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NVIDIA Ansel

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NVIDIA Ansel is an in-game tool that allows players with nVidia graphics cards to take enhanced screenshots. Ansel may be used to take 360 screenshots, enhanced super-resolution screenshots, apply filters to the images and obtain generally superior results to taking a typical screenshot in-game.[1] It also allows the player to position the camera where wanted without any limitation, unlike the Orbital camera.

Usage

  1. There are different ways to launch Ansel:
    • in Steam, right click ARK and select "Launch ARK with NVIDIA Ansel",
    • alternatively you can use -ansel in the launch options of ARK.
  2. When in-game, press Alt+F2 to enter Ansel mode.
  3. Reposition the camera using WASD, ZX, and Lmb (hold ⇧ Shift to accelerate movement), you can also use the Q and E to roll the camera left and right respectively, or use a controller (Dpad navigates the Ansel UI, A takes screenshots).
  4. Change Ansel options as desired.
  5. Click "Snap" to take the snapshot. You will find your saved snashots in your "Videos" folder.[2]

Once you've entered the Ansel mode, when exiting, you are left in a special mode where you can no longer jump, crouch or go prone and you can no longer switch the camera view, if in 3rd person view while starting it, the standard aiming reticle stays on screen. This can be reset either by reconnecting/reloading, bed teleport or equivalents or dying. ghost, fly and gcm fly modes still work normally, however. The creatures/players and structures rendered are within the actual player's render distance only: the render point does not follow the camera, though the map is rendered normally.

Multiplayer

Clients can use the Ansel feature if the server is started with the -ServerAllowAnsel command line.

There are extra limitations to it's use, as the game is not paused. Even setting the slowest speed using the slomo console command, the game still updates. As such, any composition of images that require multiple renders (ie: super-renders and 360 renders) will show artefacts. Furthermore you will need to disable the UI items manually (Default with ← Backspace) as otherwise they will be reproduced in the composited snapshots.

You suffer the same control issues as mentioned in the previous section which will hamper multiplayer play greatly.

The character is left idle and defenseless to any attacks.

Leaving the feature enabled would allow Ansel-enabled users to peek through walls in a much more direct way than using the Orbital Camera. They cannot interact with anything while in this mode.

If the client is launched without the Ansel feature, it will still allow GeForce Experience using player to use Alt+F2 to take normal snapshots: there is no "free camera mode". Filters can still be applied. Without it the -ServerAllowAnsel option, the game blocks this normal snapshot feature.

Notes

  • Only works on systems with nVidia GTX GPUs dating back to the 600 series.[2]
  • For some reason pressing T to transfer items stops working when in Ansel mode.
  • You can use your server save file and load it as a single player world.
  • The output files can get big so make sure you have enough space free.

References