Arago Control Archives - Rigsters

Installer Guide

Pavels — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 11:30:00 +0000

Installer

In case you already have a version of the software installed, please uninstall it prior to installing a new version.

Run the Arago Control Installer file downloaded from a shared direct link received from Rigsters ApS or from downloading a flashing Update within the software.

Initially, the wizard will detect if CaptureGrid 4 (required for Camera Tethering) is already installed on your machine.

Install CaptureGRID 4 if it’s identified as a missing prerequisite.

It is imperative that CaptureGRID 4 is installed at the default location suggested by the installer, for Arago Control to find it and use it.

Once CaptureGRID 4 finishes, continue the installation of Arago Control. Change the installation directory only if Program Files cannot be used. Check the license agreement checkbox or view the License terms and conditions and continue the installation when ready by clicking “Next”.

Choose the users for Arago Control installation and proceed by clicking Next. If prompted by Windows User Account Control to authorize changes, ensure that the application publisher is Rigsters ApS, as depicted in the image below.

Next, wait for the installer to configure your machine and to copy all the required files.

Once complete, configure your network setup to ensure Arago Control can establish communication with the device, as explained in the next section.

Network setup

For optimal communication, we strongly recommend to connect Arago to the computer via a direct ethernet cable.

In case Arago is connected to a computer through an intermediary network governed by a router, this step can be ignored.

When Arago is connected directly to a computer via network cable connection, you must set up a static IP address for the network adapter used. Follow these steps to set it up:

Navigate to Control Panel -> Network and Internet -> Network Connection. Right-click on the Network adapter used by Arago and go to Properties
In the Networking tab, navigate to Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and go to Properties
Select the Use the following IP address bullet-point and type in the following:
IP address: 192.168.0.100
Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0

You’re now set to begin using Arago Control. You can initiate it by searching in the Start menu or by launching the application from the new shortcut on your Desktop.

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Interface Overview

Pavels — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 11:31:22 +0000

The interface of the Arago Control software features multiple panels, each tasked with specific functions or steps within your workflow.

Startup Panel

Upon opening Arago Control, you are welcomed by the Startup Panel, where all your recent projects are presented in the sequence of their last access.

The first panel available within the software is the Startup panel, which provides the following functionality:

“Projects” providing access to recently saved projects
“Learn” tab containing links to this documentation
“Release Notes” tab outlines new features and fixes for all released Arago Control versions
“Open” and “New” options for opening or creating a new project

Creating a New Project

In the Startup Panel click “+ New” button. This will open the New Project panel.

Set a descriptive Project name. We suggest creating one project per subject to scan to ensure segregation of images. The project name will become the name of the project parent folder.
The location of your project can be optionally set. By default, all projects go to “Documents” folder unless specified differently.
The “Create new folder” checkbox ensures a new folder is created at chosen location.

When all set click “Create Project” and the new project will be created and automatically loaded as empty (no positions or scan volumes defined in the scene).

Main Workspace

In this section, we delineate the primary interface components. The subsequent image is annotated with numbers corresponding to each section.

Top toolbar menu
Project name. The name acts as a button that opens the project folder location with Windows File Explorer.
Menu with main Arago Control features for preparing the scan. The “Prescan ” option becomes available only after connecting to Arago.
Space for selected option i.e. Camera
3D tool for interacting with elements in the scene such as positions or scan volumes
Motion control panel for Arago. Buttons are functional only after connecting to Arago.
Counts for positions in scene by color coding.
Green – Count of positions that are looking at the scan volume and Arago is able to traverse.
Yellow – The number of positions without a clear line of sight to the scan volume or where the view is obstructed. Arago will still navigate through these positions regardless.
Red – Invalid positions count existing in scene. Arago is physically unable to travel traverse these positions.
Lastly, here we display the “Distance to Object” from primary camera mounted on the rig to the scan volume, if the scan volume is in sight.
Connect and Motion buttons. “Start” button becomes available if the connection to Arago is established and if there are any valid positions in the scene.
3D – Ortographic scene view toggle
Inspector – populated when selecting either loops, positions or scan volumes.
3D Virtual camera live view
Total valid positions and estimated Capture Time

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Account

Documentation Master — Thu, 16 May 2024 11:17:37 +0000

Introduction

Whether you are utilizing the free tier or possess a perpetual license, logging in with your user credentials is essential. Once logged in, Arago Control will retrieve the necessary configuration to connect to your Arago device and to enable Camera Tethering Support along with all Advanced features if a perpetual license is allocated.

