Google Cloud And Sheets

Using Google Cloud and Google Sheets to store and receive data for multi-unit projects.

Part 1 Google Cloud

This is a modification of the UI3 and does not come with it by default. Changes need to be made to widgets and blueprints and third party plug- ins are required.

This part shows how to set up Google Sheets to receive and send data to the walkthrough app from a web browser.

The Runtime Datatable plug-in is needed to connect the Unreal walkthrough app to the Google Cloud Service. Follow the link below to get it from FAB.

Runtime Datatable on FAB

The Runtime Datatable plugin's documentation has info about creating an account.

A project needs to be created in the cloud and a permission key needs to be set up in the IAM section.

Runtime DataTable Plugin Documentation

Access Key Data

The key comes as a JSON file and can be opened with Notepad and other common applications. It should look like seen in the image.

Copy Paste the credentials into the DT_GoogleLinks Data Table (or any other assigned).

• Private Key is the long cryptic string.
• Client Email is the google admin email address shown below the key. It's not your 'normal' google account email address.

The credentials can be used for multiple Unreal projects.

Sharing Links

Links for the Users, Servers, Units, and Unit Types sheets are also entered into this Data Table. It can then be assigned to each Info Map of the unit type persistent levels. Changes to the Data Table will spread to all scenes.

The folder needs to be shared. It can be restricted to certain users as every other Google Sheet. Best to start by allowing for Everyone with the link to have rights to Edit it. Restrictions can be placed later, when it's sure that everything works.

All sheets in the folder inherit the rights of the folder.

• HS Servers
• HS Users
• HS Units
• HS Unit Types
• HS Costs

HS Costs is specific to the client (user) that is using the walkthrough. There needs to be one Cost file per user.

Google Default Sheets

HS Server

The server file contains the server id and the currently assigned user id. The app will read the user id for its server id when it starts. Most of the times there will only be one server in the list.

Add an entry for running multiple servers at the same time. Then set the relevant user id before starting the app on that server.

HS Users

The app will always start with the overview map showing the outside of the building. The client selects a unit to visit. The unit id will be entered into the user's row in this sheet before opening the scene for the unit type.

• Row Name User ID to be entered in the Servers sheet
• User Name The real name of the user
• Unit Will be written by the app. The last unit visited by the user

• Costs GID Google ID of the Costs sheet tab
• Features GID Google ID of the Features tab
• Selections GIDGoogle ID of the Selections tab
• Costs Sheet Shared link for the user's Costs Sheet.

The Costs Sheet link is the link being copied when you right click share the Google Sheet on Google Drive.

The GID or Google ID can be found in the URL when selecting the sheet tab on the bottom.

HS Units

Contains specific data for each unit.

• Row Name The Unit ID
• Unit Type Name The ID of the unit type
• Floor The building floor, where '0' is the ground floor
• Unit / Lot Size Sizes for this unit, overwrite type sizes
• Unit Cost The cost of this unit, overwrites type cost
• Availability ID of the availability array located in the Info Map

HS Unit Types

The details for the type of units. There can be more than one unit of each type in the building.

• Row Name The type ID or Unit Type Name
• Type Name User friendly name
• Bedroom, Bathroom, Parking typical features
• Additional Features any additional text to be displayed
• Size, Price can be overwritten per unit

The sheet will be completely overwritten when the user exports the selections made to the scene. So no need to enter anything manual into the sheet. It just needs to exist.

Costs

This list is the same that the UI shows to the user in the Costs widget. It is converted to a table in the image.

Features

The selected features. This can be design schemes or layout scenarios.

Selections

Contains the data for all selectable objects in the scene. This is what the Cost is based on with more detail to it.