AutoCal 3.
AutoCal 3.
NOTICES COPYRIGHT AND TRADEMARKS © 2014 Christie Digital Systems USA, Inc. - All rights reserved. All brand names and product names are trademarks, registered trademarks or trade names of their respective holders. REGULATORY The product has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the product is operated in a commercial environment.
Christie AutoCal End User License Agreement 1.This Software License Agreement (the “Agreement”) is a legal agreement between the end user, either an individual or business entity, (“Licensee”) and Christie Digital Systems USA, Inc.
No Warranty; Limitations of Liability 9.No Warranties: The Software is provided "as is" and Christie makes no warranty of any kind with regard to the Software. Christie will not be liable for errors contained in the Software or in connection with the performance or use of the Software. Christie does not warrant that the Software is free from any defects or that it will operate uninterrupted.
Table of Contents Install and Set up AutoCal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Hardware recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Software recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Camera recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Connect projectors to the control computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Assign a projector ID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Locate corners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Map points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Confirm layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Analyze layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Run calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Manage the Image Position and Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
View diagnostic files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Export diagnostic files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Unable to locate cameras or projectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Unable to connect a camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Projector unresponsive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Invalid calibration file loaded . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Install and Set up AutoCal This section provides information and procedures for installing and setting up AutoCal.
Install and Set up AutoCal • Christie StIM WU projectors must have Main Software version 1.4.5 or later installed • Christie StIM WQ projectors must have Main Software version 1.2 or later installed • Christie J Series projectors must have Main Software version 1.1.0 or later installed • Christie D4K series projectors must have Main Software version 1.3 or later installed • Adobe Reader 11 or later • Christie Twist 2.
Install and Set up AutoCal 2. Connect an Ethernet cable from each projector to the network hub. Assign a projector ID 1. Press Menu on the keypad or the remote. 2. Select 4 Configuration. 3. Select 7 Communication. 4. Select 4 Projector Address. 5. Specify a unique identification number. 6. Press Menu. Add the projector to the network Alternative network routing options can cause time-outs and interfere with software functionality. 1. Press Menu on the keypad or the remote. 2. Select 4 Configuration. 3.
Install and Set up AutoCal Assign a projector port number When you add projectors to a configuration, you can search all available ports or specify a specific port. To associate a projector with a specific port, you must know the port number. 1. Press Menu on the keypad or the remote. 2. Select 4 Configuration. 3. Select 7 Communication. 4. Select 5 Ethernet Settings. 5. Make sure the correct port number is displayed. 6. Press the Menu.
Install and Set up AutoCal Install AutoCal and camera drivers Use the AutoCal installation wizard to install AutoCal and the camera drivers. Christie recommends that you only install the drivers for the cameras connected to the control computer. Installing multiple drivers from different manufacturers can cause software conflicts and prevent the cameras from working correctly. Uninstall previous software versions Before upgrading to AutoCal 3.
Install and Set up AutoCal 2. Select the 32-bit or 64-bit installer that matches your Windows version. 3. Click Next when the Setup Wizard appears. 4. Select the I accept the terms in the License Agreement. Click Next. 5. Select one of these options: • Typical - installs AutoCal and the Point Grey camera drivers in the default installation directory. • Custom - installs AutoCal and the selected camera drivers in a directory you specify. 6.
Install and Set up AutoCal Licensing A software license key is included with AutoCal. If the software key is lost or altered, AutoCal will not function. Use this procedure to generate a request file and send it to Christie. Request a license key 1. On the Help tab, click the Request button. 2. Browse to a location to save the .dat file, and click Save. 3. Click Close. 4. Open your email application and add the .dat file as an attachment. 5. Send the .dat file to Christie Technical Support.
Install and Set up AutoCal Technical support North and South America: +1-800-221-8025 or techsupport@christiedigital.com Europe, Middle East, and Africa: +44 (0) 1189 778111 or techsupportemea@christiedigital.com Asia Pacific: tech-asia@christiedigital.com 8 AutoCal 3.5 User Manual 020-100985-03 Rev.