Login

The Login button is accessible at the top right corner of the Welcome Panel.

When you click the Login button, the Login form will appear. Within the form, you’ll find a “Remember me” option, which we suggest enabling to facilitate automatic sign-in by Arago Control in subsequent sessions. Simply input your credentials and proceed with logging in.

Contact info@rigsters.com if you have lost your credentials or if you want a new user account.

After logging in, your user account will appear at the top right corner of the Welcome panel, replacing the Login button. Adjacent to it on the left, you can view the loaded Arago. If you have multiple Aragos, this will be a dropdown menu enabling you to switch between them.

Forgot My Password

In the event of loss of credentials entirely, contact info@rigsters.com. If you have only forgot your password, you can click on “Forgot your password?” in the login form and this will enable the Reset password panel.

How to Reset my Password?

Reset your password if you have forgotten it or upon receiving a set of credentials from Rigsters ApS. It’s advisable to reset the password provided by Rigsters ApS to enhance security measures.

In the Reset password panel enter your email and request a password reset code by clicking Request.

This will send to the specified email a Reset password code in an email entitled “Reset password code”.

Enter the code in the Reset code field and specify a new password. Re-enter the new password in the Confirm password field and click “Send”. A status message will be displayed at the bottom of the form confirming if the process was complete. Now you can login with your new password.

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Connecting to Arago

Documentation Master — Fri, 17 May 2024 12:44:01 +0000

Prerequisites

To establish a connection with Arago, you must first obtain the configuration file linked to your device from Rigsters ApS. To achieve this, simply logging in using the provided credentials will initiate the automatic download of the configuration file corresponding to your Arago.

If you possess multiple devices, choose the Arago you are planning to connect to from the device dropdown menu in the Welcome Panel.

Connect

In the upper right corner of Arago Control locate the “Connect” button and click it. This opens the Connection panel as in the following image:

Click “Connect” and wait for the connection to be established. In case the connection fails, please check your Network Settings.

Once the connection was established successfully, the Arago Control Motion signifier and the LED in the back of the Arago device will change color to green.

Next, you need to initialise Arago to allow Arago Control to synchronize with the device as described in the next section.

Initialise

Prior to selecting “Initialize,” it is crucial to ensure that there are no objects or cables impeding the movement of the device. Any items left on the rails or the turntable could cause serious damage to both the device and the items when moving.

Once you made sure the path is clear, you confirm this step in Arago Control by activating the “Confirm safe motion path” checkbox. This enables the “Initialise” button. Click “Initialise” and wait for all axes to finish traveling.

Once all axes reach their limit point, the Connection panel automatically closes and the initialisation process is complete. Wait for all axes to finish traveling to their home position before engaging any other movement.

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Scanning Guide Using Primitives

Documentation Master — Fri, 17 May 2024 14:12:48 +0000

Introduction

To effectively capture an optimal and adequate set of images of your object, Arago Control offers a range of tools for generating a proxy mesh in the scene and creating stop positions. In this article we discuss how to use the base primitives or an imported object as a proxy mesh and how to generate positions with the base tools included in the standard free package.
Create a project to ensure a good segregation of downloaded images when traveling to capture. Save the project once in a while (CTRL+S).

Primitive Proxy Mesh

You can use a proxy mesh for depicting in the 3D scene roughly the area where your object is on the turntable. This 3D model will be used in positions computations when instantiating positions.
Navigate to the Object panel and select a primitive that best represents the space displaced by your object.

Objects can be added in the scene as Subject or Environment. A Subject represents the volume of the real item being scanned, while Environment refers to elements such as supports or other surfaces that should not be scanned. Environment objects are displayed in black.

In the following image the bunny is a subject and the support is marked as environment.

You can additionally bring in your custom 3D model by accessing the “Import” tab within the present panel. In this case, it is recommended to decimate the imported model beforehand to reduce computation times. The maximum import file size is 10Mb.

Next, you can adjust the dimensions of the proxy mesh to match the real object by overlaping it in augmented reality (AR). Open the live view of your camera, enable the AR overlap by clicking the cube icon highlighted in the image below and adjust the volume to contain the object using the available 3D tools.

Use the scale and position tool to resize and relocate the primitive to match the edges of your object.

Rotate the turntable 90 degrees manually using the Motion panel and re-adjust if needed.

