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Instruction Manual Roundshot VR Drive - version 4.0 – January 2010 - © by Seitz Phototechnik AG / Switzerland www.roundshot.ch page 0 Round

1.3 Roundshot VR Drive accessories Short nodal rail (for fisheye lenses) Additional VR bracket Clamp for manual tilting Additional spirit level Radi

4.6.2 Settings/database (continued) Click on “delete all programs” to remove all programs from your VR Drive. Confirm with “next” or cancel with “X

4.6.2 Settings/database (continued) import Import If a program number already exists, would you prefer to overwrite the old one or append as new? exp

4.6.3 Settings/service menu The service menu is only used for factory maintenance (hardware calibration). service menu password Instruction Manual Ro

5. Tips & Tricks 5.1 Nodal point When creating a new program with the Wizard, you can apply the following procedure for finding the correct nod

5.1 Nodal point (continued) Look through the camera viewfinder, open the VR bracket holder and slide the VR bracket sideways so that the centre of th

5.1 Nodal point (continued) Good nodal point: Bad nodal point (parallax effect): The next step consists in setting the nodal point for the camera.

5.1 Nodal point (continued) Choose two vertical lines in space, for example the edge of a building with a pillar in the background. Look through th

5.1 Nodal point (continued) Enter the exact B-value (in mm) in the software. Confirm with “next”. This procedure must be repeated every time a new

5.2 Roundshot Image Bundler After few hours of work with the VR Drive the memory card of your camera will contain a large number of images belonging

5.2 Roundshot Image Bundler (continued) To use the image bundler, install the software corresponding to your operating system (Windows or Mac) and fo

1.3 Roundshot VR Drive accessories (continued) Additional camera release cables (please check our website for list of compatible cameras) Additional

5.2 Roundshot Image Bundler (continued) Before starting the image grouping process, it is possible to define the following folder naming options:

5.3 Stitching workflow AutoPano + AutoPano Giga (Kolor) Go to File/Import and load the xml file from your computer into the AutoPano software. Use

5.3 Stitching workflow (continued) PTGUI As a first step load your images into the PTGUI software. Then go to File/Import/Papywizard and allocate th

5.3 Stitching workflow (continued) With the xml file and the AutoPano Giga VR Drive plug-in, the stitching process is very straightforward. All par

5.4 Mask the nadir When generating a full spherical panorama, it is possible to see the tripod and the VR Drive x-motor in the nadir. These 2 element

5.4 Mask the nadir (continued) As you can see in the following example, all moving elements in the nadir area are selected with the red selection to

5.4 Mask the nadir (continued) Removing the remaining fixed elements with pano2VR If it is necessary to remove also the tripod and the x-motor from

5.5 Conversion to web formats After stitching the image out of the VR Drive, the resulting panorama is a tiff or jpeg image displayed using the sele

5.6 Speed vs. quality mode In “quality” mode the VR Drive stops and releases the camera in every position. In “speed” mode the VR Drive releases the

5.7 Gigapixel photography When generating gigapixel panoramas, both hardware and software components of the workflow are used to their limits. Any er

1.3 Roundshot VR Drive accessories (continued) USB cable to connect VR Drive with camera (for HDR mode) Additional universal charger (110-220V) Ligh

5.7 Gigapixel photography (continued) Software mode: quality vs. speed As the number of images to be captured can be extremely high, the overall cap

5.8 HDR photography The bracketing of the camera in “quality mode” is limited to +/- 2 EVs (f-stops). For 32-bit HDR photography this is insufficient

5.8 HDR photography (continued) Some parameters of the camera might generate problems during the image capture or stitching in HDR mode. It is theref

5.9 Turntable and object movie generation Creating an object movie using the VR Drive for capturing the images is very simple and allows perfect pos

5.9 Turntable and object movie generation (continued) Object movie generation workflow (continued) •Open the object movie software of your choice. I

5.10 Using long exposure times When using long exposure times on your camera in quality, HDR, turntable or timelapse modes, it is very important to m

