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WorldViz PPT-E Operating Instructions Manual

Precision position tracker
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WorldViz Precision Position Tracker
Operating Instructions
WorldViz
2011

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  • Page 1 WorldViz Precision Position Tracker Operating Instructions WorldViz 2011...

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Hardware installation ________________________________________ 5 Quick installation guide Local system components Camera installation Camera positioning guidelines Connecting PPT-E camera cables Connecting PPT-X camera cables 12v (international) Connecting PPT-X camera cables 24v Connecting PPT-H camera cables Connecting PPT-X camera cables Connecting PPT-X camera cables (International)
  • Page 4 PPT MoCap - Advanced Tab PPT MoCap - Initialize Wizard PPT MoCap - Play T-pose Installing PPT MoCap MotionBuilder Plugin Configure PPT MoCap Device WorldViz peripherals _______________________________________ 94 PPT WAND PPT WAND specifications Configuration PPT Wand with PPT eyes Configuring vizard vr toolkit...
  • Page 5 Table Of Contents Reference guide __________________________________________ 128 User presets Plugins Camera 2D Plugin Output Post process Support ________________________________________________ 145 Toubleshooting Frequently asked questions Technical specifications for PPT-E Technical specifications for PPT-H Technical specifications for PPT-X Contact WorldViz...

  • Page 7: Preface

    Welcome to the documentation for the Precision Position Tracker, brought to you by WorldViz. We would like to thank you for purchasing a PPT system, and WorldViz looks forward to supporting you in using PPT for all of your tracking needs.

  • Page 9: Pre-Tracking Checklist

    PRE-TRACKING CHECKLIST Follow the steps below if:  The lighting conditions in the room have changed  A camera has moved  You want to ensure high quality tracking Check the cameras Place the calibration rig in the center of your tracked space. Verify that all cameras see each of the four lights, one at a time.
  • Page 10 PPT User’s Manual will restore your PPT's graphical user interface back to the default factory settings which correspond the pictures used throughout the documentation.

  • Page 11: Hardware Installation

    Hardware Installation HARDWARE INSTALLATIO N QUICK INSTALLATION GUIDE Step 1 Locate system components for a full parts list of what is included with a PPT system. Step 2 Camera positioning for suggestions on how the place the cameras in your tracking space.
  • Page 12 PPT User’s Manual Step 3 WorldViz currently sells 3 kinds of PPT systems. See the page that is appropriate for your configuration:  PPT-E Systems (International, all voltages) - Connecting PPT-E camera cables  PPT-H Systems (International, all voltages) - Connecting PPT-H camera cables ...

  • Page 13: Local System Components

    LOCAL SYSTEM COMPONENTS Please identify each of these components before proceeding. PPT-E  PPT computer (with power cable, keyboard and mouse)  PPT-E cameras (4 or more depending on purchased configuration)  PPT calibration rig  PPT wireless markers ...

  • Page 14: Camera Installation

    Ethernet cable for PPT computer (recommended connection method)  RS-232 serial data cable / 9 pin (optional connection method) NOTE: WorldViz does not supply a computer monitor with PPT purchases. Customers must purchase separately a SVGA compatible or better monitor for use with the PPT system.
  • Page 15 Hardware Installation body tracking, the cameras should be mounted as high as possible to reduce the likelihood of blocking a marker placed on the head. While limited fluorescent lighting will not affect the PPT cameras, any visible sunlight and some heat sources will interfere with tracking. Light sources in the room must be kept out of the direct field-of-view of the cameras.

  • Page 16: Connecting Ppt-E Camera Cables

    CONNECTING PPT-E CAMERA CABLES Step 1: The cameras used in PPT-E are smart cameras operating at high resolution and fast frame rates. The cameras are able to...
  • Page 17 Hardware Installation Step 2: Connect an Ethernet cable to the back of the camera and run the cable to the main PPT ethernet switch. The cable must be capable of operating with gigabit Ethernet, and so should be rated to at least CAT5e standard.

  • Page 18: Connecting Ppt-X Camera Cables 12V (International)

    The DHCP server is provided in the PPT Studio under folder name called “DHCP Server.” You can start the server by clicking Run-DHCP-Server.bat. Typically, on a WorldViz configured PPT-E system, a DHCP server is added and is configured to generate IP addresses from 192.168.99.100-192.168.99.199. If do not get the computer system directly from us, please make sure your network adapter connected to PPT-E cameras has an IP of 192.168.99.1 for DHCP server to work...
  • Page 19 Hardware Installation These cables have BNC plugs and power plugs on both ends. Locate these cables Note: One side of the power/video cable has a male termination, and the other side has a female termination. Be sure to run your power/video cables so that the power termination matches the power connector on the camera.

  • Page 20: Connecting Ppt-X Camera Cables 24V

    PPT User’s Manual STEP 6: Now connect the BNC plugs at the other ends of the power/video cables into the back of your computer. Next, connect the 12V power supply plugs to the computer end of the power/video cables. You can use the Y-splitters to power 2 cameras with one 12V power supply.
  • Page 21 Hardware Installation STEP 2: You have received four or eight power/video cables (one for each camera) with your PPT. These cables have BNC plugs and power plugs on both ends. Locate these cables. Note: One side of the power/video cable has a male termination, and the other side has a female termination.
  • Page 22 PPT User’s Manual STEP 5: Now locate the Matrox card on the back of your PPT computer. Also look for the 24 volt power supply. NOTE: DO NOT CONNECT THE POWER CONNECTOR ON THE CABLE'S COMPUTER END TO THE POWER SUPPLY BOX UNTIL STEP 7 STEP 6: Connect the BNC plugs at the other ends of...

  • Page 23: Connecting Ppt-H Camera Cables

    Hardware Installation STEP 8: The PPT system works best if the power box and the PPT computer are plugged into the same power source. So, connect the power box to a power strip with an available outlet for the PPT computer. Once you have completed all the above steps, you may turn on the power supply and test the cameras.
  • Page 24 If more length is required, you can use any AC extension lead or you can order DC extension cables from WorldViz. Step 5: Each camera has a sync cable adaptor with two inputs and a 12-pin round connector.
  • Page 25 NOTE: PPT-H cameras expect a DHCP server to be available, so this must be supplied either via a network router, or by DHCP server software running on the host machine. Typically, on a WorldViz configured PPT-H system, a DHCP server is added and is configured to generate IP addresses from 192.168.99.100-192.168.99.199...