WARNING
It is essential to Calibrate and Pose the camera beforehand to ensure the accuracy of the overlap is sufficient.

Loops and Positions

To rapidly create coherent sets of stops, Arago Control allows bulk generation of positions as ring loops in various configurations. Click on the “Positions” and select “Loops” from the vertical menu on the right.

Now, let’s go through each item and explain their functionality:

Positions Generation Settings

Target lock. When instantiated, positions will lock onto the point on the proxy mesh that corresponds to a forward-cast incident ray. If the ray does not hit the mesh, the property does not apply. All positions with Target Lock will display their forward ray in green when selected.
Distance lock. Instantiated positions will maintain the user-specified distance upon creation. Similar to Target Lock, this property is only effective when the proxy mesh is directly in the position’s line of sight.

Position target type. This property pertains to Multiple Loops. When generating multiple loops in bulk, positions will either focus on the center of the proxy mesh (Centered) or distribute their targets across its height (Height-based).

Distance fields. These refer to the distance between the positions and the proxy mesh surface. All distance fields are measured in millimeters.

The pin icon will fetch the current distance between the primary camera and the surface of the proxy mesh and autocomplete the Distance field with it.

Single Loop

This allows you to define a single ring loop based on the specified number of images. Alternatively, you can specify the granularity of stops in the circle by degrees, as both options are interchangeable.

Align to rig will instantiate the loop at the current orientation and elevation of the primary camera mounted on Arago.

Multiple Loops

This feature enables you to evenly distribute multiple single loops in elevation across the height of the proxy mesh. The Displace checkbox if enabled will adjust the rotation of each consecutive loop by a minimal degree to enhance the parallax effect.

Gradual Top Loops

Allows you to instantiate a sequence of loops that cover the top of the proxy mesh (similar to an oval pot lid). The Max Images field represents the amount of images the lowes loop covering the top is allowed to have. The generative algorithm will decrease the positions count as elevation increases and the generation closes in to the center of the proxy mesh. This is a feature complementary to Multiple Loops which also has a Displace mode.

Start Travel

Once you have setup the proxy mesh and the desired positions, save the project, and go to “Start” in the upper right corner of Arago Control.
This will open the Travel Panel and will provide you a time estimate of the capture.

Click the “Play” icon and Arago will start traveling through each position starting with the highest or the lowest stop point in space. Images will automatically be downloaded in the project folder as Arago traverses the positions and triggers the camera.

Spherical Uniform Generation

This feature allows you to create a more uniform distribution of positions, which can produce good results in many situations and is often more than adequate for objects with simpler shapes. Set the Focus Distance and the Density and click generate. Arago Control will create an even distribution of positions around the subject in the scene and try to instantiate a number of positions up to the value of Density.

You can regulate how wide the distribution of positions from top to bottom should be by dragging the Spread Angles double slider.

Notes

Traveling can be paused and resumed at any times.
Once finished, you can re-capture the object using the same positions by clicking the circle arrow. This is useful for when capturing two sets of images, polarised and unpolarised.

All the process describe in the article is simplified and improved by Prescan to capture the proxy mesh and by the automatic Positions Generator tool described in the Scanning Guide using Prescan and Positions Generator article.

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Scanning Guide using Prescan and Positions Generator

Documentation Master — Fri, 17 May 2024 14:22:06 +0000

Overview

This article will cover a faster workflow for scanning objects using Prescan and Arago Control’s automatic position generator algorithm. Both Prescan and the Position Generator are included under the Arago Control perpetual license agreement. For license inquiries, please contact Rigsters ApS at info@rigsters.com.

Prescan

With Prescan, you can capture the intricate shape, curvature, and spatial position of your object before the actual scanning process begins. This innovative tool establishes a proxy 3D model, providing invaluable insights into optimal camera positions and ensuring seamless mesh reconstruction.

Open the feature by clicking on the “Prescan” button. Note that the feature is disabled if Arago is not connected and initialised.

This will automatically instantiate in the scene the Prescan bounding box which we will describe later in this guide.

It is imperative that the USB connection is of type 3.x or higher to allow high speed data transfers between the Intel RealSense sensor and the PC.

Depth View and Live View

These two toggles enable the Intel RealSense sensor and starts streaming depth data into Arago Control. Depth View allows the user to display the data as a point cloud in the scene. The Live View showcases the flat RGB data, similar to the Camera Tethering Support live view.

Click on Depth View and enable the sensor.

