Hello,

I'm trying to get two XBox 360 kinect sensors to work in this configuration but whenever I try to get the recorder to evaluate the background camera 2 readjusts itself everytime. Is there a way to get it to stop doing that?

Hello

Please explain in more detail what do you mean by "readjust". Does this make the evaluated background unusable?

When evaluating the background for several depth sensors, iPi Recorder does this one by one to reduce mutual infrared interference on the background. That is, for 2 sensors - first, the second sensor is shut off, then the first sensor is shut off and the second sensor is turned on. When the sensor is turned on, it may adjust a color picture for a bit of time (usually less than 1s). The background evaluator skips the first second after turning on the sensor to avoid considering not-yet-adjusted picture.

Thanks for the response. :)

What I mean by readjust is that one kinect will pan up and down during evaluation (the lens inside of the kinect moves around and throws everything out of alignment). I will have both kinects centered on me, then when I get out of the shot to do the evaluation step it will finish and I'm not able to fit in on one of the kinects. I'm going to do another test later and I'll post pictures.

Ok, I did another test and this time both kinects panned up and down. Here is what it looked like before I evaluated the area.



Then I get out of the way and let it evaluate. Afterwards it looks like this.

That's really weird. I use the Kinect motors to help me align the the two Kinects but I don't think I've ever seen them move on their own.

Maybe there's some signal interference? I'm not sure how, just wondering. Are the Kinects or their cable near equipment might cause interference? Are the two connected to the same controller? Are you using Repeater cables or just ordinary USB cables?

Or maybe it's a driver issue? Are you using other Kinect drivers besides the one installed by the iPi Installer?

Just few ideas. I don't know how valid any of this is. Hope you get it figured out.

G.

_________________
Greenlaw
Artist/Partner - Little Green Dog | My Demo Reels (2013,) (2015,) (2017,) and (2019)

Watch a one minute excerpt on Vimeo now!

Camera settings, including elevation, should not be touched during the background evaluation. This indeed looks like the driver's misbehavior.
What drivers do you use for Kinect - Kinect SDK (and which version) or PrimeSense?
Please also provide the trace log from iPi Recorder taken after the background is evaluated.

I'm using the cables that came with the kinects. Each one is connected to a separate USB 2.0 connection (each one on a different hub) so it's possible that background interference might come into play. I was considering purchasing a backdrop to omit as much yellow as possible. Would a regular greenscreen work or should I purchase something darker?



The only Drivers I have installed on the system are the ones that come bundled with the iPi software. I'll get the tracelog and put it up in a bit, it's currently on another system.

Thanks again for the help so far.

That's fine. If you use an extension cable, you just want to be sure you're using Active or Repeater cables, regular USB extension cables are unlikely to work very well. Even so, it shouldn't affect the pitch control motor in the Kinect, it just means your capture signal may become unsteady and probably unusable.


Having the Kinects plugged into two different ports or hubs doesn't necessarily mean they're on two different controllers. You'll want to check your device manager to be sure. There's more info about this in the Wiki.


Back when we were shooting with PS3 Eye cameras, we shot on our green screen stage but this is not necessary--we shot there simply because it's largest empty space we have. (It's really not that big though.) In general, you want to avoid overly cluttered environments and especially a room with a lot of shiny reflective surfaces and objects. After we switched to the dual Kinect configuration, we just shoot in our living room--it's more convenient than taking all our gear out to the stage every time we need capture data. We keep the living room blinds closed partly to block the shiny glass surface but also to reduce IR pollution from the sunlight which can affect the data quality.

Sorry, none of this info will help with the 'runaway motor' problem but I hope it's still useful.

G.

_________________
Greenlaw
Artist/Partner - Little Green Dog | My Demo Reels (2013,) (2015,) (2017,) and (2019)

Watch a one minute excerpt on Vimeo now!

Yep, they are on two different hubs. Made sure to check long before posting here. :)



That could be my problem. We have a lot of shiny objects in our living room that could prove to be distracting to the camera (even at night). Which was why I considered getting a backdrop to dampen the issue (we experimented by covering most of the area with a dark blanket and it seemed to help quite a bit).

I couldn't find any log file to provide. Where does the program leave them? I looked in My Documents and the iPi programs but couldn't find anything. I think in the meantime I'll experiment with different primesense drivers. If I recall my laptop worked fine with a different set leftover from an earlier version of ipi recorder.

To grab the log, use menu "tools > show trace" (top-right corner of the window).