Processing iSTAR Pulsar+ data in Immersive Studio

iSTAR Pulsar+ capture data that has been downloaded directly from the device to external drive can be processed in our Immersive Studio software for Windows. This functionality was added to Immersive Studio in v10.0.4, released 20th February 2019 - users with older version must upgrade to allow for the processing of iSTAR Pulsar+ data.

Before beginning, users should consult the following:

Users should begin by launching the application, and in the initial menu screen selecting the option for "iSTAR Pulsar+, Data Formation":

In the main window that then appears, users must load the data that is to be processed - this can be done by either:

Dragging and dropping the folder containing the data into the processing queue
Clicking on the green box to the right of the "Input" field

All captures found within the specified folder will now be loaded to the processing queue:

Users may now click the "Process" button and Immersive Studio will begin processing all captures in the queue one by one:

Captures within the processing queue will move from "Waiting" to "Processing" to Finished":

Processed output will be within a newly created "Output" folder within each individual capture folder, and will consist of each processed frame in .png format, plus 1 GPS and 1 IMU data files:

Options

The default settings in Immersive Studio should be appropriate for any user to process their data straight away, however these can be configured per individual needs if required. Here's an explanation on what each of these do:

Distance Spacing: By default, only images 4 meters apart are extracted from a capture and processed. This option allows users to increase/decrease the spacing as desired. Example: If set to 8.00 images are extracted and processed every 8 meters apart.

Image Count Spacing: This option allows users to change the frame rate at which images are extracted and processed based on time rather than distance. The value entered denotes that 7 frames will be processed every X seconds, for example:

Setting Value	Processing Rate
0	7 frames per second
1	7 frames per second
2	7 frames every 2 seconds
3	7 frames every 3 seconds
...	...
7	7 frames every 7 seconds (1 frame per second)

You can ONLY select either Distance Spacing or Image Count Spacing. If both are selected an error will occur. To set Distance spacing, leave Image Count Spacing at 1. To set Image Count Spacing, set Distance Spacing to 0.

In order to process iSTAR Pulsar+ data at a custom rate, the data must have been initially captured at full 7fps. If any other frame rate was used during capture, the settings in Immersive Studio will be disregarded and each image within the capture processed.

See the article Configuring rate of capture for more information on this.

Start Delay: The number of frames excluded from the start of the capture, these are normally unusable due to the device still finding an appropriate exposure value. Default value is 35 frames.

JPEG Quality: Default is 80 giving a good balance of small file size with minimal compression artefacts. Set to lower number to reduce file size but compression artefacts will increase. Setting a higher number will increase file size with minimal reduction of compression artefacts.

Preview Video: Enabling this results in a 2K x 1K preview video of the capture being output alongside the individual frames for reviewing purposes.

Advanced Options

Create JPEG images: Default option, processed images are output in .jpg format.

Create PNG Images: Processed images are output in .png format. Users may choose to output in both formats if desired.

Number of Threads: Dictates the number of processing threads dedicated to the image stitching. With systems having 32GB or more of memory, this can be increased to 4 which will reduce processing times. Leaving Number of Threads set to default value of 0 will result in this being automatically selected according to the machine's resources.

Add Logo: Allows users to enable/disable the adding of a logo to the bottom of the imagery, and to specify a custom logo for this purpose.

Add Mirror Ball: When enabled, places a "mirror-ball" effect at the bottom of any processed imagery. If both Logo and Mirror Ball are enabled then the logo will sit on top of the mirror ball.

Auto level images: When enabled, any imagery captured that isn't quite level will be auto-corrected during stitching. Note that this function is only effective if the iSTAR Pulsar unit is positioned level on the vehicle's roof mount.

Auto level images is a Beta feature, meaning that while it is accessible within the interface, it remains under development. This is only suitable for use with vehicle mounted captures, where the iSTAR Pulsar unit is positioned level on the vehicle's roof mount. Any tilt and vibration which results of the vehicle's movement will then be corrected, but only for standalone imagery - users wishing to synchronise their data with external systems of any kind should ensure that this option is disabled.

Use Fast Stitch: This allows images to be processed without full blending. The time to process is reduced but the image quality is degraded.