Getting Started with SpinView

1. Download the Spinnaker^® SDK from our website.
2. Follow the installation instructions.
3. Connect your camera to your computer.
4. Launch SpinView:
   Start Menu-->All Programs-->Spinnaker SDK-->SpinView
   Or, search for Spinnaker in the Windows taskbar.
   Your camera appears in the Devices pane.
5. Click the camera to enumerate and access camera features or double-click the camera to start streaming.

Further configuration of the camera can be done using the Features pane described below.

Navigating SpinView

Menus

There is a main menu at the top of the SpinView window.

Menu	Function
File-->Exit	Closes the SpinView application
View-->Dynamic Dialogs	Opens dialogs in the Features pane, grouped by function. These are also accessible via tabs at the bottom of the Features pane.
View-->Rendering Methods	Switch between CPU and GPU rendering methods
View-->Reset View to Default	Restore window layout to the default view
View-->Reset Application Settings	Reset and load default settings at next launch
Help-->Documentation	Links to local copies of Spinnaker documents
Help-->Contact Support	Open a support ticket
Help-->Give Feedback	Send feedback to the Spinnaker development team
Help-->About	Opens the About SpinView dialog

 

There are also context menus accessible via right-click available in the Devices pane, Features pane, and Display pane.

Buttons

Toolbar buttons are available for many functions.

Button	Toolbar	Function
	Devices Pane	Refresh the devices list
	Devices Pane	Display all adaptors in the Devices pane
	Devices Pane Display Pane	Start acquisition
	Devices Pane Display Pane	Stop acquisition
	Devices Pane	Disconnect the camera
	Devices Pane	Configure device IP address. Only applicable to GigE cameras.
	Devices Pane	Switch Device Driver. Opens the Driver Configuration window.
	Devices Pane	Update device firmware. Opens the Firmware Update window.
	Devices Pane	Save camera settings profile. Save the current settings to User Set 1 and make it the default configuration.
	Devices Pane	Copy camera properties to clipboard
	Devices Pane	Show camera properties. Opens the Properties window.
	Display Pane	Single image acquisition
	Display Pane	Stop streaming
	Display Pane	Save image to disk
	Display Pane	Zoom in / Zoom out / Loupe From the context menu select Configure Loupe to set the Loupe size
	Display Pane	Display histogram. Opens the Histogram window. Start streaming before opening histogram.
	Display Pane	Optimize Frame Rate Accessible when streaming is off. This may overwrite existing settings to achieve the fastest frame rate. A confirmation dialog lists all the changes. They are also noted in the Log.
	Display Pane	Open Recording window
	Features Pane	Sort features by XML sequence
	Features Pane	Sort features by category
	Features Pane	Sort features alphabetically
	Features Pane	Expand/collapse all nodes

Main Window

The SpinView main window is divided into separate panes. You can resize, float, or dock these panes.

• Devices - lists all connected devices, or all adapters
• Display - displays the current image acquisition along with acquisition settings and image chunk data (if enabled)
• Features - lists all features for the selected camera features in order to view and control camera parameters
• Log Viewer - lists all system messages, errors, and warnings

Devices Pane

The Devices pane shows adaptors with cameras currently connected to them or all adaptors. Select a camera to load its features.

To toggle between views, click

Devices Pane - Cameras Connected

To refresh the devices list click

Features Pane

The features pane displays the features of the selected camera and provides access to managing the camera parameters.

By default, the features pane displays the Settings tab. Groups of features can also be accessed through tabs at the bottom of the features pane. The tabs available are dependent on the selected camera.	Settings Tab
These features are grouped by: File Access Information Settings Image Format Processing GPIO Sequencer Features	Features Tab
Features can be sorted in three ways: By the XML sequence (Default) By categories Alphabetically	Features Sorted by XML

Features marked with a lock symbol are read only. Some features may be locked and unlocked based on the settings of other features. Some features are always read only.

In the Features pane you can search for a feature. The search is executed as soon as you begin typing. Found items are highlighted. Related items are also shown in the search results.

Search Execution

Selecting a feature displays a description. Hovering over a text box displays a tooltip with the feature's valid range.

Feature Tooltips and Descriptions

Right-click in the Features pane to access a context menu.

Features Context Menu

From the context menu you can change your visibility of the features. By default, SpinView displays everything (Guru) but this can be limited by selecting Expert or Beginner.

From the context menu, select Display Node Information to see an information pane about the feature. This information can be copied to the clipboard.

Feature Node Information

Panes and columns within panes can be resized.

Resize Panes or Columns

Panes can also be undocked by dragging by the title bar.

Display Pane

The display pane shows the image being captured as well as information about the image settings.

To start image acquisition, double-click the camera or click

Right click on the image to access a context menu from which you can save or rotate the image, stretch to fit, draw and configure cross-hair, change the color processing method, and other settings. Some settings may depend on the camera model selected.

Display Pane Image Context menu

Right click on the Display Pane frame to access a context menu from which you can change the items that appear in the status bar of the display and view image information such as chunk data.

Display Pane Context menu

To open the recording window, click the record icon on the Display pane menu.

Recording Window

Log Viewer

The Log Viewer displays messages, errors, and warnings.

Spinnaker supports five levels of logging:

• Error—failures that are non-recoverable (this is the default level)
• Warning—failures that are recoverable without user intervention
• Notice—information about events such as camera arrival or disconnect, camera initialize, camera start/stop, or modification of a feature
• Info—information about recurring events that are generated with every image
• Debug—information that can be used to troubleshoot the system

You can define the logging level that you want to monitor. Levels are inclusive, that is, if you monitor debug level error, you also monitor all logging levels above it.

The Log Viewer menu allows you to export the information, filter, change the display, and search. Spinnaker also saves a log file to: C:\ProgramData\Spinnaker\Logs

Updating Firmware

The latest firmware versions often include significant bug fixes and feature enhancements. To determine the changes made in a specific firmware version, consult the Release Notes.

To update your camera's firmware:

1. Go to our Firmware Downloads page to select your model and download the firmware.
2. In SpinView, from the Device List, right-click on the camera and select Update Device Firmware,
   or click the Update Device Firmware button from the Device pane menu.

Streaming is stopped during firmware update.

3. Browse to select the firmware file and click Open.
4. Click Yes to continue.

NOTE: Do not disconnect the camera from the computer during the firmware update process.