Voxel resolution. If increased, the Prescan reconstruction algorithm will increase in data granularity. This is helpful if you are scanning smaller objects.

Scan mode. There are three available modes and they can be described as follows:

Quick – 1 spin around the bounding box. In most cases this mode is sufficient to get a rough mesh.
Regular – 2 spins around the bounding box, one in the middle and one from the top.
Full – 3 spins around the bounding box, 2 the same as the Regular, plus one rotation from below.

Use current position checkbox is used to specify that the prescan should be conducted from the current elevation in space of the Intel sensor.

Bounding Box

When the Prescan panel is opened, an opaque box is also created in the scene. The space enclosed by this box will determine the region processed during mesh reconstruction.
It is essential that your object is fully contained in the box. Re-adjust the size and the location of the box to fully contain the object. To accommodate the turntable spin, it is recommended to make this box larger than the object by 1/3.

Reconstruction

Once ready, click “Start Prescan” and wait for the travel and reconstruction to finish.

In the lower right corner notice the reconstruction preview which shows you in realtime the results of the remeshing process.
In case the alignment process is failing, the process can be canceled at any time and restarted.

Reconstruction Post-processing

The result of the initial reconstruction can sometimes include outliers or regions that do not consist the object such as the turntable stand. To discard any unwanted area in the initial model the Reconstruction Post-processing step comes in hand with a cleaning, cropping, and fill-holes feature.
Alternatively, the mesh can also be saved if necessary for future scans, though the same functionality can be achieved by simply saving the project.

Click “Finish” once all desired post-processing corrections have been completed. Please note that this action cannot be reversed. Finish, will automatically fill-holes in the mesh and decimate the model for optimal computation times and open the Positions panel in the “Auto” mode which we describe in the next section.

Automatic Positions Generator

This innovative tool streamlines the process of position generation, eliminating the tedious manual labor traditionally associated with scanning setups. Whether you’re embarking on a journey to digitize real-world objects for 3D modeling, preservation, or analysis, the Automatic Positions Generator empowers you to effortlessly create optimal scanning configurations tailored to your specific needs.

The algorithm is based on curvature analysis and ray-tracing and uses your the primary camera sensor size and the focal length to calculate the depth of field frustrum.

You can utilize the feature iteratively until you attain an optimal set of positions that meet your requirements.

The settings available in this panel offer you a direct access to tweak the generative algorithm.

Clean generation. APG can sometimes generate positions to which Arago is unable to travel to. This checkbox ensures that no such positions are generated.
Focus Distance. Represents the distance between the position location and the surface of the proxy mesh. Effectively, this is the camera focus distance.
Occlusion – Scatter slider. This slider adjusts the algorithm’s generative behavior for creating a fixed number of positions. When moved towards “Occlusion,” the algorithm prioritizes areas of the mesh that are occluded. Conversely, sliding it towards “Scatter” causes the algorithm to distribute positions more uniformly. The slider only works with the fixed amount generation button – “Generate Positions”.
Images avg. slider. Indicates how many overlapping images there should be targeted at any point on the visible surface of the object when using the “Generate Optimal Coverage” button.

The default settings should suffice to cover most common settings. Clicking “Generate” will delete all positions in the scene and create a new set based on the provided settings.

Start Travel

After generating the desired set of positions, navigate to “Start” and begin capturing by clicking “Play”. You can pause and resume the process at any time. Additionally, once the travel completes, you can restart the same sequence to capture another set of images using the same positions. This is particularly useful for capturing images under both polarized and non-polarized light.

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Coverage Heatmap

Documentation Master — Wed, 22 May 2024 14:47:51 +0000

Overview

The coverage heatmap is a potent tool for visualizing the density or intensity of data points across the surface of the proxy mesh. It shows the areas on the object’s surface which will be captured by the current set of instantiated positions and uses a color coding gradient to show the overlap.

This feature is included as part of the license agreement for Arago Control. If you wish to acquire a license contact Rigsters ApS at info@rigsters.com.

Depth of Field

Camera depth of field (DOF) refers to the range of distance within a photo that appears acceptably sharp and in focus. It is an essential concept not just in photography but also when reconstructing a 3D model with photogrammetry. It refers to how much of the scene is clear versus blurred. A good set of images should include as many clear shots of the object as possible. Arago Control helps create these images by calculating the DOF and generating the coverage heatmap for visualisation purposes.

Clicking on any position looking at the proxy mesh enables the direct ray and the DOF frustrum as in the image below.

