Multiple Zivid Cameras

Note

Multi-Zivid requires:

Zivid 2+	Zivid SDK version 2.10.0 or higher.
Zivid 2	Zivid SDK version 2.4.0 or higher.

Multi-Zivid allows you to simultaneously operate multiple Zivid 2+ or Zivid 2 cameras from the same PC, as well as a combination of these cameras. This makes it possible to:

• Capture point clouds sequentially, when connected to multiple cameras, from a single thread in one process.

• Capture point clouds sequentially or in parallel by running multiple threads.

• Capture point clouds sequentially or in parallel by running multiple processes each connected to its own camera.

However, using multiple Zivid cameras comes with certain limitations:

• You must list cameras and connect to cameras via the SDK sequentially.

• You cannot simultaneously connect and operate the same camera from multiple threads or processes.

• We recommend connecting to all cameras in one thread and then spawning new threads that control cameras. It is safe to simultaneously operate the same camera from multiple threads.

• You must run firmware updates sequentially. Once the firmware update starts on one unit, let the process complete and connect to the camera before starting the firmware update on another camera.

• You must not call Zivid::Application::cameras() simultaneously from multiple threads or processes; they may collide when trying to connect to the cameras to get the serial number, firmware version, etc.

• The same holds for a combination of the mentioned API calls (update firmware and list cameras) at the same time from multiple threads or processes.

Warning

Cameras can capture images simultaneously but must be connected to the computer in sequence.

Connecting and using multiple Zivid 2+ or 2 cameras requires each camera to have a unique IP address. How to configure IP is explained in Network Configuration. We cover network configuration for multiple cameras on the same network using a switch as well as multiple cameras connected to multiple network interface cards.

Performance Considerations

Read our Performance Considerations for Multiple Zivid Cameras to learn how to utilize Zivid SDK to optimize your application for speed with regards to the point cloud capture process.

Tip

If you are interested in stitching point clouds from multiple cameras, check out our Multi-Camera Calibration.

Version History

SDK	Changes
2.12	Zivid One+ has reached its End-of-Life and is no longer supported.
2.9.0	Capture function returns when the acquisition is done, which has significantly improved cycle times for both sequential and in parallel captures. It is supported to operate the same camera from multiple threads simultaneously.
2.8.0	Improved capture speed of Zivid 2.
2.7.0	Support for running multiple Zivid One+ cameras on the same computer.
2.4.0	Support for running multiple Zivid 2 cameras on the same computer.
1.8.1	Experimental support for running multiple Zivid One+ cameras on the same computer.