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:

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An identification header (optional)

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A pair of assignments for the Camera and CamConfig parameters (mandatory)

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A list of assignments for all relevant channel parameters (optional)

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

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:

ParameterName is a valid MultiCam parameter name for the targeted board.

ParameterValue is a valid MultiCam parameter value for the parameter.

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Only one parameter assignment per line is allowed.

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An optional comment can be appended to the assignment; it must be preceded by a semi-column.

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Every line containing a parameter assignment must be terminated by a valid End-Of-Line: a CR or a pair of CR and LF characters.

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Spaces or Tab characters can be freely inserted anywhere.

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Empty lines, lines containing only comments, are allowed.

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

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 file 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:

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Ready-to-use CamFiles with the exhaustive set of relevant parameters. One for each of the recommended operating modes

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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:

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Camera manufacturer name

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Camera model name

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Compatible Euresys boards

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Link to the Camera Interface Package ZIP file