Ok so I get all my cameras set up but something seems to be wrong in my calibration again. I can't seem to get the floor in the right place. Im using Quick Cam pro 9000s When I did a FOV test it cam to 74.92 but that didn't work when I tried to calibrate it.. cam 4 would always end up below the floor.

this is the two videos..don't laugh and the setups Im using HELP!!

http://www.samgebhardt.com/vfxd/



The other problem Im having is that I tried to change the codec and when I selected one (not xvid..can't remember the name) it crashed. Now when I try and load ipi recorder it crashes when I push record or try to change the codec. ..I coudn't get xvid to show up.. pretty frustrating day.

I'll review your calibration video.

By the way, your calibration video seems to be dated 19 days older then the video with the motion. Are you sure you didn't move the cameras during that time?

A quick fix for codec problem is to reinstall iPi Recorder, or manually delete the following registry key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\iPi Soft\iPiRecorder\codec

cool thanks... The cameras permanently installed so they shouldn't have moved.

I checked your video files (thanks for sharing them).

Current version of our software is not advanced enough to calculate the initial position of your camera #4 from your calibration video automatically. You have too few points and they all are too close to the room center, and calibration video is at 10 FPS which is too low for good synchronization. Also, there is a bug with camera adjustment tools (cannot move camera after +/-90 degrees azimuth) preventing manual configuration of initial camera position for camera #4.

Unfortunately, fixing the software will take about a week (the issue is very technically challenging).

I suggest the following workaround:

Please re-shoot calibration video at 30 frames per second using new iPi Recorder (version 1.0.1.36 Beta). Our recent research shows that our previous recommendation of recording calibration video at 10 FPS was wrong. Higher framerate results in better synchronization and much better calibration reliability and accuracy, even at 320x240. By the way, new Recorder monitors framerate and dropped frames on a per-camera basis, so it can help you diagnose potential synchronization problems (due to cables not plugged firmly etc.)

It is also important that in new calibration video you move pointer more randomly (like in circles and spirals) and cover bigger space. Imaging yourself a jedi practicing some fancy martial arts moves with a lightsaber in slow-mo. Irregular/random marker trajectories help to improve accuracy of calibration.

By the way, you may find the following video useful:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Pyly9BdcO4

It demonstrates calibration of a more traditional marker-based OptiTrack system. While they have their own specifics (for example, they have high-framerate cameras so fast calibration wand movement is not a problem for their system), the video still demonstrates some common principles, like covering the entire capture volume and doing circular movements to make calibration patterns more random.

Here is a calibration example from iPi Soft:

http://www.ipisoft.com/downloads/video/ ... video2.zip

It is not completely correct because it is recorded at 10 frames per second but our recent recommendation is to record calibration video at 30 frames per second for better synchronization.

However, it demonstrates the general approach.

ok.. thanks for the advice.. maybe I will try and just calibrate it with 3 camera for now.
Im uninstalled and re-installed ipirecorder and Im still having the same problem.. I can record now but its just full uncompressed video so I can only take about 4 second of vid.

Are you using 64-bit or 32-bit OS?

In recent version of iPi Recorder, we changed Recorder platform to 32 bit. This means on 64-bit OS it will be running in 32-bit mode. This makes recorder compatible with latest official Build of XVID codec (recommended codec). However, if you are using a custom 64-bit build of XVID, the recorder will no longer see that codec. If this is the case, you can uninstall 64-bit XVID and install official XVID from xvid.org. Also, XVID installations usually come with "Vidc.Cleaner" Start Menu item - you can use it to repair XVID configuration problems.

Im on a 64 bit vista machine, I couldn't find the program files so Im not sure if its 32 or 64. I uninstalled the recorder, deleted the registry codec line and reinstalled it. I seem to be having the same problem of crashing when i try to change the codec. ..thoughts?

thanks

What XVID version do you use? (You can look it up in Start Menu -> All Apps -> XVID -> Relase Notes). Latest version is 1.2.2.

Did you run Vidc.Cleaner? (it may help to fix codec problem).

hmm.. I did run the cleaner.. I would use just uncompressed but I only get 16 fps.