Quick Start Guide
Contents
Vantage
Quick Start
Guide
Check what's in the box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Start the software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Position the cameras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Software and accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Configure your system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Set up your Vicon Vantage system. . . . . . . .5
Define the capture volume . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Install and connect the cameras . . . . . . . .5
Connect and configure the PC . . . . . . . . . 6
Adjust camera settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Set camera focus and aperture. . . . . . . . . 9
Mask unwanted reflections . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Calibrate the system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Install the Vicon application software. . . . 7
License the Vicon application software . .7
© Copyright 2015 Vicon Motion Systems Limited. All rights reserved.
Vicon Vantage Quick Start Guide, Revision 1.0
For use with Vicon Vantage Version 1.0
Vicon Motion Systems Limited reserves the right to make changes to information in this document without notice. Companies, names, and
data used in examples are fictitious unless otherwise noted. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, by photocopying or recording, or otherwise without the prior written
permission of Vicon Motion Systems Ltd.
Vicon® is a registered trademark of OMG plc. Vicon Apex™, Vicon Blade™, Vicon Bonita™, Vicon Control™, Vicon Lock™, Vicon Lock+™,
Vicon MX™ and T-Series™, Vicon Nexus™, Vicon Tracker™, and Vicon Vantage™ are trademarks of OMG plc.
VESA® is a registered trademark owned by VESA (www.vesa.org/about-vesa/). Other product and company names herein may be the
trademarks of their respective owners.
Troubleshooting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Vicon Motion Systems is an OMG plc company.
Email: support@vicon.com
Web: http://www.vicon.com
Page 2 of 12 August 2015
Check what's in the box
Tip
Check what's in the box
Before setting up your Vicon Vantage system, check
that you have all the necessary components, which are
described in this section.
For a list of components supplied with your specific Vicon system, see your
shipment Bill of Materials.
Hardware
Vicon Vantage cameras (V16, V8, V5)
Vicon’s newest optical cameras with custom-engineered
sensors and lenses, high-power strobes, on-board
processing, Gigabit Ethernet connectivity and a new
design. Available in high-performance resolutions up to
16 megapixels at 120 fps full-frame capture speeds.
PoE+ switch
The supplied PoE+ switch provides the power source and
connectivity for your Vicon Vantage system.
Vantage cameras require a PoE+ switch.
Vicon Lock and Vicon Bonita cameras can also connect to
a PoE+ switch.
Vicon Lock+
Vicon’s optional connectivity device for the Vantage
system. The Vicon Lock+ synchronizes with your Vantage
and Bonita cameras. It also provides interfacing to thirdparty analog devices, timecode, genlock and sync out
functionality.
Vicon Motion Systems Page 3 of 12
Vantage
www.vicon.com/downloads
Quick Start
Guide
Vantage host PC
A high-performance Vicon-supplied PC, enabling
communications between the PoE+ switch and the
installed Vicon application software. This is where you
capture, view, and process the data from the Vantage
system and any supported third-party devices
integrated into it.
Vantage cables
You can connect up a simple Vantage system consisting of
1–12 Vantage cameras and a PoE+ switch, to the Vicon
Vantage host PC, using the supplied RJ-45 cables. Camera
cables include a ferrite at the camera end only. If you are
using one or more Vicon Lock+ units, or MX T-Series
cameras with a Giganet, additional cables are supplied.
Check what's in the box
Vantage calibration device
Vicon’s Active Wand calibration device makes it quick and
easy to calibrate the Vantage cameras as well as video
cameras, and your capture volume.
Software and accessories
Vantage accessories
Vicon motion capture consumables include marker fixing
tape, arm and head bands, anthropo
tools, Micropore and gaffer tape, Velcro, unique Vicon retro
reflective markers in a variety of sizes, Lycra® suits, and
much more. The consumables that are supplied depend on
which items you’ve ordered with your Vicon system.
Product installation download
Your Vicon Vantage installation files, available on the
Vicon website, include yo
software and VAULT licensing software.
ur licensed Vicon application
metric measuring
Page 4 of 12 August 2015
Set up your Vicon Vantage system
Define the capture volume
Set up your Vicon Vantage system
Lay out the intended capture volume by
placing markers around the edges of the
volume.