5.11 Using the VR Drive light meter One of the most critical parameter when using the VR Drive is the camera exposure. Usually it is set manually on

5.11 Using the VR Drive light meter (continued) Software Setup When creating a new quality or HDR program you can follow the wizard as before. Pleas

5.11 Using the VR Drive light meter (continued) In edit menu, click on “auto exposure settings” to access the automatic exposure settings menu of the

5.12 Video vs. timelapse mode (continued) “Video” and “timelapse” modes, are used to move the camera smoothly through a custom path to generate an an

2. First Steps With Your VR Drive 2.1 Setting up the VR Drive hardware Your VR Drive is delivered in a compact shipping box with foam protection.

5.12 Video vs. timelapse mode (continued) The main advantages of using the VR Drive to generate timelapse or video sequences are: • 360°x180° full

Now the definition of the video or timelapse sequence can start. Set the start point of the sequence Use the arrow keys to Move the VR Drive right/le

5.12 Video vs. timelapse mode (continued) At this stage the sequence from starting point to point 1 is defined. Click on new point to define the ne

5.13 Working with presets Click on “presets” to define the parameter preferences of your VR Drive. The “presets” are grouped by software mode: • “qu

5.14 Frequently asked questions Q: What are the ideal camera settings and accessories? A: Ideal settings: manual exposure, manual focus, white balan

5.14 Frequently asked questions (continued) Q: How can I load a camera into the list of “my cameras” (favourites) that is currently not included in t

5.14 Frequently asked questions (continued) Q: Can I upgrade my VR Drive with new software modes? A: Yes, you can. Purchase the additional software

6. Maintenance & Warranty 6.1 Recharging the VR Drive LED The VR Drive is powered by 4 long-lasting rechargeable Li-Ion batteries. The battery

6.3 Touch screen calibration When the touch screen positioning becomes less precise, it is possible to calibrate it. After start-up of the VR Drive,

6.4 International Warranty Your Roundshot VR Drive is covered by the international 2-year Seitz warranty. The warranty is linked to the hardware ID (

2.1 Setting up the VR Drive hardware (continued) Assemble your VR Drive “full” in the following way: Open the quick adaptor release and turn the VR b

6.5 Software update: “Club VR Drive” Connect to the “Club” website at www.roundshot.ch. Please change your password on your first visit. The “Club

6.5 Software update: “Club VR Drive” (continued) Download the latest VR Drive software from the “Club VR Drive” website. Important: unzip the zipped

6.5 Software update: “Club VR Drive” (continued) Firmware update V. 02.009 Keep the VR Drive on/off button pressed. Keep it pressed. Keep it presse

6.5 Software update: “Club VR Drive” (continued) The VR Drive will now load the new software from the USB key. This is confirmed with the status: “F

6.6 Upgrades: Adding new software modes Click on “key” to display the software key. Enter the new software key. Confirm with “OK”. Afte

6.7 Return of equipment / recycling Your Roundshot product and the accessories are produced from highest quality materials and parts and will provide

7. Technical Data Technical changes reserved Instruction Manual Roundshot VR Drive version 2.13 – December 2014 – © by Seitz Phototechnik AG / Switz

Impressum Copyright 2014 by Seitz Phototechnik AG Hauptstr. 14 8512 Lustdorf / Switzerland ph: +41 52 369 68 00 email: [email protected] ww

Adjust the height of the y-motor using the allen key. Make sure that there is enough space for large cameras and lenses when tilting downward -90°.

Attach your digital camera to the nodal rail using the allen key. Make sure that the camera is always attached at the same position. We recommend sli

Slide the camera with the nodal rail into the nodal rail clamp. Close the nodal rail clamp lock. Now check that the camera is exactly level using the

Connect the release cable into the VR Drive x-motor Connect the other end of the release cable into the camera . Push it tightly into the socket. 2.1

The VR Drive “semi” is set up in the same way as the VR Drive “full” except that there is just a nodal rail clamp instead of the y-motor and that only

Instruction Manual Roundshot VR Drive - version 4.0 – January 2010 - © by Seitz Phototechnik AG / Switzerland www.roundshot.ch page 1

Assemble your VR Drive “turntable” in the following way: 2.1.3 Roundshot VR Drive “turntable” Attach the VR Drive x-motor upside-down on the tripod.

