Hello,
I have just started experimenting with IPI's software and have gone from the kinect to purchasing 6xlogitech 9000 cameras (We use those cameras specificly for other pieces of software).

Now, i have a large board room i am planning to convert into the motion capture studio. All my cameras will be mounted on the roof evenly around the room in a 360 degree patern.

I have searched the forums a few times over and it appears they recomend 6 cameras but nobody has any support as to how best to set them up except that it can be done.

When calibrating the cameras, i imagine it will be impossible to track the "candle" in the circular pattern without my body occluding the light from at least 1 camera at anystage of the config.

Is this a problem? should i go back to the drawing board with my camera placement?

Thanks guys
-Tim

Hi Tim,

Tip: It's probably best not to have all the cameras up so high to get the best coverage of a performance. I think the calibration system works better when the cameras are staggered a bit, perhaps making it easier for the system to distinguish one camera from another. In my earliest tests from a couple of years ago, I had four Logitech cameras position pretty high up because of limited space and I found that the system had trouble tracking my legs accurately. These days I have some of my cameras positoned at eye level or a little lower and some cameras up to eight feet high, and calibration and tracking results have been much more predictable.

Now, about the Logitech 9000 cameras: these cameras are just okay. FWIW, I think you're going to find them a hassle to use for mocap, at least when compared to the PS3 Eye cameras. I started out using the Logitech 9000 cameras two years ago and I thought these were extremely tweaky when trying to match color and exposure settings. Also, the frame rate and resolution isn't particularly great with these cameras.

About a year and a half ago, iPi Software started recommending the PS3 Eye camera over Logitech, and after I made the switch I was happy to be rid of the Logitech cameras. Matching exposure and color isn't an issue with the PS3 Eye cameras; these cameras match perfectly right out of the box. Also, the PS3 Eye camera's higher frame rate (60fps) allows more much more accurate capture data.

Finally, the PS3 Eye cameras cost a lot less than the Logitech cameras. I understand you already had the Logitech cameras for other software use but if you're serious about doing a six camera iPi DMC setup, in my opinion, getting the PS3 cameras for this task would be worthwhile.

That said, I'm curious to hear how the Logitech cameras work out for you using the latest version of iPi DMC. It's been a long time since I've used this type of camera and I wonder if they might actually work a little better than they used to.

Anyway, good luck and I this info is helpful.

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

Watch a one minute excerpt on Vimeo now!

Thankyou for your detailed reply, I have started placing the cameras a little more staggered than all on the roof.
I will consider getting the ps3 cameras a little further down the track, you are right however they do look to be the better option for most.

I will let you know how i go in the future, still unsure about self occluding the candle light during calibration, i guess the best way to find out is try it :)
best wishes
-Tim

You can avoid occluding the Maglite in 'candle mode', but with the cameras in a circle configuration it may take some 'contortions. (If you're good at the game 'Twister', this should be no problem.) :)

Basically, when you touch the ground with the light (I only do this five times, one for each 'box' corner on the ground and one for a spiral down the middle) you will need to get down very low. If the cameras are up high enough (three to four feet minimum,) they should be able to see the light. As an aid, point your computer screen facing you as you set up and calibrate your scene. If you click (or maybe double-click, I'm not sure,) in a camera viewport, it will expand to fill the screen, making it easier to see from a distance exactly what this camera is or isn't seeing.

Hope this helps.

G.

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

Watch a one minute excerpt on Vimeo now!

I have already purchased 6 Ps3 Eye and I am considering buying the "Standard" licence. But I'm still not sure, it is quite an investment and as SatconII pointed out there is a lack of examples and result samples on the forum.

It would be great if we could have more feedback on the 6-cameras setup directly from the developers !

I'll try to post some stuff in the next few weeks. It's been extremely busy at work for several months and I haven't had much time to devote to my personal projects, but I should be able to get back to working on my iPi project after this week. When I do, I want to recapture a few old PS3 Eye shots using the Kinect system, and I have several new shots that I need to capture using the PS3 system.

I'll let you know how that goes here in this forum. :)

G.

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

Watch a one minute excerpt on Vimeo now!

So i gave the logitec 9000's a go and found that the frame rate was all quite low (varied)
Read up on some forums and found i need to disable allot of the auto-features of the cameras.

I got the latest drivers only to find it wont let you configure more than 1 camera, any changes made to the program only affected the last camera plugged in. Rather than fiddle with it for to long i decided to get 6 Sony eye cameras from my local EB (total was $150 at $25 each). I will keep you posted on my results.
-Tim

Yeah, the control panel issue was a pain. When I was using the Logitechs, I was able to adjust settings for each camera, but there was a lot of jumping in and out of panels to just get the cameras image calibrated, and this quickly grew both tedious and confusing. When I learned that that was completely unnecessary with the PS3 Eye cameras I was immediately sold. Compared to that situation, th fact that the PS3 Eye could capture at a higher frame rate was almost a bonus feature. :)

Anyway, it sounds like you got a good price on the PS3 Eye cameras. Good luck!

G.

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

Watch a one minute excerpt on Vimeo now!

If you have enough space, you can set up the cameras in a full circle. It is recommended to have one or two cameras installed high (like 3 meters high).

If you have small space, you can install cameras in semi-circle, somewhat similar to four-camera setup.

http://www.ipisoft.com/en/wiki/index.ph ... cene_Setup



If the calibration object (the flashlight) is visible in three cameras at any time, this should be enough for calibration. Occluding it in some cameras from time to time should not be a big problem.