Related Manuals for kaarta Contour
Summary of Contents for kaarta Contour
- Page 1 USE R GUIDE U G - C 1 - 2 2 . 0 3 - 0 1 1 - 0 3 2 2 K A A R T A E N G I N E U . S . P A T E N T N O . 1 0 , 9 6 2 , 3 7 0 A N D O T H E R P A T E N T S P E N D I N G...
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Page 2: Introduction
To build a 3D model with Contour, you simply press the scan button and walk through the space you would like to model. The model is generated in real time on the screen and can be opened in pointcloud editors and CAD programs when scanning and post-processing is complete. -
Page 3: Care
Internet, it will connect to Kaarta’s software server. If an update is available, Contour displays a prompt to update software now or later (the next time the user interface is opened). If you click yes, the software downloads and installs automatically. Please ensure a reliable Internet connection and sufficient power before starting an update. - Page 4 Do you have an original application, interesting subject matter, or just a cool render you created with Contour? We’d love to hear from you and highlight your story! Email us at info@kaarta.com. W W W . K A A R T A . C O M...
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Page 5: Release Notes
Photo New processing The Color + Loop-Close + Level processing preset has been preset added. This preset is now recommended by Kaarta for best results. Color adjustment Color can now be adjusted for images captured during during Resume/Replay. - Page 6 Added Recycle Bin Deleted files are temporarily placed in the recycle bin instead of being permanently removed from Contour. Improved post- Improvements in post-processing allow for the processing processing of larger pointclouds on the device, at a quicker rate.
- Page 7 0,0,0 is not thrown out due to being out of map range. Note: Resume from a prior map will not load points that are farther than 800m in x/y or 200m in z from 0,0,0. Contour software Repaired issues with previous software upgrade. The upgrade...
- Page 8 Time, Confidence Meter, and Total Points Collected) has been moved to the top of the screen. Multi-touch zoom Pinching will now zoom the scanning view on the Contour user interface. Confidence Meter Confidence Meter is now displayed as a visual indication of confidence (a color scale from red to green), instead of a numerical output.
- Page 9 Firmware Upgrade For existing Contour users, a key improvement is related to the operation of the lidar encoder, which gives precise rotation of the lidar. Improved firmware results in smaller scan data and reduced errors in pointclouds. This is a firmware update requiring a factory reprogramming to implement.
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Page 10: Table Of Contents
Identifying Contour Components ....................14 Back of Contour .......................... 14 Front of Contour......................... 14 External Components ........................ 15 Using Contour Out of the Box .....................17 Before You Begin Mapping ....................... 17 Contour User Account ......................17 Serial Number ........................17 Neck Strap ..........................18 USB Wireless Mouse and Keyboard ...................18... - Page 11 Scan Details ..........................51 Overview ..........................52 Resume/Replay ........................53 File Management ........................55 Image Management ......................57 Processing ..........................58 Kaarta Cloud ..........................67 Chapter 4 ............................70 Scanning for Advanced Users ......................70 Understanding Keyposes ......................70 Adding Data ...........................71 Chaining and Branching Operation..................72 Chapter 5 ............................76 Tips for Collecting Better Data .....................76...
- Page 12 Automatic Shut-Off .......................84 Battery Best Practices ......................85 Troubleshooting Assistance ..................... 85 Chapter 7 ............................87 FAQs..............................87 Appendix I ............................90 Contour Specifications ........................90 Appendix II............................92 Google Chromecast Connection ....................92 W W W . K A A R T A . C O M...
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Page 13: Chapter 1
USB 3.0 Hub Neck Strap Pelican Case (not pictured) Kaarta Contour documentation on USB Drive (not pictured) Kaarta stylus pen (not pictured) Camera lens cleaning wipe (not pictured) W W W . K A A R T A . C O M... -
Page 14: Identifying Contour Components
I D E N T I F Y I N G C O N T O U R C O M P O N E N T S B A C K O F C O N T O U R SCAN START/STOP BUTTON NECK STRAP LUG LCD TOUCHSCREEN... -
Page 15: External Components
Contour. Contour can be charged with the supplied AC charger for Contour. An external battery can be used to extend scan times or to keep Contour from powering down automatically when Contour’s internal battery gets low. - Page 16 Note: Please ensure that any external battery or AC supply used to charge/operate Contour meets the following requirements: • Output voltage: 12 – 30 VDC Minimum current rating: 3 Amps • Maximum current rating: 5 Amps • W W W . K A A R T A . C O M...
