Technical Application Note 1.1 Subject Improvements to the Ladybug SDK v1.13 Technical Application Note TAN2014017 Revised May 9, 2016 Technical Application Note (TAN2014017): Improvements to the Ladybug SDK v1.13 1.2 Applicable Product(s) Ladybug5 Ladybug SDK v1.13 1.3 Application Note Description The purpose of this document is to provide information about the improvements that have been made to the Ladybug SDK, focusing on the post processing pipeline since the release of the Ladybug5. All of these features are available in version 1.13 and later of the SDK. Post Processing Features Sample Images GPU Acceleration Other Improvements Point Grey logo, Spinnaker, FlyCapture, Digiclops, Blackfly, Dragonfly, Dragonfly Express, Chameleon, Firefly, Flea, Grasshopper, Ladybug, Scorpion, Zebra and Triclops are trademarks or registered trademarks of Point Grey in Canada and other countries. 2016 Point Grey. All rights reserved.
1.4 Post Processing Features 1.4.1 Improved Default Settings The default settings for the post processing pipeline have been improved. 1.4.2 Smear Detection Greatly improved smear detection. Handles both unsaturated and saturated smear correction much better. 1.4.3 Independent Automatic Exposure The ability to enable auto exposure for each sensor in the post processing pipeline was introduced. This replicates the same functionality as the traditional on-camera independent exposure mode. 1.4.4 Saturation Saturation control for images is now supported. Allows users to boost or reduce the vibrancy of the images. 1.4.5 Levelling Stretches the brightness levels in the image in order to improve brightness and contrast. Closely related to the white/grey point setting below. 1.4.6 White/Grey Point Setting Provides the ability to override the default white and grey points as chosen by the post-processing pipeline. 1.4.7 Local Tone Mapping New tone mapping feature that provides better image quality as compared to the existing OpenGL tone mapping feature. 1.4.8 Automatic White Balance New feature to automatically detect the best white balance settings for the current image. White balance was previously restricted to 4 preset settings only. 1.4.9 Per-frame Post Processing Settings Ability to define per-frame settings for post-processing. Available in both LadybugCapPro as well as directly through the Ladybug API. Revised 9-May-16 Copyright 2016 Point Grey Research, Inc. All rights reserved. 2
1.5 Sample Images Sample before and after images from Ladybug 1.7 SDK and 1.13 SDK. 1.7 SDK 1.13 SDK Revised 9-May-16 Copyright 2016 Point Grey Research, Inc. All rights reserved. 3
1.6 GPU Acceleration The following features have had GPU accelerated variants added: Local tone mapping Noise reduction False color removal GPU acceleration is automatically utilized when a CUDA enabled graphics card is detected. Results of GPU acceleration: Operation CPU Only Time GPU Accelerated Time Speedup Process single image - All settings enabled 21.9s 1.4s 15x Local tone mapping 6s 0.2s 30x Noise reduction - CPU version is multithreaded 1s 0.03s 33x False color removal 7.9s 0.1s 79x The test was performed on a desktop PC with Core-i7-4770 CPU and Nvidia GTX 780 video card running Windows 8.1. 1.7 Other Improvements 1.7.1 Calibration Accuracy The lens distortion model has been improved to provide more accurate rectified images. This allows more accurate mapping of image pixels to their physical location. On average, the Ladybug 5 now delivers an average angular error of 4mm at 10m distance. 1.7.2 Falloff Correction Quality The falloff model has been improved to minimize differences across the stitched seams. This is especially visible on top seams that contain sky. 1.7.3 Linux Support Introduced support for acquisition from camera to stream file, including GPS support. The API is also available for custom application development. Revised 9-May-16 Copyright 2016 Point Grey Research, Inc. All rights reserved. 4
1.8 Additional Downloads and Support Point Grey Research Inc. endeavors to provide the highest level of technical support possible to our customers. Most support resources can be accessed through the Support section of our website. Creating a Customer Login Account The first step in accessing our technical support resources is to obtain a Customer Login Account. This requires a valid name and email address. To apply for a Customer Login Account go to the Downloads page. Knowledge Base Our Knowledge Base contains answers to some of the most common support questions. It is constantly updated, expanded, and refined to ensure that our customers have access to the latest information. Product Downloads Customers with a Customer Login Account can access the latest software and firmware for their cameras from our Downloads page. We encourage our customers to keep their software and firmware up-to-date by downloading and installing the latest versions. Contacting Technical Support Before contacting Technical Support, have you: 1. Read the product documentation and user manual? 2. Searched the Knowledge Base? 3. Downloaded and installed the latest version of software and/or firmware? If you have done all the above and still can t find an answer to your question, contact our Technical Support team. Revised 9-May-16 Copyright 2016 Point Grey Research, Inc. All rights reserved. 5