using standalone CameraSDK application

[umlaeute]

i've been developing an application that uses CameraSDK to access an S250:E camera.

now that i tried to move from my development machine (which has "OptiTrack TrackingTools" installed with a dongle) and to a new network equipment (a "D-Link DGS-1008P" PoE-gbit-switch) i face the small problem, that nothing works anymore (no camera is detected; camera has power (dot led is lit; but no ID)

just to make sure, i thought i'd ask here before proceeding:
- am i correct that i should be able to access the camera using _ONLY_ the CameraSDK without special license requirements (e.g. a USB-dongle or similar hardware key)?

- do i need a DHCP server or similar to get the network running? the original switch on our development system is a half-managed "Trendnet TPE-80WS", whereas the new switch is an unmanaged device

[umlaeute]

so i figured that the network gear i'm using works fine.

however, i still cannot use the cameras.

do i really have to purchase an extra hardware key in order to access a $1900,- camera?

the problem i'm facing is, that we want to use our OptiTrack system for two parallel presentations (one using full tracking with 7 cameras, the other using a single S250E as video device).
is there any way to do this with a single hardware key?

[NaturalPoint - Mike]

This is correct, you can access the cameras using just the SDK. What you do need to make note of is that you are allowing enough time between initializing the camera manager and checking cameras to allow for the cameras to establish a connection with the cameramanager. I'd recommend starting the camera manager, then checking for a camera count greater than 0 every x seconds until you find one, then continue with the program. If your program initializes the camera manager and then assumes theres no cameras before they have a chance to check in they'll never get a chance to start.

[umlaeute]

thanks for your quick response.

i understand that i don't need a hardware key to access my cameras; however, on my development machine (which has "Tracking Tools" installed) i only seem to be able to access the camera if the dongle is plugged in; if i unplug the dongle, reboot the machine the camera is unavailable.

it seems to me, that my chances to see the camera are higher, if i first start "tracking tools" (which obviously needs the hardware key), and allow it to detect the camera.
if i then start my application everything works smooth.
without starting "tracking tools" i can sometimes see the camera and sometimes not.

so it seems that "tracking tools"
a) does a better job with detecting cameras than me and/or
b) starts some "daemon process" that kind of "holds" the camera (let's call it the "CameraManager"?)

[NaturalPoint - Mike]

The hardware key is not required to use the camera with the SDK, it is, however, required to use the camera with tracking tools. Tracking Tools and the Camera SDK application should not run at the same time.

What's happening is that yes, when tracking tools starts, the cameramanager is initialized. Your application then takes control of the cameramanager from Tracking Tools.

This really does suggest that the problem is in the way that you initialize the camera manager and wait for cameras after initializing your program.