NEW! Version 3 of iPi Motion Capture is available. iPi Motion Capture 3 delivers new features for improved workflow including support of Kinect 2, improved arms tracking, simplified calibration and others. Read more >>
This documentation corresponds to version 2 of iPi Motion Capture. The latest documentation for version 3 can be found at https://docs.ipisoft.com/
User Guide for Multiple PlayStation Eye Cameras Configuration
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System Requirements
iPi Recorder
- Computer (desktop or laptop):
- CPU: x86 compatible (Intel Pentium 4 or higher, AMD Athlon or higher), dual- or quad- core is preferable
- Operating system: Windows 8, 7, XP SP3, Vista (x86 or x64)
- USB: at least two USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 controllers
- For more info see USB controllers
- ExpressCard slot (for laptops)
- Optional, but highly recommended. It allows to install external USB controller in case of compatibility issues between cameras and built-in USB controllers, or if all USB ports are in fact connected to a single USB controller
- Storage system: HDD or SSD or RAID with write speed:
- For 4 cameras at 60 fps, 640 x 480 resolution: not less than 70,4 MByte/sec
- For 6 cameras at 60 fps, 640 x 480 resolution: not less than 105,6 MByte/sec
- Note If your write speed is lower, you can work with 320 x 240 resolution and/or lower frame rate. Alternatively, you can use compressed mode (that gives 3-5 times lower required write speed, but the CPU performance may become a bottleneck)
- 3 to 6 Sony PlayStation Eye for PS3 cameras.
- for more info see Cameras and accessories#Cameras
- 4 to 9 active USB 2.0 extension cables (depending on number of cameras and scene set-up)
- Optional: tripods to place cameras
- for more info see Cameras and accessories#Tripods
- Mini Maglite (or other flashlight) for calibration
- for more infor see Cameras and accessories#Mini Maglite (or other flashlight) for calibration
- Minimum required space: 4m by 4m (13 by 13 feet)
iPi Studio
- Computer (desktop or laptop):
- CPU: x86 compatible (Intel Pentium 4 or higher, AMD Athlon or higher), dual- or quad- core is preferable
- Operating system: Windows 8, 7, XP SP3, Vista (x86 or x64)
- Video card: Direct3D 10-capable (Shader Model 4.0) gaming-class graphics card
- Intel integrated graphics is not supported
- for more info see Cameras and accessories#Video_Card
- You can use GPU-z and CPU-z to detect exact version and features of your video card.
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Software Installation
iPi Recorder
Before installation:
- unplug all cameras from computer
Download and run the setup package of the latest version of iPi Recorder. You will be presented with the following dialog.
- Select needed components
- Read and accept the license agreement by checking appropriate checkbox
- Press the Install button to begin installation
- Note. Most of the components require administrative privileges because they install device drivers or write to Program Files and other system folders. On Windows Vista/7 you will be presented with UAC prompts when appropriate during installation. If you plan to use iPi Recorder under user which has no administrative rights, you can pre-install other components separately using administrator's account.
- Important!
- You can plug only one MS Kinect / ASUS Xtion / PrimeSense Carmine sensor to one USB controller. 1 USB controller bandwidth is not enough to record from 2 sensors.
- You can plug not more than 2 Sony PS Eye cameras to one USB controller, otherwise you will not be able to capture at 60 fps with 640 x 480 resolution.
- For more info see USB controllers.
Upon installation is complete, iPi Recorder will launch automatically. Continue with user's guide to get a knowledge of using the software.
Components
If some of the components is already installed, it has no checkbox and is marked with ALREADY INSTALLED label. You should not install all optional components in advance, without necessity. All of them can be installed separately at later time. Components descriptions below contain corresponding download links.
- Microsoft .NET Framework 4 - Client. This is required component and cannot be unchecked.
This is basic infrastructure for running .NET programs. iPi Recorder is a .NET program.- Web installer: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=17113
- Standalone installer: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=24872
- Playstation3 Eye Webcam :: WinUSB Drivers Registration. Check if you plan to work with Sony PS Eye cameras.
