Webcam and ARToolkit: how?

Scripting Issues
1

Hi,
I would like to play with the new webcam and ARToolkit features. I have downloaded the 2007.12.11 source package of panda3d and compiled it succesfully.

However, I can’t find how to use these new features. Can someone point me in the right direction?

2

Hi,
I hope this request doesnt inconvinience too much, but I have never complied any engine/program from source before (integrating an add-on library etc.)

Would you mind giving me some steps on how you accomplished integrating the ARToolkit into PANDA? 

I had posted a link in this thread [url]https://discourse.panda3d.org/viewtopic.php?t=3331[/url] regarding something I would like to try with ARToolKit.

I dont have a clue of what tools I need etc to integrate ARToolKit, but some instructions would help…or even possibly sharing the Panda you compiled?

Sorry if that may be too much of a request. Anyhow, thanks for any light you can shed.
3

ARToolkit is already integrated into Panda3D.
You can just download the daily build from the Downloads section and download the exe/rpm/deb and install it and benefit from the new ARToolkit functionality added into Panda3D.

Hint: You can use ‘pydoc’ to see the api reference for the ARToolkit support.

4

ARToolkit support is indeed present in the latest daily build: scroll to the bottom of the download page.

I’m trying to figure out how things work with pydoc. ARToolKit (import pandac.PandaModules.ARToolKit) seems simple enough, but I hit a snag right away:

":grutil(error): The copy of ARToolKit that you are using is not compiled for BGRA input.  Panda3D cannot use this copy of ARToolKit. Modify the ARToolKit's config file and compile it again."

From what I see, this means panda3d needs BGRA, but AR/config.h sets BGR for v4l under linux. The only platform which gets BGRA is Windows. I can try modifying config.h as the error message suggests, but it is probably set like this for a reason… :slight_smile: Anyway, I am using the artoolkit provided in the panda3d distribution, so this should probably be called a bug.

Now the webcam. I found pandac.PandaModules.WebcamVideo, but I can’t figure out how to use it. Since we don’t use the MovieVideo class directly, but load a movie as a texture, I am not sure WebcamVideo is the right place to look. :confused:

5

Thank you both for the information.

2 pro-rsoft

What are you referencing by /rpm/ & /deb? I am pretty sure the .exe refers to the installer in the section.
Are these things stuff I need to compile?

On the note of compiling Panda, say I wanted to try the LightSprint Lighting middleware demo libraries…would I need to compile it to be able to use it?

Once again thanks for the answers!

6

So, you’re on Win. rpm & deb are installers for Linux.

7

Thanks…never used Linux before so no wonder those extensions were foreign to me.

8

I looked around panda’s source a bit and it seems there is only windows support for webcams at presents. Oh well, it means we have something to look forward to this year :slight_smile: .