Manage Projectors When you add projectors to your configuration, they appear in the Projector panel. Use the Projector panel to view information about connected projectors. To view the details about a projector expand the Details list. To add a projector, you need the IP address, and the port number. To identify the IP address and port number, press MENU > 4 CONFIGURATION > 7 COMMUNICATIONS > 5 ETHERNET SETTINGS. To reorder the projectors, select a projector and click Move Up or Move Down.
Manage Projectors Manually add a projector to a configuration Use this procedure if your projectors cannot be detected automatically, or are not on the same subnet. To manually add a projector to a configuration, you must provide the projector IP address and port. 1. Start AutoCal. See Start AutoCal on page 6. 2. Click New. 3. Click Projector in the left pane. 4. Click Add in the lower left pane. 5. Click the Manual tab. 6. Complete the IP Address and Password fields. 7. Click Search. 8.
Manage Cameras This section provides information and procedures for managing projectors. Add a camera Use the Camera panel to locate cameras, add them to your configuration, and change exposure and binarization settings. 1. Click Add. 2. To select all of the cameras, click Select All. To clear your selection, click Select None. To select individual cameras, press CTRL and select the cameras. If you have recently connected a new camera, click Refresh to see it. 3. Click OK.
Manage Cameras Manage camera profiles Camera profiles must be registered on cameras that originally shipped with AutoCal 2.0. You do not need to register camera profiles for cameras sold with AutoCal 3.5 or later. Camera profiles for cameras shipped with AutoCal 3.5 are stored on the camera. A camera profile defines the technical characteristics of a camera and its lens. The camera calibration process defines the position and orientation parameters of a camera.
Manage Cameras When a binarized image is taken, the projector(s) in the system display a black background with a white grid. (If Camera Markers are selected, the camera visible markers are turned on to select a correct binarization and exposure value to detecting these markers). When a single camera and projector are activated, you can adjust the binarization threshold and camera exposure of the selected camera. By default, AutoCal determines exposure and binarization settings automatically.
Manage Cameras 6. Drag the Exposure slider back and forth or click the - and + buttons to adjust the amount of time the camera shutter remains open while capturing images. 7. Click the Thresholding Mode button and then drag the Threshold slider back and forth to adjust the brightness of an image pixel before it appears in the binarized image. i When using multiple cameras, adjust binarization and exposure settings individually for each one.
Manage Cameras Add 3D Points to the System View You add 3D points to the system view to define the edges of the screen. To calibrate the camera, you must have a minimum of 4 points. With a multiple camera installation, Christie recommends that each pair of overlapping cameras share 4 points. Following this recommendation, the number of points required for a 2 camera installation is 8, with 6 seen by each camera.
Manage Cameras • Select Prompt to have receive a prompt to run an automatic camera calibration. • Click Add to add an ACT device to the configuration. • Select an ACT device and click Remove to remove it. • Click Test Calibration to run an automatic camera calibration. Locate corners AutoCal can automatically locate the corners of your screen that correspond to the corners defined in the System View. This feature works best for planar rectangular screens.
Manage Cameras 2. For fine adjustments to corner locations, press and hold the CTRL key. A zoom window appears, allowing you to drag a circle by small increments. Press CTRL + the arrow keys to move a selected circle by 10 pixels. To move a circle by 1 pixel, Press CTRL + SHIFT + the arrow keys. Release the CRTL key to close the zoom window. Add points manually To add 2D calibration points select the points with your mouse and drag them from the system view to the camera view.
Manage Cameras Option Spherical Description The position of screen markers based upon Radius (distance between the screen marker and the origin), Yaw (the angle of the screen marker about the Z-axis), and Pitch (the angle of the screen marker from the horizontal plane). By default, the coordinates are Cartesian: X, Y, and Z. 4. To move the corresponding 2D point in the Camera View, select the camera in the Camera View list. 5. Drag the 2D point or change its values in the marker table. 6.
Manage Cameras Analyze layout Analyze your configuration to create a mapping between the camera and projector coordinate systems. Click the Home tab and click Analyze. The display area for the projectors (green), the screen area (blue), and the overlapped areas (red) is displayed. Run calibration Before beginning a calibration, make sure that these conditions are true: • The screen is defined. • The required cameras are imported, activated, and calibrated (with green calibration numbers).