2.1.3 Roundshot VR Drive “turntable” (continued) Slide the turntable into the quick adaptor and lock it firmly. Connect the release cable into the VR

2.1.4 Roundshot VR Drive “linear rail” These are the necessary parts to build up a linear rail with 1 tube element length 1 rope 2 tubes of equal len

2.1.4 Roundshot VR Drive “linear rail” (continued) Step 1: build the linear rail main unit Remove the Q-mount of the Y-motor using the Allen key

2.1.4 Roundshot VR Drive “linear rail” (continued) Attach the Y-motor to the linear rail slider unit. The Y motor fits into the positions on the slid

2.1.4 Roundshot VR Drive “linear rail” (continued) Step 2: Assemble the linear rail tube structure Start with assembling one of the edge sensors wit

2.1.4 Roundshot VR Drive “linear rail” (continued) Slide the 2 tubes in the Linear rail main unit as shown below. Make sure the black lines of the ma

2.1.4 Roundshot VR Drive “linear rail” (continued) Optional: Extend the linear rail with extension tubes (this step should be done before closing the

2.1.4 Roundshot VR Drive “linear rail” (continued) Step 3: Assemble the VR Drive x-motor Attach the VR Drive X-Motor on the dedicated place of the l

2.1.5 Roundshot VR Drive “dolly” Assemble your VR Drive “dolly” in the following way: Step 1: build the dolly frame without motors These are the nec

CONTENTS 1. System Overview 1.1 Roundshot VR Drive Hardware Options 4 1.2 Roundshot VR Drive Software Options 7 1.3 Accessories 9 2. Firs

2.1.5 Roundshot VR Drive “dolly” (continued) On each tube attach one of the 2 corner elements using the short screws. Make sure to place the straight

2.1.5 Roundshot VR Drive “dolly” (continued) Attach the right wheel on the right corner element the same way as for the left part. Make sure that all

2.1.5 Roundshot VR Drive “dolly” (continued) Attach the wheel arm on the VR Drive x-motor on one side (left image) and to the y-motor on the other (r

2.1.5 Roundshot VR Drive “dolly” (continued) Option 2 : y-motor is used to drive the dolly. The VR Drive x-motor is used to position the camera on to

2.1.5 Roundshot VR Drive “dolly” (continued) Place the VR Drive x-motor (with an optional tripod) on top of the dolly. Then connect the x- with the y

There is a variety of special assembly options for particular tasks: 2.1.6 Special hardware assembly options Attach camera adaptor into quick adaptor

2.1.6 Special hardware assembly options (continued) The VR bracket can be disassembled by loosening the two screws below. It is then possible to atta

2.1.6 Special hardware assembly options (continued) When the VR Drive y-motor stops at a wrong parking position, it can be mechanically adjusted back

2.1.7 Light meter The light meter sensor consists of the following parts: Allen key with screws Light meter sensor Never place the light meter senso

2.1.7 Light meter sensor (continued) Once the light meter sensor is attached, it will be automatically detected by the VR Drive. If the camera use

CONTENTS Page 5. Tips and Tricks 5.1 Nodal point adjustment procedure 102 5.2 Roundshot Image Bundler 107 5.3 Stitching workflow 110 5.4 Mask

2.1.8 Radio control unit The radio control unit consists of the following parts: Allen key with screws Radio receiver (on VR Drive) Radio sender (re

2.1.8 Radio control unit (continued) Attach the radio receiver in the following way: Insert the radio receiver pins into the plug marked with the ant

2.1.8 Radio control unit (continued) Once the synchronisation process is complete, the red blinking LED turns off. The radio sender and receiver are

2.1.9 Wi-Fi router for remote control The Wi-Fi router consists of the following parts: Connect the Wi-Fi router with the VR Drive using a short Eth

2.1.9 Wi-Fi router for remote control As a first step assign the following fixed IP to the VR Drive in edit/settings/software/IP: 192.168.169.15 O

