Setting up Vicon Tracker and your object
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Vicon Tracker is the software system installed on IFL PCs to generate usable position and orientation data of objects being tracked. This is a required piece of software and in some cases is all that is needed by an IFL user (such as logging tracking information for use in post-processing, or any other non-real-time application).
Vicon Tracker 3.7 is currently installed on the IFL1 PC. Online documentation can be found here but the PDF below is in many cases much easier to read. This documentation is the gold standard for learning how to use Vicon and all of its features so be sure to read it fully in addition to getting your IFL initiation.
Vicon Tracker 3.7 is not the latest version (which is 3.9) but is the one widely used by researchers currently, so we are keeping it this way until the need arises to upgrade. One such reason to upgrade is the introduction of an official Python API in Tracker 3.8 which will be attractive to many users. As such, we have installed Tracker 3.9 on the IFL2 PC for "beta" testing once that PC is fully online. Please contact Lee Whitcher if you would like to use this functionality as its implementation can be expedited if needed.
At the bare minimum you will need to purchase your own Vicon markers since these are not provided by the IFL. The best way to get markers is to use Workday to "Request Non-Catalog Items", selecting Vicon as the vendor and listing your required supplies from the Vicon accessories page. Where possible use pearl markers of at least 14mm diameter to get the best reflections for the Vicon system.
If you are planning to use ROS or any other software that requires computational hardware/IT infrastructure, you will also need to purchase that. The only IT provided by the IFL is a Windows 10 PC and a router configured as a wireless access point.
Follow the steps here to make sure the graphics card settings you need are set up properly on your user profile. Make sure you do this for the actual executable, not the shortcut.
TBD - this section will describe everything we go through in IFL initiation
TBD