Pixotope Tracking Troubleshooting

If the hard drive is not acting normally outside of the OS installation procedure, replace it. It does happen that even new drives are faulty and/or fail after short use.

It has been reported in the past that trying to recreate the image with a different software solved issues with installation. Users seem to have found that using the software Rufus instead of Etcher solved issues for them.

In some cases NVME drives may require manual partitioning. Refer to “Manual partitioning required during OS installation” below.

If you need to manually format your drive for troubleshooting reasons:

1. On the TrackMen OS installation summary.

2. Click on "Partitioning".

3. Click on "Expert Partitioner" at the bottom of the "Suggested Partitioning" screen.

4. Select option "Start with Existing Partitions".

5. On the left side of the screen, below "Hard Disks", select the hard disk that is to be used for the operating system.

6. If there are partitions on that disk already, remove all of them by selecting each one and then clicking "Delete" at the bottom of the screen.

7. Create each of the following partitions by clicking on "Add Partition..." at the bottom of the screen (more details below):

   1. a "BIOS Boot Partition" if installing on a legacy BIOS system

   2. or an "EFI System Partition" if installing on a modern UEFI system (preferred)

   3. or both a "BIOS Boot" and an "EFI System" partition if the system is to be used with a legacy BIOS system first and a UEFI system later

   4. a "Root" partition for the operating system

   5. a "Home" partition for user data and configurations

   6. NO swap partition (it is useless for real-time tracking systems)

8. Create the "BIOS Boot Partition" (if applicable):

   1. select custom size: "8 MiB" (8 mega bytes)

   2. select "Raw Volume" as role

   3. select "Format Device", filesystem "FAT"

   4. select partition ID "BIOS Boot Partition"

   5. select "Do not mount device"

9. Create the "EFI System Partition" (if applicable):

   1. select custom size: "0.5 GiB"

   2. select "EFI Boot Partition" as role

   3. select "Format Device", filesystem "FAT"

   4. select partition ID "EFI System Partition"

   5. select "Mount Device", mount point "/boot/efi" (from pull-down list)

   6. click on "Fstab Options", enter as volume label: "EFI" (capital letters, no quotation marks)

10. Create the "Root" partition:

    1. select custom size: "64 GiB" (64 GB) if disk is at least 128 GB large

    2. select "Operating System" as role

    3. select "Format Device", filesystem "Btrfs" if disk is at least 32 GB large, otherwise "Ext4"

    4. check "Enable Snapshots"

    5. select partition ID "Linux"

    6. select "Mount Device", mount point "/" (from pull-down list)

    7. click on "Fstab Options", enter as volume label: "ROOT" (capital letters, no quotation marks)

11. Below the newly created root partition, several Btrfs subvolumes are automatically created (if "Btrfs" was used); select and DELETE the following subvolumes:

    1. @/home

    2. @/opt

    3. @/usr/local

12. Create the "Home" partition:

    1. select "Maximum Size"

    2. select "Data and ISV Applications" as role

    3. select "Format Device", filesystem "Ext4"

    4. select partition ID "Linux"

    5. select "Mount Device", mount point "/home" (from pull-down list)

    6. click on "Fstab Options", enter as volume label: "HOME" (capital letters, no quotation marks)

13. After creating all partitions, click "Accept" on the bottom of the screen and proceed with the installation.

This means the system could not detect any network while installing likely due to the system not assigning the correct port for the network connection, or because there is no DHCP server in place or local IT administration is blocking the connection. Proceed with the installation - all additional packages can be installed later from the OS GUI.

Check the network settings after the installation by right clicking the network icon on the taskbar and selecting “Edit Connections”.

Eth0 is to be assigned the ethernet port designated to the graphics network/internet connection. Associating the eth devices (NIC) with the physical port can be done by connecting/disconnecting the respective network cable on the tracking engine and watching the System Log. It will display a report and mention the eth device number.

Refer to the 3 Setting up the Network for more information on how to setup your networks after installation. If no internet connection is possible for some reason, refer to 4.3 Installing Software from a USB Drive to create an offline installation medium.

Interpret the mainboard LEDs and/or the hardware sounds according to the mainboard manual. It may be necessary to reseat/replace hardware such as the GPU and check internal or external cable connections. Note that these errors appear after having just assembled a machine, but also to tested machines that were transported or to new hardware that worked only for a short moment.