2.2 Setting up the digital camera Always use manual exposure. With automatic exposure the images will be differently exposed and the VR Drive can no

2.3 Setting up the VR Drive software Press the VR Drive “on/off” button to start the VR Drive: As a first step, select your language. The options are

2.3 Setting up the VR Drive software (continued) Load the cameras that you will be using with the VR Drive from the data base , selecting the camera

P1 quality Nikon D3 focal length : 24 mm A: 0mm B: 0mm angle X:360° Y: 73° rows : 1 R1 ° / 10 Duration : 2min 5s x/y 2.4 Navigation The

2.4 Navigation (continued) Clicking the “active program + program management” button opens the “program management” menu. In this menu new program

1. System Overview 1.1 Roundshot VR Drive Hardware Options The VR Drive is available in a variety of hardware options, each designed for a specifi

2.4 Navigation (continued) Clicking the “program info” section opens the “program edit” menu. In this menu all program parameters can be changed.

2.4 Navigation (continued) The following is an overview of the VR Drive navigation: Program management Home Program edit Program Wizard Start-up ne

In the “Home” menu click on “start” to launch your first VR Drive image sequence: The VR Drive will start executing the active program – in this examp

3. Program Management 3.1 Overview Click the “program management” button. Besides creating new programs with the Program Wizard the program manage

3.1 Overview (continued) The “copy” command duplicates the currently active program. This function is helpful when a new program needs to be crea

3.2 Program Wizard When creating a new program, the VR Drive will launch the Program Wizard. The program wizard helps to set-up program parameters in

3.2 Program Wizard (continued) 3.2.1 Wizard workflow for quality, speed and HDR modes Quality mode Speed mode HDR mode Common parameters Specific pa

3.2.1 Wizard workflow for quality, speed and HDR modes (continued) Info Camera Focal length Rotation center A-value Nodal point B-value Angle Mode

3.2.1 Wizard workflow for quality, speed and HDR modes (continued) Bracketing Quality Program Hi/Low/Avr Type select Aperture ISO/ASA Reference ex

3.2.2 Wizard workflow for turntable mode In “turntable” mode the camera captures images of a rotating object on a turntable for object movies. the ha

1.1 Roundshot VR Drive Hardware Options (continued) Roundshot VR Drive “full” VR Drive x-motor touch screen on/off button VR Drive y-motor quick ada

3.2.3 Wizard workflow for timelapse and video modes (continued) Info Camera Focal length Seconds Video Program Timelapse Program Start point X &

4. Program Editing Once a new program is created using the Wizard, it is accessible from the program list in the home menu. By accessing the “progra

4.1 Editing in quality, speed and turntable modes (continued) Click on “text” to change the label of the program. Enter an alphanumeric/numeric tex

Click on “focal length” to change the focal length of the lens used for the program. Changing the focal length will lead to an automatic recalculatio

Click on “angle mode” to change the way the rows (elevation, number of images) are calculated. The options are: • cylindrical • spherical • Manual •

Click on “X” or “Y” to change the horizontal or vertical angle for the program. Changing the angle will lead to an automatic recalculation of rows (e

Click on “overlap” to change the % overlap between images horizontally and vertically. Changing the overlap will lead to an automatic recalculation o

Image number variable Image number fix variable Click on “image number” to change the way the number of images per row is calculated. This option is o

Click on “sequence” to change the order in which the rows of images are captured. Select the new sequence. Click on “next” to see more sequences. C

Click on “speed” to change the rotation speed for the VR Drive. Enter the “X speed” for the horizontal movement. Enter the “Y speed” for the vertica

1.1 Roundshot VR Drive Hardware Options (continued) Roundshot VR Drive “semi” 24 24 y-clamp for manual tilting Allen key 4mm for • attaching/removin

Click on “repeat” to program a repetition of the program. Enter the number of repetitions. Enter the Offset angle. This will move the starting point

Click on “bracketing” to program multi-exposures per position. Bracketing “1” means no multi-exposures – only one image will be released per position

