1.3 | Setting up a Pixotope machine

Starting Director

1. If this is the first time you have started the Director, please refer to Start Director
2. Log in using a Live license
3. Check to make sure you are in SETUP view (you can see from the drop-down in the top left-hand corner)

Creating a project

1. Click "Create a new project"
2. Name your project
   • Only alphanumeric characters are allowed, and it is recommended that the name be no longer than 20 characters (Unreal engine restriction)
3. Set your project location
4. Add it to the project list
5. Set it as the current project

Settings

Under the "Settings" item on the main menu, there are 2 pages: "General" and "Network".

General

This page allows you to change the default settings to suit your production pipeline. These are general settings related to this installation of Director.

Start Director on startup

This option starts Director automatically when you start up your machine.

Projects folder

This shows a list of projects folder paths on your local machine that are being "watched". All projects found are listed on the "Launch" page. This includes all projects in any subfolder. The demo projects folder path, chosen in the installation process, is listed by default.

Add projects folder

You can select a new projects folder path to be watched. All projects found in that folder or its subfolders will be added to the "Launch" page.

Remove a projects folder path

Clicking the trash can will remove that projects folder path. All projects within this parent path will be removed from the "Launch" page, unless there is an overlapping parent path.

Default settings

The default settings are used when creating a new project. The ones marked with a * can be overwritten on a per-project basis.

Default Units

Choose the preferred units for the Unreal Engine and the Tracking Server.

Default Compositing Color Space*

Choose the default compositing color space to be used in Configure → Video I/O.

Default Video Input and Output Format*

Choose the default video format to be used in Configure → Video I/O.

Network adapter

Sets the network adapter to be used for communication between Pixotope machines.

Advanced settings

Startup options (Editor/LIVE)

DX 12 mode

This starts the Editor/Engine with the DX 12 flag. To fully enable ray tracing, ensure that:

• Windows is running version 1809 or later
• DirectX 12 is installed
• the latest Nvidia RTX Graphic drivers are installed
• Ray Tracing is turned on in Pixotope Editor Project Settings → Rendering 

Network

The "Network" page gives you control over your network setup and allows you to check that all the servers (Data hub and Tracking Server) are now up and running.

Data hub

The Data hub connects and handles all communication between the Pixotope machines of a virtual production. Each production needs just one Data hub.

Here you can:

• change who runs the Data hub
• restart the Data hub
• disconnect from a remote Data hub
• stop your local Data hub

Tracking Server

The Tracking Server receives and translates the camera and object tracking data and sends it on to the Pixotope Editor.

Here you can:

• add a Tracking Server
  • 1 Tracking Server can be added/launched on each connected machine
• restart a Tracking Server
• stop a Tracking Server

Render machines

List of all machines connected to the same Data hub.

Configure

Under the "Configure" item on the main menu, there are several pages. These allow you to configure your Pixotope setup in accordance with your physical studio setup. This includes informing the system about your camera and camera tracking systems, object trackers, SDI video inputs and outputs, video and tracking routing. 

Import Setup

All configuration settings are stored per project and on each Director machine individually. You can use "Import Setup from ..." to easily import setups from other projects or other machines.

To import a setup into the current project:

1. Click "Import Setup from ..." in the "Launch" panel
2. Select the machine you want to import a setup from
3. Select the project
4. Review the camera systems, media inputs and outputs and object tracker groups to import
   • Camera systems, media inputs and outputs and object tracker groups with the same name will be overwritten

The "Final result" dialog shows whether any problems have occurred while importing or applying the setup. If there were, please check Configure → Routing and redo the routing.

Camera tracking

Here you configure everything related to camera tracking.

Camera system

A camera system is a camera including its lens and a tracking system. The result is a tracked camera with various parameters tracked depending on the tracking system used.

1. Click "Add camera system" and give it a descriptive name
2. Choose a filmback size and your lens aperture
3. Choose the assigned tracking server

4. Choose the camera tracking protocol your camera tracking system uses

Object tracking

Here you configure everything related to object tracking.

Object tracker group

An object tracker group is a parent for object trackers which share the same:

• tracking space
• tracking protocol
• tracking server

1. Click "Add object tracker group"
2. Give it a descriptive name
3. Choose the assigned tracking server
   • Learn more about Tracking data routing
4. Click "Add object tracker"
5. Give it a descriptive name
6. Change the port if needed

Object tracking

Object tracking protocol

Choose the object tracking protocol your object tracking system uses.

Advanced

The "Advanced" section covers protocol-specific details and how the data should be mapped. When you calibrate tracking, you might have to come back here if the object movement is mapped wrongly.

Video I/O

Here you define compositing color space and your video inputs and outputs.

Compositing

Compositing color space

Choose the project's compositing color space. 

