X-Sight Alpha v2022.1 UserManual

X-Sight - Alpha
USER MANUAL
VER. 2022.1
09/2022
Contents
1. Initial Settings 4
1.1. Light Control 5
1.2. Camera Synchronization 5
1.3. Output Devices 7
1.3.1. Advantech DAQ 7
1.3.2. MCC DAQ 8
1.3.3. HP Video 8
1.3.4. DOLI Binary Protocol 9
1.3.5. Digital Output 9
1.3.6. Alpha API 11
1.3.7. MercuryRT API 11
1.4. Input Devices 11
1.4.1. Digital Input 11
1.4.2. Advantech DAQ 12
1.4.3. MCC DAQ 13
1.4.4. PIX Connect 14
1.4.5. ZP-500N 14
2. Calibrations 15
2.1. Single Camera Calibration 16
2.1.1. Configuration Step 16
2.1.2. Definition Step 17
2.2. Simple Calibration 18
2.3. Joined Camera Calibration 21
2.4. Independent Multi Camera Calibration 23
2.5. Camera Model Calibration 23
2.6. Stereo Camera Calibration 24
2.6.3. Adjustment Step 29
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2.7. Composite Stereo Calibration 31
2.7.2. Model Definition Step 32
2.7.3. Pose Definition Step 33
2.7.4. Adjustment Step 35
2.8. Calibration Correction 36
2.9. Calibration Modification 36
2.10. ROD Calibration 38
2.11. Erasing Calibration 38
3. Probes 39
3.1. Availability 39
3.2. Point 39
3.3. Anchor Point 40
3.4. Line 41
3.5. Extreme Line 42
3.6. ROD Line 45
3.7. Trans Line 46
3.8. Bend Line 49
3.9. Torsion Line 51
3.10. Crack Probe 53
3.11. Marker Detection 55
3.12. DIC Area 57
3.13. Bridge Tool 63
4. Methods 66
4.1. 2D Method Creation 67
4.1.2. Camera Setup Step 68
4.2. 3D Method Creation 71
4.2.2. Camera Setup Step 72
5. Real-Time Measurement 73
5.1. Measurement 73
5.2. Method Adjustment 74
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5.2.1. Probe Layout 74
5.2.2. Computed Values and Output Adjustment 76
5.2.3. Computation Options 78
5.2.4. Global Tracking Options 78
5.2.5. Vector Display Options 81
5.3. Method Tuning 81
6. Post-Process 83
6.1. Recording the Test 83
6.2. Managing Records 83
6.3. Importing 2D Records 84
6.3.2. Calibration Step 85
6.3.3. Adding Records 86
6.4. Importing 3D Records 87
6.5. Post-Processing 87
6.5.1. Graph Functions 89
6.5.2. 3D Graph 91
6.5.3. Post-Process Playback 93
6.5.4. Data Export 93
6.5.5. Method Recalibration 94
7. Global Settings 96
7.1. Calibration 96
7.2. Cameras 98
7.2.1. Camera Libraries 98
7.2.2. Camera Synchronization 98
7.2.3. Demo Cameras 98
7.3. General 99
7.4. Input Devices 101
7.5. Light Control 101
7.6. Output Devices 101
7.7. Scripts 101
7.7.1. Custom Value Scripts 101
7.8. Tracking 102
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8. Custom Value Scripting 104
9. License Update 109
Sign In – This manual describes the ADMIN profile of the Alpha software
which allows the user to access all the settings. To enter the admin profile,
click on the account button in the top right corner. The default password is
admin. While signed in you can use this icon to change the password.
Stay Signed In – The application does not require signing in on start-up when checked.
1. Initial Settings
To enter Settings, click on the cogwheel icon or use the hamburger button in the top left
corner of the screen and select Settings.
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1.1. Light Control
Press the lower + button to pick the COM port of
the device. The port number can be found in the
Device Manager of your PC.
● Wait time before measurement start

[ms] – Specifies the delay of the start of
the test. This delay prevents the test
from being started before the light is
fully on.
o With manual shutter – The delay
used with the default behaviour when the camera shutter is already set as
the light turns on.
o With auto shutter – They delay used with the auto shutter feature of a
camera when it needs some time to adjust the actual value of the shutter
after the light turns on. Needs to be longer than the usual delay because it
is undesired for the reference frame to be captured with a different shutter
than the rest of the frames.
● Run on application start – Tries to connect the device during every start when
checked (checked is the recommended state).
1.2. Camera Synchronization

When using a multi-camera system, another important step is to configure the
synchronization of cameras before doing any calibrations or measurements with them.
With 2D stitched cameras, this step is only optional, but highly recommended, whereas
with 3D camera systems, skipping this step is considered an error and the user will later
be prompted to configure it properly.
To access these settings, select the Cameras tab in Settings and they will appear near the
middle of the window. The individual parameters are listed below:
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● Mode - Selects the mode of synchronization from
the two following:
○ Master / Secondary - The mode in which
one specified camera (Master) acts as a
source of pulses to trigger the acquisition of
frames in other cameras (Secondary).
○ External Trigger - The mode in which all
cameras are triggered by an external source
of pulses.
● Preset - Selects a pre-configured combination of
I/O pins for some specific camera systems that the
software is most distributed with.
○ FLIR - A preset for systems with FLIR
cameras, which uses their default signal
input and output pins.
○ Basler Opto-Coupled - A preset for systems
with Basler cameras, which uses their opto-
isolated input and output pins.
○ Basler GPIO - A preset for systems with
Basler cameras, which uses their directly
coupled GPIO pins.
○ Custom - A preset for systems not covered by any of the previous options.
Allows you to manually edit the pin parameters below.
● Output Pin - The number of the pin used by the Master camera to output the
synchronization signal.
● Invert Output Signal - Can be toggled to make the Master camera invert the
output signal. This is only useful in some rare cases when it is found out that the
output signal is not strong enough to trigger the other device on a rising edge, but
works fine on a falling edge, or that the response delay is lower in this case.
● Master Camera - Specifies which camera is currently configured as
Master for the Master / Secondary camera synchronization. It is empty
by default and so it must be configured manually even when using any
of the configuration presets by pressing the button next to it while
cameras are connected. Pressing this button opens a dialog showing the images
received by all connected cameras, which are applicable as a Master camera. The
desired camera should be the one which has the synchronization cable physically
plugged in on the side that outputs the signal and can be identified by placing an
object in front of it and watching how it changes the camera preview. It is then
selected by pressing the button at the bottom right of its view and confirmed by
pressing Select. This selection is then remembered even if the camera is not
connected when starting the program in the future.
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● Input Pin - The number of the pin used for receiving the signal used for triggering
the acquisition of frames by externally synchronized cameras (including
Secondary).
● Trigger On Falling Edge - Can be toggled to make the input signal trigger frame
acquisition on its falling edge instead of its rising edge.
1.3. Output Devices

To send the measured data to any other software or device such as a testing machine
controller, an output must be set. The Alpha software enables the use of multiple types of
outputs. More types can be used simultaneously.
● Run on application start – Tries to connect the device during every start when
checked (checked is the recommended state).
1.3.1. Advantech DAQ

This analog output uses DAQ devices by
Advantech to convert the digital value into
analog. To use this output, a Device ID
must be set. This ID can be found in the
properties of the device in the Device
Manager of your PC.
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1.3.2. MCC DAQ
This analog output uses DAQ devices from MCC
(Measurement Computing) to convert the digital
value into analog. To use this output, the IntaCAL
software must be installed and launched with the
DAQ device connected. This creates a new
calibration for the device and assigns a Device ID
to it, which must be set in Alpha.
The analog voltage ranges can also be adjusted,

but only if the connected device supports it. A
default range of +-10V is put into use otherwise.
1.3.3. HP Video
HP Video, also known as the Limess protocol, is a
digital communication protocol that enables the
transmission of up to four values. The data is sent
on demand. To use this output, the COM port
parameters must be set.
This protocol enables the remote control of

Alpha software (the start and stop of the
measurement) from the test rig control software.
Note: In case the message gets deformed, set the

parity to None.
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1.3.4. DOLI Binary
Protocol
A digital binary protocol that communicates
directly with DOLI EDC control units.
Transfers up to four values to the controller and

enables the remote start and stop of the
measurement.
The protocol uses a COM bridge to

communicate, therefore the port parameters
must be set. Unlike the HP Video protocol, the
DOLI protocol sends only whole numbers
(integers). For this reason, a Multiplier for each
Value needs to be set to move the decimal
separator (comma or dot).
Note: Use a crossed RS232 cable to connect the

PC with a DOLI EDC.
1.3.5. Digital Output

A generic eight-channel digital TCP/IP or COM output with a definable value delimiter,
decimal separator, and message length. Digital Output supports two-way communication.
The measurement can be started and stopped through this protocol.
To start the measurement, send S<CR><LF>

To stop the measurement, send Q<CR><LF>
At the default setting the message looks like this:
Value0|Value1|Value2|Value3|Value4|Value5|Value6|Value7
This however only applies when all the available output channels are assigned to a
measured value, because the channels without any assignment are not included in the
output message at all.
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With TCP/IP, the Alpha software acts as a server and the port number must be set.
Note: TCP/IP is preferred when Alpha and the machine’s control SW run on the same PC
as no additional SW to emulate a COM bridge (or a physical port) is needed.
● Value Length – An exact length of the message can be set here. The decimal
delimiter is included (for example Value Length 5 => 123.4 or 0.1234). When 0 is set,
the Value Length is variable.
● Use decimal point instead of comma – Sets the decimal delimiter.
● Ignore white space messages – Ignores messages with no values and keeps the
last known value when checked.
● Incremental Output – Sends several increments between two measuring points.
This feature is used together with an X-Sight pulse communication device to
emulate an incremental encoder.
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Example: When the strain difference between two measuring points is 0.17 % and the
increment size is set to 0.01 %, the number 17 will be sent over the communication port.
1.3.6. Alpha API

An optimal communication protocol for the Alpha software that allows the user to control
most of the features of the software remotely. This protocol can use both COM and TCP/IP.
However, the TCP is preferred as it is faster than a COM port and allows multiple
connections at the same time. It can also achieve even lower delays by enabling the UDP
for time-critical messages option under TCP/IP settings. It then uses UDP datagrams for
sending time-critical data but requires additional implementation on the side of the client.
● Run Test Client – Runs an API Client for Alpha API.
Can connect either from the same computer (localhost) or from a remote computer via
network. To learn more about the Alpha API, read the X-Sight Communication Options
document located on your installation USB drive.
1.3.7. MercuryRT API

An eight-channel digital communication protocol with the possibility of a remote start, stop
and method switch. This protocol can send all measured data automatically or per request.
1.4. Input Devices

Alpha SW supports three ways of signal input.
1.4.1. Digital Input

The digital input allows importing up to four values over a COM port or TCP/IP.
When using TCP/IP to connect Alpha with another app running on the same PC, enter
‘localhost’ as Host Name.
● Use decimal point instead of comma – Sets the decimal delimiter.

