Webcam Image Acquisition.

[siva]

Use the attached ActiveX component to access images from Webcam.

[Ton Plomp]

QUOTE(siva @ Sep 11 2007, 08:54 AM)

Use the attached ActiveX component to access images from Webcam.

Hi Siva,

it might be easier to maintain if you upload your programs to the Code Repository?

The same goes for this discussion

I encourage you to use the CR because your programs will be much easier to access and find.

Good luck,

Ton

[Yair]

I agree with Ton. Uploading code and tools is great ( :thumbup: ), but it's only really useful if they are easily accessible. You might also wish to try NI's code sharing site.

[sprezzaturon]

Hello Siva,

I'm getting started with Labview 8.5 Developer's edition and was disappointed that we spent all that money without any functions to access Webcams. So I was excited to find your posting. However, using your ActiveX component must be for advanced Labview users because I haven't a clue on how to get started using your work. Do you have a sample VI that explains the functionality of your project?

Thanks for your time and attention,

Ron

[siva]

QUOTE(sprezzaturon @ Oct 22 2007, 05:31 PM)

Hello Siva,

I'm getting started with Labview 8.5 Developer's edition and was disappointed that we spent all that money without any functions to access Webcams. So I was excited to find your posting. However, using your ActiveX component must be for advanced Labview users because I haven't a clue on how to get started using your work. Do you have a sample VI that explains the functionality of your project?

Thanks for your time and attention,

Ron

Hello Ron,

Do the following before running the attached demo VI.

1) Close the LabVIEW application

2) Unzip the LiveAcquisition...Zip File.

3) Copy the WebCam.ocx file to Windows\system32 folder.

4) Open the Command Prompt

5) Chage the directory to your system32 folder (cd c:\windows\system32)

6) Enter the following command,

regsvr32 webcam.ocx

7) Now open the attached Demo VI and run it.

http://lavag.org/old_files/post-4279-1193055828.vi'>Download File:post-4279-1193055828.vi

Note : While closing the Demo VI you may get a popup message window. To override the message box call, edit the source file of the activeX control.

[Rolf Kalbermatter]

QUOTE(sprezzaturon @ Oct 22 2007, 07:01 AM)

Hello Siva,

I'm getting started with Labview 8.5 Developer's edition and was disappointed that we spent all that money without any functions to access Webcams.

And I still can't control my coffe machine with LabVIEW!!

Honestly you can always expect anything and everything but I don't think that makes it a legitime expectation just by itself. Most LabVIEW developers couldn't care about webcam access at all.

If all you want to do is controlling a life webcam, then the LabVIEW Developers Edition certainly is not the right tool.

Rolf Kalbermatter

[Dirk J.]

QUOTE

Note : While closing the Demo VI you may get a popup message window. To override the message box call, edit the source file of the activeX control.

which according to the nag-screen will cost me $1000

it works great, but unfortunately it's of no use to me with the nagscreen - it would kill my program flow...

[sprezzaturon]

QUOTE(rolfk @ Nov 1 2007, 05:05 AM)

And I still can't control my coffe machine with LabVIEW!!

...which would be disappointing if LV included coffee machine routines but no way to access a coffee machine except by spending much more money.

QUOTE

Honestly you can always expect anything and everything but I don't think that makes it a legitime expectation just by itself.

I'm not expecting the world here. It's like buying the best DVD player in the world only to get it home and find out that it's buttonless and the remote is going to cost as much as the DVD player. Just a little vent of frustration...

[Rolf Kalbermatter]

QUOTE(sprezzaturon @ Nov 1 2007, 09:22 AM)

...which would be disappointing if LV included coffee machine routines but no way to access a coffee machine except by spending much more money.

The standard developer edition does not include IMAQ Vision. It's an add-on to the developer edition too.

And then comes the question isn't there some sort of discrepancy between LabVIEW Developer Edition + IMAQ Vision == WebCam? I would think so.

That said if you have IMAQ Vision, the IMAQ for USB (which is a free and unsupported download) certainly would work. If you don't have IMAQ Vision I'm not sure where the analogy about coffee machine routines would be that LabVIEW might contain. Because your LabVIEW obviously doesn't contain real image manipulations too. Of course you can always use generic numeric analysis functions to work on images but by that definition every compiler out there should come with Webcam support.

QUOTE

I'm not expecting the world here. It's like buying the best DVD player in the world only to get it home and find out that it's buttonless and the remote is going to cost as much as the DVD player. Just a little vent of frustration...

With nowadays DVD player street prices that is not even unlikely to happen . Maybe that could say something about what things might be wrong in this world, but that is more of a general problem and has not so much to do with LabVIEW.

Rolf Kalbermatter

[sprezzaturon]

QUOTE(rolfk @ Nov 1 2007, 10:56 AM)

If you don't have IMAQ Vision I'm not sure where the analogy about coffee machine routines would be that LabVIEW might contain. Because your LabVIEW obviously doesn't contain real image manipulations too. Of course you can always use generic numeric analysis functions to work on images but by that definition every compiler out there should come with Webcam support.

