IDS Software Suite 4.96.1

This chapter show how to quickly get started with your uEye. You will learn how easy it is to connect the camera and explore important functions. For further steps to integrating the uEye in your own applications please also see the First steps to uEye programming chapter.

Connect the camera

Install the latest version of IDS Software Suite. Then connect the uEye camera with the PC. USB cameras are automatically detected as new hardware under Windows. GigE cameras are added to the camera list in the IDS Camera Manager. Check the status LEDs on your camera to see if the camera has been correctly identified:

•USB 3 and USB uEye cameras: Connection

•GigE uEye camera: Connection

•Troubleshooting

Configure the camera

USB uEye cameras are ready for use right out of the box. You can assign a unique ID to your camera with the IDS Camera Manager.

If you are using a GigE uEye, open the IDS Camera Manager first and assign an IP address before connecting the camera. You can either assign a fixed (persistent) IP address or have the uEye driver assign the address automatically. To do this, select the camera in the IDS Camera Manager list and click "Automatic ETH configuration" (ETH is short for "Ethernet").

Capture images

The IDS Software Suite includes many sample programs that you can use to try out the extensive functionality of your uEye camera. We recommend starting off with the uEye Cockpit application. To run the application, simply double-click the corresponding icon on your Windows desktop.

When you select "uEye > Initialize" on the menu bar, the connected uEye camera will immediately start capturing live images. The status bar at the bottom displays the frame rate and other important information (see Camera basics: Operating modes).

If you are using a high-resolution camera, you can click "View > Render mode" on the menu bar to adjust the size of the rendered image to the application window.

Setting the camera properties

Select "uEye > Properties…" on the menu bar to open the dialog box for modifying the camera properties.

The "Camera" tab provides all the parameters for adjusting the camera's speed (see Camera basics: Camera parameters). You can increase the pixel clock to run the camera at a higher frame rate. Reduce the pixel clock if transmission errors occur too often. When you enable "Optimum", the optimum pixel clock will be set automatically.

On the "Image" tab, you find various sensor gain controllers. Use the "Master gain" controller to increase image brightness if no longer exposure time setting is possible. Switch to the "AES/AGC" tab to enable the Auto Exposure Shutter (AES) and Auto Gain Control (AGC) features.

If you are using a color camera, you should activate sensor color correction on the "Color" tab in order to achieve rich vibrant colors for on-screen display. To adapt a color camera to the ambient light conditions, it is essential to carry out Auto White Balance (AWB). Aim the camera at a surface of a uniform gray color, then enable the "Image white balance: Enable" and "Run once" check boxes on the "AWB" tab.

Activate trigger and flash modes

uEye cameras provide the possibility to trigger the image capture and to have the flash controlled by the camera (see Camera basics: Digital inputs/outputs). To switch the camera to trigger mode, go to the camera properties as described above, select the "Trigger" tab and enable the desired mode. To trigger on "falling edges" or "rising edges", a digital signal has to be applied to the camera. When you are finished with the trigger settings, select "uEye > Trigger mode…" on the menu bar to start the triggered image capture.

If you have connected the digital output on your uEye camera to a flash controller, you can configure the flash function on "Input/Output" tab. Enable "Flash high active" and "Global exposure window". This way, the uEye automatically activates the flash during the exposure time.

Save images and camera settings

With uEye Cockpit, saving single frames or videos is very easy to do. Just choose the relevant option on the "File" menu.

When you have made specific settings for a camera and want to save them so that you can use them again the next time you start the program – or any other uEye program - select the "Save parameters" function to save all the camera's properties to an ini file or to the camera memory (parameter set 1/2). To load the saved settings, select the "Load parameters" option.