MillicastPlayer plugin for Unreal Engine

• Supported UE version 5.3, 5.2, 5.1, 5.0.3, 4.27
• Supported on Windows, Linux and Mac

This plugin enable to play real time stream from Millicast in your Unreal Engine game. You can configure your credentials and configure your game logic using unreal object and then render the video in a texture2D.

Supported Codecs

• VP8 (software decoding)
• VP9 (software decoding)
• H264 is supported by using the millicast WebRTC library instead of the unreal webrtc module.

Installation

You can install the plugin from the source code. Follow these steps :

• create a project with the UE editor.
• Close the editor
• Go at the root of your project folder (C:\Users\User\Unreal Engine\MyProject)
• Create a new directory "Plugins" and move into it
• Clone the MillicastPlayer repository : git clone https://github.com/millicast/millicast-player-unreal-engine-plugin.git MillicastPlayer
• Open your project with UE

It will prompt you, saying if you want to re-build MillicastPlayer plugin, say yes. You are now in the editor and can build your game using MillicastPlayer.

Note: After you package your game, it is possible that you will get an error when launching the game :

"Plugin MillicastPlayer could not be load because module MillicastPlayer has not been found"

And then the game fails to launch. That is because Unreal has excluded the plugin. If that is the case, create an empty C++ class in your project. This will force Unreal to include the plugin. Then, re-package the game, launch it, and it should be fixed.

Installation steps for Mac or H264 playback

If you want to run the plugin on Mac, or have H264 decoding support, you will need to use our webrtc library instead of the Unreal one. You need to add it directly into your project, in the plugin ThirdParty.

Download the ThirdParty.zip file that you can find in the release assets of the latest github release.

Then, extract it and move the ThirdParty folder into the Source folder of the plugins. After that, you should be able to build and run the plugin using our WebRTC library.

Installation steps for Android

Installs needed for Android:

Java JDK

• for UE 5.3.1 and above: JDK 11
• for UE 4.27 and below: JDK 8

SDK

• Install Android Studio
• Open the Android Studio and go to More Actions dropdown and select SDK Manager
• go to SDK Tools Tab and mark checkboxes: 33.0.0, 32.0.0, 31.0.0, 30.0.3, 29.0.2
• go to: C:\Path\to\Android\Sdk\build-tools (You have Android SDK Location path at the top of the settings)
• go trough each folder and change file name d8 to dx

NDK

• For UE less than 5.1: Android NDK r21d
• For UE 5.1 and above: Android NDK r25b

After extraction, you will have to copy the ndk folder path and set it in Unreal Engine Project Settings

Setup the Environment Variables

• JAVA_HOME : C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.8.0_202
• ANDROID_HOME : C:\Path\to\Android\Sdk
• ANDROID_SDK_HOME : C:\Path\to\Android\Sdk
• NDK_ROOT : C:\Path\To\Android\Sdk\ndk\android-ndk-r25b
• NDKROOT : C:\Path\To\Android\Sdk\ndk\android-ndk-r25b

Unreal Engine Project Settings

Navigate to the Unreal Engine and open Project Settings, go to the Android SDK tab and set the paths.

• Location of Android SDK (the directory that usually contains 'android-sdk-'):C:/Path/To/Android/Sdk
• Location of Android NDK (the directory that usually contains 'android-ndk-'): C:/Path/To/Sdk/ndk/android-ndk-r25b
• Location of JAVA (the directory usually contains 'jdk') : C:/Path/To/Java/jdk1.8.0_202/jre
• SDK API Level(specific version, 'latest' or matchndk'- see tooltip) : matchndk
• NDK API Level(specific version of latest -see tooltip) : android-31

Next go to the Android tab inside Project Settings and set the following:

• in the APK Packaging Press Configure Now and Press Accept SDK button and if button greyed out that mean it accepted before.
• in the Android Package Name type com.yourcompanyname.yourprojectname
• in the Minimum SDK Version type 21 and make sure install SDK 21 in Android Studio.
• in the Target SDK Version open Android Studio then SDK Manager and type latest version of sdk
• in Install Location choose Auto
• check box Package game data inside .apk
• check box Allow large OBB files
• check box Allow patch OBB files
• check box Use ExternalFilesDir for UE4Game files
• in the App Bundles check box for Generate bundle (AAB)
• in the Build check box for support arm64

in the Destribution Signing you must have key.keystore file and to make this file follow steps:

• run Command Prompt as administrator
• run: cd C:\Path\To\Java\jdk1.8.0_202\bin
• run: keytool -genkey -v -keystore key.keystore -alias Mykey -keyalg RSA -keysize 2048 -validity 10000
  • enter any password
  • repeat password
  • type firstandlastname
  • type orgunit
  • type org
  • type city
  • type state
  • type 12345 for country code
  • type yes
  • enter password again
  • repeat password

The Key will be now created, go to C:\Path\To\Java\jdk1.8.0_202\bin folder to get the file copy the key.keystore file and paste it in ProjectRootFolder/Build/Android/

Back at the Project settings in the Unreal Engine editor inside Distribution Signing:

• Key Strore (output of keytool, placed in /Build/Android): key.keystore
• Key Alias (-alias parameter to keytool): Mykey
• Key Store Password(-storepass parameter to keytool)
• Key Password(leave blank to use key store password)

Setup for iOS

Log into Developer Account you will have to create the Provisioning Profile. Log into your account and go to Certificated, Identifiers & Profiles, next create a new certificate and choose iOS Distribution and click continue.

Now you will be required to provide the Certificate Signing Request.

To do that on your Mac search for Keychain Access and inside Certificate Assistant select Create a Certificate For Someone Else as a Certificate Authority.

Write out the information required and enable checkbox Saved to desk.

Now back at the Apple site you can click Choose file and select the certificate signing request that you just created, after that click continue.

On the next page click Download. You will need to upload this to the Unreal Engine Project Settings.

Now go back to the main panel on the Developer account and select the Identifiers Tab.

Add new Identifier, select App, next give it a Description and App ID Prefix (You will need Description and App ID Prefix later in the Unreal Engine). After that click next and Register

Provisioning Profile

Navigate to the Profiles tab from the main page in the Developer account.

• Add new profile and select the App Store from the Distribution section.
• Now Select the App ID we have just created, click continue.
• Now Select the Certificate that we created, click continue.
• Now enter the name for your Provisioning Profile. Press the Generate button and download it.

Setup inside Unreal Engine

• Navigate to the Project Settings and then to Packaging. Under Base Configuration select Shipping.
• Go to iOS Tab and Import your Provisioning Profile
• Select the right certificate and Provisioning Profile
• Fill in the Bundle Display Name
• Fill in the Bundle Name
• Fill in the Bundle Identifier with the one you created before your Bundle Identifier

Outside the Unreal Engine

For the Plugin to work correctly you will also have to copy the certificate to your content folder.

• Navigate to the Path/To/The/UnrealEngine/Engine/Content/Certificates/ThirdParty and from there copy the cacert.pem
• Now go to Path/To/YourProject/Content/ and create the directory Certificates paste the cacert.pem inside the folder.
• Now open your project, and inside Project Settings in the packaging section. Find Additional Non-Assets Directories to Copy and add the Certificates directory to it.

Documentation

You can find the documentation for the plugin here: https://docs.millicast.com/docs/millicast-player-plugin