You can often place the markers on the
floor, as shown. If the volume to be
captured is higher up, place the
accordingly. This makes it easier to
visualize the capture space.
Roughly position the cameras around the
volume to provide full coverage across
vo
lume. For more information, see
Position the cameras on page 8.
Positions will depend on the volume size
and camera lenses.
markers
the
Install and connect the cameras
1 Install each camera on a tripod, on the wall,
or on a ceiling-mounted rig.
Remember to include heig
width and depth in your volume
calculations!
❙ Connect the other end of the cable to
the PoE+ switch.
ht as well as
You can order mounting brackets and
camera moun
2 Ensure the Power over E
switch is connected to an appropriate
power source.
3 For each camera (up to 12 per PoE+ unit):
❙ Insert the
supplied network cables (RJ-45) into
the camera.
Vicon Motion Systems Page 5 of 12
ts from Vicon.
thernet
ferrit
e end of one of the
(PoE+)
Although there are 16 sockets in total,
always remember:
❙ One socket is needed to
the Vicon Van
❙ Each set of four ports on the PoE+
switch can support
Vantage cameras. The remaining
ports can support any of the other
Vicon components required in your
system, such as host PC,
tage host PC.
connect to
up to three
Vantage
Quick Start
Guide
Set up your Vicon Vantage system
Vicon Lock+, Vicon Bonita Video
cameras, etc.
Connect and configure the PC
1 With the supplied network cable (RJ-45),
connect the PoE+ switch to the PC.
2 On the PC open Windows Network
Connections, right-click the NIC to which
the system is to be connected and then
click Properties. (If you are connecting
more than one card, right-click the first
NIC.)
3 In the Properties dialog box, on the
Networking tab, clear all the unwanted
items, leaving only Internet Protocol
Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) selected.
To add more cameras, you can connect
further PoE+ switches to the primary PoE+
switch via a non-powered Gigabit switch
(see the Vicon Vantage Reference).
4 Turn on the PoE+ switch.
4 Click on this option to highlight it and then
click Properties.
5 In the Internet Protocol Properties dialog
box, on the General tab enter the following
information:
a. IP address box, enter 192.168. 10.1.
b. Subnet mask box, en
255.255.255.0.
c. Default gateway box, leave the
ter
box
blank.
Page 6 of 12 August 2015
Set up your Vicon Vantage system
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, then see Link
aggregation for multiple NICs box (right)
for the remaining addresses.
6 Click OK to close the dialog box, and OK to
close the Properties dialog box and save
the settings.
For more information, see the Vicon PDF
PC Setup for Video Cameras and/or the
Windows help on changing TCP/IP settings.
Install the Vicon application software
1 Download the required software installer
from the Downloads page on the Vicon
web site www.vicon.com/downloads.
2 Double-click on the installer (setup.exe),
read and accept the User License
Agreement, and follow the instructions on
each page.
Link aggregation for multiple NICs
In very large systems, to enable you to use
more cameras or data, you can use
additional NICs in your PC to split camera
data. To do this:
1. Set the additional IP addresses of your
NICs to different addresses in the
available range 192.168.10.2–9.
2. In the Blade Attributes Editor or Tracker/
Nexus
the
address of the NIC to which to send data.
Properties pan e f or eac h camer a, set
Destination IP Address to the IP
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.
3 If you are prompted to restart your PC, do
so as soon as possible.
Your Vicon software automatically installs
into its own folder.
License the Vicon application software
Vicon application software uses Safenet
licensing and a built-in licensing utility (the
Vicon Automated Unified Licensing Tool,
VAULT).
You specify the license server in a dialog box
that appears if no license is found or via the
Help > Vicon Product Licensing menu option.
The server name is stored in the following file
under Windows 7:
<InstallationDrive>:\Users\Public\Documents
\Vicon\Licensing\<ProductName>LicInfo.xm
Vicon Motion Systems Page 7 of 12
If you need to view information about
licensing while you are using your Vicon
software, on the Help menu, click Vicon
Product Licensing.
For detailed instructions on how to use VAULT,
see your Vicon software documentation (PDF
or online help).
l
Vantage
Quick Start
Guide
Start the software
Set up your Vicon Vantage system
1 On your Windows desktop, double-click
the shortcut for the required Vicon
software.
2 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.