  • Page 26: Connecting Ppt-X Camera Cables

    PPT User’s Manual CONNECTING PPT-X CAMERA CABLES STEP 1: Notice that each camera has a colored sticker on top. Camera '1' has a red sticker, camera '2' has a blue sticker, camera '3' has a yellow sticker and camera '4' has a green sticker.
  • Page 27 Hardware Installation STEP 4: After connecting the power connector, plug the BNC part of the power/video cable to the video out BNC connector on the camera. STEP 5: Repeat steps 3 through 4 for each of your cameras. STEP 6: Now connect the BNC plugs at the other ends of the power/video cables into the back of your...

  • Page 28: Connecting Ppt-X Camera Cables (International)

    PPT User’s Manual STEP 7: Locate the power supply box. NOTE: DO NOT PLUG THE POWER BOX INTO THE POWER OUTLET UNTIL YOU HAVE COMPLETED STEP STEP 8: Connect the power supply plugs to the computer end of the power/video cables. STEP 9: The PPT system works best if the power box and the PPT computer...
  • Page 29 Hardware Installation STEP 1: Notice that each camera has a colored sticker on top. Camera '1' has a red sticker, camera '2' has a blue sticker, camera '3' has a yellow sticker and camera '4' has a green sticker. If you have more than 4 cameras, the color pattern repeats but with a black mark.
  • Page 30 PPT User’s Manual STEP 3: Find the three T-connectors that came with your system. STEP 4: There are two terminals on the bottom half of the cameras, the one on the left is marked "gen-lock" and the one on the right is marked "video out".
  • Page 31 Hardware Installation STEP 6: (CAMERAS 2, 3, 4 ONLY) Take the BNC plug on the end of each power/video cable and plug it into the "Video Out" terminal of each camera, Cameras '2' (blue), '3' (yellow), and '4' (green). The camera should look like the image on the right.
  • Page 32 PPT User’s Manual STEP 9: (CAMERA 1 ONLY) Use the three gen-lock cables to connect the cameras in your system into a chain. First, plug one end of one of these cords into the T- connector of camera '1' (red). NOTE: The gen-lock terminal on camera '1' remains empty.

  • Page 33: Powering And Restarting Ppt

    Hardware Installation so DO NOT change them. If these settings ever get changed, make sure that cameras '1' (red), '2' (blue), and '3' (yellow) are set so that all switches are to the left (see left hand side of the image), and make sure that camera '4' (green) is set so that only the bottom switch is set to the right (see right hand side...
  • Page 34 3. Wait until the host computer has completely started, and the DHCP server software is running 4. Wait at least 1 minute for the PPT-E cameras to start, acquire network addresses, and prepare for capturing 5. If there are any problems, power cycle the PoE ethernet switch, which will reboot the cameras 6.

  • Page 35: Activating And De-Activating Cameras

    Hardware Installation 6. Start up the PPT Studio software, and tracking should begin If you have problems during the startup sequence, you can look at the DHCP server software to verify that all cameras are connected to the network. PPT-H Restart If you are experiencing problems or would like to restart your PPT-H system, you must ensure that everything starts in the correct order as discussed previously.
  • Page 36 PPT User’s Manual will appear as a white square once it has been disabled. Activating a camera If a new camera is added to an existing PPT system, the camera will show up as a white square with no image in it. In order to use this camera, it must be activated. Following the same procedure as before, right click on the camera, and select Active.
  • Page 37 Hardware Installation...

  • Page 38: Camera Lighting Settings

    CAMERA LIGHTING SETT INGS PREPARING YOUR TRACKING WORKSPACE PPT cameras track infrared (IR) light emitted from PPT markers. Infrared light from non-marker sources renders tracking unreliable or impossible. Thus, the tracked workspace should be lit by "cool" light sources (such as fluorescent or xenon lights) that do not generate IR light.

  • Page 39: Adjusting Camera Gain And Threshold

    The gain setting is a multiplier to the camera signal. The typical setting for gain with PPT-X is 50, and for PPT-E and PPT-H is 0. This is ideal for a 3m x 3m workspace with very little ambient lighting.
  • Page 40 PPT User’s Manual...
  • Page 41 Camera Lighting Settings Select a camera by double-clicking on the camera's thumbnail in the camera panel. The selected camera's image is now shown in the large center view. Turn on the threshold visibility by clicking on the button . Dark green visualizes the area above the low threshold and light green the area above the high threshold.
  • Page 42 PPT User’s Manual Double-click on the camera you would like to adjust. This forces the 2D view to appear in the middle showing an enlargement of this camera's view. Turn on the threshold visibility. Dark green visualizes the area above the low threshold and light green the area above the high threshold.
  • Page 43 Workspaces significantly larger or smaller will need to increase or decrease this value, respectively. For PPT-E/H: Adjust the gain to 0. You may choose to use the same settings for all cameras at this point by right- clicking on the current camera thumbnail and selecting "Copy settings to all", otherwise repeat this process with each camera.
  • Page 44 PPT User’s Manual In the example above, a lamp has been placed in Camera #1's view. We want to remove the area's illuminated by the lamp since it will interfere with tracking. You can selectively restore or remove tracked regions by selecting the add ( ) or remove ( ) button and dragging a square in the 2D View.
  • Page 45 Camera Lighting Settings that is moving very fast. To improve marker acquisition, use a higher gain. Overall, increasing sensitivity causes a reduction in tracking resolution, so only increase sensitivity beyond recommended values the amount that is necessary (maintaining reliable acquisition). Regarding threshold, you may find that increasing the high-threshold beyond recommended values is a useful technique to eliminate ambient light distractions.

