CAM Files

The CamFile can be seen as a script of MultiCam setting functions that are played when the CamFile parameter is written to. After the CamFile is played, the channel is ready to operate according to the parameter settings specified in the file. Generally speaking, it means that the channel is ready to start an acquisition for a specified camera in a specified fundamental mode.

"Cam" stands for Camera. In the computer file system, the CamFile exhibits the .cam extension.

A CamFile is a readable ASCII file having the following structure:

● An CamFile Identification Header (optional)
● A pair of CamFile Parameter Assignments for the Camera and CamConfig parameters (mandatory)
● A list of CamFile Parameter Assignments for all relevant MultiCam Channel parameters (optional)

A CamFile exclusively contains Channel parameters!

The identification header is an optional section that includes MultiCam Studio directives.

Example of a CamFile header

;***************************************************************
; Camera Manufacturer: My Cameras
; Camera Model: ProgressiveFR
; Camera Configuration: Progressive Free-Run Scanning, Analog synchronization
;***************************************************************

The MultiCam Studio CamFile directives have the simple format:

; <DirectiveName>: <DirectiveValue> <EOL>

All values are string of characters terminated by an end of line.

Directive name

Value meaning

Board

Restricts the visibility of the camera in the camera selection wizard of MultiCam Studio. When value is Domino, the CamFile is listed only when the channel is created on a a Domino board.When value is Grablink, the CamFile is listed only when the channel is created on a a Grablink board. Other values are simply ignored. If more than one board directive is present, only the first one is considered

Camera Manufacturer

Declare the manufacturer name to display in the camera selection wizard of MultiCam Studio

Camera Model

Declare the camera model name to display in the camera selection wizard of MultiCam Studio

Revision

Declare the revision number and/or date of the CamFile

A parameter assignment line has the following format:

<ParameterName> = <ParameterValue> [;<Comment>] <EOL>

where:

1. ParameterName is a valid MultiCam Channel parameter name for the targeted board.
2. ParameterValue is a valid value for the MultiCam parameter.
3. An optional comment can be appended to the assignment; it must be preceded by a semi-column.
4. A valid End-Of-Line: a CR or a pair of CR and LF characters.

Example of parameters assignment lines

Camera = ProgressiveFR
CamConfig = PxxSA	;
Gain=1000
TargetFrameRate_Hz = 0.5; 1 frame every two seconds

Example of comment lines

; Camera Specification category
;------------------------------
; Gain=1000

Only one parameter assignment per line is allowed.

Every line containing a parameter assignment must be terminated by

Spaces or Tab characters can be freely inserted anywhere.

Empty lines, lines containing only comments, are allowed.

Considering built-in dependencies between MultiCam parameters, it is recommended to assign values to Channel parameters starting from the parent. Practical rules for Cam Files:

● Keep the statements order of CamFile templates.
● When a parameter statement is added in a CamFile, follow the same order as in the Channel Class section of the Parameters Reference manual.

The loading of a CamFile into a MultiCam channel is a matter of setting the CamFile parameter of a MultiCam channel to the value of the CamFile name (without the .cam extension)

When a CamFile is loaded, it is simply interpreted by the MultiCam driver as a series of "set parameter" function calls.

Examples

The following lines of code implement possible CamFile parameter assignment to a MultiCam channel defined in a Domino board (depends of the camera).

MCSTATUS Status = McSetParamStr(MyChannel, MC_CamFile, "VCC-870A_P15RA");
MCSTATUS Status = McSetParamStr(MyChannel, MC_CamFile, "KP-F3_I60SM");
MCSTATUS Status = McSetParamStr(MyChannel, MC_CamFile, "XC-ES30CE_I50SM_R");

The following lines of code implement possible camera assignment to a MultiCam channel defined in a Grablink board (depends of the camera).

MCSTATUS Status = McSetParamStr(MyChannel, MC_CamFile, "4000m_P16RG");
MCSTATUS Status = McSetParamStr(MyChannel, MC_CamFile, "Colibri2048CL_L2048RG");

A CamFile template is a Camfile intended to be customized by the MultiCam user willing to interface a particular camera with a Domino or a Grablink board.

The MultiCam driver is delivered with a collection of templates. The MultiCam driver installation tool installs the CamFile templates as follows:

The CamFile templates applicable to the the Grablink boards are stored in the <InstallDir>\Cameras\_TEMPLATES\Grablink\ directory.

Refer to Analog Cameras Documentation for additional information about CamFile templates for Domino boards.

Refer to Interfacing Camera Link Cameras for additional information about CamFile templates for Grablink boards.

A Camera Interface Package is a set of files that contains all the information needed by a MultiCam user to configure a MultiCam channel for a particular camera model. A Camera Interface Package is a ZIP file that includes:

● Ready-to-use CamFiles with the exhaustive set of relevant parameters. One for each of the recommended operating modes
● A documentation explaining how to use this particular camera model with Euresys frame grabbers

When unzipped on the target machine, the CamFiles and the documentation are extracted in the <InstallDir>\Cameras\<Manufacturer>\ folder.

The library of Camera Interface Packages contains a large amount of packages for both analog and Camera Link digital camera models. Furthermore, this library is regularly updated with new packages and constantly growing.

There are 2 ways to access the library:

1. Automatic update with MultiCam Studio

MultiCam Studio provides a convenient way to download and update all the available CamFiles. MultiCam Studio automatically downloads and installs on the MultiCam install directory, from the website, a ZIP file containing the CamFiles and the associated PDF documentation files.

2. Free downloads from the Euresys website

 The library directory is available online on https://www.euresys.com/Support/Supported-cameras. The directory can be easily browsed using interactive filters. Each entry in the directory provides the following fields:

□ Camera manufacturer name
□ Camera model name
□ Compatible Euresys boards
□ Link to the Camera Interface Package ZIP file