Workflow with motive and flex13 cameras

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ohanoch
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Aug 01, 2017 11:35 pm

Workflow with motive and flex13 cameras

Post by ohanoch »

Hi all,
I am using Motive with some flex13 cameras via 2 synced optihubs. Everything is working great, but there are some things I am not sure about:
- In order to turn off the cameras I have to close Motive. If I close Motive I find sometimes I need to re-calibrate it when I open it again. Do I need to close Motive? Do the cameras need to be turned off or is it ok to leave them on for extended periods of times (days, weeks, or even months)?

- After closing Motive and unplugging and re-plugging the USB for the optihub from the PC I find I also need to re-calibrate. I can still see the markers fine in the 2d view of each camera, but the 3d view only recognizes 3/6 of my markers. Usually when only closing and opening Motive, or even rebooting the PC, I don't have this problem. Does disconnecting the optihub USB and reconnecting force re-calibration?

I guess my general question is how the workflow with Motive and and flex13 cameras via optihub should be done in order to not need to re-calibrate. When do I need to close Motive and turn off the cameras and how will doing so affect my calibration?

Thanks in advance for any help available,
Or
steven.andrews
NaturalPoint Employee
NaturalPoint Employee
Posts: 737
Joined: Mon Jan 19, 2015 11:52 am

Re: Workflow with motive and flex13 cameras

Post by steven.andrews »

Hi Or,

In general, Motive should remember your previous calibration from session to session as long as the same cameras are all connected. If when Motive connects the camera count has changed, this could cause the calibration to reset. I am not completely certain with the Flex cameras, but perhaps paying attention to which are plugged into which devices and ports might help.

You can leave the cameras on for an extended period. The cameras tend to have a long life, so leaving them running will not necessarily wear them down. Since restarting Motive alone does not seem to reset the calibration, you could try leaving the cameras connected and powered while shutting down Motive. This should put the cameras into a lower power consumption mode.

The next time you decide disconnect your cameras, try exporting the current calibration. If the calibration is reset when you connect again, load that calibration file and you should be able to pick up where you left off.

I hope this helps!
Steven
--
Steven Andrews
OptiTrack | Senior Customer Support Engineer
help.naturalpoint.com
support@optitrack.com
ohanoch
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Aug 01, 2017 11:35 pm

Re: Workflow with motive and flex13 cameras

Post by ohanoch »

Thank you Steven for your fast and detailed response!
One small question still - how can I import the calibration data I exported previously?
I can see the "Export Camera Calibration" option under the File menu, but I can't see an import option their or in the calibration pane.

Thanks again for the help.
steven.andrews
NaturalPoint Employee
NaturalPoint Employee
Posts: 737
Joined: Mon Jan 19, 2015 11:52 am

Re: Workflow with motive and flex13 cameras

Post by steven.andrews »

My pleasure :-)

You can just File -> Open the calibration file. Any of the Motive file types can be opened this way.

Cheers!
Steven
--
Steven Andrews
OptiTrack | Senior Customer Support Engineer
help.naturalpoint.com
support@optitrack.com
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