Make sure that all cables are properly connected and displays and KVM switches are set to correct modes. Frequently, a display won’t work (try different cables, inputs and display) or a KVM switch crashes and needs to be restarted, rather than the engine failing.

Try discharging the mainboard. Some have a dedicated button for this in the back of the case or on the mainboard itself, some have a procedure like: disconnect power, hold start-button for 20 seconds, then connect again and start.

Check what the error reports. Sometimes it will claim that there is no boot drive found. In these cases, access the BIOS and:

1. Check that the correct boot priority has been set

2. Check that “Secure Boot” is disabled

3. Check Boot mode (UEFI compatible or not)

4. Check for other boot options that may be incompatible with non-Windows operating systems, such as Fast Boot, and disable them

In some cases, the BIOS gets reset by an electrical event (power surges, installation in OB trucks…), and empty BIOS battery (if this issue occurs more often, consider replacing that battery) or a BIOS failure (check for BIOS updates by the manufacturer)

The drivers may be incompatible with the graphics card. This may happen to both more recent models or to very recent releases of old cards. The drivers should be upgraded to the most recent version available in the Software manager, or downgraded to the one before if the recent version seems to cause the issues. Refer to “Troubleshooting Nvidia drivers” below for more information.

Make sure that all cables are properly connected and displays and KVM switches are set to correct modes (usually 1920x1080@60Hz is the safest option). Frequently, a display won’t work (try different cables, inputs and display) or a KVM switch crashes and needs to be restarted, rather than the engine failing. Try going back to the old display, at least for troubleshooting. If this doesn’t work, continue with point 3.

In a specific combination of software packages or by manual actions, there is a chance that an EDID setting gets saved in the system and doesn’t match the current display connection. Try removing it as explained in “Tracking engine has an EDID setting stuck”.

• bring up the Software Manager. Learn more about the Software Manager here:Operating System.

• For updating, enter the search term “Nvidia” and find the package nvidia-userspace-meta-G06 (status: January 2026) to choose the correct package. Click the checkbox next to the package until it shows either a green checkmark (that means that a previous package with a different name is currently installed) or a green arrow (that means the package is installed but will be updated). A window is likely to pop up, asking you for a conflict resolution. Choose to install, making the suggested changes. Do not choose to not install or even to break the package. Other packages will also appear with green checkmark/green arrow, or with a red X. These are changed due to dependencies.

• For a rollback to an older driver, select the package, then switch to the Versions tab below the package list. Select a different version and proceed as explained above.

• Click Accept to install, wait for the process to finish, then click Finish and reboot the engine.

• 

the system is possibly still configurable by command lines by switching to a terminal instance with e.g. Ctrl + Alt + F1. For updating, log in as the user root with the usual password tmgmbh51105k. Then enter the command (status: January 2026):

zypper install nvidia-userspace-meta-G06

Confirm with the enter key and it will most likely show a conflict resolution message. Select the solution that will install the drivers and deinstall conflicting packages (mostly solution 1) to proceed with the installation. After the installation, reboot and mind to update tracking software packages to version 3.7 or later (Jan 2026) to maintain compatibility!

Downgrading software in the Linux environment can potentially be more complex than just selecting older packages, because older software versions are not aware of more recent packages and thus could miss conflicting packages when checking dependencies. Therefore, it is highly recommended to use the Snapper system snapshot tool to perform rollbacks. Please refer to “System Snapshots / Software Recovery using Snapper”. The Snapper tool is available both with a GUI version, as well as a terminal application.

If you have access to the GUI via Nomachine or because the system is just displaying the wrong resolution, bring up a Terminal Window from the start menu. If you have to use a console, switch to text mode by pressing Ctrl + Alt + F1. Commands are entered exactly as shown below, case-sensitive and minding spaces, and are confirmed with <enter> key. If no error is displayed, this usually means it worked.

• The console will ask for a login. Just use root and enter the usual root password tmgmbh51105k.

• It will now accept commands. Mind that hitting <Tab> will auto-complete names of files and folder and such when the combination of letters you entered are unique to a name/command. Type the below command to check the monitor settings as mentioned in the description, if you like:

cat /var/log/Xorg.0.log

• change directory to /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/:

cd /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/

• Check the files in that folder (it is just a lower case L):

l

• Remove the files mentioned above. To play it safe or for later analysis, move them to the desktop:

mv 90-nvidia-edid.conf /home/tracking/Desktop
mv _90-nvidia-edid.conf_ /home/tracking/Desktop
mv edid.bin /home/tracking/Desktop

• Reboot the machine

reboot

Reboot and check again.

