---
title: "Set up Vicon cameras"
canonical: "https://help.vicon.com/space/Tracker310/13927464/Set%20up%20Vicon%20cameras"
format: markdown
---
**To configure Vicon cameras for optical data capture:**


1. From the view pane tool bar, select **Camera**. The 2D data being captured by each Vicon camera selected in the **Resources** pane in the **System** list is shown in a separate **Camera** view pane.
2. View your capture volume in either of the following ways:
  - In the **Options** dialog box, under the **General View Options** section, select the **Target Volume** option. In the **Camera** view pane tool bar, from the **View** drop-down list, select **3D Overlay**. A virtual representation of your target volume is overlaid on the 2D data from the camera image.
  - In the capture volume, place a selection of static markers on the floor to roughly outline your target capture volume.
3. In the **System** list in the **Resources** pane, select the Vicon camera node whose properties you want to configure.
4. In the **Properties** pane, view or change settings for the relevant properties. When you first set up your Vicon system, you must configure at least the following properties in the order shown. See the [Properties table](#table-1) below.
5. When you have finished adjusting the **Vicon Camera** properties, in the **Settings** area, ensure that **Grayscale Mode** is set to **Auto**.
6. At the top of the **System** tab, click the **Save current configuration** button > Macro (inline-media-image)

 to save your system configuration settings to a .system file in one of the following folders:
  - If you select **Shared** the file will be saved in *C:\Users\Public\Documents\Vicon\Tracker3.x\Configurations\Systems*
  - If you select **Private** it will be saved in *C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Roaming\Vicon\Tracker3.x\Configurations\Systems*

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## 
    Check camera lens focus


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You can check the image of the markers from the camera you are focusing in real time.


    **To check camera focus:**


1. In the **View** pane, select the **Camera** view type.
2. In the **Resources** pane, ensure **Live** mode is activated (ie that **Go Offline** is displayed).
3. On the **System** tab, expand the **ViconCameras** node and select the required camera.
4. In the **Properties** pane at the bottom of the **System Resources** tab, go to the **Settings** section and set **Grayscale Mode** to **All**.
5. Right-click and drag in the **Camera** view pane to zoom in on the target marker pair.
6. If the image of the markers is not bright enough to allow confidence in the level of focus achieved, increase the intensity of the grayscale from the camera. To do this, in the **Properties** pane, ensure **Advanced** properties are displayed and in the **Settings** section, increase the value for **Gain** to a level above x1.
7. In the **Camera** view pane, observe the sharpness of the image of the markers.
8. After focusing the lens, return Tracker to its default capture settings. In the **Properties** pane at the bottom of the **System Resources** tab, set **Grayscale Mode** to **Auto**.

## Check camera aim and field of view

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You can check the aim and field of view of a camera in real time by switching the camera into Preview mode. This mode displays a video image from the optical sensor of Vicon cameras that offer this option.

> ⚠️ **Note**  
> ⚠️ Preview mode is for system setup purposes only. You cannot use Preview mode when you are calibrating, auto masking, capturing, or reviewing data.


    **To use Preview mode:**


1. In the **View** pane, select the **Camera** view type (see Step 1 in [Check camera lens focus](#CheckFocus)).
2. On the **System** tab, right-click on**Vicon Cameras** and select**Enable Preview Mode**.
3. Select any camera from the list.
  If you select multiple cameras, only the first camera in the selection displays a preview.

If the preview image is dark:

- In the Camera properties, make sure that **Enable Strobe** is selected.
- Use external lights to illuminate your volume.
- Open the aperture. When you have finished checking the camera aim and field of view, be sure to set the aperture back to its original value.

All supported cameras can use Preview mode but their performance is dependent on frame rate.

- Valkyrie cameras support Preview mode from 30–900Hz. At frame rates above a Valkyrie camera's full frame rate (see [Tracker 3.10 new features and functions](https://vicon-help.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/Tracker310/pages/13927315)), Preview mode uses windowing to display the same field of view as optical mode.
- Vantage and Vero cameras support Preview mode from 30–60Hz. At frame rates above this, an image may be displayed but this has not been tested. Vantage and Vero do not use windowing.

### Properties table

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> ⚠️ **Important**   
> ⚠️ These properties affect the quality of the motion capture data. Therefore, it is important to optimize them before you collect data intended for later analysis. In subsequent sessions, you may want to configure additional properties to suit the needs of your motion capture application.

| **Section** | **Property** | **Notes** |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Identification | Name | Only needed if you want to distinguish it from the others |
| Settings | Strobe Intensity | If adjusting these two settings does not easily enable you to eliminate reflections, create camera masks to eliminate reflections and other unwanted light sources that occur in parts of the capture volume. |
| Centroid Fitting | Threshold |
| Settings | Gain | Normally, leave at the default x1 setting, but if the markers seem faint or if the cameras have trouble distinguishing them, adjust this setting as required. |
| Grayscale Mode | Normally, leave at the default Auto setting. However, during focusing, it can be helpful to change this setting to All, then change it back to Auto as soon as the camera is focused. |