Calibration and Camera Control
  • 20 Jan 2023
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Calibration and Camera Control

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Article Summary

Section 5: Calibration and Camera Control

This section describes how to calibrate ARwall ARFX using the patented XR Sync system and describes how to use the ARwall camera controls once ARFX is up and running.

Section 5.1: XR Sync Calibration

This section describes how to calibrate ARwall ARFX using the patented XR Sync system. This process is the same whether running ARFX through the ARFX Launcher or through Unreal Engine 4

Once the ARwall ARFX Launcher scene is up and running, calibrate the scene so that the proportions and parallax looks correct to the tracked physical camera. To perform calibration in ARwall ARFX, do the following: 

  1.  Press the TAB key on a keyboard or X button on an Xbox controller, the calibration screen will open. Locate the center of the screen marked by the red crosshairs.  image-1668739142553
  2. The green triangle/square that appears represents the calibration tracker. The current position is always relative to the last calibration point but should always move in relationship to wherever you move the calibration puck.
    1. NOTE: The green triangle/square should move when moving one of the trackers connected to the system. This is the tracker previously set as the calibration tracker. If this is not the intended tracker for calibration, either swap the trackers physical positions (on the camera vs next to the screen) or swap the serial numbers as mentioned under Section 4.2: Setting up the ARFX Launcherimage-1668739176027
  3. Place the calibration puck flat against the screen and centered on the crosshairs with the green light on the tracker facing up (for 2.0 Trackers) and with the green light on the tracker facing down (for 3.0 Trackers). Both 2.0 and 3.0 Trackers will have the cable pointed up for correct calibration. Press the Calibration button (that was set previously under Hotkeys, by default it should be the C key on keyboard and B button on Xbox controller) while the calibration puck is on the crosshairs, then press TAB (or whichever button was previously set under Hotkeys) to exit the calibration screen.

    image-1668739213253image-1668739258250
    1. BEST PRACTICE: Feel free to press the Calibration button again if it does not look like it calibrated correctly the first time. Make sure the calibration tracker is positioned in place on the red crosshairs, until it looks like the ARFX Screen looks correctly positioned and does not jump around a lot between calibration button presses. This ensures that you have the most optimal calibration.
    2. NOTE: It is good practice to recalibrate anytime a lighthouse is moved or bumped, even if very minute. This could cause jitter/jumping of the virtual camera if not recalibrated.

 

Section 5.2: Camera Control

This section describes how to use the ARwall camera controls for both keyboard and Xbox controller once the ARFX Launcher is launched and calibrated. 

  1. Launch ARFX Launcher and calibrate. Refer to Section 4: ARwall ARFX Launcher and Section 5.1: XR Sync Calibration for further details. 
  2. Move the Hero Tracker (tracker on the physical camera) within the designated play area as dictated by the base stations. The scene should show the correct parallax.


    This section describes how to correct common issues that may occur.
    The right side of the virtual scene environment.  Move the physical camera right, you should see more of the left side of the virtual scene environment. Move the physical camera up, you should see more of the bottom of the virtual scene environment. Move the physical camera down, you should see more of the top of the virtual scene environment. Move the physical camera closer to the screen, you should see more of the virtual scene environment. Move further from the screen, you should see less of the environment.   
    If this is not what you’re seeing, try to calibrate again and make sure that the base stations can clearly see each other and the trackers. Refer to Section 3.4 Base Station Placement for further details. 

    The default virtual camera controls are described in Table 4 below.

    Table 4: Camera Controls

    Action 

    Keyboard

    Xbox Controller

    To move the virtual camera

    Use the WASD navigation controls:

    • W = Forward
    • S = Backwards
    • A = Left
    • D = Right

    Left Stick is the Forward, Backwards, Left, and Right control.

    To move the virtual camera up or down

    Use the following controls:

    • Q = Down
    • E = Up

    Left Trigger is to move vertically down

    Right Trigger is to move vertically up

    To rotate/pan the virtual camera left or right

    Use the following controls:

    • Use the left arrow (←) to pan the camera left.
    • Use the right arrow (→) to pan the camera right.

    Right Stick pans the camera
     
    LB (Left shoulder button) rotates 90 degrees left

     

    RB (Right shoulder button) rotates 90 degrees right

    To toggle the calibration menu

    Use the Tab key:

    • Press Tab to toggle on/off 

    X button to toggle on/off 

    To calibrate the screen (while holding up the calibration puck to the center of the screen crosshairs, so the parallax and camera tracking look correct)

    Use the C key:

    • Press while calibration puck is held in the center of the screen

    B button while calibration puck is held in the center of the screen

    To toggle focus method

    Use the F key:

    • Press F to toggle on/off the focus method

    A button or press down the Right Stick button to toggle on/off the focus method

    To toggle focal distance input (also adds focal plane)

    Use the P key:

    • Press P to toggle on/off the Draw Focus Plane, should look like a transparent purple wall on screen indicating your focus plane
    • Use the up arrow () and the down arrow () to change the focal distance

    Y button or while in normal mode: hold D-PAD Down arrow to toggle between focus enabled mode and normal mode.

