Dark Lab

About the Dark Lab

The Dark Lab is located on the Ground floor of Greencoat Building, in GB_G05.

Opening Hours

Open Staffed
Weekdays 08:00–21:00 09:00–19:00
Saturday 10:00–17:00 Unstaffed
Sunday Closed Closed

Staff

Photo of Lieven van Velthoven
Lieven van Velthoven
he/him

Dark Lab Equipment

Virtual Reality

We have a number of VR headsets available to students including access to high spec gaming PCs for use with them where necessary.

Virtual Reality

Which VR headsets does CCI have?

Photo of VR area

Virtual Reality

Using the VIVE Pro 2 Full Kit

We got the VIVE Pro 2 headset and base stations, controllers (HTC Vive Controllers and VALVE INDEX Controllers), and trackers in the lab.

Setup

For the full official tutorial, please refer to: VIVE Pro 2 Setup Video


1. Hardware Connections & Power Check

Before powering on your PC: Ensure all devices are powered and connected


2. Software Setup

Essential Installations

  1. Steam & SteamVR

    • Download and install the Steam client.
    • Search for and install SteamVR from your Steam library.
  2. Room Tracking Configuration

    • Open SteamVR > Room Setup
    • Base stations should be mounted at a height of at least 2m, positioned diagonally across the play area.
    • Controller pairing: Press and hold the system button until the LED flashes blue → complete pairing via the SteamVR interface.

3. Unreal Engine 5 Integration

Initial Project Setup

  1. Create a New VR Project

    • Template: Games > Virtual Reality
    • Select Blueprint and Starter Content (for quick testing)
    • Tip: Begin with a simple scene (e.g., an empty template) and gradually increase complexity.
  2. Enable Key Plugins

    • Go to Edit > Plugins and enable the following:
      • OpenXR (recommended for SteamVR compatibility and future-proofing)
      • OpenXR Hand Tracking
      • OpenXR Vive Tracker (if using external trackers)
      • SteamVR (required for the Vive Pro 2)
      • Oculus VR (if Oculus headset compatibility is needed)
      • VR Expansion Plugin (for advanced interaction features)
    • Restart UE5 to apply changes.
  3. Optimise Project Settings

    • Open Edit > Project Settings and adjust the following:
      • Rendering: Enable Forward Rendering and disable Mobile HDR.
      • XR Settings: Tick Start in VR and enable Motion Controller Support.

These settings improve performance and ensure VR input responsiveness.


4. Testing & Troubleshooting

Launching VR Preview

  1. Click the dropdown next to the Play button (⚠️ not the default Play mode) and select VR Preview.
  2. Put on the headset to test real-time scene rendering.

❗ Common Issues & Checks

With these steps completed, your HTC Vive Pro 2 should be ready for Unreal Engine 5.2+

Virtual Reality

Connecting Vive Trackers to Unreal Engine

For the full official tutorial, please refer to:

1. Get Your Trackers Ready

First things first—make sure each Vive Tracker is turned on and paired through SteamVR. SteamVR Settings > Devices > Pair Controllers > I want to pair a different type of controller.. > HTC Vive Tracker. You’ll know it’s good to go when the LED light is solid green.


2. Set Up the Plugin


3. Assign Tracker Roles

After pairing your trackers you will need to assign them to the correct body part in SteamVR's Manage Trackers section, Left foot, Right Foot, ect. Its best to do them one at a time and label the tracker in some way so you know which body part is paired with that tacker.

Now let’s tell SteamVR which tracker does what:


4. Integrate with Unreal Engine



6. Test and Calibrate