  • Page 46: Calibration Overview

    CALIBRATION CALIBRATION OVERVIEW Calibration is critical to setting up your PPT system, and without a valid calibration, you will not be able to capture 3D data. Calibrating your system is quick and takes no more than a few minutes for standard configurations. An existing calibration can be invalidated by moving any one of your PPT cameras by even the slightest amount.

  • Page 47: Calibrating

    PPT software interface. A mismatch cannot be detected by the software and calibration will be possible but the calibration quality will be significantly deteriorated. PPT-E and PPT-H systems automatically identify themselves and ensure correct connections.
  • Page 48 PPT User’s Manual Turn on the PPT calibration rig and place it in the center of your workspace. Orient the calibration rig so that the +X and +Z axis markers are aligned in the directions that you desire for PPT's coordinate system. PPT north is defined as the direction of the +Z axis.
  • Page 49 Calibration Chained calibration In this method, cameras are calibrated in stages. Use this method for a physical workspace where not all cameras can see the calibration rig simultaneously (e.g., the room is L-shaped). Follow steps 1 - 4 above. If you're starting a new chained calibration, click the Reset button to clear all previous data.

  • Page 50: Tuning

    PPT User’s Manual TUNING Unlike calibration (which is necessary step), tuning is optional and adjusts PPT's tracking algorithms to the specific needs of your application. Tuning is very important but it is quick to perform. Do it whenever your requirements change, even if that means you tune once an hour. For instance, if you plan to use PPT in a confined region and only with slow moving objects (e.g., a person's head), then the process of tuning will let PPT optimize it's internal parameters for that portion of your workspace and for objects moving at...
  • Page 51 Calibration and move the marker at the maximum speed the marker will move when used in your application. Inspect and then accept the suggested settings. If the values look very large compared to the usual values or the defaults, you may need to perform the tuning process again, or perhaps try recalibrating your cameras.
  • Page 52 PPT User’s Manual...

  • Page 53: Using 3D Data

    There are different methods for communicating to a host application or system depending on your needs. Unless you have specific reasons for not doing so, WorldViz recommends using our VRPN Ethernet-based network protocol. The alternatives are shared memory (for when rendering with Vizard on the same machine), RS-232 serial communication, or connection to a Motion Builder server.
  • Page 54 PPT User’s Manual VRPN is a tool set that has been made available to the public domain by Russell M. Taylor II at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It is designed to implement a network-transparent interface between application programs and the set of physical devices (tracker, etc.) used in a virtual-reality (VR) system.

  • Page 55: Connecting To Vizard

    MoCap Plugin. CONNECTING TO VIZARD If you are a new user to either Vizard or PPT, WorldViz recommends that you use the default PPT output setting (VRPN7) and either of the first two methods described below.
  • Page 56 PPT User’s Manual If you are connecting to a pre-existing PPT/Vizard installation, you should read the last section of this chapter about running PPT in legacy serial communication mode to maintain compatibility with your existing Vizard applications. Connect to PPT directly This section describes the basic building blocks for adding a PPT tracker, linking the tracker to 3D or view objects, accessing the raw data, resetting the origin, and applying scale factors and smoothing filters.
  • Page 57 Using 3D Data For cases in which the PPT wireless marker's actual altitude should be retained and only the X and Z axes reset to zero, remove the viz.RESET_Y flag from the example above. Accessing the raw data To access the raw data from the PPT marker (including orientation data if the marker is running in 6DOF mode), use the following technique.
  • Page 58 Here is an example vizsetupcfg.py that you can edit and then save to your desktop or to your local application directory: # Setup option Input --> Manufacturer: Keyboard Type: Mouse LR / PageUpDn # Setup option Tracker --> Manufacturer: WorldViz Type: PPT w/Local Intersense # Setup option Display --> Manufacturer: Generic Type: Default Window # Setup option Avatar -->...
  • Page 59 Using 3D Data # Store all the tracker sensors we can find, it does not matter if some are not available composite.storeTracker(composite.HEAD, viz.mergeLinkable(headpos, headori)) composite.storeTracker(composite.LHAND, vrpn7.addTracker('PPT0@'+hostname,1)) composite.storeTracker(composite.RHAND, vrpn7.addTracker('PPT0@'+hostname,2)) composite.storeTracker(composite.LFOOT, vrpn7.addTracker('PPT0@'+hostname,3)) composite.storeTracker(composite.RFOOT, vrpn7.addTracker('PPT0@'+hostname,4)) composite.storeTracker(composite.HIP, vrpn7.addTracker('PPT0@'+hostname,5)) # Make the orientation of the hands match that of the viewpoint (if selected) copyHandOri = copyHandOri: composite.copyHandOriFromHead()
  • Page 60 If you are not supporting an existing Vizard code base written for earlier versions of PPT (prior to version 3), then WorldViz highly recommends that you use either of the first two VRPN methods described in detail above.
  • Page 61 Using 3D Data Linking the tracker Use the link command to connect a tracker object to node, viewpoint, and uniform objects. In this example, a PPT tracker is linked to myHandModel causing it to translate in correspondence to the PPT marker. viz.link(tracker, myHandModel) Resetting the origin Using the link created above, it is easy to use the link's reset method to arbitrarily...

  • Page 62: Connecting To 3Rd Party Software

    C:\Program Files\WorldViz\PPTStudio2010. Copy ppt-trackd.dll and pptwand-trackd.dll from C:\Program Files\WorldViz\PPTStudio2010, and put it into your trackd\bin directory (which may reside on a different machine). In the trackd configuration file, include the following lines for a standard PPT...
  • Page 63 However, this interface is deprecated since it cannot support the large number of markers and high update rates of PPT-E and PPT-H systems. The source code for this interface is available from the PPT Studio installer, and is located in C:\Program Files\WorldViz\PPTStudio2010\Serial API.

  • Page 64: Using The 3D View

    PPT User’s Manual USING THE 3D VIEW...
  • Page 65 Using 3D Data Inspect your data in real-time and configure the view as you like by right-clicking to bring up a menu of options for controlling the Markers, Cameras, Views, and Grid settings. The talk button is always active when 3D view is selected. Dragging with the right and left mouse button within the 3D view rotates and pans.

