camera-outputs-rt2

name	camera-outputs-rt2
description	Available camera render outputs for Real-Time Path-Tracing (RT2) mode. Use when user asks what AOVs/render vars are available, what format or dtype an output has, or how to read a specific output like depth, normals, albedo, or distance.
license	LicenseRef-NvidiaProprietary
version	0.3.0
author	NVIDIA ovrtx
tags	["ovrtx","rendering","camera"]
tools	["Read","Grep"]

Camera Outputs -- Real-Time Path-Tracing (RT2)

When to Use

Use this skill when the user asks what AOVs/render vars are available, what format or dtype an output has, or how to read a specific output like depth, normals, albedo, or distance.

Inputs

Resolve inputs in this order: existing repository files and referenced snippets, explicit user request, then broader agent context.

• Target API surface: Python, C/C++, USD, or a combination.
• Requested AOV/sourceName, RenderProduct path, and whether the user needs USD authoring, output selection, or readback guidance.
• Expected dtype, shape, channel count, and any known backend limitations for that output.
• Whether extra outputs are acceptable for memory/performance, or only the requested output should be added.
• Repository source snippets referenced below. Treat these snippets as the API source of truth.

Prerequisites

• Use an ovrtx checkout that contains the referenced examples and docs tests.
• Read the relevant > **Source:** snippet before writing or explaining API usage.
• Use reading-render-output for the concrete map/read code once the requested camera output is selected.
• Keep this skill scoped to RT2 camera outputs; use sensor skills for lidar/radar PointCloud outputs.

Instructions

1. Identify the requested camera output and whether the caller needs USD authoring, Python readback, or C readback.
2. Start with LdrColor unless the request specifically needs HDR, depth, normals, semantic IDs, or another listed AOV.
3. Add only the requested RenderVar entries to the RenderProduct orderedVars; each extra output has memory cost.
4. Preserve the documented dtype, shape, and channel count when mapping output tensors.
5. When changing code, run the camera AOV smoke test that owns the output table whenever practical.

Output Format

• Return the selected sourceName, dtype, shape, and readback skill needed for the requested output.
• For code changes, summarize RenderVar/RenderProduct edits and validation run.

Scripts

This skill has no scripts.

Limitations

• DepthSD currently returns all zeros through the C API.
• The output table is scoped to Real-Time Path-Tracing mode.
• The referenced snippets remain the source of truth; update or add tested snippets before documenting new API usage.

Default choice

Most applications only need LdrColor unless the user specifically requests other outputs (e.g. depth, normals). Do not add extra AOVs by default -- each one has a memory cost.

Available outputs

The following RenderVar sourceName values are available when using Real-Time Path-Tracing mode. Set each as the sourceName attribute on a RenderVar prim under a RenderProduct.

sourceName	Format	Type	NumPy dtype	Shape	Description
LdrColor	RGBA	uint8	uint8	(H, W, 4)	Tone-mapped sRGB color. Standard display-ready output.
HdrColor	RGBA	float16	float16	(H, W, 4)	Linear-space HDR color. Use for post-processing and compositing.
NormalSD	XYZA	float32	float32	(H, W, 4)	World-space surface normals.
DepthSD	Z	float32	float32	(H, W, 1)	Unitless depth, mapped from 1 (near clip) to 0 (far clip). Known bug: returns all zeros via the C API.
DistanceToCameraSD	Z	float32	float32	(H, W, 1)	Euclidean distance from camera origin to surface, in meters.
DistanceToImagePlaneSD	Z	float32	float32	(H, W, 1)	Perpendicular distance from image plane to surface, in meters.
DiffuseAlbedoSD	RGBA	uint8	uint8	(H, W, 4)	Diffuse surface albedo (base color without lighting).
Camera3dPositionSD	XYZA	float32	float32	(H, W, 4)	Camera-space 3D position of each surface point, in scene units.
SemanticSegmentation	ID	uint32	uint32	(H, W, 1)	Per-pixel semantic ID. Decode to map IDs to semantic label strings.

Python example

Source: tests/docs/python/test_camera_aovs.py snippet doc-camera-aov-smoke-test

C example

In C, image DLTensor outputs use channel-last shape (H, W, C) with dtype.lanes = 1. The dtype.code reflects the format kind directly: kDLUInt for LdrColor / DiffuseAlbedoSD / SemanticSegmentation, kDLFloat for HdrColor / NormalSD / DepthSD / DistanceToCameraSD / DistanceToImagePlaneSD / Camera3dPositionSD. SemanticIdMap is a packed uint8 metadata buffer, not an image.

Source: tests/docs/c/test_camera_aovs.cpp snippet doc-camera-aov-smoke-test-c

USD setup

Add each output as a RenderVar prim under a RenderProduct, referencing it in orderedVars:

Source: tests/docs/python/test_camera_aovs.py snippet doc-camera-aov-usda

Only include the outputs you need -- there is no requirement to request all of them.

Related skills

• reading-render-output -- how to map and access render var pixel data
• configuring-lidar-sensors / configuring-radar-sensors for non-camera sensors, and docs/sensors/configuration.rst for RenderProduct and RenderVar prim setup
• stepping-and-rendering -- stepping the renderer and iterating over results

Troubleshooting

• If an output is missing from a rendered frame, confirm its RenderVar is listed in the parent RenderProduct orderedVars.
• If a tensor shape or dtype differs from the table, verify the active render mode and readback path before changing downstream processing.

References

• Use the > **Source:** directives in this skill to locate tested snippets before reusing API patterns.
• Keep related skills, docs, and snippets synchronized when changing the workflow.