3 In the System Resources pane (in Blade,
the Selection editor), make sure all of the
cameras in your system are listed.
Position the cameras
1 In the System Resources pane (in Blade,
the Selection editor), select a camera.
2 Change the View pane to Camera view (or
in Blade, click the Camera Layout button
and ensure you are looking at a Capture
view).
4 Ensure that at the top left of the screen
the system is shown as live and connected.
3 Aim the camera so that it points where
required, usually the center of the capture
volume.
4 Repeat the process for each camera.
The diagram (right) shows typical camera
coverage of the capture volume.
Page 8 of 12 August 2015
Configure your system
Tip
Locking screw
ApertureFocus
Adjust camera settings
Configure your system
1 Ensure you are in Live mode and that a
Camera view (in Blade Capture view) is
displayed.
2 In the System Resources pane (in Blade
the Selection editor), select one camera.
3 Notice that the Properties for this camera
are listed at the bottom of the pane. (In
Blade, view the Attributes editor.)
4 Have someone wave the calibration wand
in the capture volume and ensure that you
can see markers moving in the view pane.
5 Note the Grayscale Mode property. The
default setting is Auto, which tells the
cameras to send to the Vicon software all
the centroid data for grayscale blobs it can
circle fit. If any grayscale blobs cannot be
circle fitted, the grayscale data is sent to
the Vicon software so it can try to circle fit
the blobs.
6 Look at the Strobe Intensity setting. With
a value of 1, the cameras send as much
light as possible into the volume.
Zoom in to a marker by right-clicking and
dragging the mouse. Notice how the pixels
change as you lower the light (to view
pictures from a grayscale blob, Grayscale
Mode must be set to All).
7 Notice the Threshold property. It tells the
camera how bright a pixel must be to be
accepted by the camera. Zoom in to a
marker and notice how the pixels change
as you adjust the property.
8 Adjust the Strobe and Threshold settings
so that you see only the 2D circularshaped markers in your volume. Adjust the
Strobe Intensity setting only as low and
the Threshold only as high as needed.
Set camera focus and aperture
1 Place three markers in the middle and on
the far side of the capture volume.
2 Leaving the focus on infinity
aperture to as high an f-stop value as
possible, so that you can still see the
markers at the furthest distance required.
In general, it’s better to run with a low
Threshold setting and more closed aperture,
than a high Threshold and open aperture. (See
Threshold in Adjust camera settings above.)
The illustration (right) shows the focus
and aperture rings on a Vicon 18 mm lens.
Vicon Motion Systems Page 9 of 12
, close the
Vantage
Important
Caution
Quick Start
Guide
Configure your system
3 For each camera, turn the aperture ring
(the ring with the f-stops) until the
aperture is fully open. Later you will turn
the ring back, increasing the f-stop
number and closing the aperture.
4 In the System Resources pane or Selection
editor, select all the cameras by Shiftclicking. In the Properties section at the
bottom of the window (or Attributes
editor), change Grayscale Mode to All.
5 In the System Resources pane or Selection
editor, select a camera. For each marker:
a. In the view pane, zoom in to the center
of the marker.
Vantage cameras are supplied pre-focused for
typical motion capture use, so in most
situations, no focusing is necessary. The
following step (b) is applicable only if you need
to re-focus the camera, otherwise, go straight
to step c.
sensor. Turn the aperture ring to close
the aperture and obtain good, clear
images of markers even when they are
close together.
If you turn the aperture ring too far,
until the aperture is almost closed, the
markers appear very small, lack any
bright grayscale pixels and the circlefitting is poor, as shown below.
Adjust the aperture ring so that the
markers are not too small, and the
center is just off-white (not fully
saturated) when viewed from the
middle of the volume.
b. If required, turn the camera focus ring
(shown in the previous illustration)
until the 2D image of the marker in the
view pane is clear and sharp. As you
rotate the focus ring, note that the
marker images get smaller and then
begin to get larger again. Good focus is
when the marker is at its smallest size.
c. Observe that, with the aperture fully
open,
the markers appear fully
saturated, with very little grayscale
gradation and some merging, as in the
following image.
d. Adjust the aperture ring to change the
amount of light that hits the image
6 Repeat Step 5 for each camera.
7 When you are happy with the focus and
aperture, to prevent the rings from moving
if the camera is knocked, tighten the
locking screws.