The DOF frustum is determined using the camera settings Focal length, Aperture, Sensor Width, and Sensor Height. It is essential that these properties are set correctly in the primary camera settings in the Camera Tethering Support panel.

Heatmap

The heatmap is build based on the overlap of all incident DOF frustrums of the images from each position instantiated and color codes the model from red to green to cyan based on how many overlapping images there are. Red means one image, green means at least 5 images while any gradient of cyan, stronger or weaker means more than 5 by a few or by many.

You can visualise the heatmap for only a selected group of positions. You can click on one loop, a single position or area select and the heatmap will be displayed only for your current selection. You can select individual points also by holding Shift key and clicking on either to form a group selection. You can remove from your selection by holding Ctrl key and clicking on selected positions.

If the number of positions is sufficient, the heatmap will reflect this by coloring the proxy mesh green (or cyan). Zones colored in white indicate that there are no positions targeting that area. Any non-green surface indicates that the maximum criteria have not yet been met and additional positions are required or that part of the surface is uncoverable due to physical constraints.

To add more positions in scene either change the settings in the Automatic Positions Generator and regenerate a new set of positions or instantiate more Loops and position them towards the non-green areas.

Computing the heatmap is a CPU-intensive operation. We are aware processing spikes can occur when working with large meshes. The speed of the algorithm is liniearly slowed by the sheer count of mesh vertices in the scene. If you are working with imported models, we strongly advise to decimate them beforehand.

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Prescan Function

Pavels — Sat, 18 Jan 2025 08:11:53 +0000

The Prescan feature in Arago Control software leverages the Intel RealSense Depth Camera D415 mounted on an Arago Photogrammetry rig. It moves along 3 axes and streams a volumetric view in real-time, allowing users to create a quick 3D scan of an object. This proxy 3D model is then used to determine optimal camera positions for photogrammetric capture. Below, we address common issues and best practices to ensure successful use of the Prescan feature.

Why is my Prescan not working properly?

1. Hardware Requirements Not Met

Ensure your system meets the necessary hardware requirements. The Prescan process involves real-time depth frame streaming and 3D reconstruction, which can be computationally intensive. Slower computers may drop frames or lose tracking, leading to a lower-quality 3D model. Check the minimum hardware requirements here.

2. Unstable USB Connection

Verify that the Intel RealSense Depth Camera is connected via a stable USB 3.1 powered connection. An unstable connection can slow down the depth frame transfer, impacting Prescan performance.

3. Why are certain objects difficult to scan?

Some objects pose challenges for the Prescan sensor, including:

Highly symmetrical objects
Very shiny or transparent surfaces
Featureless objects (single flat color)
Small objects (under 5-10 cm in size)

4. Solutions for Scanning Problematic Objects

Add Features for Better Tracking
Place the object on a feature-rich surface, such as a box with random markings and high-contrast points. Prescan both the object and the surface together. Use the “Crop using bounding box” tool in the Prescan Post-processing panel to digitally remove the assisting object after the scan. Learn more about cropping here.
In case the assisting box/objects is not required for the capture step, it can be removed. Keep in mind, that this would change the location of your object and the position of the prescanned 3D model would have to be adjusted to match the new location.
Slow Down the Turntable Speed
Reducing the turntable speed (e.g., to half-speed or less) allows the sensor to gather more depth frames, improving tracking and overall 3D model quality.
Optimal Sensor Placement
Ensure the camera is not too close or too far from the object. The object should not be cropped out of the field of view (FOV) and should occupy a substantial portion of the frame without being too small.
Reconstruction Region
Define the reconstruction region carefully. Ensure it does not crop the object during turntable rotation. A cube-shaped region larger than the object is recommended, as empty space around the object will not affect the reconstruction process.

5. How can I address exposure issues during Prescan?

Set Depth Sensor Exposure Region of Interest.
High contrast between the object and its background (e.g., a white object against a black background) can cause over- or underexposure. Use the “RGB Camera” live view panel to define a custom exposure region that ensures proper illumination of the object.

6. Best Practices Summary

Confirm hardware requirements are met.
Use a stable USB 3.1 powered connection.
Place challenging objects on feature-rich surfaces to aid tracking.
Adjust turntable speed to improve depth frame capture.
Frame the object properly, ensuring it occupies an optimal portion of the FOV.
Define the reconstruction region to fully encompass the object.
Adjust exposure settings for better performance in high-contrast scenarios

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Camera Calibration and Posing

Pavels — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 11:32:49 +0000

Overview

This section describes the process and best practices for calibrating your camera installed on Arago.