Device drivers for PS Eye camera.
- ASUS Xtion / PrimeSense Carmine :: OpenNI Redistributable and ASUS Xtion / PrimeSense Carmine :: PrimeSense Sensor. Check if you plan to work with ASUS Xtion, or ASUS Xtion Live, or PrimeSense Carmine depth sensors.
Device drivers and software libraries for ASUS Xtion / ASUS Xtion Live / PrimeSense Carmine.
- (Windows 7, 8) Microsoft Kinect :: MS Kinect SDK 1.8. Check if you plan to work with Microsoft Kinect depth sensors.
Device drivers and software libraries for Microsoft Kinect. Requires Windows 7 and later.
- (Windows XP, Vista) Microsoft Kinect :: PrimeSense psdrv3.sys Driver Registration. Check if you plan to work with Microsoft Kinect depth sensors.
Alternative device drivers for Microsoft Kinect.- 64-bit OS: http://files.ipisoft.com/drivers/KinectPsdrv3_iPi-x64.msi
- 32-bit OS: http://files.ipisoft.com/drivers/KinectPsdrv3_iPi-x86.msi
- Note. iPi Recorder does support working with Kinect sensors on Windows 7 using PrimeSense driver. If you have installed and used it for Kinect with iPi Recorder 1.x, you can continue using it with iPi Recorder 2.
- iPi Recorder 2.x.x.x. This is required component and cannot be unchecked.
iPi Recorder itself.
Important! You can plug not more than 2 cameras to one USB controller, otherwise you will not be able to capture at 60 fps with 640 x 480 resolution. For more info see USB controllers
iPi Studio
- Note that if you have used iPi Studio before and have Internet connection on your computer then you only need to let iPi Studio to automatically update:
iPi Studio is a core software of iPi Desktop Motion Capture (iPi DMC) solution. It’s used to process pre-recorded video and export resulted animation into most popular formats. You can use 30 days free trial.
To install iPi Studio please download and run setup program: http://ipisoft.com/downloads/iPiStudioSetup.exe. Then, follow instructions of the installation wizard.
For more info about license protection see License.
Recording Video with Multiple PlayStation Eye Cameras
Environment
Space
For a multi-camera configuration, you need a minimum of 13 feet by 13 feet space (4 meters by 4 meters). At smaller space, actor simply won’t fit into view of cameras.
For 640 by 480 camera resolution, capture area can be as big as 20 feet by 20 feet (7 meters by 7 meters). That should be enough for capturing motions like running, dancing etc.
Background
Light-color background (light walls and light floor) is recommended for markerless motion capture. iPi Desktop Motion Capture is designed to work with real-life backgrounds. A multi-camera configuration (3 cameras and up) can handle certain amount of background clutter. Please keep in mind that the system can be confused if your background has large objects of the same color as actor clothes.
Using a green or a blue backdrop may improve results, but you are not required to use a backdrop if you have reasonable office or home environment with light-color walls and bright lighting.
Lighting
For best results, your environment should have multiple light sources for uniform, ambient lighting. Typical office lighting with multiple light sources located on ceiling should be quite suitable for markeless motion capture. In a home environment, you may need to use additional light sources to achieve more uniform lighting.
Please note that the system cannot work in direct sunlight. If you plan a motion capture session outdoors you should choose a cloudy, overcast day.
Actor Clothing
Actor should be dressed in solid-color long-sleeve shirt, solid-color trousers (or jeans) and solid-color shoes. Deep, saturated colors are preferable. Casual clothes like jeans should be OK for use with markerless mocap system. iPi Desktop Motion Capture uses clothing color for separating actor from background and therefore cannot work with totally arbitrary clothing.
Recommended shirt (torso) colors are black, blue or green. Red is not recommended because red can blend with human skin color making it difficult for the system to see hands placed over torso. Black color is useful for reducing self-shadows on torso. If you have bright uniform lighting you can get better results with a primary-color (blue or green) shirt.
