Introduction
Mapping is used to pair an in-, or output device, to a specific setting of theirs in a preset. This preset can later be easily used anytime during your workflow.
Recommendations on Mapping Devices
As mapping devices in Aximmetry is a tool to save time it is strongly recommended to use this feature only if you can make sure that your device configuration won't change (e.g. studio camera 1 always provides input on the same port of the capture card) over a prolonged period of time.
Advantages of Mapping Devices
Aximmetry's camera compounds and pre-made projects come with predefined settings to work with mapped devices.
Mapping your devices can make setting up these compounds and projects in the beginning faster and simpler, but its biggest advantage is that you can change your device configuration used in all of your projects at a single place (e.g. changing the mapping of the devices instantly affects every compound/project set to mapped devices).
How to Map Input Devices
Aximmetry's Device Mapper can be accessed from the Startup Configuration screen when you start Aximmetry, or if Aximmetry is already running, from the Edit menu.
Select the Device Mapper from the list of settings on the left:
Under the Category list, you can find all categories of devices with which Aximmetry is compatible. Except for video, you will find all in-, and output devices.
You can select a device under Devices and a corresponding setting under Mode in every category.
The number in front of each line will represent the mapping ID.
NOTE: Generally speaking, we recommend leaving the Mode parameter on AUTO, which is the default setting, as it will automatically determine the correct resolution and frame rate of the video input. See later.
NOTE: In some cases (e.g. older generation capture cards, web cameras), you'll need to manually specify the correct Mode settings to receive any video input signal.
You can map up to 9 Devices in each Category.
IMPORTANT: Already mapped devices cannot be mapped a second a time.
In Aximmetry, the Devices mapped will appear as:
By default, all of Aximmetry's camera compounds use mapped devices. For example, Input 1 will be Mapped: #1, Input 2 will be Mapped #2, etc.
Example
As an example, we will map a Video input device.
Select the device you would like to map at #1 mapping ID.
To set up a mode for the device, click the rectangle in the Mode field with the three dots on the right.
This will give you the option to select the Mode you want. The Mode of course should be the same as the settings of the video output device (e.g. for example a studio camera).
Here for example we have selected an NDI device with a manually set Mode of 1080p30 and mapped it to ID #1:
NOTE: Generally speaking, we recommend selecting AUTO for the Mode parameter, as this setting will automatically determine the correct resolution and framerate of the video input. See later.
NOTE: In some cases (e.g. older generation capture cards, web cameras), you'll need to manually specify the correct Mode settings to receive any video input signal.
AUTO Mode
The AUTO mode only applies to video inputs.
If you leave the Mode empty it is the same as if you would set it to AUTO.
The AUTO setting will automatically detect the video input signal's resolution and frame rate.
IMPORTANT: If you map a device, you will only be able to use it with the mapped settings. If the device settings change then you have to change the corresponding settings in the Device Mapper as well (unless the Mode is set to AUTO), or unmap it and use it without mapping.
NOTE: As the AUTO mode automatically determines the correct Mode settings for the video input signal, it allows for changing settings on the input device (e.g. studio camera) without the need for manually changing the corresponding settings in the Device Mapper.
Video Outputs
In order to better understand assigning indexed video outputs to output devices, please refer to this article.
Video outputs can be mapped on the main screen of the Startup Configuration window called Video Outputs.
Here, at the end of each row (device) you can select an output Index.
We recommend the following allocations:
- for the monitor running Aximmetry Composer,
#1 for your Preview output,
#2 for your Program output,
#3 & up - all other outputs,
in the Startup Config window.
Example of named video outputs exposed in Aximmetry Composer's Flow Editor demonstrating the recommended allocations:
Camera Tracking
As for camera tracking devices, you can select a Calibration Profile.
Calibration Profile is an XML file that is created by the Aximmetry Camera Calibrator application to be used by Aximmetry. It contains tracking and lens calibration data.
The list of Calibration Profiles comes from Aximmetry Camera Calibrator, however, there is an option to select an external file.
By clicking OK you can browse your PC for such files.
More on camera tracking, calibration, and camera profiles here: Introduction to Tracking
In Aximmetry
In Aximmetry, the devices mapped will appear as Mapped: #mapped ID device name.
Again, if you select the mapped Device, the Mode pin value will be grayed out, since you have already mapped a Mode for it.
If you select the same Device not as mapped, the Mode pin value will be grayed out, since you have already mapped the Mode for it. We already discussed in this document that a Device can only be mapped once. If it is mapped, the Mode cannot be changed.
If you want to change the device Mode, you have to unmap the Device.
Unmapping and Changing Device Mode
Go to the Device Mapper using the previously established method or with Aximmetry running, click Edit in the menu, and select Device Mapper.
Find the Device you want to unmap and select none of the devices.
In order to change the Mode of a Device, you don't have to unmap it, you can just change the Mode settings.
Click OK to finalize the changes.
