Configure a Webcam
webcam is the general camera model.
If the camera drivers are among those in this mediadevices repository. the camera will work with the webcam model.
On the COMPONENTS subtab, navigate to the Create Component menu.
Enter a name for your camera, select the type camera, and select the webcam model.
Fill in the attributes for your webcam view. If you click on the Video Path field while your robot is live, a drop down will autopopulate with identified camera paths.
{
"name": "<camera_name>",
"type": "camera",
"model" : "webcam",
"attributes": {
"intrinsic_parameters": {
"width_px": <integer>,
"height_px": <integer>,
"fx": <float64>,
"fy": <float64>,
"ppx": <float64>,
"ppy": <float64>
},
"distortion_parameters": {
"rk1": <float64>,
"rk2": <float64>,
"rk3": <float64>,
"tp1": <float64>,
"tp2": <float64>
},
"debug": <boolean>,
"format": <string>,
"video_path": <string>,
"width_px": <integer>,
"height_px": <integer>
}
}
The following attributes are available for webcams:
| Name | Inclusion | Description |
|---|---|---|
intrinsic_parameters | Optional | The intrinsic parameters of the camera used to do 2D <-> 3D projections:
|
distortion_parameters | Optional | Modified Brown-Conrady parameters used to correct for distortions caused by the shape of the camera lens:
|
debug | Optional | Enables the debug outputs from the camera if true. Defaults to false. |
format | Optional | The camera image format, used with video_path to find camera. |
video_path | Optional | The path to the webcam. Often video0. If you don’t provide a video path, it defaults to the first valid video path it finds. |
width_px | Optional | The camera image width in pixels, used with video_path to find camera with this resolution. Defaults to the closest possible value to closest to 480. |
height_px | Optional | The camera image height in pixels, used with video_path to find camera with this resolution. Defaults to the closest possible value to closest to 640. |
View the camera stream
Once your camera is connected, go to the CONTROL tab, and click on the camera’s dropdown menu. Toggle “View Camera”. If everything is configured correctly, you will see the live video feed from your camera.
Troubleshooting
video0 does not work
If you’re working on a linux machine, run v4l2-ctl --list-devices in your terminal to see available video paths.
No visible live video feed
If you’re working on a linux machine, ssh into it, then restart viam-server by running:
sudo systemctl restart viam-server
If this doesn’t work, you can reboot your machine by running:
sudo reboot
If video0 does not work for you, you can find another potential video_path by typing the following in your terminal:
v4l2-ctl --list-devices
The output for a webcam looks like this, in which case video1 might be the correct path to use for video_path:
C270 HD WEBCAM (usb-0000:01:00.0-1.2):
/dev/video0
/dev/video1
/dev/media4
CSI Camera not working on a Raspberry Pi
If you are using a CSI camera on a Raspberry Pi, you need to enable legacy mode.
Timeout errors on a Raspberry Pi
If you are getting “timeout” errors from GRPC when adding a webcam model on a Raspberry Pi, make sure the webcam port is enabled on the Pi (common if you are using a fresh Pi right out of the box):
sudo raspi-config
Interface Options -> Camera -> Enable Camera
Restart the Pi