  • Page 66: Orientation And Position Plugins

    PPT User’s Manual Specify the maximum number of markers that PPT will try and track in your environment. Marker visibility This view shows each of the markers and their visibility in the environment. Markers failing to compute a 3D fix will display as red instead of green. If a marker value is not visible it means that a plugin has hidden this marker.
  • Page 67 Using 3D Data Filter - Smooth out position and orientation values Use When:  You have jitter in position or orientation values that you would like to smooth  You are tracking complex objects that are being occluded and would like to fill in the gaps with interpolated data You Need: Any number of markers with position and/or orientation data...
  • Page 68 PPT User’s Manual You Need: An Intersense InertiaCube 2 or 3 connected to the PPT computer. The COM port number the Intersense is connected to. To check what COM ports your computer has: right-click "My Computer", select Manage, select Device Manager, select Ports. Software Configuration: Add the Intersense Post-Process Plug-in found in the Configure Pane.
  • Page 69 Using 3D Data Optical heading - Hybrid Intersense and Optical Use When:  You have one or more orientation sensor that does not provide accurate yaw data. The Intersense InertiaCube provides distorted yaw data when there is magnetic interference. If you disable the magnetic sensor, then the InertiaCube will drift in yaw over time.
  • Page 70 PPT User’s Manual  The first marker will be a combination of the orientation data and the position which is the center of the two selected markers.  The previous two input positions will be removed from the output, so there will be one less marker.
  • Page 71 Using 3D Data Rigid body - Optical Tracking of a Rigid Body Use When:  You want to extract position and orientation data optically from a constellation of PPT markers.  You can accept small rotation oscillations (jitter) if tracking is poor. ...
  • Page 72 You Need: An Intersense or Xsens sensor connected to the rendering computer. A rendering computer capable of exporting VRPN data, most viztracker-based demos from WorldViz support this. Software Configuration: Add the VRPN Input Post-Process Plug-in found in the Configure Pane.

  • Page 73: Local Offsets

    Using 3D Data LOCAL OFFSETS Often it is impossible to locate the PPT wireless marker at the optimal location for tracker. For head tracking with head-mounted displays, the ideal marker location is at the center of the user's eyes. However, to maximize marker visibility, most user's mount the marker on the top of the head-mounted display.

  • Page 74: Marker Identification

    Data Output:  When logging is complete, the log file will be written to the log directory of the PPT installation which by default is in C:\Program Files\WorldViz\PPTStudio31\log. MARKER IDENTIFICATION A traditional PPT system does not provide absolute marker identification for 3DOF position markers.
  • Page 75 You need to resolve the id of a marker with no user intervention, such as in motion capture You Need: One or more MarkerID-capable blinking markers, which are sold separately. Each blinking marker must be configured for PPT-X or PPT-H/PPT-E, and have a unique identification number.
  • Page 76 PPT User’s Manual Do not use traditional non-blinking markers with this plugin, the ids will not be assigned correctly. Data Output:  The plugin will re-number and re-order all the markers so that they match the id programmed into the markers. Automatic Mode Configuration (shown in image below on the left): Set the number of markers to the number of markers that you have available in the PPT interface.

  • Page 77: Debugging Plugins

    Using 3D Data DEBUGGING PLUGINS PPT can produce a wide range of debugging output to help diagnose various problems that you might encounter while using the software. Debugging is implemented using a series of Post-Process plugins outlined here. Camera visualization - View 3D tracking region quality Use When: ...
  • Page 78 PPT User’s Manual Options: Click on the Camera visualization plugin name to specify configuration options for the plugin. By varying the slider bars, you can alter the plane used to render the tracking quality information. By adjusting the delta values, you can adjust the density of the calculated space.
  • Page 79 Using 3D Data Timing report - Measure PPT processing time Use When:  You want to find out how much time each plugin stage is taking to run Software Configuration: Add the Timing report Post-Process Plug-in found in the Configure Pane. The plugin will start up and a window with bar graphs and timing for each plugin stage.

  • Page 80: Usage Scenarios

    USAGE SCENARIOS LIVE CHARACTERS INSTALLATION If you want to real-time animate character(s) in Vizard™ using MotionBuilder™ or export character animations for Vizard™, the "Live Characters" package needs to be installed. Make sure MotionBuilder™ is already installed. To install the "Live Characters"...
  • Page 81 Usage Scenarios By clicking "Next" and accepting the License Agreement with the button "I Agree", you have the possibility to choose the components to be installed: Figure 2: Live Characters Components By default all versions of MotionBuilder™ are checked that have been found on your computer, to install Live Characters for each version.

  • Page 82: Ppt Mocap

    PPT User’s Manual Figure 3: Live Characters plug-in If the plug-in can be seen in the "Asset Browser" the installation process of Live Characters was successful. PPT MOCAP While PPT does not provide absolute marker identification, the included "MoCap" plugin provides a robust means to track and provide absolute identification of a subject's head, hands, and feet.
  • Page 83 Usage Scenarios Add the "Intersense" post-process plugin and afterwards "MoCap" post-process plugin found in the Configuration Pane (Figure 2). It is important to add the plug-ins in this order. You can also use the "VRPN Input" plugin if you wish to keep the orientation sensor connected to your rendering PC to minimize latency.
  • Page 84 PPT User’s Manual The alternative method for orientation is to use the "VRPN Input" plugin, click on the plugin name to bring the options window up. Click the "Add" button, enter the address of the VRPN server to connect to, the sensor id (which is typically 0) and the light to assign it to (see above instructions).

  • Page 85: Ppt Mocap - Markers Tab

    Usage Scenarios Click on the "MoCap" plugin (Figure 2) to show the MoCap Plugin configuration window (Figure 7). The first step is to adjust the markers in the "Markers Tab". After adjusting the markers the "Initialize Wizard" needs to be performed. Figure 7: MoCap Plugin configuration window Optional adjustments: "Settings...
  • Page 86 PPT User’s Manual  Fixed: The hip marker is simulated at hip height and is fixed above the origin, no marker and no InertiaCube are attached to this body part  None: No data is generated for this body part, and the marker number will be grayed out, given that this marker does not exist The MoCap plugin needs head position and orientation.