     

    While in focus enabled mode:

    • Press D-PAD Right arrow to increase Focal Distance (+)
    • Press D-PAD Left arrow to decrease Focal Distance (-)

    To toggle camera debug info

    Use the Z key:

    • Press Z to toggle on the camera debugging, positional data, rotation data, and FPS
    • Press the Z key again to remove positional and rotational data, but keeping FPS
    • Press the Z key again to toggle off camera debugging

    Press the View button (looks like 2 rectangles) to toggle on/off camera debug info

    image-1668739384789


    To change bookmark or preset camera angle

    Use the minus (-) or equal (=) keys:

    • Press the + key to fly to the next bookmark
    • Press the key to fly to the previous bookmark

    While in normal mode: 

    • Press D-PAD Right arrow to fly to the next bookmark

    To toggle snap mode of the virtual camera 

     

    (This forces the virtual camera to snap towards a direction on the virtual environment.)

    Use the T key:

    • Press T to toggle between snap mode and normal mode.


     While in snap mode:

    • Press the Up arrow () once to snap vertically up 
    • Hold the Up arrow () to snap forward
    • Press the Right arrow () to snap horizontally right
    • Press the Down arrow () to snap vertically down
    • Hold the Down arrow () to snap backward
    • Press the Left arrow () to snap horizontally left

    Press down Left Stick button to toggle between snap mode and normal mode.
     
     While in snap mode:

    • Tap the D-PAD Up arrow () once to snap vertically up 
    • Hold the D-PAD Up arrow () to snap forward
    • Press the D-PAD Right arrow () to snap horizontally right
    • Tap the D-PAD Down arrow () to snap vertically down
    • Hold the D-PAD Down arrow () to snap backward
    • Press the D-PAD Left arrow () to snap horizontally left

     

    To toggle rotation method

    Press the V key to toggle between:

    • Rotating at camera locked to the Y axis (left and right only) 
    • Rotating at screen (free pitch up and down)

     

    To Rotate:

    • Use the left arrow (←) to rotate the camera left.
    • Use the right arrow (→) to rotate the camera right.

    While in normal mode: press the D-PAD Up arrow to toggle between: 

    • Rotating at camera locked to the Y axis (left and right only)
    • Rotating at screen (free pitch up and down)

     

    To Rotate:

    • Use Right Stick to rotate the camera

    To reset pitch & roll (move method) of the virtual camera

    Press the R key to:

    • Reset the side-to-side or Y axis and the front-to-back of the X axis

    While in normal mode: hold the D-PAD Up arrow to: 

    • Reset the side-to-side or Y axis and the front-to-back of the X axis

    To toggle move method

    N/A

    While in normal mode: Tap the D-PAD Down arrow to toggle on/off moving only in the XY plane (cannot go up/down)

    To bring up the menu system
     
    (Refer to Section 6: ARFX Options Menu for further details)

    Press the ESC key or Backslash (\) to:

    • Open up the menu system, where you can control ARFX settings, Post Process, Hotkeys/controls, audio, etc. 

    Press the Menu button (looks like a hamburger menu) to 

    • Open up the menu system, where you can control ARFX settings, Post Process, Hotkeys/controls, audio, etc.

     image-1668739412650

    To enter Fullscreen in Play mode (if the ARFX screen popups as a window, use this to set it to full screen)

    Select the ARFX Screen and press the F11 key:

    • This will toggle on/off fullscreen mode

    N/A


    Refer to keyboard hotkeys online here: http://www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/#/gists/98cd82217ffe1eb61fc7a6ae19d97862
     
    image-1668739494812
     
    image-1668739522935
     
  3. Change scenes by pressing the appropriate Hotkey numbers (1, 2, 3, etc.), switch previously saved bookmark angles (default button is =), and some scenes have hotkey actions to change the time of day or lighting iteration (default buttons are B, N, M, and [,]). Refer to table below for further details.


ARFX 10 Scenes Demo Launcher Specific Scenes and Features:

Map

Map Hotkey

Lighting Hotkeys

City Block

1

B, N, M

Club

2

N, M, <comma>

Desert

3

B, N, M

Forest

4

B, N, M

Future City

5

B, N, M

Home

6

B, N, M

News Studio

7

N, M, <comma>

Office

8

B, N, M

School

9

B, N, M

Space

0

B, N, M





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