● Ignore white space messages – Ignores messages with no values and keeps the
last known value when checked.
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1.4.2. Advantech DAQ
A data acquisition device from the
Advantech manufacturer can be used
as an analog input. Enter the Device ID
of your device (can be found in the
Device Manager of your computer).
Then define the digital range which will

be mapped over the voltage range of
your connected device.
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Example: The analog/digital converter
has a range of 0-10V, and the min and
max digital value is 0 and 200,
respectively. This means that 0 volts
equals 0 digital units and 10V equals 200
digital units.
1.4.3. MCC DAQ

This option uses data acquisition devices
from the MCC (Measurement
Computing) manufacturer as an analog
input. Enter the Device ID of your device
(can be found in the InstaCAL software,
which needs to be installed and
launched beforehand.
Then likewise define the digital range

which will be mapped over the voltage
range of your connected device. This
voltage range can also be adjusted from
here, but only if the associated device
supports it. A default range of +-10V is
used otherwise.
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1.4.4. PIX Connect
Uses data transfer from Optris PIX Connect
software over COM port to receive relevant
thermal data from thermal cameras of this
brand. The option to transfer data over COM as
well as which data to send must be configured
in the PIX Connect software itself.
1.4.5. ZP-500N
Represents a line of digital force gauges, which
can be connected to the software via COM port.
Additionally, for the input to work correctly, the
numeric format must be set to match what is
shown on the display of the machine. This is
either three number followed by a decimal dot
and two additional numbers, or four numbers,
dot, and a single number.
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2. Calibrations
See also the video guide CALIBRATION located on your installation USB drive.
To manage calibration, select the iris icon on the home screen to enter the Overview of
Calibrations.
The process of calibration enables the system to convert the information in the digital
image into physical units, define the measurement plane and compensate for the optical
distortions of the lens.
The overview screen shows available calibrations. If none is present, a calibration needs
to be added by the yellow plus button. This opens a mono or stereo calibration wizard
according to whether 2D or 3D is selected above the overview. The button expands into
two variants of calibration, specifically Full Calibration (With Grid) or Simple Calibration
in 2D and Standard 3D Calibration or Composite 3D Calibration in 3D. These select
different approaches to calibration and are further described in the following chapters.
The Show All Calibrations option shown next to this button is used to display even
calibrations, which exist only for their respective offline imported methods and cannot be
modified from this overview.
In the panel on the right of the overview screen, each calibration carries the info about the
calibration. This consists of its name, the distance range (of the loading axis to the
measurement plane) that has been calibrated, the scale compensation factor, the camera
names, and their resolution.
A red camera field indicates that the camera used by this calibration is not connected or
detected.
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2.1. Single Camera Calibration
A single camera setup uses only one camera to measure. This setup covers most of the
use cases of engineering material testing. The procedure described here pertains to Full
Calibration variant of the 2D calibration selected from the overview, which is the
recommended way of calibrating the system whenever a calibration grid is available. This
type of calibration uses a calibration grid to compute lens distortions and the perspective
coefficients of the calibrated plane.
2.1.1. Configuration Step

To create a new single camera calibration, select one camera (if two or more cameras
are detected) and fill the parameters on the page. Use the torchlight button to turn the
lights on. If the button is crossed and greyed out as in the image below, it means it has not
yet been configured properly according to chapter 1.1. LIGHT CONTROL.
● Calibration Name – Enter the name of your calibration.

● Length Unit – Enter any unit you would like to use.
● Grid Unit Distance – The distance between the centres of two neighbouring points
on the calibration grid – the previously entered unit must be used.
● Calibrate Camera Model – Select it to enable an optional calibration step which
can improve the precision of the resulting calibration. This is further described in
chapter 2.5. CAMERA MODEL CALIBRATION.
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After filling all needed info, press Continue to move to the Definition screen. This step is
preceded by the Model Definition screen if the Calibrate Camera Model was selected.
2.1.2. Definition Step
Put the calibration grid to the centre of the

image on the measurement plane (or
parallel to this plane). If the grid is placed
into the loading axis of the machine, press
Detect Grid. When the grid is detected
successfully, coloured dots connected by
lines and a coordinate system will appear.
Note: In case of a detection failure, check

the following:
● The camera is focused.
● Adjust the shutter time, so the grid contrast is
higher.
● Check the grid parameters (fiducial/regular grid;
grid width and height; light/dark background).
In case the grid is placed on the surface of the specimen

locked in the grips or otherwise put outside of the loading
axis, press the Edit button, and enter the distance to the loading axis as the distance of the
grid to the reference plane (commonly 3mm for the grid thickness plus half of the
specimen thickness). Then press the back arrow next to the window label and detect the
grid. To compensate this distance offset, at least 2 grid positions must be detected.
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When specimens of different thicknesses are measured or the plane of the calibration grid
does not exactly match the reference plane (or specifically the loading axis of the testing
machine), perform the grid detection in different axis distances. This allows to extrapolate
the measured plane to any distance. Otherwise, it will not be possible to measure properly
at a different plane than the exact one where the only detected calibration grid was
located.
Note: It is recommended to detect the grid at the planes of minimal and maximal specimen
thickness that will be measured with this calibration.
2.2. Simple Calibration

A surrogate for a calibration can also be performed manually without having to use a
calibration grid. This is selected from the overview as a Simple Calibration variant of a 2D
calibration.

The initial screen of the Simple Calibration wizard is functionally identical to Full
Calibration previously described in chapter 2.1.1. CONFIGURATION STEP. The main difference
is that a new Calibration Type box appears here, which selects the type of the performed
calibration:
● Perspective – A manually specified calibration, which establishes the scale and

orientation of the used coordinate system, while also compensating for the
perspective of the measured plane. This does not however include any
compensation for lens distortions.
● Scale and Orientation – A manually specified calibration, which only establishes
the scale and orientation of the used coordinate system without regards to either
the perspective or lens distortions.
● Scale Only – The same as the previous one, except that the orientation of the
coordinate system remains aligned with the axes of the image and only the scale
is specified.
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After pressing Continue, the wizard proceeds to the Definition screen as usual, unless the
Calibrate Camera Model option was selected. In such a case, there is an optional Model
Definition step which is further described in chapter 2.5. CAMERA MODEL CALIBRATION.

Follow the on-screen instructions on the Definition screen. These consist of positioning the
calibration element to a location with known physical dimensions (such as on the surface
of a ruler) by means of dragging it by mouse. When Perspective is selected, a calibration
rectangle appears, whose dimensions are entered into a table on the left of the camera
display. To position the rectangle more precisely, helper lines can optionally be added to
the display by using the respective controls below the table on the left.
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When calibrating either Scale and Orientation or Scale Only, just the length of the
displayed line is then entered into the table on the left instead of two dimensions. The Y
axis of the coordinate system in the former can be inverted by pressing the Invert Y Axis
button below the table.
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Note however, that the calibration cannot be performed in different axis distances this
way, as it could be in the Full calibration type. The calibrated distance in a calibration like
this is therefore not displayed.
2.3. Joined Camera Calibration

To create a measurement area from multiple joined cameras, at least two cameras must
be detected and selected. Drag the camera images to put them into the right order and
input the distance between the calibration grids in each camera into the Grid Origins
Distance box (if using the Full Calibration variant). The rest of the calibration matches the
single camera calibration procedure.
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When calibrating a joined camera setup, make sure that the orientation of the
calibration grid is the same as in the following image. This may also require putting
the grid upside down.
The Perspective and Scale and Orientation types of Simple Calibration take an
additional input of spatial offsets between neighbouring coordinate systems in the
Definition step instead. The Scale Only calibration type is not available in camera setups
with multiple cameras.
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2.4. Independent Multi Camera
Calibration
To calibrate an individual monoscopic multi-camera setup (monitoring from different
angles), select Independent as Multi Camera Setup in the Configuration step instead of
entering a value for Grid Origins Distance. The calibration grid then does not need to be
visible in all the cameras at the same time during its detection. It is enough to detect the
grid in one of the cameras at first and then in the others, repeatedly pressing the Detect
Grid button each time without changing the Grid Distance to Axis in between these
detections.
In the Perspective and Scale and Orientation calibration types, selecting Multi Camera
Setup - Independent only replaces the need to enter the offsets between neighbouring
coordinate systems in the next step.
2.5. Camera Model Calibration

Each of the previously described procedures for performing a 2D calibration has an
available option to Calibrate Camera Model as an extra step. It uses the continuous
detection of a calibration grid in various positions to further improve the accuracy of the
resulting calibration by providing more data to define lens distortions and such. The
process itself is identical to performing the definition a stereo calibration, with the only
exception that the detection takes place in individual cameras instead of camera pairs.
Also, the result of the process is not a complete calibration, only the definition of a camera
model, which is only a part of the resulting calibration.
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See chapter 2.6.2. DEFINITION STEP for detailed step-by-step information on this page. When
all cameras have a camera model computed, press Continue to proceed to the Definition
page, which works as usual.
2.6. Stereo Camera Calibration

A stereo camera setup uses one or multiple paired cameras to perform measurements in
3D space instead of on a 2D measuring plane. A single physical camera may even be a
part of multiple stereo camera pairs. The accuracy and application of such measurements
dramatically increases as a result, because out-of-plane movements no longer present a
problem to overcome.
The following procedure describes the Standard 3D Calibration variant, which is selected
from the 3D calibration overview and represents the most common way of calibrating a
stereo camera setup with a calibration grid. The only necessity is that it is possible to
position the grid fully into the shared space of each stereo camera pair.

As the first step in creating a new stereo calibration, it is needed to fill the parameters
located on the Configuration page and organize available cameras from the first row of
previews into desired stereo camera pairs on the second row. This can be achieved by
either clicking on the round button next to a camera preview, which assigns it to the next
available position in a stereo pair (a new pair or a second paired camera), or by dragging
a camera from the top row to a highlighted position in the bottom row. By using the button
located at the top of partial or complete camera pairs, their ordering in the calibration can
be changed, the two cameras swapped within the pair, or they can be removed from the
selection entirely.
If a Master camera is present among the available cameras, it is indicated by another

button next to the camera preview, on the bottom-left side. It is necessary that this camera
is selected as a part of at least one camera pair, and it will otherwise be considered as an
error.
As usual, use the torchlight button to turn the configured lights on.
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● Calibration Name – Enter the name of your calibration.
● Length Unit – Enter any unit you would like to use.
● Grid Unit Distance – The distance between the centres of two neighbouring points
on the calibration grid – the previously entered unit must be used.
After filling all needed info, press Continue to move to the Definition screen.

The actual calibration process is performed by using a calibration grid to compute the
calibration matrices and other parameters individually for each of the stereo camera
pairs. Unlike the 2D calibration without its optional Camera Model Calibration step, the
grid detection here is a continuous process. It needs to find the grid from both paired
cameras at once and in multiple positions in their images, as well as under various rotation
angles.
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To begin with the detection of the grid, select the desired camera pair in the Active camera
pair selection at the top of the left panel, put the calibration grid into the physical space
seen by both paired cameras and press Start Detection. An indication of thus far detected
angles and coverage will appear in the place of the left panel. The number, which appears
on the top-right of the topmost button, indicates how many pairs of images with the
calibration grid were successfully detected during a single run.
For the grid to be registered by the indicators on the left, it must be detected by both
cameras at the same time and without any motion blur present in any of the images. This
means that it needs to stay at the same place for a brief time before moving on to another
position or rotation of the grid. Only when these conditions are fulfilled, coloured dots will
appear on top of the grid along with a coordinate system.
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Even following a successful detection, additional problems may occur, which prevent it
from being added to the display on the left. Whenever this happens, the border turns red,
and the reason is noted and highlighted above the camera display. In the example above,
the reprojection error is too high for the currently detected pair of grids. This means that
the Max. Reprojection Error [px] set in the box on the top right is too low to allow the
Current Error [px], which is temporarily displayed as the title to the box along with its
value for a better context. The reasons for this may vary, but it is fully allowed to adjust
the maximum in the box above as needed. Changing the Grid resolution size selection
may additionally help to detect the grids faster if it seems to hang.
When everything goes right, the border around the camera display turns green and the
new positions (and possibly angles) of the calibration grid are registered in the display on
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the left. The detection pauses for a while to allow some time for putting the grid to a
different place or under a different angle. For the best possible calibration, it is necessary
to maximize the area of coverage in both paired cameras, as well as to detect the grid at
enough angles in both the X and Y axis. The angle indicator changes colour when filled to
a satisfactory amount. If the grid gets detected in a position, which is not unique enough
in either of these factors, the border turns yellow to indicate this.
When finished, press the Calibrate button on the top

of the left panel to compute the calibration for the
currently selected pair of cameras. After that, its
Reprojection Error [px] appears on the left panel and
the same process needs to be repeated for every
other specified pair of cameras (if any), with each
having its own value of the reprojection error. Note that already computed calibrations
cannot be added to and must be performed anew if the value is not satisfactory. The only
way how to adjust already computed calibration is to filter out images with large detection
error. It can be performed in the Detection Results panel which is shown after the
calibration is computed. There is a bar chart which represents mean pixel error of detected
points for each image. Images with large mean pixel error can be filtered out by dragging
of the red horizontal line. The violet bars indicate images which are excluded from resulting
calibration. The entire calibration is recomputed when Clip Images button is pressed which
is indicated by changed value of Reprojection Error [px].
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Once the calibration is computed for each of the stereo pairs, press Continue to move to
the Adjustment screen.
2.6.3. Adjustment Step

In this last step of the 3D calibration wizard, it is possible
to additionally adjust the coordinate system within the
3D space by using a calibration grid. When calibrating
just a single pair of cameras, this step is only optional,
because a suitable coordinate system can already be
determined from the actions performed in the previous
step and this will be shown when entering this page. It is therefore only necessary to
confirm it or further adjust it by placing the calibration grid in the scene, where the axes
are desired to be, and pressing Detect Grid on the left. New reprojection errors are
computed for grids detected this way and shown in the table below the button.
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When calibrating multiple camera pairs at once, however, this step is no longer only
optional and must be thoroughly performed before the calibration is finished. This is
because in the previous step, the camera pairs were calibrated separately from each other
and as such have no information on how to align them to the same 3D space. In case this
is not necessary, and the camera pairs can measure independently of each other in their
own space, check Pairs Independent in the top-right and proceed as usual. Otherwise use
a calibration grid for stitching cameras, enter the desired Grid Origins Distance [mm] to
the box at the top and press Detect Grid to detect it in all stitched cameras at once.
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2.7. Composite Stereo Calibration
Out of practical reasons, it is not always suitable to calibrate the measured plane by using
a calibration grid. This is especially true for large and distant objects, such as bridge
constructions. For cases like this, it is available to calibrate stereo camera systems with
only a limited necessity of using a calibration grid. It is done by joining individual parts of
a full calibration together to form a composite calibration, of which the camera model
calibrated by using a calibration grid is just a single part of many. The rest is achieved by
matching correspondences of points visible in the scene by multiple paired cameras at
once.
The option to create a Composite Calibration is selected from the 3D calibration overview
as a variant of creating a new calibration. It presumes a system of one or more stereo
cameras, of which each set of paired cameras is looking at its own shared portion of the
measured scene, regardless of how far or big it may be.

