To define the volume:

 Place markers around the edges of the volume to indicate the intended capture volume. You can often place the markers on the floor. If the volume to be captured is higher up, place the markers accordingly. This makes it easier to visualize the capture space.

Position the cameras around the volume to provide full coverage across the volume (see Install the cameras and Position the cameras). Positions will depend on the volume size and shape.

Install the cameras

Your Valkyrie camera has two mounting points, top and bottom, to provide flexibility on mounting and orienting the camera. These mounting points have ¼" 20 UNC threaded holes, which match the thread found on most tripod and wall-mount fixing screws.

Ensure the camera is rigidly mounted by clamping it securely to a rail or mounting on a tripod. For both options, you must attach the camera to a mounting head.

If using a clamp, you must prepare it by fitting the stud that comes with the clamp into the slot at top of clamp.

To do this:

1. With your fingers, loosen the screw on the side so that it doesn’t protrude through the slot.
2. Press the silver button on the side of the clamp and drop the stud into the hole, leaving the larger side of the stud exposed.
3. Release the button and tighten the screw on the side again so the stud is held firmly in place.
4. The mounting head can then be screwed into the top of the clamp, using the stud.

5. Fit the clamp onto the railing by opening the clamp, attaching it to the rail and tightening the clamp until it is secure on the rail.

   Ensure the clamp is secured tightly enough to prevent any movement of the camera.

Tips

Typical rail systems have circular cross sections. For rails with rectangular cross sections, insert the accompanying wedge into the clamp to maximize the grip surface.

Secure the clamp to the rail in the desired orientation (eg, for mounting the camera on top of the rail or suspending the camera below it).

If the head has a “quick release” camera mount feature, remove the mounting plate before securing the head to the clamp.

Prepare a tripod

To use a tripod, ensure the screw and thread match and screw the tripod head directly onto the stud on the top of the tripod.

With a standard mounting head, the plate is screwed into one of the mounting points at the top or bottom of the camera. Attach the plate to the top or bottom of the camera according the desired mounting orientation relative to the mounting head.

1. Note that the plate has arrows to indicate the alignment with the lens when you screw the plate into the camera and for when you lock it into the mounting head.
2. Use the arrows to position the plate correctly over the required mounting point and firmly screw and lock it into place.

Tips

To avoid slippage while mounting the camera, adjust the tilt and roll levers on the head to neutral orientations and ensure they are tight.

Tighten the pan lever on the head and then thread the mounting head onto the stud.

Ensure that the quick release lever is locked “open”.

When you lay out the cable, ensure that you have enough length to allow for any adjustments needed.

1. To prepare the clamp, push down on the black button at the top of the mounting head and pull the lever until it snaps into place.

2. Insert the front of the camera first, before snapping it into the back.

3. Before releasing the camera, make sure the camera is locked in securely.

4. To secure the camera further, tighten the lever by hand to ensure no further movement is possible.

To remove the camera, push down on the black button at the top of the mounting head and pull the lever until the camera becomes loose.

To avoid drift due to mounting issues:

Ensure all camera mounts are fully tightened.

Try to position cameras and mounts so that the center of mass is above or below the load attached to the pivot point, for example, use the tripod head to angle the camera, and do not tip both the camera and mount.

Avoid fluctuating temperature in the rigging: braced poles (such as Trilite) or tripods work better than single poles. Calibrate with the cameras and their environment at a constant temperature.

Tips

Push the clamp and the levers to check that the clamp is still tightly secured to the rail and that the levers on the mounting head are also tight.

If you decide an adjustment to the clamp is needed, remove the camera from the mounting head, adjust the clamp, and re-secure the camera to the mounting head. Do not loosen the clamp while the camera is attached to the assembly.

If you move the cameras to adjust the field of view, ensure they are fully locked down again before continuing.

Tether a camera

If the cameras are mounted where they may fall and injure people or damage equipment, tether them to their mounts with safety bonds, ensuring that they are long enough to secure the cameras. To do this:

1. Connect the safety chain carabiner through the hole (tether point) on the rear of the camera.
2. Loop the other end of the safety chain around the rail twice, providing a double loop for additional strength and security.
3. Thread the safety chain and its tail loop through the carabiner (see image, right), ensuring that the tether is secured so that the unit can't drop more than 150 mm from its fixing point.

Before connecting the cameras

Before you connect Valkyrie cameras to your Vicon system, note that when operating your system, you must observe these safety precautions:

• Do not look directly at the source when a Near Infrared (NIR) strobe unit (which may be present in a mixed system of Valkyries and older Vicon cameras) or Infrared (IR) strobe unit is in use and note the following caution and warning.

Connect the cameras

Ensure the Ethernet switch is connected to an appropriate power source.

For each camera:

• Insert one end of the supplied network cable (RJ45) into the Ethernet port on the camera.
• Connect the other end to the Ethernet switch.

From the total number of sockets, remember:

• One socket is needed to connect to the host PC.
• To benefit fully from the power and range of Valkyrie cameras, connect each camera to a
  PoE++ port on a PoE++ switch (in the illustration, PoE++ ports are indicated by a blue line).
• The PoE++ switch can support up to eight Valkyrie cameras. Any spare ports can be connected to other components in your system, such as a Vicon Lock unit, etc. The uplink ports or any spare PoE+ ports can be connected to the PC (in the illustration, indicated by a yellow line).

To add more cameras, you can connect further Ethernet switches to the system (see the Valkyrie Topology video in the release installation folder).

Turn on the Ethernet switch.

With the supplied network cable (Cat6 or 6a RJ45), connect the Ethernet switch to the PC.

On the PC open Windows Network Connections, right-click the NIC to connect to the system and then click Properties. (To connect more than one card, right-click the first NIC.)

In the Properties dialog box, on the Networking tab, clear all the unwanted items, leaving only Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) selected.

For detailed instructions on configuring your PC network card, see Configuring network card settings .

Click on this option to highlight it and then click Properties.

In the Internet Protocol Properties dialog box, on the General tab enter the following information:

• IP address box, enter 192.168. 10.1.
• Subnet mask box, enter 255.255.255.0.

• Default gateway box, leave the box blank.

If you are using more than one NIC, enter the IP address 192.168.10.1 for the first NIC to which the system is connected, as described above, see the following Link aggregation for multiple NICs box for the remaining addresses.

Click OK to close the dialog box, and OK to close the Properties dialog box and save the settings.

Obtain the required software installer from Vicon.

The Vicon software installer enables optional installation of the License Server software for server-based licensing, and the dongle drivers for licenses that are locked to dongles.

For detailed instructions on how to install your Vicon application software and use Vicon product licensing, see your Vicon software documentation (PDF or online help).

If you are prompted to restart your PC, do so as soon as possible.

Start the software

On your Windows desktop, double-click the shortcut for the required Vicon software.

If this is the first time you have used your Vicon application software on this PC, a dialog box may be displayed, enabling you to specify the license server.

In the System panel, make sure all of the cameras in your system are listed.

Ensure that at the top left of the screen the system is shown as live and connected.

 
(Tracker 4 and Evoke are similar to Shogun, Nexus to Tracker 3)

Position the cameras

In the System panel, select a camera.

Change the view to Camera view.

Aim the camera so that it points where required, usually the center of the capture volume.

Repeat the process for each camera.

The heat map image (right) shows camera coverage of a capture volume.