Ncam Reality
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Setting Up
Connecting to Renderers

Disguise

9min

Ncam Reality Configuration

It's recommended to use the reflective marker tracking mode for LED installations

The environment should have the retro-reflective markers added to it using the Marker calculator and marker setup wizard (available from the the WebUI actions tab). Some circular markers may be obscured by top-mounted walls or monitors, etc.

A minimum of one fiducial anchor Instant Recovery marker printed to the correct size for the space, remember if you’re using multiple markers, they must be different ID’s. As a general rule on sizing:

  • 2-4 meters from MK2 Camera bar to ceiling: A3
  • 4-6 meters from MK2 Camera bar to ceiling: A2
  • 6-10 meters from MK2 Camera bar to ceiling: A1

The fiducial anchor chart may need additional lighting depending on where it can be mounted in the volume and this should be taken into account.

Mounting

The camera bar should be pointed 90 degrees upwards using a rigid mount such as this and this. The MK2 External encoders can be mounted using the zoom bar attachment. The IR emitter will be required and plugged into either the Mk2 server or connection box

Integration

This process is built on the assumption that the LED wall parameters have already been input into the disguise software and the Disguise operator is able to complete the LED wall observations once the data stream is established.

Lens calibration

Disguise creates its own calibration and world transformation using observations, therefore, only one point of calibration is technically required (Z:0, F:0.5) to be able to perform the witness to main calibration.

As disguise will calculate its own translation offsets during the observation process, our zero point does not have to be lined up to a real-life object or the screen, such as is the case with nDisplay - it just has to have its axis in the correct orientation.

Setting the zero point to the Instant Recovery Fiducial marker on the ceiling is recommended. Having a point that can be recovered consistently is vital because once the Disguise LED wall observations have been completed if the zero point is moved or reset somewhere else the Disguise LED observations then become redundant and have to be re-done from scratch.

Supported Format

Disguise is compatible with both the NcamSDK and FreeD data-streams using a network connection between the two devices

Ensuring a consistent Zero point

To streamline the use of Ncam and Disguise software it is strongly recommended to use the Saving and loading of projects/alignments inside the Ncam software. In combination with the use of a fiducial anchor, this will allow for consistent and reproducible tracking and ensure that the absolute positioning of the tracked camera is not changing between multiple operating sessions

Suggested settings and workflow are provided below, Using the Full UI is required to configure some of the parameters

Create a project/alignment

  • Tracking cores: Circular & Fiducial.
  • Density: 24
  • Key Positions: 0.4
  • Ncam SDK or FreeD enabled
  • Exposure checked and set manually
  • On Air enabled.

Delete the point cloud, refresh the tracking with the fiducial marker(s) being detected, and move around the whole volume. Decide on the position of the zero point and position it. Save the project.

Project/Alignment recovery

As mentioned above, pixel-perfect project recovery is required for a seamless integration. Enable the ‘Load the last project on start up’ option to make the solution headless and autonomous.

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The saving and automatic recovery of the project, zero point, and settings is vital and should always be tested with full system reboots, shutdowns, and power-downs before starting the observation process in disguise.

Locking the pointcloud

Once an alignment has been saved we recommend "locking the point cloud" see the Locking the Pointcloud section for details on this

Receiving tracking data in Disguise

  1. Confirm that the network connection between the Ncam Reality server and the disguise server is correctly configured
  2. Confirm that either the NcamSDK or FreeD protocols are activated and sending tracking data from Ncam Reality
  3. Confirm the tracking is correctly configured and that a zero point has been set. It is important that a consistent zero point will be used and can be easily recovered as the Disguise calibration requires the tracking remains consistent over multiple sessions
  4. Inside the Disguise software home-screen, select the "+" Icon from the Devices tab
  5. Choose a identifiable name for the new device and then select "Position Receiver" from the provided list
  6. Depending on the tracking protocol being sent from Ncam Reality, choose either NcamDriver or FreeDDriver from the list of position receivers
  7. A subsequent window will ask for the Ncam Server IP address and the port number that has been selected - the port number is 38860
  8. To engage tracking data, in the Disguise software, Right click on the Director status tab and switch from Disengaged to Engaged
  9. To view the raw tracking data, right click on the Automotion tab at the top of the software and then select ‘monitor’ next to the driver you have previously named.