Note: this software was tested with Windows XP SP2 & 3 and windows 7 64bit. It has been reported to work with vista.
The first thing you need to do when you get the Software kit is install .NET 1.1, 2.0, 3.0, 3.5, (windows 7 has .NET already) and Microsoft's DirectX Runtime. Currently I'm providing these install files with the software but they can also be downloaded off of Microsoft's website.
To familiarize yourself with it I recommend hooking up a webcam, or any other video device that you are in control of, and start experimenting with the settings. Or, you can go to File -> Open MJPEG Url and either select one of the public video streams (or paste in your own). (Note: your frame rate for a MJPEG stream will be limited by network speeds, not by your computer or the software)
Starting from v2.0 on, tooltips are shown for each setting therefore this instrucitons page will focus on other topics like calibration.
The object recognition features in this software are very flexible. In general the software compares each new target to images in the Reference Targets folder. Then based on user settings, accepts or reject them as a match. Keep the images relatively small and remove target images that are not going to be needed or used. Too many images or images that are very large may slow the software down.
How to add/remove more object recognition images:
To add more reference images: while in auto targeting mode, simply click the target as it's being tracked. The software will find the target closest to your click piont, create a new folder labeled "[date] Motion Image", and save the motion image to that folder as a time stamped bmp file. Then you need to rename it with a description followed by a 2 digit number and move it to the Reference Targets folder. A list of example file names would be Person01.bmp, Person02.bmp, Dog01.bmp, etc. Once you're finished you would click Update Reference Image List (or restart the program) and the new object will be added to the list. From there you can select how and if you want to filter them.
To remove reference images: The program will need to be closed first. then you can move them out of that folder to another one in case you may want to use them again later. When the program is started up again it will add whatever images are in the Reference Targets folder.
There are 2 categories of sound files, the ones played when a target is found and when a target is lost.
You can replace the mp3s with whatever you want but they have to conform to the file names already there. there are 15 for when a target is found (i.e. a1.mp3) and 10 for when it is lost (i.e. b1.mp3). For example, if you want it to randomly select from 4 mp3s when a target is found you will need to duplicate the files until there are 15 of them and then rename them a1.mp3 - a15.mp3. (Do not do this while the program is running.)
Initial calibration must be done before the system is used for the very first time and any time a new/different camera is installed. (The default calibration map is for a Logitec Pro 9000.) It does not need to be done when swapping paintball/airsoft guns. Instead, an adjustable offset value is used to line the new gun up to the existing calibration map.
It is best to calibrate the system against a large wall whose distance from the system is equal to the average distance you expect targets to appear.
There are 20 points used to map the turret to the camera. '1' must be near the left edge and higher than 2. 2 must be near the right edge and lower than 1. The positions of the rest of the points are not critical but they should be spread fairly evenly around the largest target area you plan on using. If the system is on the ground and you know you'll never be targeting anything in the upper half of the screen (in the air) you can concentrate the points in the lower half of the screen.
There should also be a laser on the paintball gun which is needed to indicate exactly where the gun is aiming. Be aware that the laser will be very difficult to see against certain backdrops especially if the laser is only 5mw (standard for laser pointers). It may be best to do calibration at night for this reason. Do not expect the laser to be an accurate indicator of where the pb gun will actually shoot since the painball will drop a little depending on distance. After calibration you may need to use offsets to align the pb gun by firing it.
To begin, Select Calibration in the mode selector, click the Turret Calibration tab page and click the Start Calibration button. Make sure the Turret Connected checkbox is checked, the servo controller is hooked up correctly and powered on, a video source is running and the comport is correct. Use the X and Y sliders to manually aim the turret where you want. Then point the mouse to the spot on the image that the gun is aimed at, (indicated by the laser), and click it to save it. Repeat that procedure for the rest of the points and click Calculate when you are finished.
When calibration is complete its accuracy should be verified by switching to Mouse Aiming mode and testing random areas of the image.
Manual Aiming is done by selecting Mouse Aim in the mode selector and simply hovering the mouse where you want the turret to aim. Firing is done with the left mouse button. It was built into the system to verify calibration.
Auto Aim is the primary mode of this system. When Auto Fire is enabled along with Auto Aim the system will automatically track, anticipate and engage targets based on the system settings. It's performance and accuracy is largely dependant on correct calibration and on how well the settings are adjusted.
Auto Fire has 2 main modes, Full Auto and Semi-Auto. In full auto the system will hold the trigger while a valid target is present. In semi-auto it will pull and release the trigger at a user specified interval and count down rounds as it fires. When rounds remaining equals zero it will cease fire.