It is essential to calibrate the camera after mounting it on Arago to calculate all its intrinsics such as position and orientation in space, field of view and focal length. All resulting values collectively contribute to an optimal set of captured images used for reconstructing your subject. Arago Control utilizes the calibration values when interpreting camera live view AR overlap, positioning the camera 3D twin representation, automatic positions generator, camera focus frustum, and computing the coverage heatmap.
The calibration process has to be performed only once per camera+lens combination. Resulting calibration values are then saved as a calibration preset and can be re-used in your future projects.

If Arago Control cannot tether to the camera, the calibration process should still be done.

WARNING
Skipping the camera calibration and posing step can lead to misbehaviour of safety algorithms and cause potential damage.
Generated travel positions will not be accurately representative of the camera physical location and orientation which can result in an incorrect travel path.

Recommendations

For the best possible automatic capture of marker images for calibration it is recommended to:

Use prime lenses below 80mm in focal length.
Use a good ambient diffused lighting setup.
LightArray note
When using LightArray as a primary light source for calibration, it is highly advised to switch to the ‘ALL’ triggering mode with polarization Enabled.
Aperture or F-stop number of f8+. Make sure the calibration chart is in full focus.
Once the images are taken make sure the calibration chart is fully visible in all images taken.
Calibration chart has to be fastened on the turntable extension with provided screws. Make sure the chart doesn’t vibrate or shake during the capture process.

New Calibration setup

If more than one camera is mounted on Arago, you need to select which camera acts as Primary camera. The Calibration workflow applies only to your main primary camera. Any other camera will act as supporting camera.

In the ‘Calibration & Posing’ section of the Camera panel click ‘New Calibration’. This opens the ‘Camera & Lens Calibration’ window.

1. Place the Calibration Chart

on the second level of the turntable extension (at 60cm/23.6″ height). Follow the installation steps outlined in the Turntable extension installation guide. Make sure the chart and the turntable extension are fully mounted and are not causing vibration or shakiness during movement.

NOTE
Inspect the calibration chart for any visual deformations, dust or stains. The surface of the chart should be straight and clean to achieve accurate calibration results.

2. Mount the Camera

on Arago horizontally (landscape) with the provided bracket and the shoe mount. Make sure the camera is visually centred on the tilt element. Use the sliding bracket to re-adjust and secure if necessary.

3. Drive Manually Arago

with the camera live view ON until the calibration chart is fully framed in the camera’s field of view. Make sure the chart is front-facing the camera.

Provide some space both above and below the chart to prevent any clipping.

4. Start Capture for Calibration

First of set Quality in the Camera Tethering panel to JPEG Fine Large or similar. Make sure you have a clear scene (no positions or proxy models) and Click on ‘Start Capture for Calibration’. This action will load a list of positions along with a chart 3D model acting as a scan volume and activate panel for starting the capture travel.

Make sure everything is in place and begin capture for calibration by clicking the ‘Play’ icon in the capture panel. The travel should take roughly 3 minutes.

5. Start Calibration from Images

When the image capturing process is finished, move on to ‘Start Calibration from Images’ and select all the images taken. At this point, it is recommended to inspect images for any out-of-focus or miss-framed images and discard them from the selection. The calibration process will automatically begin after selecting images. This process might take up to 10 minutes depending on the power of your computer. During the calibration process, you can observe the calibration results per image and detected markers. It is possible to identify problematic images by observing individual ‘Reprojection Error’ values. In case any major error value is present, repeat the capture process.

6. Evaluate Calibration Computation Result

When the calibration process is finished, the results are displayed. The important part at this point is the ‘Reprojection Error’ shown in bold. The reprojection error should be minimal. The result is color-coded in the following way:
Green – a good reprojection error of <1
Yellow – an average reprojection error of 1-2. In case you observe digital camera placement or field-of-view discrepancies in comparison to the physical camera – try re-starting the process.
Red – a bad reprojection error of >2. It is recommended to restart the calibration process. The results are too erroneous to be used for effective calibration.

7. Save Calibration Configuration

Now you can save the calibration file generated as a ‘Calibration Preset’. This preset can also be exported. The preset will be available for later use within the ‘Calibration Preset’ dropdown in the ‘Calibration & Posing’ tab of your primary camera. We recommend naming the calibration preset in a way that describes the camera & lens combination used i.e. “NikonD850+50mm”.