In the Configuration page of the composite stereo calibration wizard, it is necessary to
name the calibration and organize the cameras into stereo pairs. This is done the same
way as when creating a Standard Stereo Calibration, as already described in chapter
2.6.1. CONFIGURATION STEP.
The only difference here is that there is a Camera Model drop-down box next to each
selected camera. It is used to select any previously performed calibration, which uses the
associated camera, regardless of its type and whether it is a 2D or 3D calibration. It is only
important for it to use the same camera lens. The camera model is then imported from
the selected calibration. If there is no such calibration already available, the New… option
can be selected to calibrate the camera model of these cameras in the next step.
31
Pressing Continue after filling all the necessary info proceeds to the Pose Definition page,
but only if all selected cameras have specified a calibration to use the camera model from.
If not, an optional Model Definition page follows first.
2.7.2. Model Definition Step

The Model Definition page is only optional and is the only one in the process of creating
a Composite 3D Calibration that uses a calibration grid. It contains only the cameras
which did not have an existing calibration selected on the previous page to import the
camera model from. The calibration grid is here detected continuously in various positions
to properly define lens distortions and such.
The process is identical to when using the optional Compute Camera Model option when
creating a 2D calibration or when performing the Definition of a Standard 3D Calibration,
only with individual cameras instead of stereo pairs. Therefore, see chapter 2.6.2. Definition
Step for a detailed step-by-step description of this process.
When all cameras have a camera model computed, press Continue to proceed to the
Pose Definition page.
32
2.7.3. Pose Definition Step
The definition of camera “pose” is handled on this page. This entails the placement of
cameras relative to each other and the description of their mutually visible 3D space. This
is performed by detecting points of interest in the image of the first paired camera in a
way, that their surroundings can be distinguished from the rest of the entire scene. These
are then correlated with the image of the other paired cameras to find the same points
within the scene.
Before the detection takes place, the necessary information about Camera Layout needs
to be specified in the panel on the left:
• Horizontal – Can be disabled for a vertical layout of the paired cameras.

• Rotated 180° – Can be enabled to indicate that the cameras are flipped relatively
to each other.
After pressing the Detect Pose button, green crosses appear at the positions of
successfully detected points of interest. These are used for the computation of the
numerical model of the scene – camera pose. Also shown are points, which were detected,
but have too much of a deviation from their expected position in 3D. These are shown as
red crosses.
33
The quality of the resulting camera pose is indicated by the values of (reprojection) Error
in image px units and Coverage in %, which tells how much of the scene is estimated to be
covered by the detected points of interest. It is optimally needed to form at least a half of
the image.
To achieve better detection results, Detection Settings located in the bottom of the panel
on the left can be tweaked. These consist of parameters for finding 3D correspondences
as they are described in chapter 5.2.4. GLOBAL TRACKING Options.
For additional visual checking of whether the detection results are satisfactory, there is a
3D Pose Results panel located on the right. It contains the detected points displayed in the
3D space and overlaid by the image texture. The points are grouped in a way that only
those that are estimated to lie on the same plane are connected. The strictness of this
criterion can be adjusted by the Clustering Factor value in the top right of the display.
34
After all camera pairs have a Camera Pose defined, pressing the Continue button
proceeds to the Adjustment page.
2.7.4. Adjustment Step

After the definition of Camera Model and Camera Pose, it is only necessary to Adjust the
coordinate system to the real scene, specifically its scale and orientation in space.
The scale is input by positioning two points in the scene. They are necessary to find in the
other camera as well, so that their 3D position can be determined. The correspondence
finding parameters are re-used from the previous step, but they can be still adjusted in 3D
Settings located in the bottom of the panel on the left. After the points are dragged into
a suitable position, the physical distance between them is input into the table on the left.
The coordinate system is specified in a similar way, by dragging multiple points that need
to be found in the other camera. The 0 point specifies the origin of the coordinate system,
while the X determines the direction of the X-axis. The line which defines this direction can
be detached from the origin point, which allows to specify the direction of the axis
irrespectively to it. To enable this feature, uncheck Lock Attachment to Origin on the left
and drag the coordinate system by its axis lines. The same goes for the XY point, which
determines the direction of the XY plane that is computed as perpendicular to the specified
X-axis. It is therefore not to be confused with the direction of the Y-axis. That only lies in
this plane in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the X-axis.
35
2.8. Calibration Correction
In case of a linear bias, a correction factor can be
applied. The factor value is entered by clicking anywhere
on or between the and buttons in the description

of a calibration selected in the Overview of Calibration.
This opens a dialog window.
The reference (known) displacement and the value

indicated by the Alpha software are entered into these
boxes. After the OK button is pressed, the factor is
computed and applied.
By Reset to 1, the factor can be deactivated.
2.9. Calibration Modification

In case an existing calibration must be modified
(due to small camera movement or the focusing of
the lens), select the calibration to be modified in the
Overview of Calibrations, click on the three dots
button, and select Modify. Continue with the wizard
and notice that the original coordinate system
appears in the Definition step, which can be hidden
by pressing a corresponding button to the right of
the camera view.
When modifying a 3D calibration this way, it is not necessary to go through the entire
calibration process this way to change only the used 3D coordinate system. An option to
Adjust Coordinate System is available, which when selected, makes the calibration wizard
skip both the Configuration and Definition step and go straight to the Adjustment step,
where the coordinate system is specified.
36
This option comes in two variants, the first of
which – Adjust Coordinate System with Grid
goes to the Adjustment step of the 3D
calibration wizard for Standard 3D
Calibration that specifies the coordinate
system to the surface of a detected
calibration grid. This is described in chapter
2.6.3. ADJUSTMENT STEP. The only difference
here is that the previous coordinate system
is displayed on the camera view and
calibration Grid Unit Distance for the
detection can be specified on the top right of the screen.
The other one – Adjust Coordinate System without Grid proceeds to the Adjustment step
of the wizard for Composite 3D Calibration instead, where the 3D coordinate system is
positioned by finding point correspondences in the image and does not utilize a calibration
grid at all. This is already described in chapter 2.7.4. ADJUSTMENT STEP with a few differences.
One is that the line for adjusting the scale of the coordinate system is not shown unless
specifically desired by unchecking the Lock Scale option on the left. The other is that the
parameters for correspondence matching were previously re-used from the Camera Pose
Definition page, but these are no longer accessible this way.
37
2.10. ROD Calibration
An existing calibration can be adjusted using our special calibration bar. This step is
optional but recommended when you use a calibration delivered with your ROD system
from the manufacturer. The calibration adjustment allows you to compensate rotation of
the camera relative to the calibrated measuring plane.
To begin with the detection of the calibration bar, adjust Line Spacing and Calibration
Bar Diameter parameters, put the calibration bar to the measuring plane and press
Detect Lines. Check positions and physical coordinates of the detected points and finalize
calibration.
2.11. Erasing Calibration

To delete the calibration, select the calibration to be erased and press the three dots
button in the calibration overview label and select Delete.
38
3. Probes
Before we get to the method creation and measurement, let us run through the probe
types and the features that these probes have.
3.1. Availability
The availability of the different kinds of probes mentioned in this chapter depends on the
active license modules and whether the created method is 2D or 3D. Therefore, if you do
not see any of the following probes in the corresponding selection panel, it is either the
fault of the currently loaded license or their lacking support in the 3D mode. See the table
below for details.
Probe Type Required Module 2D Support 3D Support
Point Axial Strain or Transversal Strain Yes Yes
Anchor Point - Yes* Yes*
Line Axial Strain Yes Yes
Extreme Line Axial Strain Yes No
ROD Line ROD Yes Yes
Trans Line Transversal Strain Yes Yes
Bend Line Transversal Strain Yes Yes
Torsion Line Torsional Yes Yes
DIC Area DIC Area Yes Yes
Crack Probe Crack Length Yes Yes
Bridge Tool Bridge Measurement Yes* No

*with some limitations shown in their respective chapter
3.2. Point
The Point Probe tracks a movement of a single place on the specimen in the specified
directions.
39
Measured Values:
● Δ XY (2D) / Δ XYZ (3D) – The Euclidean
displacement in the selected physical unit.
● Δ X/Y/Z – The X/Y/Z-axis directional
displacement in the selected physical unit.
● Velocity – The Euclidean velocity in the selected
physical unit per second.
● Velocity X/Y/Z – The X/Y/Z-axis directional
velocity in the selected physical unit per
second.
● Acceleration – The Euclidean acceleration in the
selected physical unit per second squared.
● Acceleration X/Y/Z – The X/Y/Z-axis
directional acceleration in the selected
physical unit per second squared.
● Temperature – Only available in methods
using a thermal camera, displays temperature
in units of degrees Celsius.
3.3. Anchor Point

The Anchor Point is like the Point, but it does not measure anything by itself. It is intended
for use with other probes. It allows to isolate displacements of other probes from
displacements of the Anchor Point. If the Anchor Point moves, its displacement is
subtracted from the displacement of another probe. There is a limitation that only one
Anchor Point is allowed at a time. Additionally, Anchor Point is not supported in setups with
multiple independent cameras (in 2D) or camera pairs (in 3D).
40
Features:
• Multiplier – The factor added to the
computed displacement of the
anchor point. This compensates for
a different distance of its plane than
the working distance.
3.4. Line
The Line Probe measures changes in the distance between two places on the specimen.
Measured Values:
● Strain ε – The percentual strain between the
endpoints, meaning the change of the total
length.
● Length – The total Euclidean length between
the end points in the selected physical unit.
● Δ Length – The Euclidean length change in the
selected physical unit.
● Δ Length X/Y/Z – The X/Y/Z-axis directional length change in the selected physical
unit.
41
● Velocity Length – The velocity of the Euclidean
length change in the selected physical unit per
second.
● Velocity Length X/Y/Z – The velocity of the X/Y/Z-
axis directional length change in the selected
● Acceleration Length – The acceleration of the
Euclidean length change in the selected physical unit
per second squared.
● Acceleration Length X/Y/Z – The acceleration of the
X/Y/Z-axis directional length change in the
● X Axis Angle CCW(+) in XY/XZ Plane – The
angle between the X-axis and the direction of
the Line probe in the XY/XZ plane, positive in
the counter clockwise direction.
● Δ Angle CCW(+) in XY/XZ Plane – The change
of the angle in the XY/XZ plane, positive in the
counter clockwise direction.
● Temperature at Start/End – Only available in methods using a thermal camera,
displays temperature at the start/end point in the units of degrees Celsius.
Features:
● L0 – Sets the gauge length precisely.
● Align to X/Y – Aligns the line to the direction of
the selected axis.
3.5. Extreme Line

The Extreme Line enhances the Line probe by adding an axial neck detection feature. The
Extreme Line divides the specimen into small segments and searches for the largest strain.
Therefore, the strain is always evaluated over the area where the specimen breaks.
A green line highlights the segment with the highest strain.
42
Measured Values:
● Strain ε – The percentual strain of the active
gauge length.
● Average Strain ε – The average percentual
strain of all measured occurrences of the
gauge length along the line.
● Length – The Euclidean length of the active
gauge length in the selected physical unit.
● Average Length – The average Euclidean
length of all measured occurrences of the
gauge length along the line in the selected
physical unit.
● Δ Length – The Euclidean length change of the
active gauge length in the selected physical
unit.
● Average Δ Length – The average Euclidean length change of all measured
occurrences of the gauge length along the line in the selected physical unit.
● Active Segment Index – The index of the segment currently computed as the
longest.
Each value has its 2x equivalent. This refers to 2x Gauge Length. This feature finds its use
mainly during rebar testing to measure A5 and A10 at the same time.
The values, which are grouped as Averageable