  • Page 87: Ppt Mocap - Settings Tab

    Usage Scenarios NOTE: Make sure the LEDs of the foot markers have approximately the same distance from the floor and the hand markers approximately the same distance from the wrists; otherwise you will have trouble capturing the T-pose later on. Figure 2: Marker placement PPT MOCAP - SETTINGS TAB The "Settings"...

  • Page 88: Ppt Mocap - Advanced Tab

    PPT User’s Manual Figure 1: MoCap Plugin configuration window – Settings PPT MOCAP - ADVANCED TAB The "Advanced" tab is only recommendedAdvanced Tab for advanced users or if you use the "Fake" hips mode without arms. In this case a message will tell you which values to adjust.

  • Page 89: Ppt Mocap - Initialize Wizard

    Usage Scenarios  Minimum pairwise distance: Distance below which you experience that two markers can be swapped  Decision distance: Pairwise distance above which the algorithm is allowed to make (fully confident) decisions  Decision hysteresis: Once the markers' projections are apart from each other by full decision hysteresis, the left one is assigned to the first marker, the right one to the second marker ...
  • Page 90 PPT User’s Manual (arms have to be balanced). Hold the pose for about 2 seconds and "Pose Captured" turns green (Figure 1 image on the right). If you uncheck "Auto Capture" the "Capture" button will appear and "Capture" has to be manually pressed while "Pose Detection"...

  • Page 91: Ppt Mocap - Play T-Pose

    Usage Scenarios Figure 2: Initialize Wizard hips pose PPT MOCAP - PLAY T-POSE Press the "Play T-pose" button (Figure 1 image on the left, red arrow). If you left the MoCap configuration window (clicked "OK"), you have to click the "MoCap" Post- Process plugin first.

  • Page 92: Installing Ppt Mocap Motionbuilder Plugin

    "Initialize Wizard" button. INSTALLING PPT MOCAP MOTIONBUILDER PLUGIN If you want to use the WorldViz PPT system to stream 3DOF and 6DOF point data into MotionBuilder™ you need to install the PPT MotionBuilder™ plug-in called "PPT MoCap". Make sure MotionBuilder™ is already installed. To install the plug-in do the following: Execute the installer called "PPTMoCap_1.00.0000.exe"...
  • Page 93 Usage Scenarios Figure 1: PPT MoCap Wizard By clicking "Next" and accepting the License Agreement with the button "I Agree", you have the option to choose the components you want to install: Figure 2: PPT MoCap Components...
  • Page 94 PPT User’s Manual By default, all versions of MotionBuilder™ that are found on your computer will appear with check marks and are ready to install with PPT MoCap. Make sure at least one version of MotionBuilder™ is checked and click "Next". In the last step before the installation process, you can choose a folder to install PPT MoCap.

  • Page 95: Configure Ppt Mocap Device

    Usage Scenarios CONFIGURE PPT MOCAP DEVICE Start MotionBuilder™ and load the "PPT MoCap" device. This plug-in can be found in the "Asset Browser". Expand the "Templates" asset by clicking on the "+" and select the "Devices" asset. The "PPT MoCap" device is listed (figure 1 red arrow). Figure 1: PPT MoCap device Drag and drop the "PPT"...
  • Page 96 PPT User’s Manual Figure 2: Drag and drop the "PPT MoCap" device The "PPT MoCap" device contains two tabs. Select the "Settings" tab. The "Settings" tab gives the possibility to change the "Server Address", the "Marker Count" and the "Sample Rate" in frames per second (figure 3). Enter the name or the IP address of the PPT computer in the "Server Address"...
  • Page 97 Usage Scenarios Figure 3: Adjusting the Settings If your PPT computer is setup correctly and talking, then the "PPT Mocap" device is ready to go online. Click on the red square next to "Online" to activate the stream. The red square should turn green (figure 4 red arrow). Check "Live" to visualize the real-time data and "Recording"...
  • Page 98 PPT User’s Manual Figure 5: "PPT:Root" added to Scene Classes are another handy programming structure. Once you’ve defined a class within your script, you can call it like a function. When you call a class in your script, you create an instance of that class called an object. As an analogy, you can imagine the class as a car factory and the objects instantiated by the class as cars coming from that factory.
  • Page 99 Usage Scenarios...

  • Page 100: Worldviz Peripherals

    OPERATION DIAGRAM Wireless PPT Wand Designed to work in conjunction with a WorldViz Precision Position Tracker (PPT), this hand-held tracking device is equipped with dual tracker LEDs for optical orientation assist, an internal high-quality inertial sensor for continuous orientation response,...
  • Page 101 Right: H system ID activated for right IR LED (tracked wing LED) The individual programming for the indicator LEDs and IR tracking LEDs are done by WorldViz. The LEDs are factory preset to a specific ID; contact WorldViz support for reprogramming information or more advanced use cases.
  • Page 102 PPT User’s Manual TECHNICAL PERFORMANCE Degrees of Freedom 6 (X, Y, Z, yaw, pitch, roll) Angular Range Full 360 deg – all axes Position: < 0.25 millimeters over 3 x 3 x 3 m volume Precision Rotation: 0.03 degree Position: <0.25 centimeter over 3 x 3 x 3 m volume Accuracy Rotation: 1 degree RMS yaw, .25 degree RMS in pitch &...
  • Page 103 Configuration INCLUDED COMPONENTS  Wand (wireless)  USB base station (connects to host PC)  8.4 VDC universal charger  Storage case RECHARGEABLE BATTERY Battery specifications: Capacity 2200mAh Voltage 7.2V (peak at 8.4V) Dimensions 2.63 x 1.45 x 0.7 inch Weight 3.2 oz Max.