Recommended jeans/trousers color is blue.
Recommended shoe color is black.
iPi Desktop Motion Capture has an option of using T-shirt over long-sleeve shirt for actor clothing. However, simple long-sleeve shirt may result in more accurate motion capture.
Special considerations
Don’t stand too close to a wall. Shadows on the wall may confuse the system. If standing close to a wall is unavoidable you should use additional light sources to light the wall behind actor to minimize shadows.
System can have problems tracking push-ups and similar motions because of shadows on the floor. You can improve tracking of such motions by using additional light sources to light the floor.
Recording Process
Please record a video using iPi Recorder application. It supports recording with Sony PlayStation Eye cameras, depth sensors (Kinect) and DirectShow-compatible webcams (USB and FireWire).
iPi Recorder is a stand-alone application and does not require a powerful video card. You may choose to install it on a notebook PC for portability. Since it is free, you can install it on as many computers as you need.
Framerate
It is recommended that you record all videos at maximum available framerate. High framerate helps reduce motion blur and capture fine details of the motion.
Maximum possible framerate for Sony PlayStation Eye camera is 60 frames per second. Sony advertises PlayStation Eye camera as capable of capturing at 120 frames per second but framerates over 60 FPS result in too much noise in PlayStation Eye camera sensor and are not usable for motion capture.
Framerate lower than 30 frames per second is not recommended for motion capture.
4 cameras at 320 by 240 resolution
A dual-core CPU should be fast enough for recording a 4-camera video at 320 by 240 resolution at 60 frames per second.
4 cameras at 640 by 480 resolution at 60 frames per second
A quad-core CPU is recommended for recording at 640 by 480 resolution at 60 frames per second. If you have a dual-core CPU you may need to configure a lower framerate and/or lower compression quality to be able to record video at 640 by 480.
6 cameras at 640 by 480 resolution at 60 frames per second
A quad-core CPU clocked at 2.0 GHz (or better) is recommended for recording at 640 by 480 resolution at 60 frames per second. You will also need to get additional USB controller.
Raw Bayer Mode
Sony PlayStation Eye camera supports special operation mode called “raw Bayer mode”. The name “raw Bayer mode” comes from the Bayer color filter array used in PlayStation Eye camera (filter array being named after Eastman Kodak researcher Bryce E. Bayer).
Raw Bayer mode is very efficient in terms of USB bandwidth usage and therefore is highly recommended.
Videos captured in raw Bayer mode look like multiple monochrome image planes. This is normal. You should not have any problems opening raw Bayer mode videos in iPiStudio.
USB controllers
All modern computers (e.g. dual-core and better) based on Intel, AMD and Nvidia chipsets have two high-speed USB (USB 2.0) controllers on board. That should give you enough bandwidth to be able to record with 4 cameras at 640x480 (raw Bayer format) at 60 FPS, or 6 cameras at 640x480 (raw Bayer format) at 40 FPS.
Under certain circumstances you may need to get additional USB controllers.
Scene Set-up
Three Camera Configuration
Recommended configuration for 3-camera setup is a half-circle:
Example:
Virtual view of the same scene:
Four Camera Configuration
You can set up 4 cameras in a half-circle or a full-circle configuration, depending on available space. You can improve accuracy by placing one of the cameras high over the ground (like 3 meters high).
Recommended configuration for 4-camera setup in half circle:
Example:
Six Camera Configuration
You can set up 6 cameras in a full-circle or a half-circle configuration, depending on available space. You can improve accuracy by placing one or two cameras high over the ground (like 3 meters high).
Recommended configuration for 6-camera full-circle setup:
Camera Setup
Install the cameras on tripods and connect cables.
Sony PlayStation Eye cameras do not have standard tripod mounting screw, so you will have to use some kind of ad hoc solution. The simplest approach is to fix the cameras to tripods using sticky tape.
When mixing active and passive USB cables, make sure cable connection order is correct (computer->active cable->passive cable->camera).
If you're using the PlayStation Eye camera, make sure you have the lens set to the wide setting.