Values can be averaged among all measured
occurrences of the gauge length along the line until
the strain threshold specified in the box below is
reached. After reaching the threshold, only the active
gauge length is used to compute the respective value.
Check Average Until to enable this feature. The
replacement of these values by their averaged
counterpart is then indicated by a corresponding
icon, which appears next to the computed values
displayed at the top of the window.
● Show Strain Distribution – When checked, a

colourful visualization of strain is mapped along
the line. This can be enabled only when the
Compute All Points option is active.
● Map Range Type – Specifies the scale for Strain Distribution.
o Global – The min/max is determined by the entire range of the computed
frames.
43
oLocal – The min/max range is determined only by the currently displayed
frame.
o Custom – User defined limits of the colour scale.
● Min/Max Map Value – The lower/upper limit of the custom colour scale.
Features:
the selected axis.
● Compute All Points – When checked, even the
points which do not contribute to L0 are
computed. Used for export and for enabling the
Show Strain Distribution feature.
● Number of L0 Subdivisions – The number of
segments that each gauge length is divided into.
● Stop When Lost – When the segment with the greatest deformation is lost, the
tracking is stopped to prevent inconsistent reading. If unchecked, a segment with
the second biggest deformation is sent to output. This might cause a “step” in the
reading.
Advanced:
The advanced feature of Extreme Line is used for tensile measurements on specimens
with an oxide or rust layer, where the surface cracks and eventually falls off. It utilizes a
prediction algorithm to either replace the points which are lost during the measurement
or those which move too much outside of their expected positions (outliers).
● Predict Lost Points – Enables the advanced
function for the points which are lost and will be
replaced by predicted positions. For optimal
results, Compute All Points should be enabled
and Stop When Lost disabled.
● Correct Outliers – Enables the advanced
function for the points which move too much
outside of the expected positions and will be
replaced by predictions. Such a point is
considered as an outlier, because it is probably
a fragment of the surface that is not moving
together with the sample itself.
● Spatial Points – The number of local measuring points to consider when making
predictions.
● Temporal History – The length of the history to consider when making predictions
(in camera frames).
● Probative Period – The number of frames to wait before replacing a point with a
prediction. The reason why this should not happen straight away is that the point
44
might just get occluded by a falling layer of the surface and be found again later
without making any predictions.
● Velocity Threshold – The limit of the acceptable velocity for measuring point
movement before it is considered as an outlier. This should correspond to an
estimate by how fast the falling layers of the surface move in the image as they
fall off. Only applicable with the Correct Outliers option.
3.6. ROD Line

The ROD Line enhances the Line probe by adding an axial neck detection feature. The
shortcut stands for Rebar Oxide layer Deformations as it provides additional advantages
when measuring this kind of samples. First off, the ROD Line divides the specimen into
small segments akin to Extreme Line, but only after a certain specified threshold (see
Linear Strain Threshold below) is reached, which allows to compensate for a potential
curvature of the measured specimen. Until then, only a defined set of points located right
next to the endpoints is computed. Furthermore, when this division happens, any potential
loss of points caused by a falling oxide layer or such is compensated by the rest of the
points, so the probe is made to function as if never losing any points.
Measured Values:
● Strain ε – The percentual strain of the active
gauge length.
● Length – The Euclidean length of the active
gauge length in the selected physical unit.
● Δ Length – The Euclidean length change of the
active gauge length in the selected physical
unit.
Each value has its 2x equivalent. This refers to 2x

Gauge Length. This feature finds its use mainly during
rebar testing to measure A5 and A10 at the same time.
45
colourful visualization of strain is mapped
along the line.
● Map Range Type – Specifies the scale for
Strain Distribution.
frames.
o Local – The min/max range is determined only by the currently displayed
frame.
Features:
the selected axis.
● Number of L0 Subdivisions – The number of
segments that each gauge length is divided
into.
● Linear Strain Threshold – When the measured
value of strain reaches this threshold during
measurement, the line is divided into segments
reflecting the defined L0 and the strain value
from the segment with highest elongation will
be output.
● Point Distance – The starting distance between points in physical length units.
● Velocity Threshold – When the velocity of a measured point crosses this threshold,
it is considered as an outlier for the purpose of group operations.
3.7. Trans Line

The Trans Line measures transversal strain with an automatic neck detection. The line is
divided into a defined number of trans sections (Width Lines) of which all are measured,
while only the value with the biggest deformation is sent to the output.
46
Measured Values:
length.
end points in the selected physical unit.
● Δ Length X/Y/Z – The X/Y/Z-axis directional length change in the selected physical
unit.
● Velocity Length – The velocity of the Euclidean
second.
● Velocity Length X/Y/Z – The velocity of the X/Y/Z-
axis directional length change in the selected
Euclidean length change in the selected physical unit
per second squared.
● Acceleration Length X/Y/Z – The acceleration of the
● X Axis Angle CCW(+) in XY/XZ Plane – The
angle between the X-axis and the direction of
the probe in the XY/XZ plane, positive in the
● Δ Angle CCW(+) in XY/XZ Plane – The change
of the angle in the XY/XZ plane, positive in the
● Min/Max Trans Strain ε – The percentual
strain of the Width Line with the greatest
negative/positive deformation.
● Average Trans Strain ε – The average of percentual strain among all the
measured Width Lines.
● Min/Max Width – The total width of the smallest/largest Width Line in the selected
physical unit.
● Average Width – The average width among all the measured Width Lines.
● Min/Max Δ Width – The Euclidean length change of the smallest/largest Width Line
in the selected physical unit.
● Average Δ Width – The average Euclidean length change among all the measured
Width Lines.
● Poisson’s Ratio – The value of Poisson’s Ratio. Computed as a ratio of the average
transversal strain to the axial strain.
● R-Value – The value of plastic strain ratio. Computed as follows:
47
The values of Poisson’s Ratio and R-Value are
grouped as Advanced, because they come with
several additional parameters:
• Abs Lower Strain Threshold – The threshold
of the absolute strain value in units of % that
needs to be reached before any of the
grouped values are computed.
• Abs Upper Strain Threshold – The threshold of the absolute strain value in units of
% until which the grouped values are computed.
• Smoothing Window Size – The number of frames for smoothing strain data used
for computing Poisson’s Ratio.
The values, which are grouped as Averageable

Values can be averaged among all the measured
Width Lines until the strain threshold specified in the
box below is reached. After reaching the threshold,
only the active gauge length is used to compute the
respective value. Check Average Until to enable this
feature. The replacement of these values by their
averaged counterpart is then indicated by a
corresponding icon, which appears next to the
computed values displayed at the top of the window.
In this sense, the Average Width is considered as an
averaged counterpart to both Min Width and Max
Width and the same goes for all the other mentioned
values respectively.
Features:
● Align to X/Y – Aligns the line to the direction of the selected axis.
● Number of Width Lines – The number of Width Lines uniformly distributed along
the line.
● Lines Width – Sets the width of the transversal lines. Set the lines with some margin
along the edges of the specimen. The Alpha software will perform an Edge
Detection prior to the start of the test.
48
● Maintain Width – Specifies whether to use the
entered value as the reference width for
computation instead of the actual width of the
measured lines in the reference frame. They
can be offset during Edge Detection due to
poorly defined edges in the image cause by
uneven lightning and such. The measured
width is modified accordingly, so that the
computed transversal strain values remain
unaffected.
● Detect Edges – Detects the edges of the
sample (contrast based).
o Auto Detect (2D only) – Detects the
edges while moving the probe.
o Detect at Start (2D only) – Allows to
leave the points outside of the
specimen. The edge will be found with
the start of the test (leaves room for sample misalignment).
o Align Edges – Aligns detected endpoints with specimen edge. Useful for
specimen with fuzzy edge when all points are aligned to one line.
● Ambient Detection... – Enables to Perform the detection by using only the ambient
lighting in the surrounding area instead of the connected lights (if any). This is done
by shutting off the lights for the detection and raising the shutter of the connected
camera to the value specified in the same dialog, which opens when pressing this
button. Shutter Time [ms] is expected to be higher than the one used for the usual
measurement. Use this option whenever the edges of the specimen are poorly
defined in the image when just using the connected lights. Not available during the
creation of a method nor in post-process.
● Min Edge Gradient – The value of the gradient of the pixel grey levels, which defines
an edge during detection.
● Width Correction Factor – The relative position of the detected edges to the centre
of the line. Values higher than 1 change the resulting positions of the detected edges
further away from the line, while values lower than 1 bring them closer to the line.
3.8. Bend Line

The Bend Line is a probe designed for 3- and 4-point bending tests. The probe can
compute sideway deflection along a string of arbitrarily placed points.
49
Measured Values:
length.
● Length – The total Euclidean length in the
selected physical unit computed according to
the Computation Method.
● Max Deflection – The largest sideways deflection in the selected physical unit
computed according to the Computation Method.
● Δ Max Deflection – The largest sideways deflection change in the selected physical
unit computed according to the Computation Method.

colourful visualization of strain is mapped
along the line.
● Map Range Type – Specifies the scale for
Strain Distribution.
frames.
o Local – The min/max range is determined only by the currently displayed
frame.
Features:
the selected axis.
● Number of Dividers – The number of inner
points uniformly distributed along the line.
● Inner Points Editable – Allows the manual
positioning of the inner points.
● Computation Method – Determines the
method for computing the values of the probe.
o End Points – Length as the distance between the end points. Deflection as
the greatest distance of an inner point from the straight line.
o Linear Segments – Length as the total length of the individual segments.
Deflection the same as above.
o Smooth Curve – Length as the length of the interpolated curve's arc.
Deflection as the distance of the furthest point on such curve from the
straight line.
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3.9. Torsion Line
The Torsion Line measures angular twist assuming a cylindrical specimen. In such a setup,
this line can measure a dual-point twist on the defined gauge length. The primary value of
Twist is computed in the cross-section of the specimen indicated by the end point of the
line, which is shaped like an arrow. Computing the value of twist at multiple cross-sections
at the same time is also possible by adding optional inner points to the line.
The intended usage of the probe for computing some other values such Shear Strain also
includes the need to position the starting point of the line either directly to the immovable
portion of the sample at the crosshead of the testing machine, or at a known distance
from the crosshead, which can be outside of the image. This distance is then input as the
Start Offset parameter of the probe. It is also always important to set Sample Diameter
according to the measured sample as it plays an important role for computing its values
and detecting edges. The presumed location of the edges of the sample according to this
parameter is indicated by a rectangle around the probe.
51
Measured Values:
length.
the end points in the selected physical unit.
● Δ Length X/Y/Z – The X/Y/Z-axis directional
length change in the selected physical unit.
● Velocity Length – The velocity of the
Euclidean length change in the selected
● Velocity Length X/Y/Z – The velocity of the
selected physical unit per second.
Euclidean length change in the selected
physical unit per second squared.
● Acceleration Length X/Y/Z – The
acceleration of the X/Y/Z-axis directional
second squared.
● X Axis Angle CCW(+) in XY Plane – The angle between the X-axis and the direction
of the probe in XY plane, positive in the counter
clockwise direction.
● X Axis Angle CCW(+) in XZ Plane – The angle
between the X-axis and the direction of the
probe in XZ plane, positive in the counter
● X Axis Angle CCW(+) in YZ Plane – The angle
between the Y-axis and the direction of the
probe in YZ plane, positive in the counter
● Δ Angle CCW(+) in XY Plane – The change of
the angle, positive in the counter clockwise
direction.
● Δ Angle CCW(+) in XZ Plane – The change of the angle, positive in the counter
● Δ Angle CCW(+) in YZ Plane – The change of the angle, positive in the counter
● Twist – The angular twist of the probe’s end point in degrees.
● Shear Strain - The ratio of displacement to an object's original dimensions due to
stress and is the amount of deformation perpendicular to probe line.
52
Features:
the selected axis.
● Number of Dividers – The number of inner
points evenly distributed along the line. They
are used for computing angular twist along
with endpoints, which is then shown next to the
points during measurement along with their
distance from start. These values are also
exported with other data in post-process.
● Divider Spacing – A read-only value showing
the spacing between neighbouring dividers in
the selected physical unit.
● Sample Diameter – The user-defined
diameter of the specimen measured with
a calliper.
● Start Offset – An offset applied to the distance of endpoints and divider points
from the start, which is shown next to the computed angular twist values on display.
Also affects the exported data respectively.
● Detect Edges – Detects the central line of the specimen by using two lines
perpendicular to the probe line. The edge of the sample is searched from the
distance of (diameter/2) * 1.2 from the line point (contrast based).
● Detect at Start (2D only) – Allows to leave the points out of the specimen. The
edge will be found with the start of the test (leaves room for sample misalignment).
● Ambient Detection... – Enables to Perform the detection by using only the ambient
lighting in the surrounding area instead of the connected lights (if any). This is done
by shutting off the lights for the detection and raising the shutter of the connected
camera to the value specified in the same dialog, which opens when pressing this
button. Shutter Time [ms] is expected to be higher than the one used for the usual
measurement. Use this option whenever the edges of the specimen are poorly
defined in the image when just using the connected lights. Not available during the
creation of a method nor in post-process.
● Min Edge Gradient – The value of the gradient, which defines an edge during
detection.
3.10. Crack Probe

