[papywizard V2] Timelapse And Intervalometer

[geraldcor]

by geraldcor » Fri Feb 27, 2009 12:30 am

I am very interested in using this for a timelapse. I purchased an orion because I initially thought papywizard would be able to control the movements for a panning timelapse. Maybe I am confused about it all. I just want to be able to move along the x and y axis and take a shot in between each movement. Isn't that what papywizard is already capable of?

As for a ui, a bezier curve would be unbeatable (for both x and y axes) but a simple start degree x and end degree x and start degree y and end degree y would be just fine too. Programmable exposure changing would be on the top of my list as well as far as camera control is concerned.

But i can´t imagine a reason to use that in a time-lapsed movie . . . ok: a pathed move over a building, a landscape or so . . maybe.

Have you ever seen Baraka? That is the reason for panning time lapse photography

I'm a little bummed if I purchased the orion and I won't be able to do panning time lapses.

[klausesser]

by klausesser » Fri Feb 27, 2009 1:12 am

I'm a little bummed if I purchased the orion and I won't be able to do panning time lapses.

Well - The Merlin/Orion and Papywizard is a combination for panoramaphotography at first hand.
This time-lapse thing is a nice add-on . . but only few people are really interested in it and - honestly - it´s no more than toying around.
I like it nevertheless - but a motorized pano-head is a "real thing" to even work with on assignments sometimes and/or use it for shootings that wouldn´t be possible or at least very uncomfortable otherwise.

best, Klaus

btw.: the Beziér-curves would be only important when the head carries a video-camera for remote controlled smooth panning both vert. and hor.
One could set some points and the curves would be interpolated - and editable - to very smooth movements.
Don´t believe it would be affect timelapse-pans effectively.

"Have you ever seen Baraka?"

No - but of course i saw "Koyaanisqatsi" some 30 Years ago . .

Last edited by klausesser on Fri Feb 27, 2009 1:19 am, edited 1 time in total.

[jeremyp]

by jeremyp » Fri Feb 27, 2009 1:16 am

Programmable exposure changing would be on the top of my list as well as far as camera control is concerned.

Electronic control of the aperture (on a Canon DSLR for e.g.) is not sufficient for smooth change at 1/3 stop steps. Also the aperture never resets to the same position so you get variation on every frame. The solution is to use intelligent bracketing and do post processing to get the smooth exposure change the way you like. See this thread, http://www.autopano.net/forum/t5329-papywizard-v2-tethered-shooting-and-intelligent-bracketing

Have you ever seen Baraka?

Of course hasn't everyone ? Apparently the new blue ray is excellent but I have yet to see it. The Qatsi trilogy is also good.

That is the reason for panning time lapse photography

We have the opportunity to capture full spherical time-lapse and pan with in that (in post) so in theory panning time-lapse is not required. Personally I like the idea of panning time-lapse, but this was discussed earlier

[klausesser]

by klausesser » Fri Feb 27, 2009 1:36 am

We have the opportunity to capture full spherical time-lapse and pan with in that (in post) so in theory panning time-lapse is not required. Personally I like the idea of panning time-lapse, but this was discussed earlier

Yep - i also like the idea of panning x and y time-lapsed after i saw some funny examples like
http://vimeo.com/1789964

That´s great!

Besides: fine renderings in you gallery - good modelling!

best, Klaus

P.S.: did some global lighting resp. IBL using a hdr-probe in Cinema4D

Last edited by klausesser on Fri Feb 27, 2009 1:56 am, edited 1 time in total.

[mediavets]

by mediavets » Fri Feb 27, 2009 2:28 am

I am very interested in using this for a timelapse. I purchased an orion because I initially thought papywizard would be able to control the movements for a panning timelapse. Maybe I am confused about it all. I just want to be able to move along the x and y axis and take a shot in between each movement. Isn't that what papywizard is already capable of?
.........
I'm a little bummed if I purchased the orion and I won't be able to do panning time lapses.

Perhaps it would do what you want already if you create a suitable custom preset?:
http://trac.gbiloba.org/papywizard/wiki/UserGuideSvn#Presetmode

But if Papywizard as it stands doesn't meet you needs then you had the chance to discover that before purchasing the orion mount - the software runs in simulation mode without being connected to the mount.

On the upside you have the chance to contribute to the evolution a system what will do waht you want.