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Page 17: Using Contour Out Of The Box
S e r i a l N u m b e r Your Contour Serial Number can be found under the USB 3.0 and USB port cover, located along the right rear side of Contour (Figure 1). See Back of Contour diagram for guidance in locating the port cover. -
Page 18: Neck Strap
N e c k S t r a p Contour comes supplied with a neck strap, for scanning safety and comfort. You can easily reconfigure the strap by lifting either of the two quick-adjuster handles. Readjust the length of the strap and then close the quick-adjuster handle to secure the strap. For more information about the Contour neck strap, please visit peakdesign.com/products/slide. -
Page 19: Chapter 2
M A I N G A L L E R Y Press and hold the Power On/Off button on the left side of Contour, until you see the button illuminate blue indicating power has been turned on. Contour takes about a minute to fully boot up and be ready for scanning. -
Page 20: Main Gallery Menu
From the Main Gallery, you can browse scans and albums by simply scrolling through the saved files using Contour’s touchscreen or a connected mouse. You can also search for a specific scan by typing into the Search Scans text box located in the upper right corner of the UI (Figure 5). - Page 21 When you have two scans selected, the Merge button activates. Tap to combine scans (Figure 7). Import Scan You can import a pointcloud file to Contour not currently stored on the device. This can be a pointcloud generated from any device, for example, Kaarta Stencil ®...
- Page 22 M A I N G A L L E R Y M E N U scans are currently being processed, and which scans are scheduled to run. For more information about Contour’s queuing jobs, see Jobs Queue on page 59.
- Page 23 • S T A T U S The Status tab displays the status (enabled or disabled) of Contour’s main components; the Encoder, IMU, Color Camera, and B/W Camera (Figure 8). W W W . K A A R T A . C O M...
- Page 24 • or High. When shipped, the confidence threshold is set to High. See Confidence Threshold on page 47 for more details about Contour’s confidence metrics and threshold settings. W W W . K A A R T A . C O M...
- Page 25 H E L P The Help tab provides useful information about the device and technical support, including links for this user manual (or an updated version), tutorial videos, Kaarta’s support team contact information, and Remote Support capability (Figure 10). Figure 10: The Help tab of Contour System Settings.
- Page 26 Jobs Queue screen. You will see New SW Available to Install if the search was successful. Click the back arrow in the top left corner of the Jobs Queue to return to Device Settings. You will then be prompted to update Contour with the new software (Figure 12). Tap Yes to start the update.
- Page 27 Figure 12: The About tab: Update Contour software prompt. Once the new software has been installed, double click the Update Complete job in the Jobs Queue (Figure 13). The details of the Update Complete job display on the screen (Figure 14).
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Page 28: Albums And File Hierarchy
File folders are maintained by Contour to hold an individual scan and any pointclouds that are generated through Contour’s post- processing tools. For example, if you sharpen one of the pointclouds, the sharpened pointcloud is put into the same folder as the original. -
Page 29: Scan Folders On Machine
S c a n F o l d e r s o n M a c h i n e As an alternative to the Contour UI, all scan data files can be accessed in the Desktop/recordings folder (Figure 16). The desktop folder scheme mirrors what is shown in the UI. - Page 30 Once post-processing is run on a scan through Scan Details, additional folders and files display in the scan folder. See Processing on page 58 for more information about Contour’s post-processing capabilities. The table below lists files and folders found within each scan and indicates whether the file is an artifact of post-processing.
- Page 31 Figure 17: Contour Albums and Scans, accessible from Contour desktop/recordings. L I S T O F M A P P I N G F I L E S FOLDER FILE NAME DESCRIPTION Main Folder colorized.ply A binary pointcloud file created...