The Crack Probe is a probe for peel and fatigue tests with an automatic crack length
detection. The line is divided into the defined number of trans sections (Width Lines) of
which all are measured and tested against a crack length detection criterion.
53
Measured Values:
● Crack Length – The total Euclidean length of
the crack in the selected physical unit
including the Start Offset value.
● Min/Max Trans Strain ε – The percentual
strain change of the width line with the
greatest negative/positive deformation.
● Average Trans Strain ε – The average of
percentual strain changes among all the
measured Width Lines.
● Min/Max Δ Width – The Euclidean length
change of the smallest/largest width line in the selected physical unit.
● Average Δ Width – The average Euclidean length change among all the measured
Width Lines.
Features:
● Start Offset – The offset of the crack origin in the selected physical units, which is
added to the computed crack length.
● Number of Width Lines – The number of width lines uniformly distributed along
the main line.
● Width – Sets the length of the width lines.
● Show Width Lines – Indicates whether to show the width lines.
● Absolute Threshold – Changes the crack length detection criterion from a relative
strain to absolute extension.
o Strain Threshold – The crack length detection criterion in the relative strain.
o Extension Threshold – The crack length detection criterion in absolute
extension.
54
● Interpolation – For increased crack length
accuracy, the polynomial is fitted locally, and
the length is analytically computed.
● Detect Edges – Detects the edges of the
sample (contrast based).
● Detect at Start (2D only) – Allows to leave the
points outside of the specimen. The edge will
be found with the start of the test (leaves room
for sample misalignment).
● Detect by Ambient Lighting – Performs the
detection by using only the ambient lighting in
the surrounding area instead of the connected
lights (if any). This is done by shutting off the
lights for the detection and raising the shutter
of the connected camera to the value
specified below in Shutter Time [ms], which is
expected to be higher than the one used for
the usual measurement. Use this option
whenever the edges of the specimen are
poorly defined in the image when just using
the connected lights. Not available in post-
process.
● Min Edge Gradient – The value of the gradient, which defines an edge during
detection.
● Width Correction Factor – The relative position of the detected edges to the centre
of the line. Values higher than 1 change the resulting positions of the detected edges
further away from the line, while values lower than 1 bring them closer to the line.
3.11. Marker Detection

The line-based probes (except the Extreme Line) can detect dot marks and place its end
point over these dots.
Features:
● Approx. Circle Diameter – When setting this
value, the size of the dark area under the
probe’s end point represents the approximate
size of the dot to be searched in units of px. It
should therefore roughly match the size of the
circle in the image. The tolerance of the size is
±50%.
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● Search Area – When setting this value, the size of the dark area under the probe’s
end point represents the area where the dot is searched. This size equals to the
specified value * Circle Diameter from the previous selection.
● Low Contrast – When checked, even poorly lit markers can be found. May detect
false positives.
● Detect Circles – Performs the detection.
● Maintain L0 – When
checked, the user defined
gauge length is kept, and
the line’s end points are
placed over the centres of
the circles and then readjust
to the defined L0 (position 2
and 3 in the image on the
right). When unchecked, the
end point is positioned over
the centre of the circle
(position 4 in the image on
the right).
● Detect at Start (2D only) –
Performs the detection
before each start of the
measurement (including the
remote start). This is however not available in 3D.
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3.12. DIC Area
The DIC Area is a full-field probe providing a
displacement or strain distribution map over a user-
defined area.
The DIC Area is inserted as a regular rectangle by

clicking into the canvas and dragging any corner
point.
● Free Edit – Enables the customization of the

shape of the DIC Area:
o Click and drag anywhere on the
outline to create a new boundary
point.
o Hold the SHIFT key and click on any
point to erase it.
● Use Custom Points – Keeps the boundary points, but leaves the positioning of the
inner points on the user:
o Hold left CTRL and click anywhere inside the defined area to add a custom
point.
o Hold the SHIFT key and click on any point to erase it.
o Note: The creation of new boundary points still requires the Free Edit option
to be enabled.
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● Area Point Count – Sets the number of points used to calculate the area. Having
more points leads to a higher locality. On the other hand, it increases the noise due
to smaller triangles.
● Area Step Size – The average distance between neighbouring points on the
generated mesh. Changing this value estimates the point count that would produce
a mesh with the desired step size according to the currently available data.
● Mesh Type – The selection of the triangulation method.
Rectangular Polygon Concave Polygon
Quality Triangles
Fills the polygon up
to the borders with
random triangles.
Equilateral
Triangles with
Border
Fills as much of the
area as possible
with equilateral
triangles. The rest is
filled with random
triangles.
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Square Triangles
with Border
area as possible
with right angled
filled with random
triangles.
Regular Equilateral
Triangles
area as possible
with equilateral
left empty to keep
an equal size of all
triangles.
Regular (Grid)
Square Triangles
area as possible
with right angled
left empty to keep
an equal size of all
triangles.
● Mesh Smoothing Steps – The number of iterative smoothing steps. The triangles
in the smoother mesh have a more equivalent size. The image below shows the
difference between 0 and 100 steps.
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● Tensor Type – The type of the strain tensor used for calculation:
Name Other Names Formula Space
Lagrangian Green´s, Green–StVenant E(1) = (C - I) * 0.5 Reference
Finite
Eulerian Finite Almansi e = (I - c) * 0.5 = (I - B^-1) * Deformed
0.5
True Logarithmic, Natural, E(0) = ln(C) * 0.5 Reference
Hencky
Engineering Technical, Biot E(1/2) = sqrt(C) - I Reference
The meaning of the formulas is described in
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finite_strain_theory#Deformation_tensors
● Fill Holes – Interpolates the value of a lost point. No more than one lost point can
be interpolated from the surrounding points.
● Tensor Point Count – Sets the maximal number of additional points to calculate
a single point deformation. A higher value increases the accuracy of the system,
but it decreases the locality.
The Map tab defines the parameters of the distribution map.
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● Map Value Type – Sets which value
is mapped over the area.
o E1 – The major principal
strain.
o E2 – The minor principal
strain.
o Ex, Ey – The directional strain.
o Exy – The shear strain.
o ΔXY (2D) / ΔXYZ (3D) – The
Euclidean displacement.
o ΔX, ΔY, ΔZ – The directional
displacement.
● Map Range Type – Sets the type of
the colour scale.
o Global – Sets the colour scale
according to values over the whole test.
o Local – Sets the colour scale according to values in each image.
● Show Wireframe Mesh – Shows/hides the generated triangles.
It is possible to use multiple independent areas with a different value mapping and scale
limits. The image below shows a specimen with two areas. The bigger one is mapping the
major strain E1 and the smaller one is mapping the minor strain E2.
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The Values tab is used to select the values to be plotted or sent to the output.
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The Advanced tab is used for detection of points of interest used as the nodes of the
polygon according to specified parameters.
• Point Spacing – The spacing between

the detected points in image units.
• Pattern Quality – The minimal required
template patter quality of the detected
points.
• Clustering Factor – The magnitude by
which groups of points are formed
during detection.
• Max Boundary Distance – The higher it
is, the more simplified polygons will be
detected
• Mode – Determines whether to join
multiple polygons together and
whether to include inner points in the
resulting detection as custom points or
just used boundary polygons to
generate regular mesh.
3.13. Bridge Tool

The Bridge Tool is a specialized probe for measuring the underside of bridge
constructions. It is input a series of consecutive rectangles positioned at repeating patterns
of the bridge construction of known dimensions. The prerequisite for its used is having the
focal length calibrated in the used calibration and using the option of independent
cameras in case of multiple cameras (in 2D) or camera pairs (in 3D). It uses its own
computed coordinate system instead of the one configured for the used camera
calibration.
Measured Values:
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• Deflection – The displacement of the selected point in the vertical direction in the
• Min/Max Deflection – The
smallest/largest displacement in the
vertical direction in the selected
physical unit.
• Min/Max Absolute Deflection – The
smallest/largest absolute
displacement in the vertical direction in
• Average Deflection – The average
displacement in the vertical direction in
• Sway – The displacement of the
selected point in the horizontal
direction (perpendicular to the bridge)
• Min/Max Sway – The smallest/largest
displacement in the horizontal direction
• Min/Max Absolute Sway – The
smallest/largest absolute
displacement in the horizontal direction in the selected physical unit.
• Average Sway – The average displacement in the horizontal direction in the
Features:
• The primary point, from which the

values of Deflection and Sway can be
shown in the graph is selected by
holding CTRL and mouse clicking the
desired point.
• Rung Count – The number of lines
measured across the width of the
bridge. Each two consecutive lines are
connected and form a measured
segment.
• Width / Length – The physical
dimensions common for each
measured segment.
• Gamma Angle – The angle under which the camera observes the measured bridge,
in units of degrees.
• Use Optimization – Attempts to optimize the positions of points in 3D by using a
non-linear optimization.
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• RMS Error – Informational item, which shows the average error from fitting the
rectangular segments to points in 3D space in image units of pixels.
• Distance – Informational item, which shows the distance of the first rung to the
camera in the selected physical unit.
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4. Methods
To manage the methods, click on the ruler icon on the home screen or in the top right
corner of the screen. This will get you to the Overview of Methods.
Methods are used to merge the calibration with the AOI adjustment, shutter time, sampling
rate, probe layout and outputs. This is the way to create a list of typical use cases to save
time by having a ready-to-use measurement template.
The overview provides information about the available methods, while the 2D and 3D
buttons above select which of these two kinds of methods to display in the overview at a
time. The methods using a disconnected camera, or an unavailable output type are
blacked out. The description box of each method carries the information about the method
name, specimen thickness/diameter, used calibration (a click on the name of the
calibration will navigate you to that calibration) and applied outputs.
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To open a method, use a double-click or pick the desired method and use the Open
Method button below the list. This will bring you to the measurement screen.
To delete a method, select it and press Delete in the menu in the top right corner of the
overview under the three dots.
4.1. 2D Method Creation

To create a new 2D method, press the yellow plus button in the 2D method overview. This
opens the method creation wizard that will walk you through a step-by-step procedure
that is divided into four sections.