Bring up the browser on the machine and try to log into the Pixotope cloud on https://prod.pixotope.cloud. This will both test your login credentials and the internet connection. Mind that the browser reporting a non-valid certificate (see image) can be an indicator for the system date being off!

To set the clock correctly, go to the time and date settings from the startmenu:

In the window coming up, set the region and time zone to match your location, then click Other Settings… on the lower right of the window. Then, if your engine is offline, select Manually and enter the correct time and date. If the engine is online, you may select to synchronize it with an NTP server, for example pool.ntp.org. Finally, Accept the changes.

Double-check network and IP settings, remove any unnecessary networks.

To set the clock correctly, go to the time and date settings from the startmenu:

In the window coming up, set the region and time zone to match your location, then click Other Settings… on the lower right of the window. Then, if your engine is offline, select Manually and enter the correct time and date. If the engine is online, you may select to synchronize it with an NTP server, for example pool.ntp.org. Finally, Accept the changes.

It can take up to 15 minutes for the License Manager to refresh a license that has been freed up in the Cloud. Please check again after some time has passed.

If the sensor unit does not have power, please check the power cable and power source. Some rare Film/Broadcast camera 12V outputs will not provide a sufficient power output for the starting current of a sensor unit with IR light, and may disable the 12V output then until the camera body is restarted.

What does the System Log report?

1. There is no connection reported: check whether the camera is powered at all. If it is but there is no connection reported, the cable might be broken.

2. Compare the reported NIC in the System Log with what is configured in the ZeroConf connection in the Network settings (see ). Check the Operating System | 6.2 Network Settings Ethernet tab in the ZeroConf network for it. Default is eth1. If possible, stick to eth0 for graphics network and eth1 for Zeroconf, for ease of support.

3. If the connection is established and seems correct and operating at full capacity, make sure that all devices in the chain have “Jumbo frames” enabled (MTU of 9000). Both sensor and ZeroConf will support this by default, but switches, fiber converters and other devices in the line may have difficulties.

Replace the cable. If possible before any calibrations were done, take the sensor unit to the tracking engine and check connection with a very short cable. Note that this may apply to both the cable between engine and sensor unit and the cable between SCB and engine.

Note that the video transmission of the sensor unit video uses almost the entire bandwidth of a 1Gb network connection and that the packages have to arrive in time to produce a constant video stream. Even a cable that seems to work otherwise may fail to continuously meet these requirements. Measuring whether all wires are connected will not suffice, only a device that measures throughput and dampening can make a quality statement. The label “CAT7” does not indicate true quality, because faulty connector crimping and damage can still affect the performance. We specify a maximum cable length of 70m and mind that couplers, patch-fields and reduced shielding of the cable can reduce this range. The signal can be converted to fiber for increased range, as long as the fiber converter does not act as a switch with multiple devices on it.

Two settings that can interrupt the camera connections are in the expert settings:

1. Device Serial: this entry should be empty.

2. Trigger Mode: this setting should be None for Vision and Marker edition and Hardware for GhosTrack. The hardware trigger will only work with a GhosTrigger box that has a valid Genlock input.

   

1. Check the sensor unit camera feed is reaching the tracking engine. Check the below programs. If no cameras appear in their lists then you should revise the steps above. Stop the Worker and:

   1. For Vimba Interfaces, open a Terminal Emulator from the Start Menu and enter the command VimbaViewer. If the camera works inside VimbaViewer and after that test, when having it shut down and bringing the Worker back up, it also works in the tracking, check “Sensor Unit / TalenTrack camera isn't connecting through the Vision/Marker Worker or TalenTrack Client” below.

   2. For Spinnaker interfaces, start SpinView from the Start Menu.

If these lights are not present, the issue is most likely a cable or connection issue. Check power supply cable or network cable respectively.

