Infrared GigE Vision
Hi,
I've purchased this device + suitable lens, accessories and stage props with the correct light source to be captured by this camera sensor (940nm), what's left is to make it work natively in MacOS and of course to get the video feed into Millumin.
I'm lost, like really lost, it was more complicated than I originally thought and I'm now trying to learn GitHub, code reading/writing, compiling, xcode, home-brew bla bla and etc etc but with no success, I'm lost, really lost... 
Is there a way for a not so computer literate person like myself to get this working with Millumin? Any advice/help/instructions are more than welcome.
Many thanks,
Thomas
Comments
Hi everyone,
I'm just starting studying ir tracking.
Do these GigE cameras can be set on a RJ45 switch, with a common vlan combining some other peripherals such as beamer, computers or anything else ?
Or GigE protocol does need a specific ethernet port ?
Thanx !
Hello @emericad,
GigE cameras work on a standard network : you only need a router or a switch and a cable. Of course, you can share this network with other computers and devices.
In brief : a GigE camera is a simple network device. On some cameras, you can even provide power via RJ45.
Best. Philippe
Thanx Philippe !
Hi guys,
Could some of you explain a principle how this tracking method works? do you need to light your moving object with IR light? if yes how to avoid also other object to be IR lighted?
I watched this one: https://youtu.be/Qqwx9C1ceBg?t=4644
but I really appreciate some more details on how to setup the environment.
Thank you
Hello @emanuele,
The live stream I did was an introduction about infrared hardwae, but tracking something on stage requires additional software that is not provided by Millumin.
What do you want to do ? Panel tracking ? Projection on people ?
Best. Philippe
Hi Philippe!
I would like to track just people to let some particles to follow them on projection.
But anyway I would love to explore all opportunities.
Thank you :)
Hello @emanuele,
In this case, you could simply use the blob-tracking from Millumin : a bright light (such as the torchlight of a smartphone) is sufficient, but an infrared spot can also work.
See this tutorial.
Best. Philippe
Thank you!
But I need IR, is anybody here with some experience to share?
thank you
Hello @emanuele,
As stated in my previous message, if you want "to track just people to let some particles to follow them on projection" : you can use an IR spot on the actor, an IR camera and Millumin's blob-tracking. This is the most affordable solution with IR to my mind.
Of course, there are (far) more accurate and all-in-one solutions, such as BlackTrax, but this comes at a (huge) cost.
Building your own solution is also possible if you can program softwares. In this case, purchasing multiple IR cameras would be the most expensive part : ranging from quite affordable ImagingSource cameras, to more expensive OptiTrack ones.
Once again, using IR is not an universal solution. You first need to know what you want to track exactly on stage to choose the best solution (in terms of budget, accuracy, latency, 3D or 2D, lighting contraints, ...). One post on the forum would not explain everything ...
Best. Philippe
Thank you Philippe!
Does ImaginingSource camera need some kind of filter to work in the IR field?
could you suggest some IR lights to light up a 2x2 m square?
At the moment I just would like to buy some cheap devices to investigate the IR tracking possibilities.
Thanks
Hello @emanuele,
The cheapest solution is to use a small piece of Lee Filter #299 (between the sensor and the lens) : so the camera will receive only IR (not the visible colors).
For the IR spot, it is the same : you can use a classical incandescent theatre spot, with some RGB filters (a combinaison of Lee filter #139, #120 and #106 for example). This way, only IR will be send on stage. However, because most of the visible light is blocked, the filter will start to heat up. That could cause them to melt after few hours, so it is better to change the filter after each show.
Best. Philippe
great!
thank you
Hello eveyone,
I just bought a gigE Vision camera (Daheng Imaging), I cabled it and it works directly. The following week after importing my media and start encoding. The camera is no longer in my entries, but it appears if I make a new project.
I didn't manage to put a fixed IP on it.
What should I do to find my camera?
thank you
Hello @PhilH,
Try the following :
Best. Philippe
Hello Philippe,
I copy the layer, and it work it on the layer, but the camera is not in the input, but it's work.
Thank you
Hello @PhilH,
Sorry, I do not understand. Did you reimport a project inside another project ? Or did you duplicate your layer ? Are you sure the camera is not in the inputs but disabled (with a cross sign) ?
Best. Philippe
Hello,
I duplicate the layer. I don't see the camera in the Library (Input folder), but it's fonction it on the layer tracking
Sometimes, in the new project, the camera appear with the cross sign.
Hello @PhilH,
This is really strange, that you can use a media without having it in the library.
Please send us your project via email, so we could check this out. Thank you.
Best. Philippe
Hello @PhilH. We published an update (4.12.b) to solve this issue.
2 questions.
If I use windows I can access many camera settings thru Imaging Source apps, these settings can be written as camera defaults. Could this be achievable via Millumin as well?
When creating / adding a blob tracker to the GigE input the canvas flip vertically, bypassing this issue by adding effect "mirror", is this a bug or something I'm doing wrong when adding a blob?
Many thanks,
Thomas
Hello @thomnom,
Millumin can control basic settings for the a GiGE camera : framerate and pixel-format (8 or 16-bit). But we didn't plan to add more settings (such as white balance). Feel free to submit an idea on Uservoice, so we could keep track of this request and see if other users are interested.
About your "flip" issued : does the problem affects the whole workspace or just the layer ? re you using Millumin V3 or V4 ?
Best. Philippe
Cheers for swift reply, will do... 👍
Turns out that the "pre blur"function flips the image when set to 0, was only the layer in Millumin 4.
//Thomas
Hello @thomnom,
Thank you for the infos.
We planned to work on fixing this "flip" issue for GiGE camera.
Best. Philippe
Hi again, I'm sorry to pester you with these GigE camera issues....
The camera is not available inside Millumin although it worked perfectly fine a few hours ago and nothing major have changed in my system (for what I know), reinstalled Millumin, rebooted, tried various ethernet dongles and cables. It works asap when plugging everything in on another MacBook.
Are there any files I can delete that might resolve this? Please let me know I can provide any files or screenshot to find out what's wrong?
Appreciate any advice 🙏🏼
Hello @thomnom,
There is no such special files. But this really looks like a network issue.
Try to connect the GigE and your computer directly with an Ethernet cable, and be sure to check System Preferences / Network / TCP/IP. Then start Millumin again.
If the problem persists, please contact the manufacturer of the camera.
Best. Philippe