The first page defines the method. Enter the Name of the method that will later give you
a clue on when to use this one.
Select the Calibration from a drop-down list. This will refer the method to a dedicated
camera and its optical correction and pixel to physical unit ratio.
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When using a calibration with multiple calibrated distances, an option appears to select
whether to specify Specimen Thickness, Diameter or Distance to Measuring Plane. Flat
Specimen Thickness is the default option which presumes the use of wedge grips, and
that the loading axis of the machine runs through the centre/axis of the flat specimen. The
distance to the loading axis is therefore a half of the entered value. The Round Specimen
Diameter option has the same meaning but is used for round specimen specified by their
diameter instead of thickness. Alternatively, the Distance to Measuring Plane can be
selected and entered instead of this value, which then directly specifies the distance
between a measuring plane and the calibrated reference plane. It is the preferred option
for measurements performed without a testing machine.
Optionally, some notes describing the method can be entered into the Notes box.
When the definition is done, move to the Camera Setup page by the Continue button.
4.1.2. Camera Setup Step

Use the torchlight button to light up the scene and adjust the Shutter Time so there are
no black or white spots over your Area of Interest (AOI). Whenever applicable and
supported by the selected cameras, the options to toggle camera synchronization and
auto shutter will appear here as well. The synchronization setting takes place immediately,
so apply it as necessary when using multiple synchronized cameras or just a single
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externally synchronized one. The auto shutter setting is however different in that it only
comes into effect during an actual measurement, so here it only represents a
configuration of the method.
The user can also adjust the AOI so that only the part of the camera sensor that oversees
the specimen will be read out. This will make the maximal possible FPS (Frames per
Second) higher. To edit the AOI, click on the AOI Selection, adjust the area by dragging
the mouse and confirm the selection by clicking on the yellow icon. When selecting the AOI
for multiple cameras, the option to Synchronize AOI for all cameras can be used to
ensure that the AOI will be configured to the same dimensions in all cameras.
In case the method uses multiple cameras, the Shutter

Time can be adjusted for each camera separately. Click
on the chain-link icon next to the Shutter Time to

activate that feature. When activated, the Affected
Camera selection box is displayed, and individual adjustment can be done. Note that this
adjustment can be done on the measurement screen as well.
Depending on the type of the method, different buttons may appear on the small panel
to the left of the camera display. These buttons, which were already present through the
calibration process and such, have a bigger importance on this page, because most of
their configuration is saved as a part of the method settings. This can however still be
modified later after the method is created. The individual functions are as follows:
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• – Rotates the camera image to the left.
• – Keeps the camera image in its default horizontal alignment.
• – Rotates the camera image to the right.
• – Stretches the current view to the entire screen.
• – Only available with supported cameras (FLIR), enables blurring of the

camera image for anti-aliasing purposes.
• – Shows a helper grid for sample alignment.
• – Shows the coordinate system.
• – Only available in scenes with stitching, forces the points to always

display in the first stitched camera whenever there is a possibility to display them
in a different stitched camera instead.
• – Only available in scenes with thermal cameras, switches between the

display of optical and thermal cameras.
• – Shows the overexposed and underexposed parts of the image.
In methods with a thermal camera, there is also an additional button above the AOI
Selection for configuring Thermal Parameters. In opens a dialog with controls for these
parameters.
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The parameters of a thermal camera shown here include the range of temperatures
mapped to the thermal image (Mapped Temperature Min/Max) in units of degrees
Celsius and radiation parameters, which affect how these values are computed –
Emissivity, Transmittance and Ambient Temperature, which is optional and measured
internally if not specified.
Pressing the Finish button in this step will create the method with the specified calibration
and camera setup. The method is opened right away, and the measurement screen
described in 5.1. MEASUREMENT is shown. All further necessary steps such a setting up the
probe layout and outputs are performed from there.
4.2. 3D Method Creation

To create a new 3D method, press the yellow plus button in the 3D method overview. This
opens the same method creation wizard, which is used for creating 2D methods with a few
key exceptions.

The first page, which defines the method, is the same as in 2D except that it is no longer
needed to specify the Specimen Thickness/Diameter or Distance to Loading Axis for the
newly created method, as measuring in 3D takes care of that.
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4.2.2. Camera Setup Step
On the Camera Setup page, the cameras
belonging to the selected calibration are displayed
as pairs. This means that the paired cameras are
displayed right next to each other when changing
their AOI to make sure that they both see the same
portion of the scene. When multiple such pairs are
available, they can be switched in the view by
changing the Active camera pair selection located above the AOI Selection.
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5. Real-Time Measurement
To use or adjust a method, enter the Overview of Methods.
5.1. Measurement
To use a method for measurement, select the desired method in the overview and press
the Open Method button or double-click on the name of the method. That will navigate
you to the measurement screen. When not signed in as an administrator, an operator
mode is used. This mode allows the user to move only with the measurement probes as
rigid bodies, keeping the gauge length as specified in the method. This gives the option to
align the measurement probe if needed while protecting all the settings from unwanted
changes. The operator mode is read-only, therefore all changes are discarded after
closing the method.
Additionally in 3D methods, a new button appears on the small panel to the left of the
camera display:
• – Switches between showing the first and second paired cameras on the
display. Note however, that probes cannot be modified in any way when showing
the second paired cameras.
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5.2. Method Adjustment
If the created method must be adjusted for any reason (output change, value change,
point loss), first sign in and then select and open the method. In the administrator mode,
the probes can be added, removed, or modified by means of changing the computed
values, outputs, or correlation parameters.
5.2.1. Probe Layout

To input probes used for the measurement, roll out the Tools panel on the right side of the
screen and select Probes. Then select the desired probe type from the panel and position
it onto the camera image.
A single click is enough for all kinds of probes but dragging them into the scene is also
supported for more complex probes than points. These elements can be repositioned as
needed and will take a red colour while held on top of an invalid position (outside of the
image).
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o While having a probe type selected, hold CTRL to position multiple probes.
o Erase a probe by selecting and pressing the Delete key or holding the SHIFT
key and clicking on the probe to be erased.
Each probe can be selected and adjusted individually. To do so, roll out the Options panel
on the left side of the screen (see chapter 3. PROBES).
In 3D methods, some additional caution is needed regarding the positioning of probes.

When placing them onto the image, their template for 3D correspondence matching is
sought in the image of the other paired cameras, which can be shown for visual validation.
Whenever the points are successfully found, they turn to their usual full colouring, such as
green seen in the example below. When moving the point to a new location from here, the
previously found positions in the other camera(s) are used to find the new positions more
easily. If the point cannot be found, but its other position can at least be estimated, it is still
considered valid for the purposes of the initial layout and the point is displayed as
transparent. Not being able to even use an available estimate causes an invalid position,
which is indicated by a red colour - the same as if it were dragged out of the image.
To fine-tune the finding of point correspondences, its parameters can be found in the
panel to the left, as described later in chapter 5.2.4. GLOBAL TRACKING OPTIONS. This is,
however, only optional and in most cases not needed for the initial placement of probes.
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5.2.2. Computed Values and Output Adjustment
On the measurement screen, you can change
the probe setup. Simply open the Options
rollout panel.
When a probe in the camera view is selected,

the computed values can be reconfigured as
well as all the probe settings such as L 0 and
specific features for each probe type.
To modify the outputs, click on Adjust

Outputs. For each available output channel, a
measured value can be assigned in the
opened dialog. Alternatively, the values of
Frame ID and TimeStamp can always be
assigned to an output channel for informative
purposes. The value of TimeStamp comes in two variants – absolute according to the
internal clock of the used camera, and relative to the start of the measurement.
For each output channel, an averaging time window can be set in the Averaging tab of
the Adjust Outputs dialog. Values which fall into the specified past time interval are
averaged and the resulting value is sent to the output. This is useful for the reduction of
noise. The default averaging interval for each value is set in Tracking Settings (see
chapter 7.8. TRACKING) under General.
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Any of the output values can have a numeric threshold assigned to it in the Thresholds
tab. The crossing of this value is then indicated by a change of colour of its associated
control. Additionally, the configured thresholds can be used for a Triggered Recording
Mode that can be enabled by checking the box below. In this mode, the recording switches
to full camera FPS instead of Recording FPS (see chapter 5.3. METHOD TUNING) whenever
any of the threshold conditions is met. This is used along with Pre-Trigger Recording
Delay from General Settings (see chapter 7.3. GENERAL) to delay the recording of frames.
This way, more frames can be recorded from the moments that take place before a
threshold condition is triggered.
In Select Input Channels on the panel before, an analog or digital signal can be imported.
A custom name and unit can be assigned to either one of these channels in the same
place.
The overview of all the values available in a method is available right above the camera
display. It contains their names and current values, along with the colours by which they
are shown in the graph display.
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Hovering above any of the displayed values by mouse displays a set of buttons. As for the
input values (shown with a darker background colour), the first two allow either to Tare
the value at once or enable it to Tare at Start of a measurement. The state of this option
is then indicated by the T icon on the top left. Next, all the values have a button to Copy
the Current Value to Clipboard or to Remove the value from the display.
5.2.3. Computation Options

The correlation options can be configured individually for each probe. The Trans Line also
has a Transversal section of this panel to adjust the probes of the transversal lines. The
Primary tab then adjusts the axial endpoints.
● Width – The width of the correlation

template in pixels.
● Height – The height of the correlation
template in pixels.
● Synchronize Width and Height – Specifies
whether to enforce a square correlation
template or allow a rectangular one.
● Motion Type – The type of the expected
motion of the probe. Only the applicable of
the following types are shown:
o Any – An affine transformation, which may comprise of an omnidirectional
translation in addition to scaling, rotation, shear mapping etc.
o Vertical – A translation in the vertical direction.
o Horizontal - A translation in the horizontal direction.
o Axial – A translation in the vertical or horizontal direction. Depends on which
is closer to the primary line orientation of the probe.
o Transversal – A translation in the vertical or horizontal direction
perpendicular to the primary orientation of the probe.
o Omnidirectional – An omnidirectional translation.
o Scaled Vertical – A vertical translation with the change of the scale.
o Scaled Horizontal - A horizontal translation with the change of the scale.
o Scaled Axial – An axial translation with the change of the scale.
o Scaled Transversal – A transversal translation with the change of the scale.
o Scaled Omnidirectional – An omnidirectional translation with the change of
the scale.
5.2.4. Global Tracking Options

Although X-Sight tries to set the default correlation parameters as universally as possible,
cases that require tuning may occur because of the loss of points. Especially with
hyperelastic materials.
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To tune the correlation, roll out the Options panel on the left side of the measurement
screen and scroll down to the bottom of the panel. Here you can set the following
parameters and features:
● Lost Search Period (frames) – Available only

when Always Search for Lost Points is
unchecked. Defines for how long a lost point
will be sought for in the following camera
frames. A value of 0 means that the lost point
will not be sought for anymore.
● Always Search for Lost Points – When
checked, the lost points will be sought for until
the end of the test. This may significantly lower
the frame rate with a higher number of lost
points.
● Max Position Sigma – The pixel reliability
threshold for a 95% confidence interval. The
confidence that the correctly computed point
is in the distance of this number of pixels from
its actual position with a 95% confidence. When
using a poor correlation pattern, it could be
necessary to raise it up to 10x as much as the
default value at the cost of a lower precision.
● Max Noise Residual per px – The threshold of
the allowed average error between the
computed part of the reference and the deformed image specified in the number
of shades of grey. Sets the limit of how much the image part can deform before
the loss of points. A higher value allows a bigger change of the image part but may
cause points to skip to a wrong position with a similar pattern. It is therefore not
very recommended to raise above twice of the default value.
● Max Search Distance – The square area of the initial translation search for the
points of the selected probe. A higher number needs more CPU performance and
may lead to a lower sampling frequency. The setting of this parameter depends on
the sampling rate of the camera and the speed of the test (how much the point
moves between two images).
o Transversal – The same as the parameter before but applied exclusively to
width measuring points (such as in Trans Lines etc.).
● Anti-Aliasing Gradient – When checked, computes gradients by using a filter, which
suppresses aliasing, but takes longer to converge.
● Gradient Scale Factor – Controls the convergence. If the tracking is failing due to
the convergence, decrease this value. For a faster convergence on a good pattern,
increase this value.
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● Gradient Filter Length – Indicates the requested length of the gradient filter.
Corresponds to pattern structure. Bigger length allows to cover more space
(movement) at the cost of longer gradient computation and some accuracy.
● Revert Changes – Reverts all the parameters above to the application defaults.
In 3D methods, there is also an additional 3D tab in this place, which contains global options
for finding correspondences between cameras of a stereo pair. These are the following:
● Template Side - The size of the correlation template on both sides in pixels. Used
exclusively for finding correspondences between paired cameras. Also shown when
moving the points of probes in said cameras.
● Pattern Quality Score - The minimal required template pattern quality. May speed
up computation of areas containing points which cannot be correlated due to a
weak pattern or not being able to find some correspondence in the other camera.
May reduce the number of outliers. Great patterns have 15, poor (noise only) less
than 1. Specify 0 to turn the check off.
● Complex Search - Enabling this for complex surfaces may find more points at the
cost of a slower search.
● Max Search Radius - Global search can only
be done once in any area of this radius. Set this
to 0 for no search restriction. Larger values
cause better performance for non-correlable
points, but it may miss some non-continuous
areas with very rapid changes in the shape of
the surface. Also specifies the distance where
estimates are propagated upon probe entry.
● Max Disparity Change - The maximal change
of the disparity between two neighbouring
points. Only used for actual computation.
Larger values may help find sudden plane
changes (discontinuities).
● Max Epipolar Error - Max allowed distance
between the found point in the other camera
and an epipolar line computed from the
calibration. If this criterion needs to the relaxed
(by entering a larger value), it may mean the
joint position of the calibrated cameras has
moved. Should be less than 1px for a good
calibration.
● Max Position Sigma - The pixel reliability threshold for a 95% confidence interval.
The confidence that the correctly computed point is in the distance of this number
of pixels from its actual position with a 95% confidence. When using a poor
correlation pattern, it could be necessary to raise it up to 10x as much as the default
value at the cost of a lower precision.
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● Max Noise Residual per Pixel - The threshold of the allowed average error between
the computed part of the reference and the deformed image specified in the
number of shades of grey. Sets the limit of how much the image part can deform
before the loss of points. A higher value allows a bigger change of the image part
but may cause points to skip to a wrong position with a similar pattern. It is
therefore not very recommended to raise above twice of the default value.
● Revert Changes – Reverts all the parameters above to the application defaults.
5.2.5. Vector Display Options