- Page 32 ROS raw data file saved as a .bag file. scan_settings.ini Summary information of scan (including average confidence, notes, and start time), as well as Contour software version and serial number. subsampled.ply A downsized binary pointcloud file created during mapping/localization as specified in the parameter file.
- Page 33 (Figure 18). If Contour has been configured to capture black and white images, along with the color images, they will be stored in the Desktop/recordins/imagesbw folder. The image files are named by Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and the time they were taken.
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Page 34: System Information
S Y S T E M I N F O R M A T I O N From the Main Gallery, you can view Contour system information. These elements are accessible throughout the Contour UI and are displayed on all screens (Figure 19). -
Page 35: Battery
Contour, plug Contour into an AC power supply, or attach an external battery to Contour. If one of these actions is not taken, the current scan may not be fully recoverable. The battery has safety shutoffs that are sensitive, and it is best to never run the battery fully down. -
Page 36: Disk Space
Contour ships with a 500GB Solid State Drive (SSD). A warning is displayed in the UI if the remaining space is less than 50GB. In general, 30 minutes of scanning produces roughly 10GB of scan data, including pointclouds, raw data, and color camera images. -
Page 37: Trash Bin
Click the back arrow in the upper left to return to the Main Gallery. W i r e l e s s Contour has the capability to establish a Wi-Fi connection to a wireless network. You can configure the wireless by selecting the wireless symbol in the upper right. -
Page 38: System Time
S y s t e m T i m e System time is updated any time Contour is connected to the Internet or is manually updated. You can manually change the time zone by clicking on the time in the upper right and entering the Time &... -
Page 39: Chapter 3
C H A P T E R 3 B A S I C S C A N N I N G B E G I N A N E W S C A N Initiate scanning by pushing the Scan Start/Stop button, located above and to the right of the screen. - Page 40 After 10-15 seconds, the multi-color registered pointcloud appears. If you start a scan before pressing the Scan Photo button, Contour records the current image as the cover photo, uses the default name, and starts scanning at your current location. It is important to ensure that the scene is not dynamic (people walking through or in close proximity) when scanning.
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Page 41: Scanning
S C A N N I N G Walk slowly and watch the screen to see the map build and your position within the map change. During scanning, you see the Scanning screen (Figure 24): Figure 24: Scanning Screen From the Scanning screen, you can change viewing options, such as screen layout, color, cutting section, confidence threshold, and pointcloud orientation. -
Page 42: Scanning Menu
The Scanning Menu is located along the right edge of the UI and contains tools and options available to you while scanning (see Figure 25). From this menu, you can change the Contour layout, reorient the pointcloud in the map view, change the scan resolution, and adjust many camera settings. Tap the Scan Settings button in the bottom right corner of the UI to expand the scanning menu further (Figure 26). - Page 43 Some tools are only available when a certain camera view is enlarged or in focus. See Camera Views on page 50 for more information about Contour’s three camera views (the Map Data view, the Feature Tracking view, and the HD Camera View). For example, with the HD Camera view in focus or enlarged, tools specific to the operation of the HD camera will become available (Figure 28).
- Page 44 Figure 28: Scanning Menu Tools, HD Camera view. Notice the enabled camera tools along the right side. S C A N N I N G M E N U T O O L S Tool Name Action Icon Description Show/Hide Show Indicates all three camera views are displayed.
- Page 45 Confidence High Sets a high confidence threshold for scan quality. Threshold Confidence Contour will automatically pause scanning if scanned data is not of the highest confidence for scan matching. Medium Sets a medium confidence threshold for scan quality. Confidence Contour will continue scanning even when scan matching may be of medium confidence.
- Page 46 A keypose allows recording of an image for a specific location. Keyposes refer to a camera image and scanner location/orientation that is saved by Contour. By default, these are only the starting and ending locations. You can also record additional Keyposes by pressing the Add Keypose button on the touchscreen while scanning.
- Page 47 If the confidence drops to a low level, manifest as an orange or red meter, new data is no longer added to the map. Contour will automatically pause scanning if the confidence meter stays low for 12 seconds.
