Side-by-Side Demo

Overview

This application allows two Sensors or two videos to be simultaneously displayed side-by-side.

It is useful for comparing differences in equal sized sensors, although dissimilar sensors may also be used together. Synchronous control of both images is provided for panning, zooming and play-state.
Videos can be looped or single-stepped, and can be of different lengths and types.  Video types supported include .raw, .avi, .wmv, and .mp4.

Side-by-Side can be launched via the desk-top shortcut, or via the Start menu.

Usage - Selection Sensor or Video

When you first start Side-By-Side, this dialog is displayed:

Use the Radio buttons to select Live Sensors or Videos.

  • For Sensors, select "OK" to continue.
  • For Videos, use the "Browse..." buttons to select the videos and then select "OK" to continue.
    Note that the previously selected video will be automatically populated.

The next sections provide detailed Usage information for Sensors and Video.

Usage - Sensors

  • Connect two ON Semiconductor Demo cameras to the system. Make sure the cameras are recognized and the drivers are installed.  You can do this with DevWareX.
  • Launch SideBySide from the desktop shortcut.  The Side by Side Application Wizard will start.  Please select "Next".

 

  • You will be prompted to select which settings to use to start each camera.  You can use the last set of settings that you used in DevWareX or you can select a preset for the INI file for this product.  In this example our first camera is an AR0234CS and we will use DevWareX's last settings.

  • In this example we are using the AR0237CS our 2nd camera.  We will select the DevWareX Initialization preset in this case.

 

  • Next select Finish and then the application will launch with two instances of DevWareX and size the display windows evenly. The initial startup takes a little more time than normal, but requires no user interaction. Please be patient.
  • Note; some sensors' initialization process will include a "Prompt" for interface or mode selection - you'll need to choose the appropriate setting and then select "OK".  For example;
     
  • This example shows the two sensor windows (each a full version of DevWareX) with the control dialog at the bottom




  • The control dialog at the bottom of the application is used to control both sensors together.  To control the sensors independently you can use the standard DevWareX controls for each camera.  They are hidden by default but can be opened from the toolbars.

Zoom -/+ will zoom out and in respectively.  The zoom factor is updated to the current value.  The pulldown menu can also be used to set the zoom factor directly. Both cameras are zoomed the same amount regardless of the value of "sync".

Navigation Thumbnail You can select either the navigation thumbnail on the left or right image.  The example above includes a navigation thumbnail on the left image.  This can be used to navigate through the image.  When Sync is ON (default) the two camera displays will be adjusted together.  Sync can be turned off in the Options menu, if you want to adjust the images independently.  You can also use the scrollbars at the bottom and right of each window.  Again if Sync is on they will both move together.

Camera Control allows you to control  the cameras together.  You can "Play", "Pause" or "Stop" the cameras from streaming as well as toggle between preview and full resolution (assuming both cameras support preview modes).  You can also "grab" an image from both cameras simultaneously.   If you want to control each camera independently you can use the DevWareX controls.

Note: for "Record", you will be prompted to ensure that both DevWareX instances' video record settings have been properly configured before continuing.

Options You can "Restore Default Layout" which returns the layout to the default positions.  You can also toggle "Image Synchronization" which is used to synchronize the navigation.  If on will show "Sync On" on the toolbar, which is the default.  See Navigation Thumbnail for more information on Sync.

Help  When selected, a "?" will appear on the cursor.  You can select a control to get more information on its operation.

Quit  Allows you to quit all windows in the application.

Tips

  • All DevWareX toolbars and dialogs are hidden by the application. They can be manually re-enabled if access to a specific control is needed.
  • Selecting Quit from the SideBySide control bar will close all DevWareX instances, it is not necessary to close each one separately.
  • If you have 2 sensors connected to USB3 cables but SideBySide indicates that 2 sensors are required, then unplug the missing sensor and restart SideBySide.

Usage - Video

After the video files are set and "OK" is selected from the Initialization dialog, Side-by-Side will launch two instances of DevWareX, and then the Side-by-Side control bar;

There are only a few differences in the controls available for videos.

  • There is no "Record" function.
  • "Video Control" scroll bar is available to scroll through the two videos, or single-step via the left/right arrows.
    • Note that you must select the arrow character  to enable scrolling and single-step.

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