            true,            // Record UI
            true             // Enable audio
        );
        
        if (bSuccess)
        {
            UE_LOG(LogTemp, Log, TEXT("Recording started!"));
        }
    }
}

void AMyPlayerController::StopVideoRecording()
{
    URuntimeVideoRecorder* Recorder = GEngine->GetEngineSubsystem<URuntimeVideoRecorder>();
    
    if (Recorder && Recorder->IsRecordingInProgress())
    {
        Recorder->StopRecording_NativeAPI();
        
        FString OutputPath = Recorder->GetLastRecordingFilepath();
        UE_LOG(LogTemp, Log, TEXT("Recording saved to: %s"), *OutputPath);
    }
}

Where Are Videos Saved?

When using "%auto%", videos are saved to:

<Your_Project_Directory>/Saved/<timestamp>.mp4

Example:

MyProject/Saved/2025-01-15_14-30-45.mp4

You can also specify a custom path:

Recorder->StartRecording(TEXT("E:/MyVideos/gameplay.mp4"), ...);

Common Recording Scenarios

Record Gameplay Session

// Start recording when level begins
void AMyGameMode::BeginPlay()
{
    Super::BeginPlay();
    
    URuntimeVideoRecorder* Recorder = GEngine->GetEngineSubsystem<URuntimeVideoRecorder>();
    if (Recorder)
    {
        Recorder->StartRecording(TEXT("%auto%"), 30, -1, -1);
    }
}

// Stop when level ends
void AMyGameMode::EndPlay(const EEndPlayReason::Type EndPlayReason)
{
    URuntimeVideoRecorder* Recorder = GEngine->GetEngineSubsystem<URuntimeVideoRecorder>();
    if (Recorder && Recorder->IsRecordingInProgress())
    {
        Recorder->StopRecording_NativeAPI();
    }
    
    Super::EndPlay(EndPlayReason);
}

Record with Custom Encoder Settings

void StartHighQualityRecording()
{
    URuntimeVideoRecorder* Recorder = GEngine->GetEngineSubsystem<URuntimeVideoRecorder>();
    
    FRuntimeEncoderSettings Settings;
    Settings.VideoBitrate = 30000000;  // 30 Mbps (higher quality)
    Settings.Profile = ERuntimeEncoderProfile::Profile_High;
    Settings.RCMode = ERuntimeEncoderRCMode::RC_Quality;
    Settings.TargetQuality = 90;  // Very high quality
    Settings.KEYFRAME_INTERVAL = 60;  // Keyframe every 60 frames
    
    Recorder->StartRecording(
        TEXT("E:/HighQuality/video.mp4"),
        60,    // 60 FPS
        3840,  // 4K width
        2160,  // 4K height
        Settings,
        false, // Don't record UI
        true   // Enable audio
    );
}

Record from Specific Camera

void RecordCameraView(UCameraComponent* MyCamera)
{
    URuntimeVideoRecorder* Recorder = GEngine->GetEngineSubsystem<URuntimeVideoRecorder>();
    
    if (Recorder && MyCamera)
    {
        Recorder->StartRecordingCamera(
            MyCamera,
            TEXT("%auto%"),
            60,        // 60 FPS
            1920, 1080,
            FRuntimeEncoderSettings(),
            true       // Enable audio
        );
    }
}

Toggle Recording (On/Off with Same Key)

void AMyPlayerController::ToggleRecording()
{
    URuntimeVideoRecorder* Recorder = GEngine->GetEngineSubsystem<URuntimeVideoRecorder>();
    
    if (!Recorder) return;
    
    if (Recorder->IsRecordingInProgress())
    {
        // Stop recording
        Recorder->StopRecording_NativeAPI();
        UE_LOG(LogTemp, Log, TEXT("Recording stopped"));
    }
    else
    {
        // Start recording
        bool bSuccess = Recorder->StartRecording(TEXT("%auto%"), 30, -1, -1);
        if (bSuccess)
        {
            UE_LOG(LogTemp, Log, TEXT("Recording started"));
        }
    }
}

Testing Your Setup

1. Start the Editor
2. Play in Editor (PIE)
3. Press your recording start key (e.g., F9)
4. Record some gameplay (move around, interact)
5. Press your recording stop key (e.g., F10)
6. Check the Output Log - it should show the save location
7. Open the video file in your favorite media player

Troubleshooting Quick Start

Recording Doesn't Start

Check:

• Is another recording already in progress? Use IsRecordingInProgress()
• Does the output directory exist? Plugin won't create directories
• Check Output Log for error messages

Video Quality Is Poor

Solutions:

• Increase VideoBitrate to 30000000 or higher
• Set Profile to Profile_High
• Increase TargetQuality to 75-90

No Audio in Video

Check:

• Is bEnableAudioRecording set to true?
• Is bFrameRateIndependent set to false? (Audio doesn't work with frame-rate independent mode)
• Are AudioCapture and ElectraPlayer plugins enabled?
• Check Project Settings → Audio for proper audio device configuration

Game Lags While Recording

Solutions:

• Enable hardware acceleration in Project Settings
• Lower video resolution
• Reduce TargetFPS
• Check that you're not using bDebugDumpEachFrame = true

Next Steps

Now that you can record basic videos, explore more:

• How-To Guide - 10 practical recording scenarios with code examples
• API Reference - Complete API documentation
• Troubleshooting - Common issues and solutions
• Project Settings - Global configuration options

Sample Project

Check the included sample content:

• Content/Level_RuntimeVideoRecorder.umap - Demo level with recording UI
• Content/BP_RVR_GameMode.uasset - Example game mode with recording
• Content/Widget_AndroidRecording.uasset - Mobile-friendly UI

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