I'm unsure how to do this yet... yet another path of learning required, but I really want to be able to control the motion rig via a realtime 3D engine. So imagine having a 3D model of the arm in a 3D app that you can animate and keyframe over time. The software would talk to the 3D app and "proof" the motion to make sure it was feasible and works within the machines limits. The ease curves etc can all be controlled from this software. You then run the move, and find out from the controller what was actually achieved, which you can then tweak and re-run multiple times. This is where I need to find a controller that allows the PC to query the actual rotations of the motors through time.
There are other ways to get the camera's location in 3D space via witness cameras at known locations but that adds complexity. There must be a way to get that information from the controller. As it knows where it's motors are at any given time and if it can be captured in real time it's immediate.
Another idea is that you can set the arm to manual mode, and record actual locations and rotations of the camera that can be sent back to the software so they can be set to a timeline.
All fairly creative stuff, and I have no idea if it will work. The end concept is to be able to see a 3D model running at the same time as the filming, with the video overlayed or keyed into the 3D scene / object.
As for powering the rig on site.... Generator? batteries? Depends on the size of the motors I spose!  |