About Vicon Studio

Vicon Studio is a software protocol that provides a calibrated 3D position of the center of the sensor on a broadcast camera.

The protocol makes calibrating your broadcast camera fast, precise and straightforward. Vicon Studio collects video from the broadcast camera in conjunction with data from the Vicon tracking system and calculates the camera calibration parameters from a wave of a wand that is being tracked by the system and simultaneously visible to the camera. No interaction is required with the (separate) Tracker software throughout the process and Vicon Studio ensures that the system is left in a good state for use within the VR environment. It also provides basic tools to demonstrate quality of tracking.

Vicon Studio works with Vicon Tracker 3.1 and higher. Tracker is a software application that collects data from the Vicon tracking cameras and computes the 3D location and orientation of objects consisting of unique arrangements of  retro-reflective  markers. These objects may be fitted to cameras that are to be tracked or certain props used within the VR environment. This data is streamed out of the application in real time to the VR software.

Each broadcast camera in your studio that is to be tracked will be fitted with a unique tracking object. Due to the differing designs of cameras and modes of operation (boom/crane, pedestal or shoulder mounted), these objects may be fitted in a different way on each camera. The calibration process determines the position of the object relative to the optical axis of the lens and the sensor plane so that the positional information transmitted to the VR software is correct.

About this guide

The Vicon Studio Quick Start Guide is a guide for calibration of the tracking system. It also contains detailed setup and configuration information, which is implemented when the system is initially commissioned.

When recalibration of the broadcast cameras needs to be undertaken (eg, when lenses are exchanged, or the camera object moved on the camera), please see Broadcast camera calibration workflow .