[jeremyp]

by jeremyp » Fri Feb 27, 2009 5:07 am

P.S.: did some global lighting resp. IBL using a hdr-probe in Cinema4D

Nice. Soon you'll be able to capture a spherical HDRI with Papywizard and use it to light a virtual scene in Cinema4D

[klausesser]

by klausesser » Fri Feb 27, 2009 9:35 am

P.S.: did some global lighting resp. IBL using a hdr-probe in Cinema4D

Nice. Soon you'll be able to capture a spherical HDRI with Papywizard and use it to light a virtual scene in Cinema4D

already did!

http://www.klausesser.de/PlatzAnim2.mov

Last edited by klausesser on Fri Feb 27, 2009 6:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[geraldcor]

by geraldcor » Fri Feb 27, 2009 6:03 pm

The presets are looking like the answer and actually are what brought me here in the first place. I think everything will be okay with a little bit of typing and simulation running. I just got a little scared by some of the discussions here, but I still think the orion mount will work for me whether I use papywizard or a microcontroller.

2 questions if I may (you all seem very willing to answer questions which makes me very happy and comfortable here). 1. As far as presets are concerned, do I just save a .xml file based on the format of the presets that have already been submitted? Oops Sorry. Just saw this on the users guide. Consider it answered

2. If I do go the microcontroller route, does the Orion head use Pulse width modulation like a regular servo or does it use different commands? I have searched around trying to figure this out but have come up with very little information. EDIT and you may consider this question obsolete because with the stabilization delay setting, and a manually created preset, I think I will be able to do what I want (at least according to the 3D simulations)

Thanks everyone for any help with this project. I will keep you updated on my progress.

Greg

Last edited by geraldcor on Fri Feb 27, 2009 6:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[fma38]

by fma38 » Fri Feb 27, 2009 6:35 pm

What is your idea with the micro-controller route? Do you want to make a complete new internal electronic, or just drive it through the TTL serial line?

In the first case, you have to buld a PWM amplifier to drive the DC motors of the Orion; in teh second case, just send the correct command (jog, stop, goto, read...).

[mediavets]

by mediavets » Fri Feb 27, 2009 8:25 pm

The presets are looking like the answer and actually are what brought me here in the first place. I think everything will be okay with a little bit of typing and simulation running. I just got a little scared by some of the discussions here, but I still think the orion mount will work for me whether I use papywizard or a microcontroller.

2 questions if I may (you all seem very willing to answer questions which makes me very happy and comfortable here). 1. As far as presets are concerned, do I just save a .xml file based on the format of the presets that have already been submitted? Oops Sorry. Just saw this on the users guide. Consider it answered

2. If I do go the microcontroller route, does the Orion head use Pulse width modulation like a regular servo or does it use different commands? I have searched around trying to figure this out but have come up with very little information. EDIT and you may consider this question obsolete because with the stabilization delay setting, and a manually created preset, I think I will be able to do what I want (at least according to the 3D simulations)

Thanks everyone for any help with this project. I will keep you updated on my progress.

Greg

Greg,

You can load custom preset files 'on-the-fly' using the File/Load preset... command.

These custom preset files can have any name you like as long as they have the .XML extension, and stored anywhere you like in the file system.

Although the documentation suggests using the File/Load... just for testing, I tend to use it all the time because then you can easily build up a 'library' of custom presets with easy to understand names, and store them wherever you like, and load as required, rather than permanently installing a file containing several custom presets in the special location.

Last edited by mediavets on Fri Feb 27, 2009 8:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[geraldcor]

by geraldcor » Fri Feb 27, 2009 8:27 pm

I would use the TTL serial line. I can use the simple jog, stop... commands? After playing with papywizard some more, I doubt I will go this route.

EDIT: Just a bit confused. Do the DC motors in the orion use good old fashioned PWM for movement control, the same as standard servos? Is it as simple as that? I have the parallax basic stamp and use it to control servos for other things, and I was just wondering If I could just use this as an option if needs be. Thanks.

Greg

Last edited by geraldcor on Sat Feb 28, 2009 3:30 am, edited 1 time in total.

[klausesser]

by klausesser » Sat Feb 28, 2009 8:56 pm

btw.:

Christian (chreinhardt) came up with a clever workaround for using Papy with timelapse+pan:

set overlap to 90%, set numbers of pics to 99, start. At the end of the shooting set camera´s position t0 zero (home) and start . . . . and so on

so you can put some sets of 100 shots each one after the other and have a slow and smooth pan . . .

I´ll test it tomorrow morning. Simulation works fine!

Next is editing a preset-file that way . . .

best, Klaus

Last edited by klausesser on Sat Feb 28, 2009 8:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.