Click on “mirror release” to activate the release of the camera mirror before image taking. Enter the duration of mirror release. Confirm with “OK”

4.2 Editing in timelapse and video modes The parameters for the video and timelapse modes are very specific. This is why they cannot be changed into

4.2 Editing in timelapse and video modes (continued) Click on “point” to edit the points through which the video sweep navigates. By clicking on th

point acceleration 50 pause 1 speed 30 point -45/45° images 0 edit delete X ° 0.0 [-999.9..999.9] duration 30 [8..9999] pause 1 [0.1...3600.0]

4.3 Editing in HDR mode Click on “mode HDR” to access all HDR parameters for editing. mode HDR Edit HDR number of pictures exposure reference sequenc

4.3 Editing in HDR mode (continued) Click on “move”. The function “shift average exposure” will shift the center exposure of the HDR table. The val

4.3 Editing in HDR mode (continued) Click on “aperture steps”. Enter the aperture steps between images. This corresponds to the difference in f-sto

Click on “HDR steps”. The table displays the exposure speed, aperture (f-stop) and ISO/ASA for every image released in the bracketing sequence. Acce

1.2 Roundshot VR Drive Software Options For cylindrical or spherical panoramas, single- or multi-row For object movies Quality mode Speed mode The V

Click on “aperture compensation”. Setting this option to “off” will keep the f-stop for all images identical. With aperture compensation set to “on”

4.4 USB settings Click on “USB settings” to access the USB settings menu of the VR Drive. Click on “USB cable connected” to turn on the USB functiona

4.4 USB settings (continued) The “Write identification” tool will edit specific metadata tags on the camera. In particular: • Nikon : “User comment”

4.5 Auto exposure settings Click on “auto exposure settings” to access the automatic exposure settings menu of the VR Drive. Click on “auto exposure”

4.6 Settings Click on “settings” to access the VR Drive settings menu. The “settings” menu is divided into 3 submenus: • general • database • servic

4.6.1 Settings/general (continued) Click on “date” to access the “date” function. Set the year, month and day Confirm every entry with “next” or ca

4.6.1 Settings/general (continued) Click on “has y motor” to activate / deactivate the y-motor. For VR Drive “full” select “yes”. For VR Drive “sem

4.6.1 Settings/general (continued) Click on “key” to display the software key. The software key is used to activate the VR Drive modes (“quality”, “

4.6.1 Settings/general (continued) Click on “hardware ID” to display the unique hardware identification number of your VR Drive. This ID is at the s

Click on „manual movement“ to set the preferences for manual positioning of the VR Drive. Click on „speed“. Enter the speed of X / Y m

1.2 Roundshot VR Drive Software Options (continued) For 32-bit HDR images HDR mode In the "HDR mode" the camera is controlled by the VR Dr

Click on „default movement“ to set the preferences for automatic positioning of the VR Drive. Click on „speed“. Enter the speed of X /

Click on „diameter linear axis“ to change the size of the wheel used on your linear axis. Enter the diameter (in mm). Please make sure that the enter

4.6.1 Settings/general (continued) Click on „auto. exposure ranges “ to define the range of values allowed when the automatic light meter tool is act

Click on „exposure constant“ to change the calibration parameter of the light meter. The standard value is: 25 Increase this value if the images a

4.6.2 Settings/database Click on “database” to access the database functions of your VR Drive. The “database” submenu consist of the following funct

4.6.2 Settings/database (continued) To edit the parameters of a camera, select the camera. P2 It is possible to edit the sensor size in mm. Select “

4.6.2 Settings/database (continued) To add a new camera that is not in the database, select any camera in the list and overwrite its values. P2 Ente

4.6.2 Settings/database (continued) Click on “presets” to define the parameter preferences of your VR Drive. The “presets” are grouped by software m

4.6.2 Settings/database (continued) units function quality speed turntable timalapse video HDR info text Information on project       cam

4.6.2 Settings/database (continued) units function quality speed turntable timalapse video HDR aperture f f-stop on the lens used for the HDR exposu