8. Camera Posing: Alignment Calibration

Effectively, the camera calibration is done by taking a picture of another marker already installed on the rig. In order to pose the virtual camera in relation to the physical one, it is required to take a single image of the marker placed in front of Arago’s X-axis as illustrated in the following image.

Manually drive Arago unit by using the motion controls until the marker is fully visible by the camera and is targeted at an approximate 45 degree angle. Placement of the camera to take the posing image doesn’t have to be too precise as long as the marker is in focus.

In the ‘Calibration & Posing’ tab of your camera click on a ‘Take Marker Photo and Pose’. This action snaps a photo and calibrates the camera based on the selected “Active Preset”. Make sure the preset matches the used camera setup. In case the process is done with a camera incompatible with the Camera Tethering Support, Arago Control will prompt to load the image manually.

If the virtual camera live view and the primary camera live view do not adjust properly to match, make sure the marker is in focus when taking an image. This can also happen if the reprojection error is too high.

WARNING
It is important the camera is not moved manually after posing, as this invalidates the process. If the camera is moved, repeat step (8).

At this point, the virtual camera position and field of view are re-adjusted and the calibration process is completed.

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Camera Tethering Support

Documentation Master — Wed, 15 May 2024 09:58:37 +0000

Overview

The Camera Tethering Support can function in untethered mode or in tethered mode.

Untethered mode is the initial mode when there is no camera connected to the PC via Arago or when the camera model is incompatible with the Tethering Support. In this mode the Camera panel is limited to only a few settings which can be manually changed by the user.

Tethered mode is initiated as soon as a compatible camera is connected to Arago. Starting Arago Control also starts the listener for detecting connected cameras. Initially, if there are no cameras connected, the panel will be available only with general settings in untethered mode.

To activate the Camera Tethering Support you must login to Arago Control with the provided credentials. This is a one-time requirement and the activation will persist across sessions and updates.

Untethered mode

Untethered mode initiates by default. In this mode, only Aperture, Shutter Speed and Focal Length are displayed and are required by Arago Control to calculate distortion coefficients used in depth-of-field computations of auto-generated positions. In this mode, users are required to manually input the values to align with the camera settings.

Camera Calibration and Posing is also possible and should be done before proceeding to travel and take images.

Tethering to Your Camera

Once mounted on Arago, connect the Camera via USB to one of the ports available in the back of the tilt. If you are using one of the cameras mentioned in the list of compatible cameras, Arago Control will automatically connect to it and load all the settings.

There can be settings such as Program Mode which are not editable via software, depending on the used camera model and the underlying software operating system that the camera has to offer.

It is highly important to Calibrate and Pose the camera before capturing images with Arago.

Multi-Cam Support

The Camera Tethering Support can connect to up to 3 cameras simultaneously, mounted on Arago. In this case, you need to specify which camera is your primary camera.

To change between cameras, you can open the camera dropdown and select a different camera.

The primary camera should be indicated by the user. Arago Control automatically sets the first connected camera as primary camera. However, we recommend to mark as primary camera the unit mounted in the center of the tilt element. The other cameras will act as supporting cameras.

When connecting multiple cameras, remember that your captured dataset expands with each additional camera. In such scenarios, it is recommended to generate fewer positions, but with more dispersion, as the parallax effect is guaranteed by the supporting camera(s).

Live View

You can enable live view by using the checkbox available in the Camera panel (1). The live view can be used to check in realtime any camera settings adjustments made and can also be used for the AR overlap functionality (2).

Multiple live views can be opened in parallel for each connected camera.

Image Download Path

All downloaded images go to the Images directory of your project. If no project has been created or selected, images will be downloaded to Pictures/Arago Control.

You can specify your own naming conventions for downloaded image files by setting a custom file naming expression in the Image Path tab of Arago Control Settings. To open Settings, navigate to View and click Settings.