To avoid damaging the rings, do not overtighten the locking screws.
8 Select all of the cameras and change the
Grayscale Mode property back to Auto.
Page 10 of 12 August 2015
Configure your system
Mask unwanted reflections
1 Ensure that your camera settings are as
recommended in the Adjust camera
settings on page 9.
2 From the capture volume, remove any
unnecessary objects, such as the
calibration device, markers, or other
objects likely to cause reflections.
3 Make sure Camera view or Capture view is
displayed. In the Resources pane or
Selection editor, select all cameras.
Calibrate the system
4 In your Vicon software, click Start:
❙ Nexus: System Preparation Tools pane
> Mask Cameras section
❙ Tracker: Calibrate tab > Create Camera
Masks section
❙ Blade: Camera Calibration editor >
Came
ra Setup section > Auto-
Threshold
5 After a few seconds, when all refle
appear to have been covered, click Stop.
6 If you still see unwanted reflections, you
can start and stop camera masking again
until you are satisfied.
Alternatively, use the Manual Camera
Masking tools.
ctions
You calibrate the system to enable the
cameras to capture subject movements
throughout the volume.
You can also set the volume origin and
orientation of axes in relation to the capture
volume and to one another.
To calibrate your Vicon Vantage system, use
the supplied Vicon calibration device.
1 Remove from the capture volume any
unnecessary objects, such as calibration
objects and markers.
2 In your Vicon application software, ensure
the following are selected:
❙ Al
l the cameras
❙ The calibration device you will be
❙ An appropriate number of Refinement
Frames
❙ Au
3 In the Calibrate Cameras section (in Blade,
the Wand Wave section), click Start.
to Stop
using
4 In the volume, wave the wand to cover the
whole target volume area. Make sure that
the tracks are evenly distributed
throughout the volume. You can view the
distribution of the tracks in the view pane.
5 When all cameras have captured the
number of frames set by the Refinement
Frames option, the calibration stops.
Additional information about set-up,
calibration and object tracking can be found
in the online help of your Vicon software.
Vicon Motion Systems Page 11 of 12
Vantage
Quick Start
Guide
Troubleshooting
If something is not quite right, try these quick
tips to get things going again.
What’s in the box
I am missing some equipment
or
Some equipment appears damaged from
shipment.
Contact Vicon Support –
support@vicon.com
Connecting
My hardware isn’t connecting to the
computer.
❙ Confirm that the IP address s
correct following the instructions in
Connect and configure the PC on page 6.
❙ Disable any firewall on the network card you
are usin
g.
❙ Confirm that the Ethernet ca
seated.
❙ Make sure you are an administrator on the
computer.
ettings are
ble is firmly
Troubleshooting
a
mera hardware
C
I don’t see an image from the camera.
❙
Confirm that you have removed the lens cap.
❙ Ensure that the aperture is not fully closed.
❙ Confirm that the strobe intensity is high
(best on full at 1) and that the threshold is
no
t too high (a good default is 0.2).
When I tap a calibrated camera to select it, the
camera indicates that it has been bumped.
❙ To chan
ge the sensitivity of the camera to
taps, in the camera’s Properties pane,
ings section (Nexus and Tracker) or
Sett
Attributes editor (Blade), choose a lower
Bump Detection Sensitivity setting.
Calibrating
After calibrating in Nexus or Blade, I don’t see
any markers in the 3D Perspective view
.
❙ Ensure that the Pipeline Core Processor
property (Nexus)
or Realtime editor (Blade)
is set to Reconstruct, not Circle Fit.
The image errors are very high.
❙ Ensure that the camera aim and focus are
correct, that the camera properties are
adjusted appropriately, and
that you
covered the whole volume during your wand
wave, then repeat your calibration.
Contact Vicon
vicon.com/products/camera-
youtube.com/vicon100
facebook.com/vicon
twitter.com/vicon
instagram.com/viconmocap
linkedin.com/company/vicon
Page 12 of 12 August 2015
systems/vantage
Denver, CO
T:303.799.8686
Los Angeles, CA
T:303.799.8686
support@vicon.com
Oxford, UK
T:+44.1865.261800
Singapore
T:+65 6400 3500
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