SpinView Guide¶
SpinView is the Spinnaker SDK's built-in camera viewer and configuration tool, providing a graphical interface to enumerate cameras, view live image streams, configure camera features, capture images, and update firmware.
Getting Started¶
- Download the Spinnaker SDK from the Teledyne Vision Solutions website.
- Follow the installation instructions.
- Connect your camera to your computer.
- Launch SpinView:
- Windows: Start Menu → All Programs → Spinnaker SDK → SpinView
- Or search for Spinnaker in the Windows taskbar.
- Your camera appears in the Devices pane.
- Click the camera to enumerate it and access its features, or double-click to start streaming immediately.
Further configuration of the camera can be done using the Features pane described below.
Navigating SpinView¶
Menus¶
| Menu | Function |
|---|---|
| File → Exit | Close the SpinView application |
| View → Dynamic Dialogs | Open dialogs in the Features pane, grouped by function. 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 | Open the About SpinView dialog |
Context menus accessible via right-click are also available in the Devices pane, Features pane, and Display pane.
Toolbar Buttons¶
| Button | Pane | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Refresh | Devices | Refresh the devices list |
| Show Adaptors | Devices | Display all adaptors in the Devices pane |
| Start Acquisition | Devices / Display | Start acquisition |
| Stop Acquisition | Devices / Display | Stop acquisition |
| Disconnect | Devices | Disconnect the camera |
| Configure IP | Devices | Configure device IP address (GigE cameras only) |
| Switch Driver | Devices | Switch device driver — opens the Driver Configuration window |
| Update Firmware | Devices | Update device firmware — opens the Firmware Update window |
| Save Profile | Devices | Save camera settings to User Set 1 and make it the default |
| Copy Properties | Devices | Copy camera properties to clipboard |
| Show Properties | Devices | Open the Properties window |
| Single Capture | Display | Single image acquisition |
| Stop Streaming | Display | Stop streaming |
| Save Image | Display | Save image to disk |
| Zoom In/Out/Loupe | Display | Zoom controls. Use Configure Loupe from context menu to set loupe size. |
| Histogram | Display | Open Histogram window (start streaming first) |
| Optimize Frame Rate | Display | Overwrite settings to achieve fastest frame rate (available when streaming is off) |
| Record | Display | Open the Recording window |
| Sort by XML | Features | Sort features by XML sequence (default) |
| Sort by Category | Features | Sort features by category |
| Sort Alphabetically | Features | Sort features alphabetically |
| Expand/Collapse | Features | Expand or collapse all nodes |
Main Window¶
The SpinView main window is divided into separate panes. You can resize, float, or dock each pane.
- Devices — lists all connected devices or all adaptors
- Display — shows the current image acquisition along with settings and image chunk data (if enabled)
- Features — lists all features for the selected camera for viewing and controlling parameters
- Log Viewer — lists all system messages, errors, and warnings
Devices Pane¶
The Devices pane shows adaptors with connected cameras. Select a camera to load its features. Toggle between showing only cameras with connected devices or all adaptors using the Show Adaptors button. Use the Refresh button to update the devices list.
Features Pane¶
The Features pane displays the features of the selected camera and provides access to all camera parameters.
By default the Settings tab is shown. Groups of features can also be accessed through tabs at the bottom of the pane (tabs available depend on the camera model). Feature groups include:
- File Access
- Information
- Settings
- Image Format
- Processing
- GPIO
- Sequencer
- Features
Sorting: Features can be sorted by XML sequence (default), by category, or alphabetically.
Read-only features are marked with a lock symbol. Some features are locked or unlocked based on other feature settings.
Search: Start typing in the search box to filter features. Found items are highlighted and related items are also shown.
Descriptions and tooltips: Selecting a feature displays a description at the bottom of the pane. Hovering over a value text box shows a tooltip with the valid range.
Visibility levels: Right-click in the Features pane to change visibility. SpinView defaults to Guru (all features), but you can restrict to Expert or Beginner for simpler views.
Node information: Right-click → Display Node Information to see detailed information about a feature. This information can be copied to the clipboard.
Display Pane¶
The Display pane shows the image being captured and status information.
- Start streaming: Double-click the camera or click the Start Acquisition button.
- Image context menu: Right-click the image to save, rotate, stretch to fit, draw/configure crosshair, change color processing method, and more.
- Frame context menu: Right-click the Display pane frame to configure the status bar items and view image information such as chunk data.
- Recording: Click the record icon to open the Recording window.
Log Viewer¶
The Log Viewer displays messages, errors, and warnings. Five logging levels are supported:
| Level | Description |
|---|---|
| Error | Non-recoverable failures (default level) |
| Warning | Recoverable failures without user intervention |
| Notice | Events such as camera arrival/disconnect, initialize, start/stop, or feature change |
| Info | Recurring events generated with every image |
| Debug | Detailed information for troubleshooting |
Levels are inclusive — if you monitor Debug, you also see all levels above it.
The Log Viewer menu lets you export, filter, change the display, and search. Logs are also saved to C:\ProgramData\Spinnaker\Logs.
Updating Firmware¶
The latest firmware versions often include significant bug fixes and feature enhancements. Check the Release Notes for details on each version.
To update camera firmware:
- Go to the Firmware Downloads page, select your camera model, and download the firmware file.
- In SpinView, right-click the camera in the Devices pane and select Update Device Firmware, or click the Update Device Firmware toolbar button.
- Streaming is stopped automatically during the update.
- Browse to the firmware file and click Open.
- Click Yes to confirm.
Warning
Do not disconnect the camera during the firmware update process.