• Linear space
  • Photorealistic compositing
  • For HDR and end-to-end color-managed workflows
• Video space (legacy)
  • No color management or HDR output

Video input

1. Add additional media inputs, if you need untracked video sources in your level. For example, the input for a virtual monitor
   1. Name your media input
2. Optionally override the default settings:
   1. Choose the input format (resolution and frame rate) of your camera systems and media inputs
      • To activate the deinterlacer, choose an input format with the "id" suffix (for example, "HD - 1080id - 50")
   2. Choose the color profile
   3. Choose a color space from the selected color profile
   4. Choose the transfer type
   5. Choose the input buffer size - this increases the stability of the input signal, but adds latency to the system
   6. Choose the input type:
      • For a camera system - video signal with tracking data
        • Internal Keyer - the video is keyed with Pixotope's internal keyer
        • External Keyer Fill/Key - the video is keyed externally and comes in using a Fill and Key signal
        • Input Camera - the video is used as is
      • For a media input - video signal with no tracking
        • Input Media - the video is used as is
        • Input Media with Key - the video is keyed externally and comes in using a Fill and Key signal

Video output

1. Add one or more media outputs
   1. Name your media output
2. Optionally override the default settings
   1. Choose the output format (resolution and frame rate) of your camera systems and media inputs
   2. Choose the color profile
   3. Choose a color space from the selected color profile
      

      Color management in Editor

      When "OCIO Viewport Enabled" is selected in the Editor, the color space of the Editor viewport is linked to this color space selection.

      Only if SETUP → Configure → Video I/O → Compositing color space is set to "Linear space".

   4. Choose the output buffer type
   5. Choose the output buffer size - this increases the stability of the input signal, but adds latency to the system
   6. Choose the output type
      • Fill only - for internal compositing
      • Fill and Key - for external compositing
      • Learn more about Compositing

Routing

On the "Routing" page, we need to recreate the physical routing. 

Camera, Media and Object routing

On this tab we set the input routing of

• Camera systems
• Object trackers
• Media inputs

and the output routing of

• Media outputs

Input routing

Under input routing:

1. Add all camera systems and media inputs physically routed to a specific machine
2. Set the SDI Inputs they are wired to
3. Add all object trackers whose tracking should be available on a specific machine

Genlock

A genlock is used to synchronize the camera and tracking data. For each machine, choose one of the following:

• External ref - genlock comes from an external ref signal
• External SDI x - genlock is used from a specified SDI input
• Internal - an internal genlock is generated

There should be one common source for the genlock signal.

Output routing

Under output routing:

1. Add all outputs planned for a specific machine
2. Set the SDI Output they are wired to

Incoming tracking data routing

The initial incoming tracking data routing is done on the individual camera systems and object tracker groups. On this tab you:

• get a routing overview of all incoming tracking data
• can edit the routing

1. Choose which Tracking Server should be assigned to which camera system and object tracker group
   • Best practice for:
     • camera systems: Run a separate Tracking Server for every camera system on the machine the camera system will be routed to
     • object tracker groups: Use the Tracking Server on the machine most of the object trackers will be routed to
2. Change the port if needed
3. On your camera and object tracking system, enter the IP address and port number of the assigned Tracking Server
   • This is where your tracking data should be sent to
   • For the Ncam system, the IP address and port number should be entered in the Advanced section of the camera tracking protocol
4. Check the status field
   • Your tracking configuration is set up correctly if it shows incoming data
   • You can also check the 1.3 | Network status in the Editor

Calibrate

Under the "Calibrate" item in the main menu, there are 2 pages: "Tracking" and "Syncing".

Tracking

The tracking system is calibrated so it sends position and rotation data of the physical camera or object relative to the studio origin* into the Editor.

Physical camera → "TrackedCamera" in the Editor

Studio origin → "CameraRoot" in the Editor (yellow cone)

For advanced tracking systems

Advanced tracking systems will already give you position and rotation relative to a defined studio origin. For these systems, we suggest doing the tracking calibration on their end.

If you need technical support in calibrating the tracking system, please contact the vendor of your camera tracking system.

For simple tracking systems

Simple tracking systems provide only parts of the data, for example only rotation data. In this case, use the tracking panel to manually offset the tracking data so that you end up getting position and rotation data relative to the studio origin. This data offset is applied in the Tracking Server.

Camera

Depending on the selected camera mount, different offset options are provided:

Lens

Check camera tracking

1. Define and mark your studio origin
2. In the Editor: check that "CameraRoot" is 0,0,0
3. In the Editor: place a calibration cone at the CameraRoot
   • The marked point on stage and the calibration cone should match up
4. Move the camera to the outer sides of the field of view and see whether the marked point and calibration cone still match up (disregard time slipping)
   

Syncing

Depending on the video pipeline, you can end up with delayed video or tracking data. To avoid 3D images slipping when the camera or object is moved, we need to synchronize video data and tracking data.

Check syncing

1. Pan the physical camera quickly and stop abruptly
2. Check to see whether the calibration cone slips temporarily from the marked point
   • If the graphic moves first:
     • Subtract video input delay
     • If that is not possible, then add tracking delay
   • If the camera feed moves first:
     • Subtract tracking delay
     • If that is not possible, then add video input delay

Creating your first project

Continue to 1.3 | Setting up a Pixotope project.