Manage Cameras • Camera images are focused • Manual exposure and threshold values are correct. • Images are not over exposed. To begin a calibration: 1. On the File tab, click Save to save the current configuration. 2. Click Run to begin a full calibration.
Manage the Image Position and Layout This section provides information and procedures for manipulating the displayed image. Set up screen definitions This section outlines procedures for setting up the geometry definitions that define the characteristics of the physical projection screen. Use the Screen panel to change these settings. When you select a screen shape, a default system view appears.
Manage the Image Position and Layout 4. Complete these fields: • Min. H. Angle: The minimum horizontal angle measured from the center of the screen to the left side. • Max. H Angle: The maximum horizontal angle measured from the center of the screen to the right side. 5. Complete these fields: • Min. V. Angle: The minimum vertical angle measured from the center of the screen to the bottom. • Max. V. Angle: The maximum vertical angle measured from the center of the screen to the top.
Manage the Image Position and Layout Define layout A layout defines the location of each channel. A layout must match the parameters of the content or image generator. Warps are automatically generated so the projected image matches the specified layout. There are the 4 different methods to define the channel extents for a system: Planar, Planar (Advanced), Spherical, and Spherical Collimated.
Manage the Image Position and Layout 2. Enter the channel extents for each channel (specified in screen relative percentages).
Manage the Image Position and Layout For planar screens, the default eye point is in the middle of the screen. For cylindrical or spherical screens, the default eye point is in the center of curvature. 3. For each channel in the Spherical Channel Extents table, adjust these settings: Setting Description Yaw The angle of rotation about the Z-axis, describing the left-to-right direction of the channel’s heading.
Manage the Image Position and Layout b. To copy the cells to the Windows clipboard, click the Copy button. Paste the cells into your spreadsheet application. c. Change the values as required. d. Copy the cells from the spreadsheet into the Windows clipboard. e. Click the upper-left corner of the cell grid you want to paste in AutoCal, and click the Paste button. Collimated spherical data Collimated spherical projection is the projection of spherical data onto a mirror which the viewer then sees.
Use AutoCal Read this chapter to learn about AutoCal features, how to use controls, and more. View ribbon Use the View ribbon to customize what the projectors display on screen and what is visible in the AutoCal application window. Two configuration views are available; Camera View and System View. Camera view The Camera view shows what is currently visible in your cameras.
Use AutoCal • To zoom in or out, use the wheel button on your mouse or click the zoom in and zoom out buttons. • Click the capture button to capture an image from the camera. • Click the fit button to fit the current image to the camera view window. • Click the pause button to pause the real-time view from the camera. The Camera Views area includes these buttons: Button Description Calibration Points Shows or hides calibration points around the edge of the screen.
Use AutoCal • To rotate the image, click the left mouse button and drag. • To change the position of the image, click the right mouse button and drag. • To zoom in or out, use the wheel button on your mouse. • To return to the default axis positions, press the reset button beside the View list. The System View area includes these buttons: Button Description Surface Show or hide the screen surface. Wireframe Show or hide a wireframe of the screen surface.
Use AutoCal Button Description Blend Applies or removes a standard or user-defined blend. Show/Hide Markers Displays or hides markers. Virtual Remote Displays the virtual remote application. Test pattern ribbons Use the Test Pattern ribbon to display test patterns and troubleshoot calibration issues. You cannot display test patterns with an Advanced Planar layout. Two Test Pattern ribbons are available; Planar and Spherical.
Use AutoCal Spherical test pattern ribbon Button Description Draw Displays a test pattern on the screen. Clear Removes a test pattern from the screen. Grid Color Changes the color of grind points at 1°, 5°, and 90° increments. Point Size Changes the point size. These are the available options: • Small • Medium • Large Fill Color Applies a fill color to the grid test pattern. Draw Borders Adds borders to the test pattern. Native Displays the projector image without warps or blends.