  • Page 104: Configuration

    PPT to a different machine, then you need to follow the “Installing wand receiver drivers” instructions found under the Support section of the manual. CONFIGURING WORLDVIZ PPT SYSTEM FOR WAND USE Enabling the wand using a single light with Marker ID...
  • Page 105 Configuration plug-ins (drag to reorder if necessary). If you have a factory configured wand, its Marker ID is 3 for single light use (right hand). Click on the Marker ID plug-in and uncheck “Automatically search inventory” if it is currently selected. Now check 3 under Physical ID and verify that 3 is selected under Virtual ID.
  • Page 106 PPT User’s Manual In the Configuration pane, add “PPT Wand” under Post-Process options if it’s not already added using the dropdown menu. It might take few seconds to load. For PPT Studio version older than 3.21.5791, this plug-in must be beneath Marker ID in your list of plug-ins.
  • Page 107 Configuration Link Status: GOOD/BAD/NONE, 3 different link status. GOOD means the connection is stable enough to provide the optimal data transmission speed. BAD means the connection is not stable and data might be lost during operation. NONE means no data is transmitted between base station and wand. This happens when PPT wand is out of receiver’s detection range or turned off during the operation (or out of battery).

  • Page 108: Ppt Wand With Ppt Eyes

    PPT Eyes is provided. If the Marker ID and PPT Wand plug-ins have not been set up, it is recommended to follow section 2.2 “Configuring WorldViz PPT system for wand use” at this stage. For PPT Studio version older than 3.21.5791, while PPT Eyes do not need to be configured first, its plug-in should always be moved to below the “Marker ID”...
  • Page 109 Configuration For PPT Studio version older than 3.21.5791, drag to re-order PPT Eyes so that it is below “Marker ID” and above “PPT Wand” in the Post-Process.
  • Page 110 PPT User’s Manual You should not need to configure the PPT Eyes plug-in as its default settings are correct for nearly all uses. The default value is shown below. You should now see orientation data shown for marker ID # 1. This is the ID data computed from the PPT Eyes’...

  • Page 111: Configuring Vizard Vr Toolkit

    To test out your wand in a Vizard-based application that uses the viztracker configuration that you created above, please run the script called “WandTester.py” that can be found in your “WorldViz / PPTStudio / Vizard Examples” program files folder. When you run this program, its default view will be to center the tracked hand on the screen.

  • Page 112: Configuring Multiple Ppt Wands Or With Ic2 Devices

    CONFIGURING MULTIPLE WANDS Please first try to follow the previous section "Configuring WorldViz PPT System for Wand Use" and repeat the procedure for the additional wands you intend to use. The final Sensor Option window will look like below.

  • Page 113: Advanced Usage

    Configuration 1. Select the "Intersense" plug-in in the Post-Process section under the Configuration panel. 2. Click on the Intersense plug-in and click on "Add" button in the Sensor Option Window. 3. Similar to adding a PPT wand, fill out the port number for the IC2 device and choose light number as 1 (in most of cases, we use IC2 for a HMD which has the head tracking light number 1.) You may choose the other light number for combining the orientation data of IC2 with different Marker ID.
  • Page 114 PPT User’s Manual wandTracker = isense.addTracker(port=0) #euler angle of the wand eul = wandTracker.getEuler() #analog joystick data xy = wandTracker.getJoystickPosition() #callback function for buttons def onSensorDown(e): if e.object is wandTracker: print 'Button', e.button, 'down' viz.callback( viz.SENSOR_DOWN_EVENT, onSensorDown ) #or in a timer function you can see if a certain number is down wandTracker.isButtonDown(1) #checks to see if button 1 is down #you have to get position data from PPT vrpn = viz.add('vrpn7dle')
  • Page 115 WorldViz Peripherals analogDev = vrpn.addAnalog('PPT_WAND%d@%s:%d' % (markerid, hostname, 8945)) #create button device for the buttons buttonDev = vrpn.addButton('PPT_WAND%d@%s:%d' % (markerid, hostname, 8945)) VRPN (GENERIC) The Virtual-Reality Peripheral Network (VRPN) is the preferred method of connecting to your host application. The Ethernet-based network connection is versatile and offers lower latencies than serial communication, especially for large numbers of markers and high update rates.
  • Page 116 PPT User’s Manual Or download directly from ftp://ftp.cs.unc.edu/pub/packages/GRIP/vrpn b. the Wand address for the analog and button data: The address format is "PPT_WANDX@MachineAddress:8945" where X is the marker ID number assigned to the Wand in PPT (ID is 3 in our sample code) and MachineAddress is the IP or computer name of the PPT machine.
  • Page 117 WorldViz Peripherals int main( int argc, char **argv ) vrpn_Analog_Remote *analog = new vrpn_Analog_Remote(ANALOG_ADDRESS); analog->register_change_handler(0,handle_analog); vrpn_Button_Remote *button = new vrpn_Button_Remote(BUTTON_ADDRESS); button->register_change_handler(0,handle_button); vrpn_Tracker_Remote *tracker = new vrpn_Tracker_Remote(TRACKER_ADDRESS); tracker->register_change_handler(0,handle_tracker_pos_quat); while(!kbhit()) { analog->mainloop(); button->mainloop(); tracker->mainloop(); return 0; For TechViz users, under the VRPN tracking section of TechViz configuration file, the sample setting below allows you connect a PPT Wand and head tracker through VRPN.
  • Page 118 (if you can see the dynamically updated yaw, pitch, and roll data). 4. Press the TALK button (top left corner of the PPT Studio window) if it is not ON. 5. Copy ppt-trackd.dll and pptwand-trackd.dll from ..\WorldViz\PPTStudio32 (installation folder), and put them into your trackd\bin directory (which may reside on a different machine).

  • Page 119: Compensation For Magnetic Distortion

    WorldViz Peripherals 7. If you have a PPT wand connected, then you will need to add the following extra lines: #Define PPT Wand-can optionally specify number of wands, defaults to 1 DefineDevice pptwand pptwand-trackd #Specify PPT Wand address(Device ID, PPT hostname/IP address, PPT Wand light number) DeviceOption pptwand address 127.0.0.1...
  • Page 120 PPT User’s Manual NOTE: If you have PPT Eyes post-plugin in addition to the above plugins, you should place the PPT Eyes plugin below the Marker ID and above the PPT Wand. Set the wand to dual light operation (switch up position) Marker ID: add this plug-in if not already in Post-Process and configure it for normal operation.