Most of the probes support displaying vectors during measurement for additional
visualization of computed displacements and more. To enable this feature, access Vector
Display Options located at the bottom of the Options panel. Changes performed in here
affect both 2D camera displays as well as the 3D graph display described in chapter 6.5.2.
3D GRAPH. The following controls are available:
• Displayed Type – Specifies the currently

displayed type of vectors. Bear in mind
however that although all these options are
always available for selection, not all probes
support each of these as noted below.
o None – Turns vector display off.
o Displacement – Shows displacement vectors next to measured points,
pointing towards the direction of the displacement. Not supported by ROD
Lines and DIC Areas, unless they use Custom Points.
o Velocity – Shows velocity vectors next to measured points. Only supported
by Point Probes computing velocity or acceleration.
o Acceleration – Shows acceleration vectors next to measured points. Only
supported by Point Probes computing acceleration.
• Multiplier – The exaggeration factor applied to the length of the displayed vectors.
5.3. Method Tuning

The Alpha SW allows the administrator to record one test for the purposes of tuning the
correlation parameters.
Recording is enabled by setting the Recording Mode selection to the Playback option.
The frames are then recorded regardless of whether they were used for any computation
during the measurement or not. After the end of the test, the method can be readjusted
and with the use of the play button, the recorded sequence can be recomputed.
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The coloured bar next to the playback button indicates how much space is left on the disk
and how long the recording can be according to the currently measured FPS value. If the
remaining space is in a critical (red) state, the recording will not start. Additionally, the
progress bar labelled as Saving Buffer indicates the utilization of the queue used for
saving the incoming frames. If it fills up entirely during the recording, it means that the
frames cannot be saved fast enough to process them all, so some of them will have to be
dropped. The thresholds for these states and the maximum memory used by the saving
buffer can be adjusted in General Settings (see chapter 7.3. GENERAL).
The chain-link button located at the right of the coloured bar enables to set a different
Recording FPS than the FPS of the camera. This allows the rate of recording frames to be
lower than the rate at which new frames are received and computed, thus reducing the
physical disk load while still allowing the camera to run at full FPS.
The other icons from left to right respectively:

● Save Changes – Saves changes in the settings and outputs.
● Save Copy as… – Saves the current state as a new method. The current method will
stay open.
● Revert Changes – Discards all unsaved changes in the current method and reloads
it from the disk.
● Restart input devices – Tries to connect the input device in case the connection
was not established during the start of the method or lost.
● Notes – Allows to enter notes as a description of the test.
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6. Post-Process
The recorded data can be subjected to a post-processing analysis in the Alpha software.
During the post-process, the user can add, remove, or adjust the measurement probes.
6.1. Recording the Test

The recording of the test is enabled by setting the Recording Mode selection to the Post-
Process option. The number in the yellow circle indicates how many records already exist
for the opened method, while the coloured bar indicates how much space is left on the
disk for another record and how much time is remaining for it.
While recording, the camera view is surrounded by a red frame to indicate that the
recording is in progress.
6.2. Managing Records

In case the method contains recorded image data, a PP symbol appears next to the name
of the method in the Realtime tab of the Overview of Methods (see chapter 4. METHODS).
Switching to the Offline tab of the overview gives the user the option to manage the
records.
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● Post-Process Method – Opens the selected method
(or a specific record directly) for post-processing.
● Export Method – Saves the method and all its
associated data as a single archive. This includes the
calibration of the method and desired records as well.
● Import Method – Loads a previously exported
method to the application data folder.
● Rename Method – Renames the selected method.
● Revert Method – Each offline method can have its
settings differ from its real-time counterpart. This
function erases the separate offline settings and
applies the real-time configuration instead.
● Delete Method – Deletes the selected method.
● Add Record – Imports a new record to the selected
method from images located on the disk.
● Rename Record – Renames the selected record.
● Delete Record – Deletes the selected record.
● Delete Records – Deletes all records of the selected method.
6.3. Importing 2D Records

As for the measurements, which have been recorded outside the Alpha software, there is
a possibility of importing them from the disk for post-processing. This can also be
performed from the Offline tab of the Overview of Methods.
One way to do this is by selecting an existing method, which was already created for real-
time processing and importing new records acquired by its camera(s) by pressing the Add
Records button located under the three dots on the top right. Since methods without any
records are not displayed in the overview by default, they can be shown by toggling the
Show All Methods option below the list.
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As it often might not be possible or desired to create a real-time method corresponding
to a record, which needs to be imported, there is also an option of creating a New Offline
Method for this purpose. This is done by pressing the yellow plus button located under
the list of offline methods. This button expands into two variants of method creation,
specifically Method with Full Calibration (With Grid) or Method with Simple Calibration.
These open a wizard, which assists with the process in just two steps.

On the first page of the Create Offline Method wizard, the Configuration of the method’s
parameters takes place. These consist of the desired Method Name, which must be unique
from all other methods and calibrations, while the rest are calibration parameters identical
to those entered when creating a new calibration (see chapter 2.1.1. CONFIGURATION STEP).
Instead of selecting the cameras to use with the method, a calibration image for each of
the cameras needs to be loaded here. This can either be done by clicking the yellow plus
button and browsing for them or by dragging the file directly to the spot. If multiple images
are loaded, they can be additionally reordered by dragging the top left corner as usual.
After pressing the Continue button, the wizard proceeds to its Calibration page.
6.3.2. Calibration Step

In the case of a Full calibration, an automatic detection of the calibration grid takes place
on the loaded image(s) and requires only a confirmation. If there is something wrong with
the detected grid, press Back and load different calibration images.
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Alternatively, the Perspective, Scale and Orientation or Scale Only Calibration Type can
be used to define a calibration this way without having any usable images containing a
calibration grid available. The process in this step is then identical to the one used in the
calibration wizard (see chapter 2.1.1. CONFIGURATION STEP).
6.3.3. Adding Records

When a method is available and configured to the same camera setup as the recorded
images located on the disk, they can be imported to the method by using the Add Record
button as much as there are records, which need to be imported.
When pressing this button, a screen appears, which asks to specify the folder(s) with the
images to import. This can be done either by browsing with the yellow “three dots” button
or by dragging the folders into the place directly. The resolution of these images should
match the target camera. Recording FPS is specified above to determine the timestamp
of the imported images. The order in which these images form a sequence can be specified
below. This can be either Natural or Alphabetical and its effect can be seen in a preview
next to it.
After confirming the selection, the images are copied to a new location. Move Image Files
can be toggled to move them instead.
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6.4. Importing 3D Records
The biggest difference between importing new records for 2D and 3D methods is that
creating new offline methods as described in the previous chapter is not supported in 3D.
It is however still allowed to Add Records to already existing 3D methods, even if they only
exist as a real-time method. The process is the same as its 2D equivalent, with only a slight
remark that needs to be taken into consideration, that the layout of cameras in the screen,
where image folders are specified, does not necessarily represent their distribution among
stereo camera pairs. The cameras, which are a part of multiple camera pairs in a single
scene will therefore still only appear once on this screen.
6.5. Post-Processing
The post-processor is divided into two screens. On the first one, it is possible to arrange
the probes and set their computational parameters. With the use of the time progress bar
below the camera image, it is possible to set the reference image from which the
computation starts.
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Once the probes and parameters are set, the COMPUTE button can be pressed to start
the computation. The process can be interrupted at any time by pressing STOP.
When the computation is done or interrupted, it is possible to evaluate the results and
change the shown values of each probe.
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To change the settings of any probe, press the MODIFY button, which will guide you to the
first screen of the post-processor. The computed data are however still discarded and will
have to be computed anew.
6.5.1. Graph Functions

The rollout panel on the right of the screen named Graph provides access to the features
of visualizing the computed data by means of a graph. A left mouse click on the data line
in the graph will show a tooltip with the exact values and the camera image corresponding
to the time of the selected data. Additionally, a left mouse click on the name of the series
in the legend of the graph will hide or show the data series in the graph. Use a double left
click to fit the whole graph into the view, while dragging the right mouse button moves the
view elsewhere in the graph.
89
A zoom function is activated by scrolling the mouse wheel. Roll the wheel with the mouse
inside of the graph to zoom both axes or position the cursor above one of the axes to
zoom only in the X: Time axis or the Y: Value axis.
By holding the mouse wheel, it is possible to select a region of interest in the graph. Select
the area directly inside the graph to select the desired region or position the cursor above
the X- or Y-axis to perform a uniaxial selection.
Double left click resets the graph to its default view.
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6.5.2. 3D Graph
When performing measurements in 3D, the computed data can additionally be visualized
directly in the 3D space by means of a 3D graph. This feature is located right next to the
previously described 2D graph as a separate tab.
Its controls are like a 2D graph - the left mouse button rotates the view, a double left click
resets the view, the mouse wheel performs zoom and the right mouse button moves the
view. It is also possible to zoom to a specific portion of the scene by pressing and dragging
the mouse wheel.
91
Additionally, it is possible to align the view to a specific plane by selecting the desired plane
in the tracking cube located at the bottom-right of the graph. To make smaller changes in
the scene more visible, a Scale factor can be applied to the computed displacements. This
can be selected in the respective drop-down box in the top left. This only modifies the
magnitude of the computed displacement, not the shape of the specimen! In certain
cases, it can also be useful to adjust the view to an orthographic view instead of the default
perspective one. This is toggled by pressing the respective button right next to Scale.
Alternatively, it can be achieved by dragging the right mouse button while holding Alt,
which modifies the field of view of the graph’s camera.
Selecting a specific probe from the Focused Probe drop-down

makes it the centre of the view for rotations and such. It also
makes it possible to hide it from the graph entirely by pressing the
eye icon, which appears next to the selection afterwards. When a
DIC Area is displayed in the graph, its Display Mode can be adjusted by the drop-down
on the top right. This specifies whether to display the image on the surface of a 3D DIC
area, the colour map, or both (by default).
An additional drop-down selection appears above the graph when using methods with
multiple independent camera pairs. It is used to select which camera pair should be
displayed in the graph, because only one such pair can be displayed there at a time.
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6.5.3. Post-Process Playback
The record can be played with different speed settings by using the playback control panel
on the bottom of the screen.
PLAY REPEAT
PREVIOUS NEXT
FRAME FRAME
6.5.4. Data Export

To export the computed data, use the Export data… button. The Open exported data…
button then opens the respective folder in Windows Explorer.
Use the dialog window to select or create the desired folder to store the exported data.
A separate TSV file is created for each measurement probe. This file contains all values of
the probe, even if the value was not selected in the Alpha SW.
DIC Areas can exported into either VTK or TSV files. A selection is displayed when exporting
data containing areas.
93
6.5.5. Method Recalibration
When measuring a different scene that the calibration was intended for, with different
relative positions of the used cameras and such, the measured values are no longer valid.
To repair this in 3D, it is possible to recalibrate the method by using the recorded frames.
When on Post-Processing Entry page, first select the frames to be used for this operation
and then press the Method Recalibration button in the top control panel, second to the
right.
This opens the Camera Pose Definition page that is identical to the one found in the
Composite 3D Calibration wizard. A detailed explanation can be found in chapter 2.7.3.
POSE DEFINITION STEP. The only difference here is that the camera display shows previously
selected recorded images instead of a live camera feed.
The Pose Definition page proceeds to the Adjustment page as usual. In cases when the
camera pose does not need any adjustment, but it is wanted to only adjust the coordinate
system, the last button of the control panel on Post-Processing Entry page can be used to
access it directly. This works exactly as when using the Adjust Coordinate System without
Grid button in calibration overview, except that it shows only the selected recorded images
to work with. More on this in chapters 2.7.4. ADJUSTMENT STEP and 2.9. CALIBRATION
MODIFICATION.
When the calibration of a method is modified this way, an adjusted local copy of it is
created, so that the original calibration remains unchanged. This is indicated by an icon
shown next to its name in Offline Method overview. When such a method is selected, the
local calibration can be cleared by pressing Revert Calibration in the top-right rollout
panel.
94
95
7. Global Settings
To enter Settings, click on the cogwheel icon or use the hamburger button in the top left
corner of the screen and select Settings. The following sections are available to
customize:
7.1. Calibration
Sets the default values to be pre-filled in the dialog specifying the grid during the
calibration. When using only one grid, this setup saves time during calibration.
● Length Unit – Enter any unit you
would like to use.
● Grid Unit Distance – The
distance between the centres of
two neighbouring points on the
calibration grid – the previously
entered unit must be used.
● Multi-Cameras Independent –
Determines whether the
cameras of a multi-camera
system are independent instead
of being calibrated to a single
coordinate system.
● Multi-Grid Origins Distance –
The distance between the grids
in neighbouring cameras. Necessary for calibrating stitched cameras to a common
coordinate system.
● Fiducial Grid – Specifies whether the grid contains fiducial points.
● Mirror Y – Specifies whether the Y axis of the fiducial grid is flipped in the camera
image, such as when looking at the grid through a mirror.
● (Fiducial) Grid Width – The number of points along the longer side of the grid.
● (Fiducial) Grid Height – The number of points along the shorter side of the grid.
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Fiducial Grid Regular Grid
7 points
5 points
6 points 9 points
● Grid background – Specifies whether the grid used to calibrate the system has light
points on a dark background or vice versa.
● Grid resolution size – Specifies the scale of the calibration image with the grid
shown in it, which is used for the calculation of the calibration itself. The full size
has the best results, but the calculation time increases with the resolution of the
camera.
● Min Circle Diameter [%] – Sets the smallest diameter to be detected as a point of
the calibration grid. The number represents a percentage of the longer side of the
image.
● Max Circle Diameter [%] – Sets the largest diameter to be detected as a point of
the calibration grid. The number represents a percentage of the longer side of the
image.
● Max Mapping Error [px] – Sets the largest acceptable error, which is caused by
point un-distortion mapping. This is when the effect of the lens distortion is removed
from the position of a point, and it is then mapped to the distorted position back
again. Distortion mapping is non-linear, so the position is expected to differ from
the original. Large values are usually caused by poor grid coverage (the grid covers
a small part of the image).
● Compute Focal Length – Deactivate this option in case of the use of a telecentric
lens.
97
7.2. Cameras
7.2.1. Camera Libraries
This section enables/disables the use of different camera types.
● WebCamera – USB or integrated web cameras. These cameras

