Getting Started

Choose a language-specific guide to get started with the Spinnaker SDK:

• C++ Getting Started
• C Getting Started
• C# (.NET) Getting Started
• Python Getting Started

Overview

The Spinnaker application programming interface (API) is used to interface with Teledyne's USB3 Vision and GigE Vision cameras. The SDK supports multiple programming languages and platforms:

Language	Platforms	Use Case
C++	Windows, Linux, macOS	Full feature access, maximum performance
C	Windows, Linux, macOS	Embedded systems, no exceptions
C# (.NET)	Windows	Desktop GUI applications, managed memory
Python	Windows, Linux, macOS	Rapid prototyping, data science

Common Workflow

Regardless of language, the basic camera workflow follows the same pattern:

1. Get System — Obtain the Spinnaker system singleton
2. Enumerate Cameras — Retrieve the list of connected cameras
3. Select Camera — Choose a camera (optionally by serial number)
4. Initialize — Call Init() to populate the GenICam nodemap
5. Configure — Set camera parameters (exposure, gain, pixel format, etc.)
6. Acquire — Start acquisition, retrieve images, process them
7. Clean Up — End acquisition, de-initialize, and release resources

For detailed language-specific instructions, choose a guide above.