Use AutoCal Set units of measurement To set the units of measurement used by AutoCal, select one in the Units list. Warping and blending 1. In the Warping & Blending area, in the Name field, enter the warp/ blend name to be sent and saved to the projector. 2. In the Mem Location list, select the memory location of the warp/ blend. 3. To include blend calculations, select the Enable Blending check box.
Use AutoCal Access a saved blend To apply a saved blend to the projector, select the projector in the Projector panel, and then select the blend in the Blend list on the Projector Control tab. 1. Press the Menu button on the projector keypad or the remote. Use the up and down arrow keys on the project keypad to make selections. 2. Select 4 Configuration. 3. Select 8 Geometry and Color. 4. Select 4 Edge Blending. 5. Select 1 Blending Select to access a drop-down menu containing all saved blend locations.
Use AutoCal • Mask to Screen: Masking is applied to the shape of the screen geometry. • From Twist File: Brightness uniformity and masking settings are taken from the Twist file specified in the Twist area of the Options panel. Using this setting, you could customize masking settings in Christie Twist and then use these settings in AutoCal. • Fit Order: Select the order of magnitude used to adjust the mathematical model to fit the collected data.
Use AutoCal Projector Use these settings to specify projector-related options. To show these settings, on the Options panel, click the expand button beside Projector. • Grid Box Size: Sets the size (in pixels) of grid points that AutoCal draws during calibration. • Mapper Spacing: Sets the spacing of the grid points used by AutoCal during calibration. The value specified is a multiplier of the grid box size.
Troubleshooting This section provides information and procedures for resolving common AutoCal issues. If you cannot resolve a projector issue, contact Christie Technical Support. For contact information see on page 1. View and export diagnostics When you are troubleshooting AutoCal issues, Christie Technical Support may ask you to view diagnostics files, such as log files or images, or send those files to Christie for further analysis.
Troubleshooting Unable to locate cameras or projectors • Ensure computer network connectivity. • Check cable connections (computer, camera, projectors, etc.). • Make sure that the computer is on the same subnet as the camera/ projector. • Attempt to access the projector’s Web interface. If you can reach it, then enter the IP address of the projector on the Manual tab of the Select Projectors dialog. • Check the Ethernet firmware version on the projector.
Troubleshooting If your cameras use dynamic IP addresses: • Select LLA & Persistent IP. • Select DHCP. • Click Set IP Address/Subnet 8. Click Test Camera Connection. 9. Reconnect the camera to the network. 10. Click Test Camera Connection. If the camera is not recognized, see the documentation provided by the camera manufacturer for diagnostic information. Projector unresponsive • Check power. • Check cable connections. • Check ability to search for projectors.
Troubleshooting 2. If the tolerance remains greater than 1.0 after adjusting the 2D calibration points: • ensure screen dimensions are correct. • ensure 3D calibration points are defined accurately. Poor calibration results Make sure that you have adequate camera coverage on the screen. Make sure you have calibrated your camera successfully. Review your exposure and binarization settings. If you used automatic exposure and binarization, select manual and adjust the values yourself.
Troubleshooting DALSA Genie camera status This table shows the statuses that correspond to each LED state for the DALSA Genie camera.
Troubleshooting Problems with device communication • Check that Network Routing is set to Separate. See Add the projector to the network on page 3. • Confirm that the network settings for the camera are correct. • • If you are using Point Grey cameras, click Start > All Programs > Christie > AutoCal 3.5 > Point Grey Utilities > GigEConfigurator. • If you are using Dalsa cameras, click Start > All Programs > DALSA > Sapera Network Imaging Package > DALSA Network Configuration Tool.
United Kingdom ph: +44 118 977 8000 Eastern Europe ph: +36 (0) 1 47 48 100 Singapore ph: +65 6877-8737 Japan ph: 81-3-3599-7481 France ph: +33 (0) 1 41 21 00 36 Middle East ph: +971 (0) 4 299 7575 Beijing ph: +86 10 6561 0240 South Korea ph: +82 2 702 1601 Germany ph: +49 2161 664540 Spain ph: + 34 91 633 9990 Shanghai ph: +86 21 6278 7708
