Bumping this for attention. It seems like a missing part of the workflow and the documentation doesn't describe this process.

Hello Renbry,

A very similar question has been answered in this forum post: https://my.aximmetry.com/post/649-glassmark-lens-encoder-not-controlling-fo

Best Regards
Patrik

@patrik

Thanks for the reply.

Because it's anything but clear or documented - do you refer to this specific line by Zoltan ? :

Alternatively you can omit using Device Mapper for tracking (clear everything there) and just set the Tracking Device, Tracking Mode, Zoom Device directly on the INPUT panel.

I'll try this out tomorrow and hope it works. It could be worth getting this into documentation for componentised workflows where all tracking, zoom and focus aren't supplied from one source e.g Mosys.

Hi Renbry,

We also have documentation on Lonet: https://aximmetry.com/learn/tutorials/control-methods/using-glassmark-indiemark-encoders/

Once you added Lonet as a Zoom device in the INPUT on the control board. It should send the focus to the Unreal.
You can see the focus value by peeking at the Control Data connection. You can peek by pressing down CTRL while hovering over the connection:

You can visualize the values by adding Camera Tracking module in the Flow Editor:


Then in the Camera Tracking module set the Zoom Device to Lonet.
And then you can peek at the Focus and Zoom output pins. Or you can even connect them out into preview views with Scalar Peeker modules, like this:

Warmest regards,

Amazing!

Thanks for the help - I was confused at first about the Zoom also covering the Focus functionality so now I know they're bundled.

The "peek" is a really cool trick too, thanks for telling me about that. Super handy!

Matt Hermans

Electric Lens Co

Hi Eifert,

I notice the data is in the Focus Sensor instead of Cam Focus or Focus Distance. Am I heading the right directions?

Hi Will,

Not really, you should use the Focus Distance pin instead of the raw focus data from the Focus Sensor pin.

Also, you don't need to edit the Control Data collection connection. If you correctly set up the Camera compound, it will send the correct Cam Focus through the Control Data collection connection.
You just need to add the Lonet in the Zoom Device of the Input panel:

Zoom devices include the focus data.

More on Lonet here: https://aximmetry.com/learn/tutorials/control-methods/using-glassmark-indiemark-encoders/

Warmest regards,

Hi Will & Eifert,

I've found a similar setup to Will works for me -

Setting the "Zoom Device" to Lonet2, keeping Tracking Device set to OptiTrack and External Lens Data to On as shown here:

Gives me no meaningful data on the "Control Data\Cam Focus" scalar.

However using the Camera Tracking module and the Focus Sensor pin shows me values changing in accordance with the focus ring/Indiemark movements and this scalar seems to be in Metres as specified in my Lonet2 calibration xml.

I'm doing the Set Collection Scalar to bring that into the Control Data bundle and sending that to Unreal; which finally shows me a moving focus distance!

I know Eifert says not to do this - but can you advise on whether this isn't a good idea as the other method doesn't seem to work for me (and Will?)

Thanks so much!

Hi,

To clarify my previous somewhat misleading comments:
The Focus Distance pin only works when the tracking system sends calibrated focus data with professional tracking systems or when a Calibration profile is selected with focus calibration.
Aximmetry doesn't recognize LONet's calibration (Map Encoder) as a professional tracking system. So you need to do the calibration in Aximmetry.
Currently, it is possible to make focus calibration in Aximmetry using the Basic Calibrator: https://aximmetry.com/learn/tutorials/for-studio-operators/basic-lens-calibration-without-lens-distortion/#focus-encoder Note, even if you did lens calibration with the Camera Calibrator, you can use the same file and add a focus calibration to it with the Basic Calibrator.

The Focus Sensor pin returns data even when there is no calibration.

Thanks again Eifert,

I can try this calibration. I wonder what the difference is - is there a conversion happening ?

Currently my Lonet2 setup has me set focus distances against the rotational degrees and this seems to be coming through ok (via the Focus Sensor) however there's a chance that I may have needed to force a certain metric unit to the mapping e.g centimetres vs metres but at the moment it seems to be translating through to Unreal. I haven't done any forensic tests against virtual distance markers but I could find time to validate this.

Anyway, thanks for the help and I can take a look at the calibration you mention.

Matt Hermans

Hi Renbry,

In this focus calibration: https://aximmetry.com/learn/tutorials/for-studio-operators/basic-lens-calibration-without-lens-distortion/#focus-encoder
You try to figure out the actual focus distance for different raw focus sensor and zoom sensor encoder values. From that Aximmetry will plot a focus distance, this focus distance value will hopefully be very close to the real-world focus distance of your camera. Then Aximmetry takes care of all the converting and everything else, you just need to specify the calibration file in your camera compound.

To my understanding, Lonet2 mapping is similar, but only for one zoom level and no visual aid.

Of course, Aximmetry plans to automate this focus calibration too in later versions of the Camera Calibrator.

Warmest regards,