Sending Scalar values to Camera

[swarali-nandgaonkar]

My goal is to get the stream of the camera and calculate a mean intensity value. This value should later be sent to the camera and the camera uses this information to generate a text overlay i.e. I want to be able to send a scalar value to the camera from my application.

If I understand correctly, almost all examples in the ACAP repository generate some output but only print it to the console and no data flows to the camera stream. (I read about virtual inputs, but it doesn't help since it gives access to only a boolean value). Is there a way to send this information to the Camera.

[github-actions[bot]]

This automatically generated reply acts as a friendly reminder.

Answers to your questions will most often come from the community, from developers like yourself. You will, from time to time, find that Axis employees answers some of the questions, but this is not a guarantee. Think of the discussion forum as a complement to other support channels, not a replacement to any of them.

If your question remains unanswered for a period of time, please revisit it to see whether it can be improved by following the guidelines listed in Axis support guidelines.

[vivekatoffice]

Hi @swarali-nandgaonkar ,
I assume the scalar values could refer to parameters such as zoom, focus, brightness, contrast, or other camera settings.

If I understand correctly, almost all examples in the ACAP repository generate some output but only print it to the console and no data flows to the camera stream. (I read about virtual inputs, but it doesn't help since it gives access to only a boolean value). Is there a way to send this information to the Camera.

Please try to check the following examples:

1. bounding-box
2. axoverlay

If your application wants to control the overlay from a server-based application(Not an ACAP):

1. 762
2. 742

Edit:
vapix example can be used with Overlay API

bounding-box is only limited to the following functions. Text overlay is not possible for now.

[swarali-nandgaonkar]

Hi, thank you for the response and examples, @vivekatoffice! The dynamic overlays you suggested seem like a good temporary solution. However, what I’m aiming to achieve is for the deployed app to calculate a value (a 'calculated parameter') and store it somewhere on the camera. Ideally, I would like to retrieve this value later from another system, potentially using an MQTT message or a similar method.

For context, my goal is to deploy a Docker container that performs image quality assessments on an Axis camera, and then have the results sent to our system, possibly using the camera's MQTT client. We don’t plan to use Axis’s built-in overlays, as our system will read the value and generate custom overlays externally.

I’m using the computer-vision SDK for the analysis. Any guidance or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[vivekatoffice]

Hi @swarali-nandgaonkar ,
As you're planning to use the ACAP Computer Vision SDK, the following information might be helpful:

All existing products that currently support containers will continue to have this feature in future AXIS OS versions. However, it's important to note that new products released with AXIS OS 12.0 will no longer include container support.

Reference: Simplifying your application development with the enhanced ACAP SDK