  • Page 121: Changing Led Id Values

    WorldViz Peripherals CHANGING LED ID VALUES Each PPT Wand has two separately programmable tracker LEDs that can be configured to ID values 1 – 8. These steps explain how to change either LED. Identify the hole on the back of the PPT Wand which is on the same side as the tracker LED you wish to reconfigure.

  • Page 122: Support

    PPT User’s Manual Next, while depressing the micro-switch through the back of the case using the paperclip, turn the wand’s power on and watch the green power indicator lights. You’ll see a medium flash followed by a number of short flashes. The number of short flashes corresponds to the current ID value.

  • Page 123: Pairing A Wand With Its Receiver

    “DeviceTool.exe” which can be found in your start menu under WorldViz / PPT Studio. Launch this tool and then follow the steps below. If your version of PPT does not contain this tool pre-installed, then download a copy here using “worldviz”...
  • Page 124 10 sec, and redo “Resetting the link” step. If that too fails, then the next step to try is moving the receiver to a different USB port. In the unlikely event that that too fails, then you need to contact WorldViz technical support (see Support in the user manual).
  • Page 125 WorldViz Peripherals Establishing the link After resetting, you should see the pop-up below which asks if you would like to set the link ID. Press “No” because we recommend doing this step further below. This should take you to a screen that shows a green ready light.
  • Page 126 PPT User’s Manual If this step fails, power-cycle your wand and start again with “Resetting your link” above. In this example screen, we see that the receiver (Blue square) on port 4, channel 12, sees and is linked with wand station 13 with ID 7082. NOTE: Sometimes, the receiver sees the wand but doesn't form a link, then you might see the stn13 7082 box not as green but as grey next to the column of 4 boxes.
  • Page 127 WorldViz Peripherals Verifying wand functionality Now we can test the wand’s joystick and 5 buttons. Select Test – Test Joystick and the screen should resemble the image below. Verify the joystick motion and the button clicks which all register as appropriate...

  • Page 128: Installing Wand Receiver Drivers

    USB port, it will ask you to install the drivers. You can find the drivers (32 and 64bit) at: C:\Program Files\WorldViz\PPTStudio32\FTDI USB Drivers Windows will ask you to install two different drivers, this is normal. After that is done, go to your Device Manager and make sure under Ports (COM &...

  • Page 129: Ppt Eyes

    WorldViz Peripherals PPT EYES PPT EYES SPECIFICATION PPT Eyes are meant to be used with optically tracked projection systems like CAVEs, Powerwalls and others where they allow for accurate real time tracking of the users view point in connection with shutter glasses or polarization glasses, etc.

  • Page 130: Ppt Eyes Setup

    PPT User’s Manual PPT EYES SETUP The PPT Eyes is part of the Worldviz PPT product family and integrates into any PPT system. This page describes the setup of PPT Eyes. Starting the Plugin Start PPT Studio. Setup PPT and calibrate the tracking system according to the instructions given in the PPT Studio Help.
  • Page 131 WorldViz Peripherals PPT Eyes will flip the orientation by 180 degrees if the plugin determines that the user is facing away from the display. Because of this you may see an error warning in the Messages panel. This is normal operation. If you find that the orientation is incorrect, face towards PPT north and the orientation will correct itself.
  • Page 132 PPT User’s Manual Configuring PPT Eyes To configure PPT Eyes, click on the PPT Eyes plugin in the active list. This will bring up the Settings dialog.
  • Page 133 Marker Seperation: This is the distance between the two LED lights on the PPT Eyes device. By default this should by 195 mm. Do not change this unless instructed to by Worldviz support, or if you have built your own custom LED device. Separation Tolerance: This is the maximum absolute difference between the observed distance of the two LED lights on the PPT Eyes device and the Marker Separation value can be.

  • Page 134: Reference Guide

    REFERENCE GUIDE USER PRESETS Saving / Loading custom settings Your PPT supports saving all of its system settings for use later. By default, when you quit PPT, all of your settings including GUI arrangements are saved to a standard ppt.cfg file. At any time, you can also select Save settings under the file menu and all your system settings will be stored in configuration file of your choosing.
  • Page 135 Support Each 3D plugin can be configured by selecting the plugin and clicking on either the Configure link beneath the drop-down choice box or the Tune button. Refer to each 3D plugin topic for additional information. 3D core v 4.0 (Default) This is the latest 3D plugin which uses the completely new algorithm that does not require any configuration on threshold values nor tuning process.
  • Page 136 PPT User’s Manual 3D CORE V4.0 This is the latest 3D plugin which uses a completely new algorithm that does not require any configuration on threshold values nor tuning process. The only setting that this plugin has is to set the minimum number of rays (cameras) for creating a valid tracking point.
  • Page 137 Support This is a 3D plugin that adds weighting to all the computations to improve robustness and accuracy. For example, tracking results that are closer to the camera are given higher weighting than results from far away. Markers which have just recently appeared will have a lower weight than a marker which has been visible steadily for some time.
  • Page 138 PPT User’s Manual...
  • Page 139 Support 3D Settings Explanation: This plugin has three options which can be Tuned manually (by experienced users) or through the built in 1-point Test. The three settings are: Epiline Threshold (pixels): Helps determine which LED markers seen by each camera are included in the calculation of a final 3D point. When calculating a 3D point, this plugin needs to find a correspondence between the lights seen by each camera and the LED marker.
  • Page 140 PPT User’s Manual the Epiline Threshold and is considered a good candidate. The Epiline Threshold is the maximum distance from the epiline of camera A that visible lights in camera B's image should be found. The units are in pixels. Triangulation Threshold (mm): Affects the accuracy and precision of PPT.
  • Page 141 Support Tuning the Weighting Variables: The additions in v3.1 are the inclusion of the Weighting Variables. When calculating the position of any 3D point, corresponding lights seen from different cameras are used to triangulate a position. The physical location of the LED marker to the camera, the location of the perceived light in the camera image, and the length of visibility to the camera are used to calculate a single aggregate weight for each camera.
  • Page 142 PPT User’s Manual Max Frames: The length of history kept and used in the calculation of the final weight. In the example above, only 120 frames are kept for history. Min. number of rays to create point: This parameter represents the number that a marker needs to be seen by the cameras in order to create a valid tracking point.
  • Page 143 Support 3D Settings Explanation: Similar to v3.0 and v3.1, this plugin has three options which can be changed manually (by experienced users) or through the built in 1-point Test. The three settings are: Distance Threshold (mm): Affects the accuracy and precision of PPT. The units are in pixels.