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Page 48: Scanning Status Bar
S c a n n i n g S t a t u s B a r The Scanning Status bar is located along the top of the UI during a scanning session. While scanning, you should monitor the status bar, keeping track of your scan reliability, overall status, elapsed time, total number of points collected, and the confidence level of each scan. - Page 49 5 seconds prior to the loss of confidence. The user can then return to that position and hit play to seamlessly restart adding data to the map. To adjust the levels at which Contour pauses scanning due to confidence of scan data, see Confidence Threshold on page 47.
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Page 50: Camera Views
C a m e r a V i e w s Contour enables you to switch between three available screens or views, the Map Data or pointcloud view, the Feature Tracking view, and the HD Camera view. The top right button... -
Page 51: Scan Details
S C A N D E T A I L S To stop scanning, click the Scan Start/Stop button once. Contour saves the pointcloud into a binary .ply format, which can be opened in pointcloud editors or CAD programs. This file is saved during scanning and can be opened immediately after scanning is complete. -
Page 52: Overview
Rename Selecting the Rename button allows you to change the Album or file names using the wireless keyboard, or a graphical keyboard using the Contour touchscreen. Delete The Delete button permanently deletes the current scan folder and everything in it. There is a confirmation prompt before deletion, but no way to undo the deletion once carried out. -
Page 53: Resume/Replay
O V E R V I E W O P T I O N S Summary Provides a summary of the scan, including file name, creation date, last modification date, scan size, points collected, duration, average confidence, keyposes recorded, and number of color images. Notes Displays any notes that have been added to the scan. - Page 54 Once you click on a keypose or adjust the slider and resume the map from that location (by pushing the Start/Stop Scan button once), Contour enters scanning mode in a paused state (Figure 35). The prior map is loaded and shown at the starting location. The image to align the camera is shown in the upper left, and the live camera image is shown in the lower left.
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Page 55: File Management
Figure 35: Resume Map from keypose. Figure 36: Resume/Replay paused state. F i l e M a n a g e m e n t The File Management tab displays all the pointcloud and mesh files associated with the scan (Figure 37). One or multiple files can be selected and either converted to an .las file or opened in CloudCompare, an open source pointcloud viewing and editing tool. - Page 56 Within CloudCompare you can view the full resolution data, turn on shaders or cross section views to see details better, or correct the data. For more information about useful tools within CloudCompare, please see Kaarta’s Using CloudCompare manual, which can be found on your Contour documentation drive.
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Page 57: Image Management
F I L E M A N A G E M E N T O P T I O N S Scan Video Generate a video from captured images by clicking the Generate Video button. Once a video is generated, the button changes to Open Video. -
Page 58: Processing
Restores the image list to its original sorted order. P r o c e s s i n g Kaarta post-processing enables one-click cleanup and colorization of Contour datasets, adding a substantial amount of clarity and visual understanding to pointcloud data. When a scan is completed, go to the Processing tab in the Scan Details for the scan in question. - Page 59 Figure 40: Files available in File Management tab after running post-processing. P R O C E S S I N G O P T I O N S Presets Cycles between different presets. These presets include: Clean; Clean + Color; Clean + Color + Mesh; and Color + Loop-Close + Level. Resolution Adjusts the clarity of the processed pointcloud between high, low, or full.
- Page 60 Figure 41: Jobs Queue J O B S Q U E U E O P T I O N S Restart Job Select a job in the queue and restart post-processing. Cancel Job Select a job in the queue and cancel it. Move to Top Select a job in the queue and change its order.
- Page 61 Figure 42: Scan Detail Processing with Advanced Options selected. G e n e r a l Under General, you can select different files and images to be used during post-processing. The following table describes the elements available on the pointcloud operations tab (see Figure 42): G E N E R A L O P T I O N S Pointcloud...
- Page 62 P O I N T C L O U D O P E R A T I O N S O P T I O N S Resolution Change the resolution (cm) by typing into the appropriate box. This sets the minimum distance between points in the post- processed cloud.
