| Please note that this is a BETA version of the document. All information presented is correct but we are working on improving the details. |
Viper Setup
Please follow the manufacturer's documentation on mounting the hardware, and installing the Viper software on your PC.
Lens Mapping
First, start the Viper software. It expects to define a curve for each encoder. The curve maps the different encoder positions to focal lengths or focus distances. When using Aximmetry this is not needed, since the mapping has to be done in Aximmetry's own Camera Calibrator. Therefore, it's recommended to define a simple two-point linear curve in Viper. The values do not matter, but we recommend using the [1,2] interval for simplicity.
Click CONNECT TO HARDWARE.
Set the zoom ring to the widest position on your camera. Enter 1 as the Lens Value and click ADD POINT.
Then set the zoom ring to the narrowest position on your camera. Enter 2 as the Lens Value and click ADD POINT.
Click CREATE CURVE. You should get a curve like this:
Click SAVE CURVE. Name it as you wish. From now on, whenever you use the system with Aximmetry, select and load this curve.
Defining Aximmetry Zoom Device
Go to Manage Devices in Aximmetry. This can be reached from the Startup Configuration of either Aximmetry Composer or Aximmetry Camera Calibrator.
Alternatively, if you've already started Aximmetry Composer, you can modify the device setup at any time by choosing the Edit menu / Manage Devices...
Find the Vanishing Viper device type and click Add...
The UDP port number has to be identical to the one you set up in the Viper software, usually, it's the default 5555.
Click OK. The device is added to the list.
Click OK.
Lens Calibration
In order to get any encoder hardware to work in Aximmetry, you have to go through a lens calibration procedure for your camera. You can do this using either Aximmetry Camera Calibrator (recommended) or Aximmetry Basic Calibrator.
In Camera Calibrator, specify the newly defined device like the Zoom Device, and set Tracking Device to whichever system you use for camera position tracking.
NOTE: The Tracking Device parameter has been renamed to Calibration Profile in recent releases.
Using the encoders in a scene
When you specify the inputs of your scene with TrackedCam, specify the Viper device as the Zoom Device. Select the lens file you created with Camera Calibrator in Tracking Mode and set Tracking Device to whichever system you use for camera position tracking.
NOTE: The Tracking Device parameter has been renamed to Calibration Profile in recent releases.
