PTZ camera control with timeline/keyframe over FreeD protocol

General TouchDesigner Discussion
1

Hi, I’m looking for a way to control a PTZ camera (or a motion controlled mount: Edelkrone) using Touchdesigner. It must be able to be motion programed using timeline/keyframe, so once triggered the camera performs many sequence of continuous movements on a timeline. I wish I could afford a robot arm controlled camera…

I read that certain PTZ cameras capable of sending out rotation, zoom, focus values using FreeD protocol. And aware that now TD has native FreeD in/out CHOP. (thank you)

But I don’t think you can send recorded FreeD tracking values from TD to a PTZ camera. Does anyone have any experience on this kind of motion controlling a camera with a timeline/keyframed values? Thank you so much in advance!

2

I’m not an expert on this, but you can use the Animation COMP to keyframe parameter values which you could then send out to a FreeD CHOP and your PTZ camera like in the shot below.

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image1733×1017 101 KB

The easiest way to set up the animation is to right click on the parameter and then select ‘Keyframe parameter in’ from the menu and select new animation. That will setup everything for you.

Hope that helps.

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3

Thank you so much for the reply. It’s very helpful.
But do you by any chance have experience if a PTZ camera takes in a FreeD signal? I read mostly it only send it out from PTZ.

4

Unfortunately I’m not aware off hand which camera’s might allow you to control them with freed.

The only projects I know of that were using the FreeD Out CHOP were directing the signal into another piece of software.

5

Thank you so much, I found some posts from Touchdesigner, sending out ONVIF commends using python. Look more into it. Thank you so much!

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