- Page 63 Figure 43: Pointcloud Operations Advanced Options. The resultant pointcloud is downsampled from the automated steps based on the resolution number set (in cm). For example, if the resolution is set to 0.2 cm, post- processing will downsample the data such that two points are not closer than 2 mm (0.08 in) from each other.
- Page 64 (like tables) that are perpendicular to the Contour orientation during scanning. Hold Contour steady while looking at regions of interest to minimize blur and get • better placement of images on the model.
- Page 65 PHOTO POINTCLOUD COLOR POINTCLOUD PHOTOREALISTIC MODEL Figure 45: Processing automatically combines pointcloud and images captured during scanning to create color pointclouds and a photorealistic model. C o l o r M e s h In addition to the post-processed pointcloud, Processing can also generate a surface mesh. This mesh is a representation of the mapped environment as 3D surfaces consisting of triangles.
- Page 66 3D model. Then go back through the room treating Contour as though it was a camera - pause and take images of the scene. Take enough to ensure full coverage of every surface, this may mean over a hundred in a single room depending on desired level of detail and complexity of the scene.
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Page 67: Kaarta Cloud
K a a r t a C l o u d Note: Scans are organized in Kaarta Cloud by Job, not by scan. A Job is defined as the container for your scan (or multiple scans), and includes any associated or linked assets, notes, processed files, etc. - Page 68 Add to New Job radial button and name your new job when the Contour keyboard displays. The Upload to Cloud button compresses all files and starts the upload process. The Jobs Queue shows the status of your upload as it proceeds (Figure 49).
- Page 69 Figure 49: Kaarta Cloud upload status in Jobs Queue. Additional scans and linked assets can be associated with your job directly in the Kaarta Cloud web interface. Once your scan has been successfully uploaded, it is available on Kaarta Cloud immediately.
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Page 70: Chapter 4
Kaarta Engine. However, a basic understanding of how Contour uses Keyposes to orient itself within the current map, or with respect to a prior map, can be very useful for creating high quality maps. Keyposes refer to a camera image and scanner location and orientation saved by Contour. -
Page 71: Adding Data
Kaarta Stencil or a terrestrial scanner, or a zip file of a Kaarta Stencil 3 (Pro) scan. The import process converts the file to a .ply format and saves a subsampled version for localization. -
Page 72: Chaining And Branching Operation
To create maps using the same reference coordinate system, you must have a prior map to be used (or create one). Maps created by Contour utilize the keypose file created by Contour. It contains the starting and ending poses, as well as selected keyposes, with camera images to allow you to orient the scanner correctly. - Page 73 scanning systems will need to create a keypose file during the importing process (see Importing a Pointcloud on page 71). S e l e c t i n g a P r i o r ( o r I m p o r t e d ) M a p To resume from a prior map, enter the Scan Detail screen of that scan and click on the Resume/Replay tab.
- Page 74 C h a i n i n g a n d B r a n c h i n g O p e r a t i o n f r o m a C o n t o u r M a p Once the prior map has been loaded, you should position Contour such that the bottom image matches the top camera image before selecting the Replay Scan button to start scanning.
- Page 75 Scan Tip: Chaining and Branching operations are a powerful feature of Contour. Try building a quicker perimeter map to minimize any drift effects. Use this map to start a chain or branch to add the necessary detail without worrying about cumulative drift effects.
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Page 76: Chapter 5
And we get it - it’s fun to show off and demonstrate such a cool, high tech tool. But to get the best data, consider showing off Contour to curious onlookers before or after your actual scan, and do the scanning alone. -
Page 77: Indoor Scanning
The less occluded the sensor is, the better the results. Do not point the scanner directly at featureless walls. It is better to hold Contour at an angle to the wall to capture more unique 3D features in the room. -
Page 78: Doorways
Tight spaces, such as hallways, corridors, and catwalks require more care when scanning. In a long hallway, walk with your body near one of the walls, with Contour at a 10-15° angle W W W . K A A R T A . C O M... -
Page 79: Loop Closure
Continue around the loop again for some overlap. End at a feature-rich location. If there is drift when you return, be careful not to have the Contour “jump” back and • forth between the old and new data, this can make it much harder to correct the map afterwards. - Page 80 Visit our training resources at https://www.kaarta.com/resources/ for more in-depth scanning techniques, including our Better Scanning with Contour video series. W W W . K A A R T A . C O M...
