Bug: Missing Screen Space Reflections (SSR) in Snapshots When "Interface" is Unchecked

[williamweaver]

Description

When taking a snapshot with Screen Space Reflections (SSR) enabled, reflections visible on reflective surfaces in the viewer window are not captured in the resulting saved image if the "Interface" checkbox in the Snapshot floater is unchecked. This creates a discrepancy between the live view and the final rendered output, impacting the quality and accuracy of virtual photography.

This issue was originally reported by @paperworkresident (William Weaver) to Linden Lab and is tracked on their public issue tracker as VWR-3325 / Canny Post.

A key observation from the Linden Lab issue report by AtlasLinden is: "Note that this appears to occur when the Interface checkbox is unchecked in the Snapshot floater." This is a critical detail for reproducing and diagnosing the bug.

Steps to Reproduce:

1. Enable Advanced Lighting Model: Go to Preferences > Graphics > General and ensure "Advanced Lighting Model" is checked.
2. Enable Screen Space Reflections: In Preferences > Graphics > General, ensure "Reflections" is set to "Screen Space Reflections". (Alternatively, via Phototools or Graphics Presets if applicable).
3. Find Reflective Scene: Position your avatar or camera in a location with clearly reflective surfaces (e.g., water, mirrors, polished floors, metallic objects).
4. Confirm Reflections Visible: Ensure that reflections are clearly visible in the main viewer window on these surfaces.
5. Open Snapshot Floater: Use Ctrl+Shift+S or World > Snapshot.
6. Uncheck "Interface": In the Snapshot floater options, uncheck the "Show interface in snapshots" (or similarly named) checkbox.
7. Take Snapshot: Capture the image (e.g., "Save to Disk").
8. Observe Output: Open the saved snapshot image file.

Expected Result:

The saved snapshot image should accurately capture all visual elements present in the viewer window at the moment of capture, including the screen space reflections, regardless of the "Interface" checkbox state.

Actual Result:

The saved snapshot is missing the screen space reflections that were clearly visible in the viewer window. The reflective surfaces appear dull or only show base diffuse/specular properties without the dynamic reflections. If "Interface" is checked, SSR is correctly captured.

Workaround:

Currently, the only known workaround is to keep the "Interface" checkbox enabled when taking snapshots, and then manually crop out UI elements in post-production if they are not desired. This is not ideal for workflow efficiency or achieving clean, full-resolution captures.

Environment (Example):

• Viewer: Aperture Viewer (all versions based on codebases where this bug exists in upstream)
• OS: Windows 10/11 (likely affects all OS)
• Graphics: NVIDIA/AMD (likely affects all hardware supporting SSR)

Attachments (if available from original report):

Goal for Aperture Viewer:

To investigate and implement a fix ensuring that Screen Space Reflections are always rendered correctly in snapshots, irrespective of the "Interface" checkbox setting, thereby providing a consistent and reliable capture experience for virtual photographers and artists. This fix will then be considered for porting to an upstream Pull Request.