Release notes

Version 1.4.0 - December, 2023.

This page provides details about enhancements, deprecations, resolved issues, and known issues in the 1.4 release of ArcGIS Maps SDK for Unreal Engine.

Enhancements

Building scene layer filtering

With this release, you can now filter building scene layers by creating custom attribute filters with SQL WHERE clauses. Building scene layers enable you to view one or more building models together in their spatial context and to work with the component parts of these buildings by querying and filtering different aspects. Building content is often derived from Building Information Modeling (BIM) workflows in design and construction. BIM processes can produce 3D virtual representations of real-world assets that are commonly used for construction, documentation, and evaluation of structures.

The ability to visualize building scene layers and work with sublayers was already available in a previous release, but with the rich level of detail a building scene layer these models include, you often want to interactively filter elements or parts of a building to see only aspects that relate to your work. For example, you may want to see only the parts of a building that are on the second floor, show only the load-bearing walls or just the electrical system. As a developer using either the low-code/no-code tools in the Unreal Engine Modes Panel UI, or programming with the API, you can support these user requirements by applying a filter to a building scene layer. Filters give you access to the full structure of a building scene layer including the discipline, such as Architectural, the categories, such as walls, and custom queries to filter elements based on their attribute values such as the material type or manufacturer. Building scene layer filtering is available in the API and in the Modes Panel UI with a new Building Filter UI and a Disciplines and Categories UI in the Layers tab.

Building Scene Layer Filter

A building scene layer filtered with a SQL WHERE clause attribute filter (building data provided by Christchurch City Council).

Spatial filtering and mesh modification

With this release, the ability to spatially filter scene layers and modify meshes can now be accessed through a new UI in the Unreal Editor. The new UI tools enable you to interactively draw and modify polygon areas to be applied as spatial filters for 3D object scene layers and building scene layers, and applied as mesh modifications for integrated mesh scene layers and elevation surface. The ability to spatially filter scene layers and modify meshes was already available in a previous release, but only when using the API or Blueprints, and only on the supported desktop platforms (macOS and Windows). This feature can now also be included in applications deployed on the mobile platforms Android and iOS.

3D Object Scene Layer Clip

A clip modification being applied to buildings in a 3D object scene layer.

A further valuable addition for mesh modifications is the new ability to simply apply a constant elevation value to the polygon areas you have defined, avoiding the need to replace with another existing terrain dataset. A corresponding new modification type replace has been added, enabling you to apply a new constant value to the specified area and specify a new altitude.

Blueprints

  • A list of basemap styles is added to the Create ArcGIS Basemap with Basemap Style node, including:
    • ArcGISHumanGeography
    • ArcGISHumanGeographyBase
    • ArcGISHumanGeographyDetail
    • ArcGISHumanGeographyLabels
    • ArcGISHumanGeographyDark
    • ArcGISHumanGeographyDarkBase
    • ArcGISHumanGeographyDarkDetail
    • ArcGISHumanGeographyDarkLabels
    • OSMBlueprint
    • OSMHybrid
    • OSMHybridDetail
    • OSMNavigation
    • OSMNavigationDark
  • ArcGIS Building Attribute Filter, ArcGIS Solid Building Attribute Filter Collection categories have been added.
  • Get Active Building Attribute Filter, Get Building Attribute Filters, Set Active Building Attribute Filter have been added to ArcGI SBuilding Scene Layer
  • ArcGIS Building Scene Layer Attribute Statistics has been added.
  • A new Replace type has been added to Create ArcGIS Mesh Modification node.

C++ API

  • A list of basemap style enum values is added to the ArcGISBasemapStyle class, including:
    • ArcGISHumanGeography
    • ArcGISHumanGeographyBase
    • ArcGISHumanGeographyDetail
    • ArcGISHumanGeographyLabels
    • ArcGISHumanGeographyDark
    • ArcGISHumanGeographyDarkBase
    • ArcGISHumanGeographyDarkDetail
    • ArcGISHumanGeographyDarkLabels
    • OSMBlueprint
    • OSMHybrid
    • OSMHybridDetail
    • OSMNavigation
    • OSMNavigationDark
  • FetchStatisticsAsync method has been added to the ArcGISBuildingSceneLayer class.
  • ArcGISBuildingAttributeFilter class has been added to define a set of conditions that can be used to show or hide components in a building scene layer.
  • ArcGISSolidBuildingFilterDefinition class has been added to define which building components should be viewed as solid in the associated ArcGISBuildingSceneLayer.
  • ArcGISBuildingSceneLayerActiveBuildingAttributeFilterChangedEvent has been added to invoke the callback when the ArcGISBuildingSceneLayer.ActiveBuildingAttributeFilter changes.
  • ArcGISBuildingSceneLayerAttributeStatistics class has been added to summarize statistics for an individual attribute field in an ArcGISBuildingSceneLayer.
  • A new type of mesh modification, Replace, has been added to the ArcGISMeshModificationType enums.

