www.ssontech.com

[steeleimaging]

I am VERY new to SynthEyes. I purchased yesterday after watching tutorials and playing with the demo. I don't even have permanent serial numbers yet. However, I want to jump in try to get something going.

First - camera I have used is a Sony HandyCam CX150 shooting in HD max. 1920x1080

It was set on a tripod looking down my street.

Short clip, exported to PNG sequence.

Import shot to Syntheyes. Error after auto track is 0.395987

I have tried to set up the coordinates system and account for lens distortion.

I export to C4D using the Lightwave export and (just to try it, the C4D python script.)

Anyway... all of the trackers are on a very flat plane. They look good in camera view, but they do not represent the depth I need to place a silly little object on the street.

When I get it into C4D, I get the same issue. All the trackers are there, but not positioned with any depth.

Thanks for help, advice, chastising and name calling.

Dave Steele
www.steeleimaging.com
Commercial Media Voice Overs

[The Happy Friar]

You need movement in 3D space to get a good 3D track. Just looking at a scene and recording won't get you much (if anything), using a tripod & moving the camera around gets the same.

I'd *REALLY* suggest doing the tutorials in the manual, they helped me A LOT.

Be sure to check out the "How to Shoot" tutorials on the main website.

[steeleimaging]

Thanks Happy.. I have been working through them and run into this problem. I KNOW it's me. I am not blaming the software. Just trying to figure out the why.

[The Happy Friar]

Can you post the footage?

Also, don't feel that any problem is to small to e-mail support. He's actually prefer you e-mail him tech issues or stuff where you think you made a mistake.

[steeleimaging]

Well Mr. Happy.

I AM A LOSER.

Apparently, when running through the manual skipping with joy at my new purchase and relishing all the possibilities that would make me the next great CG artist on planet earth... I failed to read a very important piece of information about a Nodal shot from a tripod resolving distance. That little tidbit of very important information which clearly states -

"In a tripod shot, no distance (range) information can be determined, so all tripod-shot trackers are automatically tagged as ―Far,‖ meaning that they are directions in space (like a directional light), not a point in space (which corresponds to an omni light). For the purposes of display in the 3D viewports and perspective view, Far points are located at a fixed distance from the camera (forming the surface of a sphere if there are many)."

This seems to clearly sum up the problems of all my tracker objects laying in a flat line.

With that said, I am now enrolling in Sylvan Learning Centers curriculum for help in reading, because, even though my entire profession is based on such skills, I am embarrassed by my complete lack of ability in said subject.

Thanks for the help and time you provided to me. I will now crawl into my "hole."

Thanks!
Dave Steele
www.steeleimaging.com
Commercial Media Voice Overs
(Even though I can't read)

[The Happy Friar]

There's still a way to do the shot, don't give up!

If the area you shot didn't change much, go down there with your video camera and record some footage of you looking at the area from different angles. You can then use stills from that footage, solve those stills then use that solve to apply to your original shot!

It's more work but it does work!

EDIT: look in the manual under "Multi Shot Tracking".