To compose a file naming expression, use the accepted capital letters in between square brackets. Make sure the Preview of your expression is valid (the text is not in red). Here are a few examples of naming conventions:

[C]/[E]/[O] = camera_name/photo_type/photo_name i.e. Canon_R5/JPG/IMG_0000.JPG

Polarised/[O] = Polarised/photo_name i.e. Polarised/IMG_1234.jpg

Supported Camera Models

Canon

Canon M6 Mark II

Canon M50

Canon M50 Mark II

Canon M100

Canon M200

Canon R

Canon Ra

Canon R1

Canon R3

Canon R5

Canon R5 C

Canon R5 Mark II

Canon R6

Canon R6 Mark II

Canon R6 Mark III

Canon R7

Canon R8

Canon R10

Canon R50

Canon R100

Canon RP

Canon 1D C

Canon 1D Mark III

Canon 1D Mark IV

Canon 1D X

Canon 1D X Mark II

Canon 1D X Mark III

Canon 1Ds Mark III

Canon 5D

Canon 5D Mark II

Canon 5D Mark III

Canon 5D Mark IV

Canon 5Ds

Canon 5Ds R

Canon 6D

Canon 6D Mark II

Canon 7D

Canon 7D Mark II

Canon 40D

Canon 50D

Canon 60D

Canon 60Da

Canon 70D

Canon 77D / 9000D

Canon 80D

Canon 90D

Canon 100D / Rebel SL1 / Kiss X7

Canon 200D / Rebel SL2 / Kiss X8

Canon 250D / Rebel SL3 / Kiss X10 / 200D Mark II

Canon 350D

Canon 400D

Canon 450D / Rebel XSi / Kiss X2

Canon 500D / Rebel T1i / Kiss X3

Canon 550D / Rebel T2i / Kiss X4

Canon 600D / Rebel T3i / Kiss X5

Canon 650D / Rebel T4i / Kiss X6i

Canon 700D / Rebel T5i / Kiss X7i

Canon 750D / Rebel T6i / Kiss X8i

Canon 760D / Rebel T6s / 8000D

Canon 800D / Rebel T7i / Kiss X9i

Canon 850D / Rebel T8i / Kiss X10i

Canon 1000D / Rebel XS / Kiss F

Canon 1100D / Rebel T3 / Kiss X50

Canon 1200D / Rebel T5 / Kiss X70

Canon 1300D / Rebel T6 / Kiss X80

Canon 2000D / Rebel T7 / Kiss X90 / 1500D

Canon 4000D / Rebel T100 / 3000D

Nikon

Nikon Z5

Nikon Z5 II

Nikon Z6

Nikon Z6 II

Nikon Z6 III

Nikon Z7

Nikon Z7 II

Nikon Z8

Nikon Z9

Nikon Z30

Nikon Z50

Nikon Z50 II

Nikon Zf

Nikon Zfc

Nikon ZR

Nikon D3

Nikon D3s

Nikon D3X

Nikon D4

Nikon D4s

Nikon D5

Nikon D6

Nikon DF

Nikon D200

Nikon D800

Nikon D800E

Nikon D810

Nikon D810A

Nikon D850

Nikon D700

Nikon D750

Nikon D780

Nikon D600

Nikon D610

Nikon D300

Nikon D300s

Nikon D500

Nikon D7000

Nikon D7100

Nikon D7200

Nikon D7500

Nikon D5000

Nikon D5100

Nikon D5200

Nikon D5300

Nikon D5500

Nikon D5600

Nikon D3000

Nikon D3100

Nikon D3200

Nikon D3300

Nikon D3400

Nikon D3500

Nikon D40

Nikon D60

Nikon D80

Nikon D90

Nikon S2800

Nikon S3600

Nikon S6700

Nikon S9100

Sony

Sony a6000

Sony a6100

Sony a6300

Sony a6400

Sony a6500

Sony a6600

Sony a6700

Sony a1

Sony a1 II

Sony a7

Sony a7 II

Sony a7 III

Sony a7 IV

Sony a7 V

Sony a7C

Sony a7C II

Sony a7CR

Sony a7R

Sony a7R II

Sony a7R III

Sony a7R IV

Sony a7R V

Sony a7S

Sony a7S II

Sony a7S III

Sony a9

Sony a9 II

Sony a9 III

Sony FX3

Sony FX30

Sony ILX-LR1

Sony UMC-R10C

Sony ZV-E1

Sony ZV-E10

Sony ZV-E10 II

Fujifilm

Fujifilm GFX 50r

Fujifilm GFX 50s

Fujifilm GFX 50s II

Fujifilm GFX 100

Fujifilm GFX 100 II

Fujifilm GFX 100s

Fujifilm X-H1

Fujifilm X-H2

Fujifilm X-H2S

Fujifilm X-S10

Fujifilm X-T1

Fujifilm X-T2

Fujifilm X-T3

Fujifilm X-T4

Fujifilm X-T5

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