Nomachine might not have registered a change in IP addresses after for example rebooting the SCB. Restarting Nomachine should refresh it. Do not edit the connection to manually enter an IP - it will change that connection permanently while the IP might change later! If this has been done, it is possible to reset the Nomachine connection settings by selecting the connection and clicking Edit. In the Edit connection window, click Reset saved preferences and password:

If the network settings have recently been revised, the SCB or tracking engine may not have refreshed them yet. Restarting should thoroughly fix that. If the connection is still not being established, this may be due to the network not allowing “Jumbo Frames” - check Sensor Unit / TalenTrack camera isn't connecting through the Vision/Marker Worker or TalenTrack Client section below. If there is still no connection to the SCB and the ZeroConf and setup steps mentioned above are double-checked, connect a display, mouse and keyboard to the SCB to check the system directly.

If the behavior is persistent after a camera reboot, move on to step 2.

The vast majority of connection failures is due to the cable connection. The cable should be a high-quality cable and the connection a direct and exclusive connection, with no switch with other devices in between. Replace the cable. If possible before any calibrations were done, take the sensor unit to the tracking engine and check connection with a very short cable. Note that this may apply to both the cable between engine and sensor unit and the cable between SCB and engine.

If the cable has been ruled out and the Sensor Unit has been restarted, checking the network connection in the engine through clicking the Network symbol in the task bar → Connection information → ZeroConf can indicate a low bandwidth connection; it should be at least 1Gbit/s. Swap the network ports with another available port (such as the LAN or tracking network). Remember to change the Device in the network settings and re-connecting, see Operating System | 6.2.1 ZeroConf Connection[inlineExtension]. If that doesn’t help, try swapping the sensor units of another camera tracking engine to see if the device is damaged. If no other tracking engine is available, the camera can also be connected to a Windows machine, using the SDK downloadable here.

If the video is not there, it can not provide the trigger signal to the cameras and the tracking camera videos will not start in the Client.

If Jumbo Frames are not allowed at any point in the network chain, the Worker / TalenTrack Client connection will be established but the actual video packages will be too large to come through. VimbaViewer will be able to recognize this limitation and negotiate sending smaller packages, thus enabling the video feed until the camera is restarted. However, smaller packages will put more stress on the processing on the receiving end, which is undesirable. Jumbo Frames are enabled on the camera and engine side by default but other devices in between, such as switches, fiber converters, SFP modules etc. may not be compatible or configured accordingly, practically intercepting the packages.

If the lens data is being applied in the Chief video, but not in the graphics, the interfacing on the render side should be checked. There is no option to turn sending the lens data off in the tracking, unless a FreeD sender is used. Make sure that the graphics engine (any vendor) does not have an internal lens file configured but is set up to receive the full lens data from the tracking.

If the lens parameters are not being written in the System Log, it is likely that the connection is interrupted. If an SCB is being used and the ZeroConf network has recently been changed, it may happen that the IP for the tracking engine in the SCB is not updated automatically. Restarting the SCB would solve this issue. Assuming that the aforementioned setup was completed and there is still no lens data: double check the lens cable adapters for the correct connectors (Canon/Fujinon) and make sure to restart the Chief to apply changes of the serial connections in the interface. Make sure that the IMU serial connection in the IMU tab in the Chief is not configured to use the same serial device as the lens. Check the cable connection; most likely the physical connection is faulty. In rare cases, restarting the lens itself can help.

The respective system log messages can give clues:

a. The serial-USB-converter has not been found. Possibly it is connected to a faulty USB port?

b. This message means that there is no connection to the lens in general. Refer to point 2 if it does not go along with other system log messages listed here.

c. There is no active Vision or Marker license checked out in the License Manager. After checking out the license, restart the Chief to apply the change.

d. The .zlc lens file can not be read correctly by the system. If it is an old lens file, it may be bound to a specific dongle. It may also be corrupted during download or file transfer. Try re-downloading the lens file from the cloud, in Downloads → Tracking → Lens Files. When using FileZilla for the file transfer to the tracking engine, make sure to set the Transfer type to Binary.

If the lens data is being applied in the Chief video, but not in the graphics, the interfacing on the render side should be checked. There is no option to turn sending the lens data off in the tracking, unless a FreeD sender is used. Make sure that the graphics engine (any vendor) does not have an internal lens file configured but is set up to receive the full lens data from the tracking.

