Looking for a Camera API that regards the near clipping plane

Feature Requests Engine Features
1

I’m looking for a function that allows you to project a 3D position onto the near clipping plane as a Vector3.
To be specific:

Vector3 Camera:ToNearClippingPlane(Vector3 pos)

It’s hard to explain why I need this, but the method I’m using currently to do this is costly, and I’m wondering if a C++ implementation would make it faster.

I’m using it to create very small holograms that project themselves close to the camera to give an X-Ray illusion.
It works really well. However, it gets expensive with several holograms at once.

Here’s a place that demonstrates exactly what I’m doing:

2

Can’t you use something like:

local function ToNearClippingPlane(pos)
	local Camera = workspace.CurrentCamera
	local clip = Camera:WorldToViewportPoint(pos)
	return Camera:ViewportPointToRay(clip.X,clip.Y,0.001)
end

I’m using depth 0.001, but using 0 (the default) you would get the actual plane.

(You might be using this and thinking/knowing it’s expensive. could be, idk)

1 Like
3

That is what I’m doing.
However I don’t know if I could be doing this in a more efficient matter.

4

Can’t you calculate 2 (or 4?) corners of the plane, and use math to position all stuff on there?
I assume that ToNearClippingPlane is the expensive part if used for every part/model.
If you only have to use it a few times and then can use math… might be better?

5

That’s probably as efficient as you can get since it’s a C-side method.

6

Doesn’t work in VR. :wink:

7

I can imagine why.
I’ll switch over to GetRenderCFrame lol.

8

That’d be cool, let me know. It might look pretty crazy.

9

Just updated to GetRenderCFrame.
Hopefully the calculations I’m doing on every renderstep doesn’t grind down your frame-rate.

10

Hmm, weird stuff happens when I tilt my head, and they don’t line up right. Not entirely sure if it’s your side or not, but I guess it’s something you’d just have to see yourself.

EDIT: Discovered it’s a side-effect of not having a real “2D” in VR