are not suitable for relevant measurements. On the other hand,
these cameras are convenient for training or demo runs.
Keeping this selection unchecked prevents the unwanted
difficulties during the regular use of the Alpha software.
● FlirCamera – Enables the use of all cameras supported by the
FLIR’s camera driver Spinnaker, assuming the version of Spinnaker provided
together with the Alpha software.
● AvtCamera – Enables the use of Allied Vision Cameras on FireWire, Ethernet, and
USB bus.
● BaslerCamera - Enables the use of USB and Ethernet cameras supported by the
Basler’s pylon software, using the version provided together with the Alpha
software. Note that it is necessary to select the Developer profile during installation.
● OptrisCamera – Enables the use USB thermal cameras by Optris. Please note that
the PIX Connect must be always turned off when Alpha software is running while
this option is enabled.
Note that the changes in this selection do not take place until restarting the Alpha software
or by pressing the Apply button below.
7.2.2. Camera Synchronization

See chapter 1.2. CAMERA SYNCHRONIZATION.
7.2.3. Demo Cameras

Demo Camera is a convenient tool for demonstration and training. It uses a previously
recorded sequence of images and creates a virtual camera for playing this sequence in a
loop.
● Unique Id – Enter the desired name of the camera (for example BendMetal).
● Image Mask – Select the image format from a drop-down list. This is also detected
automatically from among the supported formats when selecting the image folder.
● Image Folder – Select or enter the directory to the images (for example
C:\DATA\Bend).
● Play Style – Choose whether the record will run only forwards or in a
forwards/backwards loop.
98
● Cache Images – Causes all images to be loaded into memory to help achieve high
FPS values.
● Simulate Thermal Camera – Causes the demo camera to be recognized as a
thermal camera (for the possibility of demonstrating thermal capabilities).
Note however, that unlike actual live cameras, the sequence of images is only played out
during a measurement and will remain at the first image when setting up the reference
probes or calibrating the camera. This also makes it possible to perform a full calibration
of a demo camera by putting a frame with a calibration grid to the image folder as the
first image located there and moving it elsewhere again afterwards. Other calibration
types are still viable as usual.
7.3. General
In this tab the Keyboard Shortcuts for starting and stopping a measurement can be set.
It is also possible to set the same shortcut for both to make it toggle between start and
stop. Any change of keyboard shortcut needs the application restart.
Next, the times for the automatic notifications about the disk usage and other recording
parameters can be adjusted here:
● Recording Caution Time [min] – Determines when a warning should be issued
about the remaining space on the destination disk.
99
● Recording Critical Time [min] – Specifies when an ongoing recording should be
automatically shut down to avoid completely exhausting all disk space.
● Max Buffer Memory [MB] – Determines the maximum allowed memory for the
frame saving buffer.
● Pre-Trigger Recording Delay [s] – The delay for recording frames before a
threshold is crossed in Triggered Recording Mode. See chapter 5.2.2. COMPUTED
VALUES AND OUTPUT ADJUSTMENT for details.
The rest of the parameters that can be configured in this place is the following:
• Language – The application-wide language setting. Any change is applied after the
application restart.
• Decimal Separator for Exports – Specifies the decimal separator used in all
exported TSV files. The default option Auto determines it by the current language
setting.
• Application Data Folder – The folder for storing most application data, which most
importantly includes the configuration of calibrations, methods, and their recorded
frames. Changing the folder to a different location will move the existing data there
(may take a long time depending on the number of recorded frames).
• UI Refresh Rate [Hz] – The rate at which the UI refreshes its state during
measurement or when idle. Too high values may make the UI less responsive and
slow down computations.
• Verbose Logging – Writes debugging information into the log file, especially
concerning I/O communication.
• Disable Hardware Acceleration – Disables HW acceleration in the entire
application. Used for debugging purposes or against issues with certain graphic
cards.
100
7.4. Input Devices
See chapter 1.4. INPUT DEVICES.
7.5. Light Control

See chapter 1.1. LIGHT CONTROL.
7.6. Output Devices

See chapter 1.3. OUTPUT DEVICES.
7.7. Scripts
7.7.1. Custom Value Scripts
Defines the template of a custom value script that can be modified according to user’s
needs. The template is used for every new custom value script. See chapter 8. CUSTOM
VALUE SCRIPTING for more information on how to use the script editor and implement a
custom value.
101
7.8. Tracking
That Tracking tab lets the user set the defaults for correlation and probe parameters (see
chapter 5.2.3. COMPUTATION Options). The CPU Threads option under Global Settings
defines the number of threads used by Alpha software. Default Averaging sets the initial
value of the averaging window for newly selected computed or input values.
102
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8. Custom Value Scripting
The probes mentioned in chapter 3. PROBES compute values generally used in material
testing. In case you need to compute a new value or modify an existing, you can write your
own custom value script. The result is a value that can be averaged and sent to an output
device in the same way as probe values (see chapter 5.2.2. COMPUTED VALUES AND OUTPUT
ADJUSTMENT). The custom value script can be used in real time as well as in post-process.
Use the custom values script editor for defining your custom value. The editor is in the
Tools panel on the right side of the measurement screen in the Custom Values tab. All
custom value scripts are shared between methods. Therefore, every change you make in
the editor affects methods where the script is activated. On the left next to the script editor
is a panel which allows to manage existing scripts:
• – Adds a new custom value based on the template defined in 7.7.1. CUSTOM
VALUE SCRIPTS.
• – Edits the name or the unit of the selected custom value.
• – Creates a copy of the selected custom value.
104
• – Deletes the selected custom value.
The custom value scripts are implemented in the C# programming language. The C# code
is compiled using the .NET compiler platform Roslyn to the executable output which is used
during measurement calculations. This document does not aim to teach users the C#
programming language but will focus on the description of key details so that the user can
write basic custom value scripts. Do not hesitate to contact our technical support
(tecs@xsight.eu) in case you need more sophisticated scripts.
Each custom value script must meet three conditions to be able to compute the value
during a measurement:
• Implements interface ICustomValueScript. The interface defines only one method

. User fills a C# code
into the Evaluate() method, which is called for every time moment during a
measurement and returns a computed custom value. Note that the name of the
class implementing ICustomValueScript is arbitrary.
The Evaluate() method returns a nullable double value type. A null value indicates
a not computed value. The method takes two parameters. The parameter
timestamp corresponds to the measurement time in seconds. The parameter
scriptData provides access to tracked probes, values from input devices and all
camera images used for tracking probes. The custom values script editor supports
the IntelliSense feature including code completion, parameter info and member
lists as shown below. That feature simplifies writing the code of custom value
scripts.
105
• Returns a new instance of a class which implements ICustomValueScript. It throws
an exception on a measurement run if the script does not return a new instance.
• Compiles without errors. You can verify the compilation of the script
implementation whenever you want. On the top of the custom values editor is a
toolbar with a Compile button. The compilation process starts by pressing that
button or by pressing the F6 key on your keyboard. The compilation result is
reported under the toolbar. The compilation either succeeds or fails. If it fails, it lists
all errors in an error message as shown below.
Code errors can be already detected while writing the code by a red underlining in
the code editor. The error description is shown on hovering the mouse.
106
Sometimes your code can be difficult to read due to different line indentations. To
fix this, press the Format button in the toolbar. There is also an Open Script Folder
button which opens a location with all custom value scripts. It can be useful if
needed to transfer a custom value script to a different PC.
The following are examples of using custom value scripts to define new values.
Example 1: Compute distance between two Point Probes
Example 2: Compute Line Probe strain in percent
Example 3: Combine device input data with probe values
107
Example 4: Use history for computation of an average value
108
9. License Update
In case you would like to upgrade your system with new features or just buy the newest
version of the software, your license key needs to be updated.
To do so, plug your HW key, sign into Alpha as an administrator and go to About. This can
be accessed from the home page or the hamburger menu.
Here, press the Update license button, which launches the RUS application where you
need to click on Collect Information and select the folder where a C2V file will be saved.
After obtaining the C2V file. Send it to info@xsight.eu and enter Licence Update as the
subject. Also, enter some info so we can match your file with your request.
After receiving the V2C file from X-Sight, click on the Update license button once more
and select the Apply License File tab in the RUS application. Set the directory to the V2C
file and apply the changes that will be listed out in the application after the update is done.
109
Portions of this software are copyright (c) 2013-2015 The FreeType Project
(www.freetype.org). All rights reserved.
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X-Sight - Alpha

● Wait time before measurement start

1.2. Camera Synchronization

1.3. Output Devices

1.3.1. Advantech DAQ

The analog voltage ranges can also be adjusted,

This protocol enables the remote control of

Note: In case the message gets deformed, set the

Transfers up to four values to the controller and

The protocol uses a COM bridge to

Note: Use a crossed RS232 cable to connect the

1.3.5. Digital Output

The measurement can be started and stopped through this protocol.

To start the measurement, send S<CR><LF>

At the default setting the message looks like this:

1.3.6. Alpha API

● Run Test Client – Runs an API Client for Alpha API.

1.3.7. MercuryRT API

1.4. Input Devices

1.4.1. Digital Input

● Use decimal point instead of comma – Sets the decimal delimiter.

Then define the digital range which will

1.4.3. MCC DAQ

Then likewise define the digital range

2.1.1. Configuration Step

● Calibration Name – Enter the name of your calibration.

2.1.2. Definition Step

Put the calibration grid to the centre of the

Note: In case of a detection failure, check

In case the grid is placed on the surface of the specimen

2.2. Simple Calibration

2.2.1. Configuration Step

● Perspective – A manually specified calibration, which establishes the scale and

2.2.2. Definition Step

2.3. Joined Camera Calibration

2.5. Camera Model Calibration

2.6. Stereo Camera Calibration

2.6.1. Configuration Step

If a Master camera is present among the available cameras, it is indicated by another

2.6.2. Definition Step

When finished, press the Calibrate button on the top

2.6.3. Adjustment Step

2.7.1. Configuration Step

2.7.2. Model Definition Step

• Horizontal – Can be disabled for a vertical layout of the paired cameras.

2.7.4. Adjustment Step

on or between the and buttons in the description

The reference (known) displacement and the value

By Reset to 1, the factor can be deactivated.

2.9. Calibration Modification

2.11. Erasing Calibration

Probe Type Required Module 2D Support 3D Support

Point Axial Strain or Transversal Strain Yes Yes

Anchor Point - Yes* Yes*

Line Axial Strain Yes Yes

Extreme Line Axial Strain Yes No

ROD Line ROD Yes Yes

Trans Line Transversal Strain Yes Yes

Bend Line Transversal Strain Yes Yes

Torsion Line Torsional Yes Yes

DIC Area DIC Area Yes Yes

Crack Probe Crack Length Yes Yes