If the lens parameters are not being written in the System Log, it is likely that the connection is interrupted. Assuming that the aforementioned setup was completed: double check the lens cable adapters for the correct connectors (external encoder USB converters, not those for Canon or Fujinon/RS-232) and make sure to restart the Chief to apply changes of the serial connections in the interface. Make sure that the IMU serial connection in the IMU tab in the Chief is not configured to use the same serial device as the lens, or that zoom and focus use the same serial device. Check the cable connection; most likely the physical connection is faulty. In rare cases, restarting the lens itself can help.

The respective system log messages can give clues:

a. The serial-USB-converter(s) can not be found. Possibly they are connected to a faulty USB port?

b. There is no active Vision or Marker license checked out in the License Manager. After checking out the license, restart the Chief to apply the change.

c. The .zlc lens file can not be read correctly by the system. If it is an old lens file, it may be bound to a specific dongle. It may also be corrupted during download or file transfer. Try re-downloading the lens file from the cloud, in Downloads → Tracking → Lens Files. When using FileZilla for the file transfer to the tracking engine, make sure to set the Transfer type to Binary.

Refer to Chief | 4.5.3 Lens Delay to adjust the lens delay.

If the zoom is not working either or the lens is a prime lens with only variable focus, refer to “No zoom / lens data from Canon / Fujinon zoom lens with internal encoders” or “No zoom / lens data from external encoders” to check the general function.

The dump can point to either the lens or the calibration file:

a. If the focus does not change but the zoom does, a Canon/Fujinon lens is likely to not have internal encoders for the focus and can not send the data. If external encoders are used, it is likely that the connection is interrupted. Double check the lens cable adapters for the correct connectors (external encoder USB converters, not those for Canon or Fujinon/RS-232) and make sure to restart the Chief to apply changes of the serial connections in the interface. Make sure that the IMU serial connection in the IMU tab in the Chief is not configured to use the same serial device as the lens, or that zoom and focus use the same serial device. Check the cable connection; most likely the physical connection is faulty.

b. If the focdist value is changing, the tracking system is actually calculating and sending focus distance data. There is no option to manually turn off this data in the protocol. If that is the case, look into the graphics engine to check whether defocus has been deactivated there. If the dump shows only 0 for focdist, the lens file does not contain focus distance data. This data is a separate measurement and is not included in fixed lens files (flc), if not manually created by the user, or in older zoom lens calibration files (zlc). If that is the case, focus values can be integrated based on measurements done on site.

There are no Pixotope lens files without distortion parameters in them. Distortion for zoom lenses can be disabled in the Chief lens tab but this is a debugging feature and should always be enabled. If that option is on, discrepancies have to be investigated on the receiving side.

In Pixotope Graphics, the distortion can be disabled in the Director, in the Camera Tracking panel, in the Advanced section. Other graphics engines may have similar options and the distortion may also be a project- or scene-setting and not a global option.

Some engines may not apply distortion in some viewports but only e.g. on the actual SDI output.

Some custom settings, like post-processing volumes in Unreal, can overwrite distortion.

Depending on multiple factors, the distortion applied in the image can differ from that saved in a .zlc Zoom Lens Calibration file. This may be the case, because the camera chip size has a different crop factor, or just because a unit of the same model line has a different distortion behavior than the one that has been calibrated. A small degree of discrepancy is expected, since lens distortion is a complex phenomenon and can only be approximated by the parameters applied in virtual graphics. Significant discrepancies can be addressed by playing with the values Scale K1 and Scale K2 in the Chief Lens tab. However, it is a demanding setting to make by the human eye and the basic setting in the Chief only applies a global value to all zoom levels.

Refer to Worker | 4.4 Extending an existing Reconstruction to try to add some feature points for the affected area.

Try to restore the original lighting situation or extending the reconstruction with the current lighting as explained in Worker | 4.4 Extending an existing Reconstruction .

Check IMU Troubleshooting section.

If these actions can not help, it may be necessary to add some filtering to the setup. Refer to Worker | 6.7 Smoothing and apply small amounts of error tolerance carefully. Start with 0.001 and test with 0.001 increments, stop at 0.005 maximum for Vision systems.

Check Chief | Setting the Delay to precisely set the delay.

Check the smoothing in the Worker settings; refer to Worker | 6.7 Smoothing and test with lower Error Tolerance (if possible without negative effect, 0 is preferrable). A negative effect might be shaking while the camera is not moving.