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Page 81: Chapter 6
I M P R O P E R O R N O N - G E N E R A T I O N O F A . P L Y F I L E If Contour is accidently turned off or the UI is closed while it is scanning or saving a pointcloud, the pointcloud cannot be opened by CloudCompare. -
Page 82: Small Rooms/Narrow Hallways
S M A L L R O O M S / N A R R O W H A L L W A Y S The modeling technology in Contour relies on scan matching to achieve its high level of accuracy, but every modeling system has limitations. -
Page 83: Occlusions/Moving Objects
O C C L U S I O N S / M O V I N G O B J E C T S There are situations with too many moving objects in a scene, or the field of view of Contour is too limited, for the algorithms to determine x, y, and z coordinates. -
Page 84: Battery Usage
The time required to recharge the Contour battery using the provided AC charger is 1 to 1.5 hours while the device is powered off. The time to recharge will be longer if Contour is powered on, performing built in processing, or running Cloud Compare. -
Page 85: Battery Best Practices
AC charger as this often requires higher amounts of power. Contour’s power on/off button on the left side of the unit is intended to be the only means by which the device is powered on and off. Even though the device is running a fully operational installation of the Ubuntu operating system, the power off functionality in the operating system should not be used to turn Contour off. - Page 86 For issues relating to the scanning environment, be sure to visit our Community Support Forum at http://www.kaarta.com/community/ for additional tips and techniques not covered in our manual. W W W . K A A R T A . C O M...
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Page 87: Chapter 7
Contour weighs just over 2.78 kg (just over 6 lbs). For prolonged scanning, and to prevent accidentally dropping Contour, please use the included Contour neck strap. The neck strap anchors into the ‘buttons’ attached to the neck strap lugs on the side of Contour. See Neck Strap for more information. - Page 88 Can we export the scanned file via the USB port? How long will it take? Yes, Contour has a USB 3.0 port for export to external drives. There is also a button to transfer scan data in the UI on Contour, in the scan details. The transfer time primarily is dependent upon whether you are capturing color images and if you want to transfer those images, along with the raw data (optional) to USB.
- Page 89 What is the maximum recommended scanning time for a single scan? The maximum Kaarta recommends for a single Contour scan is 1 hour. If scans go much longer than one hour, the processing may take a significant amount of time or fail altogether.
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Page 90: Contour Specifications
Baseline mapping Transition mapping Pause, rewind, resume during scanning Merge maps for large and complex areas Add on mapping compatible with .ply files from Kaarta Stencil® or other device Internal MEMS-based IMU Six DOF: X, Y, Z, Roll, Pitch, Yaw... - Page 91 WARRANTY 1 year SAFETY Laser safety classification 1 MODEL KRT-CNT-XX-00-010: Contour NUMBERS KRT-CNT-SW-00-010: 1 yr software service KRT-CNT-HW-01-010: 1 yr extended hardware warranty KRT-CNT-HW-02-010: 2 yr extended hardware warranty W W W . K A A R T A . C O M...
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Page 92: Google Chromecast Connection
G O O G L E C H R O M E C A S T C O N N E C T I O N To cast Contour onto a large monitor or projection system, the easiest way is to use a Chromecast device. - Page 93 Chromecast in the list that should show automatically once the Chromecast is set up on the same Wi-Fi network (Figure 61). GOOGLE CONTROLS CAST Figure 60: Casting from Chrome. CAST DESKTOP Figure 61: Cast desktop. W W W . K A A R T A . C O M...
- Page 94 To cast, click the Cast icon in the upper right of the browser. To stop casting, tap Cast again and select Disconnect. W W W . K A A R T A . C O M...
- Page 95 K A A R T A E N G I N E Pittsburgh, PA 15213 USA U . S . P A T E N T N O . 1 0 , 9 6 2 , 3 7 0 www.kaarta.com info@kaarta.com A N D O T H E R...
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