Plugin samples

  • A tabletop sample has been added together with an ArcGIS Tabletop Controller Component and an ArcGIS Tabletop Controller.
  • The 3D attributes sample and the ArcGIS hit test sample have been moved to the GitHub sample repo. (The 3D attributes sample has been renamed to Material By Attribute.)

Deprecations

There are no OS and framework deprecations with this release.

Issues resolved

  • Custom basemap name will be lost after clicking Play

    Summary: The name for the custom basemap that is added from the Modes Panel UI will be automatically changed to User Basemap after clicking Play.

  • Unreal Editor crashes when you click Play immediately after opening the level

    Summary: When you click Play after opening a level without waiting for the editor mode to completely load, Unreal Editor crashes.

  • Repeating textures are not mapped correctly for 3D object scene layers.

    Summary: 3D object scene layers that have repeating textures with UV mapping but no geometryUVRegion are rendered with a repeating edge of the texture instead of repeating the full texture.

  • Deleted layers from the Components are restored in the Viewport when interacting from the Modes Panel UI.

    Summary: Layers that are deleted from the Components are restored in Viewport during the editor mode when you interact with that layer in the Layers tab of the Modes Panel UI.

  • Vector tile layers are not rendered when it has higher priority than building scene layers.

    Summary: Vector tile layers are not rendered when it has higher priority than building scene layers in some cases.

Known issues

  • A basemap that fails to load will cause all layers in the ArcGIS Map to fail to display.

    Summary: If you are using a basemap that fails to load (for example, a preset basemap that requires an API Key, but no API Key is set) then the loading of the ArcGIS Map will be interrupted and it will appear blank. This also impacts the SDK samples that use a preset basemap.

    Workaround: Be sure to set an API key when using one of the preset basemaps.

  • View state report propagated warning messages

    Summary: When you subscribe to the error messages by using the view state report, propagated error messages are logged in the Output Log although it is not an error.

    Workaround: This issue does not impact the usage of the plugin. If you use the ArcGIS View State Logging Component in your level, you have the option to hide warnings.

  • Tile flashing

    Summary: While navigating in the level, a few tiles flash occasionally.

    Workaround: Disable occlusion culling by following the Unreal Engine's documentation

  • OAuth edge case issue

    Summary: The authentication cannot be completed even if the sign-in is successful when there are expired sign-in pop-up windows from the previous private layer loading attempt. Using or closing an expired pop-up window causes Unreal Engine to crash.

    Workaround: When the sign-in window pops up, always close the window by either signing in or closing it manually.

  • Some parts of integrated mesh scene layers flash while navigating around the area.

    Summary: When elevation is enabled in the scene, some parts of the integrated mesh scene layers flash.

    Workaround: Disable elevation.

  • The extent dimension values are incorrectly applied in the scene when the extent center is away from the Equator.

    Summary: When you set an extent in the area away from the Equator in an ArcGIS Map with a geographic coordinate system, the shape dimension is bigger than the values set for the extension.

    Workaround: No workaround available.

  • Services cannot be loaded with the item URL if non-ASCII characters are in the service URL.

    Summary: When there are non-ASCII characters in the service URL, the layer cannot be loaded by using the item URL.

    Workaround: Use the service URL that is encoded in UTF-8.

  • Mesh collider/Terrain occlusion issue

    Summary: When using an integrated mesh layer that dips below the elevation, the terrain occlusion mechanism is not showing the elevation but the collider still exists, which in some edge cases can make objects float above the integrated mesh.

    Workaround: No workaround available.

  • RGBA initializers shown in rendered basemaps

    Summary: Some basemaps, when utilized with scenes, include RGBA value initiator labels (e.g. RGBA(255,12,87,0)) that don't represent actual map locations.

    Workaround: No workaround available.

  • On Zoom to Layer/Elevation, the editor camera is misaligned with the horizon in Unreal Engine 5.2 and above.

    Summary: After you click "Zoom to Layer" or "Zoom to Elevation" and then start and stop Play mode, the editor camera orientation is misaligned with the horizon.

    Workaround: Reset the editor camera in the Pawn actor.

  • Map tiles flash in GlobalComponent and LocalComponent samples when in editor mode in Unreal Engine 5.0 and running on Apple silicon-based Mac computers.

    Summary: Map data continuously flashes when moving the editor camera in editor mode when you open GlobalComponent or LocalComponent sample using Unreal Engine 5.0.

    Workaround: Use Unreal Engine 5.1 and above.

  • Some parts of the mesh are missing or have bad LOD for the area with the replace mesh modification type.

    Summary: For the flattened area with a new z value where the replace mesh modification type is used, some parts of the mesh are missing or have had low LOD depending on the camera position.

    Workaround: No workaround available.

  • Changing building scene layer opacity doesn't apply in play mode

    Summary: After you change building scene layer opacity and hit play, the opacity value gets lost.

    Workaround: No workaround available.

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