If you’re planning a bullet time or a photogrammetry set up then you’ll need a reliable software solution to control, manage and publish the image data from your multi-camera system.
We spoke to Eric Paré, longtime ESPER collaborator, bullet time and light painting guru and creator of Xangle Camera Server software to learn more about his multi-camera software and how the latest update adds even greater compatibility with the ESPER TriggerBox.
Over to Eric.
Eric, explain what the ‘Xangle Camera Server’ does?
Xangle Camera Server is the multi-camera software we’re using to control our cameras for our bullet-time events and studio work. It allows easy connection to multi-camera systems: connect, control, calibrate, trigger, grab, preview, publish, share.
It is mostly used by photobooth companies for bullet-time but also by photogrammetry studios. Xangle Camera Server is currently the fastest option on the market to download files and to ensure easy cable management on a 200 DSLR 3D scanner system.
It is also currently used by a considerable amount of other companies around the world including some of the top leaders: LifeIn360 (Indonesia), SpliceBoys (Australia), TimeBusters (Poland), ThinkPrint (Brazil), FreshTape Media (USA), Ecco Studios (USA).
View this post on Instagram
What was the motivation behind the Xangle multi-camera software?
The main goal of the software is bullet-time with DSLRs. But over the years, we’ve opened the door to different multi-cameras applications such as photogrammetry and even smartphone control via Android devices.
Back in 2011, we were using the only multi-camera software that was available on the market, but it was so buggy and it was crashing all the time. That was extremely stressful during live events and we ended up starting to build our own solution.
These days, I’m triggering in a seamless mode which means that in a 132 cameras set up, I trigger cameras 1 and 132 at the same time, then 2 and 131, 3 and 130, etc. All of that in RAW quality. Having my own solution allows me to move faster and experiment with so many different possibilities.
How does Xangle software work with the ESPER TriggerBox?
It’s an all-in-one software with easy setup for external replay and sharing stations but it was also designed for improving the performance and calibration when controlling multiple cameras.
There are a few ways to configure the equipment to run Xangle Camera Server, and there’s always a way to optimize for download speed or for setup simplicity.
For projects where we need to set up super quickly with as few cables as possible, we’re very likely to use only 12 cameras, 2 ESPER TriggerBoxes, 2 ESPER PowerBoxes, USB Hubs and one computer.
When using USB-HUB architecture of Xangle Camera Server ESPER TriggerBoxes is one of the best option currently on the market.
As of version 1.9.0, Xangle Camera Server offers the ability to control one ESPER TriggerBox via USB. From the Dashboard, if an ESPER TriggerBox is detected, we’re showing it as an available trigger mode, which then allows the user to trigger through our system to the ESPER boxes. When using USB-HUB architecture of Xangle Camera Server ESPER TriggerBoxes is one of the best option currently on the market.
Can ESPER customers download a free trial?
Absolutely. To download free Xangle Camera Server trial head over to https://xanglecs.com/. To get started, all you need is some basic equipment. For a 6 cameras set up, you’ll need: 6 cameras, 1 ESPER TriggerBox, 6 trigger cables, 5 link cables, 1 USB cable and a windows computer.
Learn more about ESPER TriggerBox and PowerBox
More interviews: