Configure Vicon cameras

You manage the identification and configuration settings for each Vicon camera connected to your Vicon system in the Vicon Cameras section of the System panel.

Configuring Vicon cameras ensures that all the camera settings are correct and appropriate for your motion capture application. You can configure the settings for an individual camera, several cameras, or all cameras at once.

The Vicon Cameras section lists each Vicon camera connected to your system. For each camera, the node name includes:

• Its current status (the icons are the same as those used in the Cameras view, see About the Cameras view)
• The device User ID
• Any display name specified in the Name property
• The camera type listed in parentheses which follows after the User ID and Name, for example, 1 Over Door (Valkyrie26)

To configure your cameras for capture, complete the following steps:

Configure Vicon cameras for optical data capture

1. In the Workspace, select the Cameras view.

   

2. In the System panel, from the Vicon Cameras list, select the Vicon camera whose properties you want to configure. The 2D data being captured by each Vicon camera selected in the System list is shown in its own separate view pane.

   When you select a camera or set of cameras, the relevant properties are displayed in the pane below the Vicon Cameras list.

3. Make any changes necessary to the selected camera's properties. For information on how to adjust these settings correctly, see Camera properties.

   Tip: To change the order of the cameras listed in the System panel, right-click a camera node and then click Reorder Vicon Cameras.

   In the Reorder Vicon Cameras dialog box, do either of the following:

   • Click and drag a camera node to its required location in the list.
   • Click a node and then click one of the buttons on the right to move it one position up or down the list, or to the start or end of the list.

Prepare your volume for camera optimization

1. Lay high-quality (ie, highly reflective) markers at the extremes of your intended capture volume.

2. Lay a similar set of markers in the middle of the volume.

   If your volume is very big, you may want to make a series of recognizable clusters of markers around your volume.

3. Make sure any unwanted reflections are removed.

Check camera focus

You can check the quality of the markers from the camera that you are focusing.

To check camera focus:

1. Ensure that the Cameras view is still selected.
2. Ensure that the desired camera is selected either on its own or as part of a group selection, and that you are looking at the correct camera view pane.
3. Try to identify some markers; pan and zoom in so you can see them clearly.
4. Adjust the settings on the camera lens:
   • On both the Valkyrie and Vero cameras, you may need to adjust both the aperture and its focus.
   • On Vantage cameras, only the apertures may need to be adjusted so long as the focus is set to infinity (except for small volumes).
   For more information on focusing, see the documentation for your Vicon cameras.
5. After completing the above steps, if your markers are still not well focused, consider making changes to the Strobe Intensity, Threshold or Gain properties.

Check camera aim and field of view

With the markers still scattered around the volume and the camera focused, check that the camera's aim and field of view are set appropriately. If not, use the pan/tilt head of the camera to adjust accordingly.

If you have difficulty orienting yourself in the Cameras view, you can check the aim and field of view of a camera in real time by switching the camera into Video Preview Mode. This mode displays a video image from the optical sensor of Vicon cameras that offer this option. All other camera views and parameters are inactive.

To use Video Preview mode:

1. In the Workspace, select the Cameras view.

2. In the System panel, in the Vicon Cameras list, right-click a camera and select Video Preview Mode > Video Preview Mode.

   

   All cameras change to Video Preview mode so they begin shipping video data. Video Preview Active is displayed in the menu bar:

   

   While all cameras are in Video Preview mode, previews can only be viewed in one camera at a time. If you selected multiple cameras, only the last camera in the selection displays a preview.

3. To turn off Video Preview mode:

   • In the menu bar, click the X next to Video Preview Active.
   • Right-click any camera in the list and select Video Preview Mode >Exit Preview Mode.

If the preview image is dark:

• At the top of the System panel, display the Advanced properties and ensure that Enable Strobes is selected.

• Use external lights to illuminate your volume.

• Open the aperture.

  When you have finished checking the camera aim and field of view, be sure to set the aperture back to its original value.

All supported cameras can use Video Preview mode but their performance is dependent on frame rate:

• Valkyrie VK16 and VK26 cameras support Video Preview mode from 30–900Hz. At frame rates above a Valkyrie camera's full frame rate (see Compare Range towards the bottom of the Vicon Valkyrie web page), Video Preview mode uses windowing to display the same field of view as optical mode.
• Valkyrie VK8 cameras support Video Preview mode from 30–300Hz at a reduced resolution of 3232 x 2176.
• Vantage and Vero cameras support Video Preview mode from 30–60Hz. At frame rates above this, an image may be displayed but this has not been tested. Vantage and Vero do not use windowing in Video Preview mode.