Mind that, if the physical camera rig itself shakes, whether a setting to adjust for a camera move is desired, because physical shaking is likely not supposed to be on air during a show.

Check the reconstruction:

1. Try loading an older reconstruction of the same calibration run an check whether that one is without errors.

2. Try creating a new reconstruction and check for errors with that.

3. Try adding feature points as described in Worker | 4.4 Extending an existing Reconstruction preferably of high quality, raising score thresholds as outlined in Worker | 6.3.1 Feature Detection.

4. If the errors are persistent, it may be necessary to re-adjust the focus of the sensor unit if the objects are defocused. Create a new Worker lens calibration after that, and a new reconstruction with the new flc file. If the focus is already set well, a new lens calibration can still generate better results. Set the brightness of the Worker camera and adjust Illumination time, so that objects (especially infrared reflectors) do not bloom due to over-exposure.

If there are discrepancies in the timing, check the Worker performance as explained in point 3. If the Worker performance is fine, check the Chief video input - is the signal not clean enough to provide a proper reference? The Chief video input acts as the Genlock for the tracking data and if that is unstable, it will cause dropouts.

If there is a change in the frequency of the jumps, depending on the Send Delay setting, try to find a number with which no jumps appear.

If the Worker timing is showing dropped frames and the individual bars show a lot of yellow and red, the reconstruction is too big, has too many Keyframes and Feature Points, to be processed in real-time. If available, revert to a smaller instance of the same reconstruction found in the Worker, in the Load Reconstruction menu. If there is none, a new reconstruction with less Feature Points has to be created, as outlined in Worker | 5 Performance Diagnostics. If the dropped frames are periodic or do not go along with an overall bad performance, check whether remote access software like Anydesk or Teamviewer is active, and whether the Worker video input is stable.

If the graphics do not render in real-time consider performance optimizations as explained in Make performance optimizations. If the renderer works in real-time but still shows dropouts, double-check the synchronization settings and Genlock.

Disable the offsets

An offset in the Worker video means that the reconstruction is not where it is supposed to be. Adding additional Keyframes of the origin and processing them in the Keyframe Editor as explained here Worker | 4.2.2 Refine Coordinates can add additional 3D information to help the system allocate the coordinate system. If that won’t help, make sure the Worker lens calibration is correct. A bad lens calibration can possibly be identified by viewing the grid on the origin first in the image center, then panning or tilting the camera, so the origin is framed towards the edges of the video. If that changes the origin position, it is an indicator for a wrong field of view or distortion. A new fixed lens calibration should be created.

Incorrect graphics positioning can be subtle and hidden in odd places in the scene tree, or in various places of the Pixotope Director. Create an object outside the scene tree that is not affected by parent objects, or create a neutral reference scene that is empty, except for distinct and controlled objects.

Disable the offsets

Select the appropriate lens file. In case of a fixed lens, there could be multiple files for the same lens.

Try switching the cameras recording format and the SDI output format to a different setting and check whether the result is better. If so, either stick to that original selection or revise the lens field of view settings as described here: Chief | 4.3 Field of View (FoV) for zoom lenses, or create a new fixed lens calibration: Fixed Lens Calibration (FLC) and Variable Focus.

If there is no change in zoom lens data when operating the zoom or focus, refer to the No zoom / lens data point above. If the lens range is wrong and the values do not reach from 0 to 1, do the following, depending on your setup:

1. With external encoders, check the alignment of the encoder with it’s magnetic tape or gear respectively. Then restart the Chief and re-home the encoders (zooming and focusing all the way in and out).

2. If the data is coming from a robotic camera, it may have shifted it’s encoder range. Restart the robotic camera support system.

3. If none of these apply, contact tracking support.

If the zoom lens has not been configured yet, check the procedure here: Chief | 4.3 Field of View (FoV)

Check “No Lens Distortion in the graphics” in the Zoom Lens Data, Focus and Distortion section.

Configure the delay as explained in Chief | 4.5 Delay.

If no data is printed, please check “No IMU data” in the IMU section below.

If the filters are negatively affecting the result, try lowering them. Start with Error Tolerance 0.001 and raise it in 0.001 steps until no tracking noise (shaking) is visible from all positions and various zoom levels. Only lower Velocity Update below 1 when Error Tolerance does not suffice. See “The graphics are shaking when the camera is static” above for procedures to fight tracking noise and learn more about the filters in Worker | 6.7 Smoothing. Find the sweetspot between reaction time and smoothness when standing still.

