Simple TrackingTools 2D tracking with one camera

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dashesy
Posts: 33
Joined: Fri Mar 27, 2009 8:47 am
Location: Utah

Simple TrackingTools 2D tracking with one camera

Post by dashesy »

I am trying to setup a 2D tracking using TrackingTools API and only one camera. I only care about the pixel location of the tracked object, so I assume I do not need to calibrate or specify the relative position of the camera to the scene.
Do I still need to do a calibration first?
I use this to create a rigid body

Code: Select all

float fPnts[] = {0, 0, 0, 100, 0, 0, 50, 50, 0};
NPRESULT npRes = TT_CreateTrackable("Obj1", 0, 3, fPnts);
// npRes error code is zero here
TT_SetTrackableEnabled(0, true);
1- Do I have to do a calibration, save it to file and load it? If I omit this step, what are the defaults used? Is there a way to change those parameters without saving and loading the file?
2- What are the units of those points passed to TT_CreateTrackable?
3- Why TT_IsTrackableTracked(0) never returns true?
4- what are the units of TT_TrackableLocation outputs?
Birch
Posts: 1139
Joined: Thu Jan 30, 2003 5:00 am
Location: Corvallis, Oregon

Re: Simple TrackingTools 2D tracking with one camera

Post by Birch »

Hello,

The API trackable engine only operates using a 3D point cloud, which means you'd need to have multiple cameras and a calibration loaded.

If you want to track a rigid body using only 2D data from the cameras then you'd need implement your own algorithm for doing that. You can read the individual 2D marker data from each camera using the API, but this data does not provide any rigid body information or tracking on its own.
dashesy
Posts: 33
Joined: Fri Mar 27, 2009 8:47 am
Location: Utah

Re: Simple TrackingTools 2D tracking with one camera

Post by dashesy »

Hello Birch,

Thank you, that was very helpful!
So basically I should not have bought TT for 2D tracking using one camera only! For some of our customers a 2D tracking of a single rigid body is all they want, but there might be an interest in more complicated tracking of body joints in future, which justifies using more than one camera.

I thought the single camera "Vector Tracking" mechanism in the TT software has an API equivalent but apparently I was wrong.

Three questions:
1- is Camera SDK the same as PointCloud SDK?
2- Can I get Camera related stuff e.g. MJPEG video with Camera SDK?
3- Is there any other feature I miss by using Camera SDK instead of TT API, other than tracking?

Thanks for your help
Ehsan
Last edited by dashesy on Wed Dec 22, 2010 8:51 am, edited 0 times in total.
Reason: Added questions
Birch
Posts: 1139
Joined: Thu Jan 30, 2003 5:00 am
Location: Corvallis, Oregon

Re: Simple TrackingTools 2D tracking with one camera

Post by Birch »

Correct, the Vector feature in the Tracking Tools software is not present in the Tracking Tools API.

If you have purchased the Tracking Tools software recently, and its locked to a hardware key, then you can contact support about getting a refund if you'd like. In order to return software the hardware key its locked to also needs to be returned.

1. The Camera SDK is different than the Tracking Tools SDK/API(*1). The camera SDK is primarily intended for capturing 2D data from OptiTrack cameras and providing complete control of their settings. It does however include single-camera 3D tracking using the vector module. This provides basic tracking of 3-marker rigid bodies, though it is less flexible and robust than the multi-camera rigid body tracking in the Tracking Tools API.
(*1: I'm assuming you mean Tracking Tools SDK when you say PointCloud SDK? The Point Cloud SDK has been discontinued and is no longer available. It was an earlier, more limited version of the Tracking Tools API/SDK)

2. It is possible to capture processed and MJPEG video data using the camera SDK. There is limited built-in support for recording the data to disk and later playback, and its certainly possible for you to implement more advanced recording if thats a feature you want.

3. Check this page on our website to see a feature comparison of the Camera SDK and the Tracking Tools software/API. The Camera SDK does not include any multi-camera calibration and does not provide any 3D tracking besides the Vector module.
http://www.naturalpoint.com/optitrack/p ... rison.html

Here is more information about the Camera SDK
http://www.naturalpoint.com/optitrack/p ... amera-sdk/
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