I guess my excitement came from seeing what was installed by my Developer Suite: NI-IMAQ drivers, NI Vision Developer and Acquisition modules, Vision Builder for Automated Inspection and the Vision Builder for Automated Inspection Developer Kit ... seemingly coffee machine routines without the connection to a coffee machine. :headbang: Surely, there is someway to use these tools of great vision possibilities...

[siva]

QUOTE(Dirk J. @ Nov 1 2007, 07:24 PM)

which according to the nag-screen will cost me $1000

it works great, but unfortunately it's of no use to me with the nagscreen - it would kill my program flow...

may be you could edit the Source code and recompile it to gid rid of that message box..

[Neville D]

QUOTE(sprezzaturon @ Nov 1 2007, 10:03 AM)

I guess my excitement came from seeing what was installed by my Developer Suite: NI-IMAQ drivers, NI Vision Developer and Acquisition modules, Vision Builder for Automated Inspection and the Vision Builder for Automated Inspection Developer Kit ... seemingly coffee machine routines without the connection to a coffee machine. :headbang: Surely, there is someway to use these tools of great vision possibilities...

What kind of Developer Suite do you have?? If you got all those disks, then you would seem to have a full Vision Suite. In which case, just activate it and start using the built-in routines.

Neville.

[crelf]

QUOTE(sprezzaturon @ Nov 2 2007, 12:22 AM)

I'm not expecting the world here. It's like buying the best DVD player in the world only to get it home and find out that it's buttonless and the remote is going to cost as much as the DVD player.

I think it's more akin to buying a DVD player that plays DVDs fine, but not your DivX-compressed DVD-Rs. You can apply a firmware update, but it's gonna cost you QUOTE(Neville D @ Nov 3 2007, 07:22 AM)

What kind of Developer Suite do you have?? If you got all those disks, then you would seem to have a full Vision Suite.

That's a really good point - if you have the CD-ROMs, then you probably have the license too. Open the NI License Manager and select the porduct that you're interested in, and then activate it with the license key that came with LabVIEW - that'll tell you pretty damn quickly on whether you have a license or not...QUOTE(siva @ Nov 2 2007, 08:32 PM)

may be you could edit the Source code and recompile it to gid rid of that message box..

Go to the naughty step!

[siva]

Allright.. Here goes the updation in the component. All nag screens has been removed..

[sprezzaturon]

QUOTE(siva @ Nov 2 2007, 07:01 PM)

Allright.. Here goes the updation in the component. All nag screens has been removed..

Hello Siva,

I tried using your latest OCX (after copying it to my system32 directory and regsvr32'ing it) but your example VI no longer works. Labview complains that there are no methods available and that the refnum class is not fully defined.

[siva]

QUOTE(sprezzaturon @ Nov 6 2007, 02:11 AM)

Hello Siva,

I tried using your latest OCX (after copying it to my system32 directory and regsvr32'ing it) but your example VI no longer works. Labview complains that there are no methods available and that the refnum class is not fully defined.

Check the following.

1) Open the VI. In the Front panel, Right Click on LiveWindow ActiveX Container

2) Click, "Insert ActiveX Control". Select "WebCam.LiveWindow"

3) Now Save and run the program.

If you dont get "Webcam.LiveWindow" in the ActiveX Control List, it means that the activeX control is not registered properly. please do the registration steps again to fix it.

Check the following.

Note: For XP, Camera should support WIA or it should support TWAIN. If it TWAIN based, then check whether you have installed the Mini WIA Driver on top of the TWAIN Driver.

For Win 98,2000 Please install the Windows TWAIN Drivers.

[jmcbee]

Hello,

I am using your WebcamDemo.vi and have followed your instructions for installation. When I open the program the LiveWindow displays the feed from my webcam however after taking a snapshot the Picture field is blank. I have followed the demo through as it executes and there are no errors, but for some reason the snapshot from the LiveWindow does not translate into a Picture. Do you have any ideas on what the problem may be?

Cheers!

QUOTE(siva @ Nov 5 2007, 11:06 PM)

Check the following.

1) Open the VI. In the Front panel, Right Click on LiveWindow ActiveX Container

2) Click, "Insert ActiveX Control". Select "WebCam.LiveWindow"

3) Now Save and run the program.

If you dont get "Webcam.LiveWindow" in the ActiveX Control List, it means that the activeX control is not registered properly. please do the registration steps again to fix it.

Check the following.

Note: For XP, Camera should support WIA or it should support TWAIN. If it TWAIN based, then check whether you have installed the Mini WIA Driver on top of the TWAIN Driver.

For Win 98,2000 Please install the Windows TWAIN Drivers.

[siva]

1) Make sure that you have given a valid path.
2) After clicking the Snap, manually check the specified path and verify whether the activex is writing the snapshot into the specified file.
3) If the latest snapshot is available in the specified BMP file then, Increase the delay specified in the code(WebcamDemo.vi) and test again.

4) If the latest snapshot is not available, then please reinstall the cam's driver and try again.