If the delay behavior differs between the checks 4a and 4b, refer to “Graphics are overshooting during movement” in IMU section below

Graphics not rendering in real-time or with a faulty timing can look like the delay was off. Make sure to render with correct and stable framerate.

The center shift is off. This usually happens when the Chief camera lens has been removed and re-mounted. Refer to Chief | 4.2 Center Shift to correct it.

Update the biases of the IMU as explained here: Chief | 4.6.1 Activation

If point 1 and 2 do not apply but point 3 does, it may be an Offset change - the offset between the Sensor Unit (Worker) and the Broadcast camera (Chief) has been physically modified. As a quick fix, the offset in the system can be manipulated in the Adjust Chief section, in the WorkerCam tab in the Chief window. A proper solution would be to re-calculate the offset as explained here: Offset Calibration. However, be aware that this may render detailed fine-tuning void!

The reconstruction or some aspects of fine-tuning may not cover this place well. Try extending the reconstruction, starting in a well covered place in the studio, activating Allow Extension in the Worker main window, and move the camera to the area where the discrepancy has been detected. The system will automatically add new Keyframes. For best result, move around in the target area a bit, until around 4 Keyframes have been added there. If this improves the result, click Save Reconstruction. If not, please contact your support and request fine-tuning.

Selecting the wrong IMU will result in no connection. Make sure to set the correct IMU type in both SCB and Chief.

If a USB converter is not being detected, try re-connecting it to the tracking engine / SCB, potentially to a different port. The system log should display the ID of the converter, which can help with identification. The correct converter can also be identified by process of elimination, connecting only one converter at a time. A single converter can not be selected by multiple interfaces at the same time, so make sure that lens and IMU selections are different. Note that changing the device selecting will require a restart of the software to apply.

Be aware that the range of around 50m for that cable in a setup without SCB is dependent on cable quality. Potentially, a shorter cable can reveal issues with a longer connection.

If there is a difference between the two modes, proceed as follows:

f. with the IMU re-enabled, carefully add a Time shift until the graphics and real video move in perfect sync again. Go in steps of maybe 5ms until it’s better, then potentially add or remove single milliseconds.

g. Raise the Predict (ms) to the desired value again (standard is 40ms, which equals 2 frames at 50Hz) and lower the video delay accordingly

Wrong biases can cause the IMU to interpret the movements incorrect. Note that changing the flipped status or IMU generation will require renewing the biases.

The Chief will read the flipped status of the Worker camera from the lens file. The Worker will display a warning when selecting a file created for a flipped camera and using it with a currently non-flipped video. Mind that flipping the camera image must be selected throughout the whole workflow, from lens calibration to the actual tracking. A lens calibration for a flipped sensor is different from that for a non-flipped sensor.

The different options for IMUs do not have the same coordinate system orientations. So while a correct setting in the SCB will send data to the Chief, a wrong selection in the Chief itself can cause misbehavior.

Some IMU devices need to be fine-tuned a bit, which can become recognizable when doing fast pans. The graphics may then appear to go up or down a small bit and then settle back to their original location. Usually, movement that are done on air will not be harsh enough to show visible effect. But if necessary, this can be done by playing with the Gyro Follow and Accel Follow values in the IMU tab in the Chief. Mostly, raising the values from the default of 0.1 to 0.2 will counter the effect.

Double-check whether the software setup has been completed correctly, minding Fly | 3.3 Chief Setup. A video input can only be in use by one program at a time. If the Chief is falsely configured to use the video that is meant for the Worker, it will own it and the Worker can no longer grab it.

If the video format has been configured so it doesn’t match the actual incoming video, no video will be displayed. Change to the correct resolution / framerate combination and click Restart Image Source to apply.

If the lens file has been created with a different resolution (not framerate, it’s about pixels) then the Worker video will not come up. The System Log will display an error message as shown below (the example shows a Sensor Unit lens file selected while the input is a 1080p video).

Mind that a 1080i signal does appear to have a different resolution than a 1080p signal, because only one field will be used for image processing! Hence, a .flc calibration done with a 1080i input can not be used for image processing on a 1080p feed.

[error] Image resolution (1920x1080) does not match calibration (1456x1088)