Documentation

11 - Laser System

Module: SuperStage Runtime (ASuperLaserActor / ASuperLaserProActor)
Target Users: Lighting designers, laser programmers, virtual production technicians
Prerequisites: 00 - DMX System Overview
Last Updated: 2026-04-14

1. Overview

SuperStage provides real-time integration with Pangolin Beyond laser control software, enabling real-time visualization of laser projection effects in UE scenes. The system provides two Laser Actors for different rendering modes:

Type Class Name Rendering Method Description
Texture Projection Laser SuperLaserActor Dynamic material + texture mapping Drives beam material via RenderTarget texture, simulating laser projection effects
Point Data Laser (Pro) SuperLaserProActor Procedural mesh rendering Draws precise laser lines from laser point coordinate data, supports collision occlusion

Both obtain real-time data from Beyond devices via SuperLaserSubsystem (laser engine subsystem).

Class Inheritance Chain

AActor (UE5 Engine Base Class)
  │
  └── ASuperBaseActor ·············· SuperStage Root Class (L1)
        │                           ├ SceneBase / ForwardArrow / UpArrow
        │                           └ AssetMetaData
        │
        ├── ASuperLaserActor ······· Texture Projection Laser (L2)
        │     ├ DeviceID → SuperLaserSubsystem gets RenderTarget
        │     ├ Dynamic material parameters (LaserIntensity/MaxDistance/Fog)
        │     └ Beam static mesh rendering
        │
        └── ASuperLaserProActor ···· Point Data Laser Pro (L2)
              ├ DeviceID → SuperLaserSubsystem gets point data
              ├ SuperLaserProComponent → Procedural mesh
              ├ EnableCollision → Collision occlusion detection
              └ Sprite + Arrow editor helpers

Design Note: Both Laser Actors directly inherit ASuperBaseActor (not ASuperDmxActorBase) because they do not use DMX protocol control — data comes directly from the real-time stream of Pangolin Beyond software, not through DMX channels. Therefore they have no Universe/Address configuration and no fixture library.

Data Flow

Pangolin Beyond Software
       │
       │ Real-time data stream (texture / point data)
       ▼
SuperLaserSubsystem (engine subsystem)
       │
       ├──→ SuperLaserActor (texture mode)
       │      └─ RenderTarget → Dynamic material → Beam mesh
       │
       └──→ SuperLaserProActor (point data mode)
              └─ Point coordinate array → SuperLaserProComponent → Procedural mesh

Part 1: Texture Projection Laser (SuperLaserActor)

2. Basic Principles

SuperLaserActor uses the RenderTarget texture output from a Beyond device as a laser pattern, projecting it onto a beam-shaped static mesh to simulate the effect of laser projection in the air.

Rendering Pipeline:

Per-frame Tick
  ↓
Get device texture (RenderTarget) from SuperLaserSubsystem
  ↓
Set to dynamic material's LightTexture parameter
  ↓
Control beam visibility based on intensity
  ↓
Render beam static mesh

3. Property Details

3.1 Device Configuration

Parameter Location Description Range Default
DeviceID SuperLaser Beyond device number. Corresponds to the device number in Beyond software 1 - 12 1

DeviceID Notes:

  • Each DeviceID corresponds to one laser device in Beyond
  • Supports up to 12 Beyond devices connected simultaneously
  • DeviceID starts numbering from 1 (consistent with Beyond interface)
  • Different SuperLaserActors can have different DeviceIDs, displaying laser effects from different devices

3.2 Beam Appearance Parameters

Parameter Description Range Default Unit
LaserIntensity Laser brightness intensity 1 - 5,000 100 Percentage
MaxLaserDistance Maximum beam projection distance 100 - 10,000 2,345 cm
AtmosphericDensity Atmospheric attenuation coefficient (degree of beam fading with distance) 0.0 - 1.0 0.03 —
FogIntensity Fog effect intensity in beam 0 - 100 20 Percentage
AtmosFogSpeed Fog effect flow speed 0 - 100 10 Percentage

LaserIntensity

Controls overall beam brightness:

  • Higher value → brighter beam
  • Set to 0 automatically hides the beam (saves render performance)
  • Recommended range: 50 ~ 500 (too high may cause overexposure)

MaxLaserDistance

Controls how far the beam extends in the scene:

  • Unit is centimeters (100cm = 1 meter)
  • Default 2,345cm ≈ 23.45 meters
  • Adjust based on scene size — larger venues need larger values

AtmosphericDensity

Simulates beam scattering and attenuation in air:

  • 0.0 → No attenuation (beam equally bright from start to end)
  • 0.03 (default) → Slight attenuation (realistic effect)
  • 1.0 → Extremely strong attenuation (beam disappears quickly)

FogIntensity

Controls volumetric fog effect in the beam (simulating laser scattering in smoke):

  • 0 → No fog effect (clean beam line)
  • 20 (default) → Light fog
  • 100 → Heavy fog (like the effect in stage smoke)

AtmosFogSpeed

Controls the flow animation speed of the fog texture:

  • 0 → Static
  • 10 (default) → Slow flow
  • 100 → Fast flow

3.3 Parameter Tuning Suggestions

Scenario LaserIntensity MaxLaserDistance AtmosphericDensity FogIntensity FogSpeed Description
Small Studio 50 - 150 1000 - 1500 0.05 - 0.1 10 - 30 5 - 10 Close-range projection, avoid overexposure
Medium Theater 100 - 300 2000 - 3000 0.03 20 - 40 10 Standard stage effect
Large Arena 200 - 500 5000 - 8000 0.01 - 0.02 30 - 60 10 - 20 Long distance needs high brightness, low attenuation
Outdoor Festival 300 - 800 8000 - 10000 0.005 - 0.01 5 - 15 5 Open space, sparse fog
Immersive Experience 50 - 100 500 - 1000 0.1 - 0.3 50 - 100 15 - 30 Close-range heavy fog for atmosphere

Performance Tip: Pro mode (SuperLaserProActor) EnableCollision performs ray tests for every laser line segment, increasing CPU load in dense laser shows. Recommended to enable only when occlusion effects are needed.

Part 2: Point Data Laser Pro (SuperLaserProActor)

5. Basic Principles

SuperLaserProActor uses the laser point coordinate data output from a Beyond device to precisely draw laser lines as procedural meshes via SuperLaserProComponent.

Point Data Format

Each laser point contains:

Field Description Range
X Horizontal position -1.0 ~ 1.0 (normalized to projection range)
Y Vertical position -1.0 ~ 1.0 (normalized to projection range)
Z Beam marker > 0 means beam point (laser on), ≤ 0 means blank point
R Red component 0.0 ~ 1.0
G Green component 0.0 ~ 1.0
B Blue component 0.0 ~ 1.0

6. Property Details

6.1 Device Configuration

Parameter Location Description Range Default
DeviceID A.DefaultParameter Beyond device number 1 - 12 1
EnableCollision A.DefaultParameter Enable collision occlusion detection On/Off Off

EnableCollision

  • Off (default) — Laser lines penetrate all objects (pure visual effect)
  • On — Laser lines are blocked and truncated when encountering scene objects, simulating real laser hitting object surfaces

6.2 Editor Helpers

In the editor, SuperLaserProActor provides the following helper visualization:

Component Description
Sprite Displays a light icon in the scene for locating the laser projector
Arrow Green arrow pointing in the -Z direction (downward), indicating the default laser projection direction

7. Texture Mode vs Pro Mode Comparison

Feature Texture Mode (SuperLaserActor) Pro Mode (SuperLaserProActor)
Rendering Method Texture mapped to beam mesh Procedural mesh drawing laser lines
Precision Medium (limited by texture resolution) High (based on precise coordinate data)
Appearance Beam volumetric effect (like projection) Precise laser lines
Collision Occlusion Not supported Supported
Fog Control Supported (5 parameters) Depends on component settings
Performance Overhead Lower (static mesh + material) Medium (procedural mesh updated per frame)
Use Case Distant/atmosphere laser effects Close-up/precise laser lines
Data Source RenderTarget texture Point coordinate array

Selection Suggestions

  • Pursuing visual atmosphere → Use Texture mode (has fog, beam volume feel)
  • Pursuing accurate reproduction → Use Pro mode (precise lines, collision occlusion)
  • Mix both → Same DeviceID can simultaneously place both Actor types, effects overlay

8. Multi-Device Configuration

SuperStage supports up to 12 Beyond devices connected simultaneously. Each device can output independent laser content.

Multi-Device Scenario Example

Beyond Device 1 (DeviceID=1) → SuperLaserProActor_1 (Stage left laser)
Beyond Device 2 (DeviceID=2) → SuperLaserProActor_2 (Stage right laser)
Beyond Device 3 (DeviceID=3) → SuperLaserActor_1   (Background projection laser)
Beyond Device 4 (DeviceID=4) → SuperLaserProActor_3 (Audience scanning laser)

Each Actor independently configured with DeviceID; system auto-retrieves the corresponding device’s data from the Subsystem.

9. FAQ

Q: Cannot see laser in the scene?

  1. Confirm Beyond software is running and playing laser content
  2. Confirm SuperLaserSubsystem has established connection with Beyond
  3. Check if DeviceID matches the device number in Beyond
  4. (Texture mode) Check if LaserIntensity > 0
  5. Confirm Actor rotation direction is correct (laser should point to expected direction)

Q: Laser visible in editor but disappears at runtime?

Check for permission-related restrictions. System uses SUPER_REQUIRE_PERMISSION for authorization checks.

Q: Laser penetrates walls?

  • Texture Mode: Collision occlusion not supported, this is normal behavior
  • Pro Mode: Set EnableCollision to True to enable collision occlusion

Q: Laser effect stuttering/not smooth?

  1. Confirm Beyond data output frequency is normal
  2. (Pro mode) Many laser points may cause performance issues; try reducing point density in Beyond
  3. Confirm UE editor frame rate is normal (large scenes may cause FPS drops)

Q: How to point laser in a specific direction?

Adjust Actor rotation:

  • Texture Mode: Beam mesh defaults to projecting along the Actor’s forward direction
  • Pro Mode: Default projection direction is -Z (downward) indicated by green arrow. Rotate Actor to change projection direction

Q: Can both modes be used simultaneously?

Yes. Same DeviceID can use both SuperLaserActor (texture mode) and SuperLaserProActor (Pro mode); both will display laser content from the same device with effects layered.

Return to Overview: 00 - DMX System Overview