QUOTE(jmcbee @ Dec 27 2007, 10:39 PM)

Hello,

I am using your WebcamDemo.vi and have followed your instructions for installation. When I open the program the LiveWindow displays the feed from my webcam however after taking a snapshot the Picture field is blank. I have followed the demo through as it executes and there are no errors, but for some reason the snapshot from the LiveWindow does not translate into a Picture. Do you have any ideas on what the problem may be?

Cheers!

[jmcbee]

Thank you for the quick reply. The activex is not storing the image in the bmp file. I am in the process of reinstalling the cameras drivers. Out of curiosity, what does the wait accomplish in the code? Thank you for the help!

[siva]

QUOTE(jmcbee @ Dec 27 2007, 11:27 PM)

Thank you for the quick reply. The activex is not storing the image in the bmp file. I am in the process of reinstalling the cameras drivers. Out of curiosity, what does the wat accomplish in the code? Thank you for the help!Thank you for the quick reply. The activex is not storing the image in the bmp file. I am in the process of reinstalling the cameras drivers. Out of curiosity, what does the wat accomplish in the code? Thank you for the help!

please check the source code attached in the earlier replies (LiveAcquisition_ActiveX.zip). The ActiveX sends simple messages to the device source driver using WIA Interfaces.

[jmcbee]

Hello,

I have updated the driver and tried running your WebcamDemo.vi again. Now the program is catching in the Flip and Pad for Picture Control.vi, which is a subvi to Read BMP File.vi. I looked inside the Flip and Pad for Picture Control.vi and there are two nested for loops where the program is spinning. The outer for loop wants to run for 100680448 iterations and the inner loop wants to run for 73351168 iterations. Does this sound reasonable? Should I just wait for those loops to execute instead of considering the subvi to be stuck? Thank you again for your help!

Cheers!

[siva]

QUOTE(jmcbee @ Dec 27 2007, 11:36 PM)

Hello,

I have updated the driver and tried running your WebcamDemo.vi again. Now the program is catching in the Flip and Pad for Picture Control.vi, which is a subvi to Read BMP File.vi. I looked inside the Flip and Pad for Picture Control.vi and there are two nested for loops where the program is spinning. The outer for loop wants to run for 100680448 iterations and the inner loop wants to run for 73351168 iterations. Does this sound reasonable? Should I just wait for those loops to execute instead of considering the subvi to be stuck? Thank you again for your help!

Cheers!

"Read BMP File.vi" is a library function that is available under, "Graphics Formats Pallete". Please check the size of the BMP File. Are you able to open the BMP file using MS-PAINT?.

What is your webcam model ?

[jmcbee]

Hello

"Read BMP File.vi" is a library function that is available under, "Graphics Formats Pallete". Please check the size of the BMP File. Are you able to open the BMP file using MS-PAINT?.

I am able to open the BMP file in paint, but activex is not writing the image to the bitmap file. The file I am opening is an old image I was attempting to write over for testing purposes.

What is your webcam model ?

My webcam is a Logitech QuickCam Ultra Vision SE, here is the link to the camera : http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/webcam_c...41&cl=us,enThank you again for your help!

[siva]

QUOTE(jmcbee @ Dec 27 2007, 11:50 PM)

Hello

"Read BMP File.vi" is a library function that is available under, "Graphics Formats Pallete". Please check the size of the BMP File. Are you able to open the BMP file using MS-PAINT?.

I am able to open the BMP file in paint, but activex is not writing the image to the bitmap file. The file I am opening is an old image I was attempting to write over for testing purposes.

What is your webcam model ?

My webcam is a Logitech QuickCam Ultra Vision SE, here is the link to the camera : http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/webcam_c...41&cl=us,enThank you again for your help!

I was using Logitech QuickCam Chat Camera for testing..

I am trying to figure out whats wrong with the activeX Code (VB 6.0 Code)..

In the activeX Code, I am suspecting this line..

hWndC = CapCreateCaptureWindow("LiveAcquire", WS_CHILD + WS_VISIBLE, 0, 0, 352, 288, UserControl.hwnd, 0)

0,0,352,288 has to modified as 0,0,<default image width supported by cam>,<default image height supported by cam>..

you can try with 0,0,960 ,720

after changing, Make the Webcam.ocx and update the system32 with the latest ocx file and try again with the labview code.

[jmcbee]

Thank you for the suggestion. I am not familiar with activex controls, and am not sure how to view and change the .ocx code. Can you tell me what program I need to use to view and update the code? I apologize for having to ask that but I am learning as I go.

Cheers!

QUOTE(siva @ Dec 27 2007, 12:38 PM)

I was using Logitech QuickCam Chat Camera for testing..

I am trying to figure out whats wrong with the activeX Code (VB 6.0 Code)..

In the activeX Code, I am suspecting this line..

hWndC = CapCreateCaptureWindow("LiveAcquire", WS_CHILD + WS_VISIBLE, 0, 0, 352, 288, UserControl.hwnd, 0)

0,0,352,288 has to modified as 0,0,<default image width supported by cam>,<default image height supported by cam>..

you can try with 0,0,960 ,720

after changing, Make the Webcam.ocx and update the system32 with the latest ocx file and try again with the labview code.