  • Page 144: Camera

    PPT User’s Manual Tuning 3D Plugin v2.0: Before beginning, ensure that your PPT cameras are all properly configured and you have a recent, good quality calibration. If not, then perform those steps first. Turn off all of the PPT markers. Ensure that no false lights can be seen in each camera.
  • Page 145 Minimum value of 4 corresponds to 10.2 microseconds and the cameras will run at 196 frames per second. If you are using PPT-H marker id units with PPT-E, then you should set this option to 47, and the cameras will run at 180 frames per second.

  • Page 146: 2D Plugin

    2D crosshair over each marker. Note that only PPT-X systems use 2D plugins - the PPT-E and PPT-H system includes the 2D plugin on- board the camera, and so changing the 2D plugin has no effect in this case.

  • Page 147: Output

    This plugin is included for compatibility with older PPT releases, and by default is not used any more. The 2D core v3.1 plugin is recommended instead. You should not need to alter the default settings unless directed to by WorldViz support. The defaults should be as follows: ...

  • Page 148: Post Process

    Serial Output marker data over RS-232 serial connection. This protocol provides backward compatibility for applications built using WorldViz PPT version 2. This protocol also provides a connection for configurations in which Ethernet is not an option. Note that this protocol will not handle large numbers of markers at high update rates due to RS-232 bandwidth limitations.
  • Page 149 Support  Filter - Used to smooth out position and orientation values to remove jitter when used in noisy tracking environments.  Intersense - PPT can connect to an InertiaCube and tie the data to a particular PPT wireless marker. In this way, data returned by PPT can be true 6DOF position and orientation data and is ready for use by any compatible application.
  • Page 150 PPT User’s Manual...

  • Page 151: Support

    SUPPORT TOUBLESHOOTING NOTE: Reload factory settings If you're having difficulty finding user interface functions as discussed in this documentation, you should select "Load factory settings" under the File menu. This will restore your PPT's graphical user interface back to the default factory settings which correspond to the pictures used throughout the documentation.
  • Page 152 For PPT-X series, make 100% sure that your camera setup fits with the setup as described in the manual. PPT-E and PPT-H cameras will not have this problem since they automatically report their serial numbers over the network.
  • Page 153 Support please contact WorldViz Support for help in troubleshooting this and possible repairs. PPT-H camera failed to detect PPT-H cameras must be started after the main host computer has booted. See the section on Powering and Restarting PPT for more information on the correct way to start up a PPT-H system.
  • Page 154 PPT User’s Manual Anomalous trajectories There is a light source in the room that When I move the LED, the sensed motion is being detected by one of the cameras does not follow the correct trajectory and as a PPT wireless marker (its intensity is instead moves along straight or diagonal above the camera high threshold lines.
  • Page 155 Support Marker (cross-hair) issues PROBLEM SUGGESTIONS Marker cross-hair flickers or is PPT wireless marker batteries missing Your PPT wireless marker batteries may Cross hair is unsteady even in regions of be weak. If unsure, replace or recharge workspace clearly seen by camera in the batteries.

  • Page 156: Frequently Asked Questions

    The system calibration itself takes about 1 minute. What is a support contract? All purchases of WorldViz software products include 3 months of free priority e- support. This means you have help setting up your system, integrating your hardware components, and even getting your first immersive creation started.
  • Page 157 If it is critical to go wider, this should be considered as a last resort. You will need to send your cameras back to WorldViz if you wish to change the lenses. Do not under any circumstances adjust the lenses on the camera yourself, otherwise it will change...

  • Page 158: Technical Specifications For Ppt-E

    Contact technical support For immediate assistance with PPT questions not addressed here, go to www.worldviz.com/support and send an email to ppthelp@worldviz.com TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS FOR PPT-E Sensor type B&W CMOS Degrees of freedom 3DOF position - standard optical only 6DOF incl orientation - with optional sensor...
  • Page 159 Sensors: 45 x 32 x 92 mm (145 g) Targets: 3 x 3 x 5 mm (2 g) Software support Directly connect to WorldViz Vizard VR toolkit; DLL for Windows; C source library for Linux Notes (*) Actual update rate depends on the number of targets and number of cameras.

  • Page 160: Technical Specifications For Ppt-H

    PPT User’s Manual TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS FOR PPT-H Sensor type B&W CMOS Degrees of freedom 3DOF position - standard optical only 6DOF incl orientation - with optional sensor Maximum camera range 20 meters (at 175 Hz) ** 45 meters (at 60 Hz) ** Suggested tracking space 50 x 50 x 50 meters ** Maximum number of targets...

  • Page 161: Technical Specifications For Ppt-X

    Sensors: 240 x 57 x 80 mm (900 g) Targets: 3 x 3 x 5 mm (2 g) Software support Directly connect to WorldViz Vizard VR toolkit; DLL for Windows; C source library for Linux Notes (*) Actual update rate depends on the number of targets and number of cameras.

  • Page 162: Contact Worldviz

    Sensors: 100 x 40 x 40 mm (200 g) Targets: 3 x 3 x 5 mm (2 g) Software support Directly connect to WorldViz Vizard VR toolkit; dll for Windows; C source library for Linux Notes (*) For a marker to be tracked, it must be visible by two or more cameras. Overall tracking space dimensions are determined by the camera range, camera layout, and background lighting.
  • Page 163 Support Help forum www.worldviz.com/forum Online support www.worldviz.com/support Phone Fax Phone +1-805-966-0786 Fax +1-866-226-7529 Address 27 West Anapamu Street Suite 101-121 Santa Barbara, CA 93101...

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