This topic will give you an overview of the user interface of the blaze Viewer. Below is a screenshot of the blaze Viewer showing the different elements of the tool.
1 = Menu bar
2 = Camera selector
3 = Toolbar
4 = Features pane
5 = Pixel Information pane
6 = Documentation pane
7 = Message Log pane
8 = Image window area
File menu.
Save Depth and Image Data: Use this option to save depth and image data as well as camera settings to file. There are various formats available. For more information, click here.
Exit: Use this option to close the blaze Viewer.
Camera menu.
Rescan: Use this option to check whether another camera has been opened.
Open: Use this option to connect a camera, i.e., to make it available for use.
Close: Use this option to disconnect a camera.
Continuous Shot: Use this option to let the camera capture images continuously.
Stop: Use this option to stop capturing images.
Save Features: Use this option to save the current settings of the camera features in a .pfs file which can be opened in any standard text editor. Note that image acquisition has to be stopped first before the feature settings can be saved.
Load Features: Use this option to load a .pfs file containing previously saved settings of camera features.
View menu. Use the View menu to select or deselect which panes you want to display.
Window menu. Use the Window menu to open and close image windows and to arrange them in the image window area.
Features. The Features pane displays all features that are available on the camera that is selected in the camera selector. It also contains the User Level drop-down list where you can select your level of expertise. The available options are Beginner, Expert, and Guru. At the beginner level, the Features pane will only display the most basic camera settings. At the expert level, the Features pane will display the most commonly used camera settings. At the guru level, the Features pane will display all camera features, including the most advanced ones.
Using the Favorites node, you can gain quick access to the features you use most often. By creating a list of your favorite features you can avoid having to navigate the feature tree. Adding a feature to the favorites doesn't remove it from its original category in the feature tree. Instead, a copy of it is added to the favorites. Closing the blaze Viewer doesn't remove the favorites.
In the Features pane, you can also select whether to
automatically poll the camera in regular intervals for updated parameter
values. Alternatively, you can click the icon to
refresh the features list manually.
Pixel Information. Information regarding the pixel that you have selected in one of the image windows is displayed here. For more information about the Pixel Information pane, click here.
Documentation. Information about the feature currently selected in the Features pane is displayed here. In the example above, the Processing Mode parameter is selected. The pane also contains code snippets that can be useful when writing your own application code.
Message Log. The Message Log pane displays information about actions carried out with the blaze Viewer, e.g., opening and closing a camera or starting image acquisition. There are different message levels: Information, Warning, and Critical.
Image window area. This pane contains four windows that show the different 2D and 3D views of the target scene.
All panes have buttons for closing the
pane and for undocking it from the blaze Viewer window. If a pane is undocked,
you can move it around freely on your desktop. If you want to dock it
again, follow these steps:
In the blaze Viewer window, drag the pane to the desired position in the window until a dotted rectangle appears.
Drop the pane.