Christmas Tree Project Step 4: Improving the Mapping

Last time, I got the first 3D mapping of the LED coordinates. I wasn't entirely happy with the results, though, so it was time to improve them. So, I started by working on code that I could use to verify the results of the scan. The idea was to turn a few LEDs on at a time, so you can visually verify that those LEDs are in the right order on one of the axes. However, while the y axis is completely obvious, the x and z axes aren't visible in the real world, so that was the first thing I did: create a gradient from red to blue on one of the axes so you could identify the axis.

The x axis

From there, I turned the lights green one by one according to their order on that axis. My original idea was to turn just the light after it and the light before it on, or perhaps a few, but I ended up just turning everything on, with the ones that were before the green LED being red, and the ones after it blue. Then, you could press either space if the LED appeared to have the right coordinate when it came to that axis, or x if it didn't. The software would then remember the incorrect coordinates and write them to a file when done.

Verifying the green LED

A modified version of the mapper can now also be used to scan only the incorrect coordinates. In that case, it will read which LEDs need to be rescanned from the file. It then scans every such LED from all four directions, but only updates the coordinate components of the axes marked as incorrect. With those changes made, I got back to the physical tree and got working on my new coordinates.

I decided not to use my previous mapping results, but start over instead. I had marked the position and orientation of the tree and the camera stand hadn't moved, but the camera wasn't in it in the exact same way. The way the webcam was mounted on the stand was a bit improvised and the webcam was borrowed from my work setup, so it hadn't stayed in the stand and the result was that I didn't put it back in the exact same way.

Improvised does not mean bad!

So, I took a few pictures with the new setup to get the tree properly in frame again and then started scanning. I alternated between judging the coordinates and rescanning them several times until I ended up with something that I was happy with.

Deciding what LED was wrong and what wasn't always obvious. When two LEDs are in the incorrect order, this method just isn't great for determining if the first one or the second one was wrong. When there are more LEDs involved, it gets even more complicated. I did develop a bit of a feeling for it, I just chose for rescanning more than necessary in a number of cases and I restarted the verifying process without saving the results a number of times. I could probably improve things by allowing you to go back in the LED order as well, so I will probably do that if I end up mapping another tree.

I was also important to learn that the result just wasn't going to be perfect. Slight changes in perspective can have big results, and we're already combining several perspectives into one coordinate. Whenever two LEDs were a close call, it was best to just go with whatever result the scan had. The mapping wouldn't be perfect, but it was never going to be perfect and as long as it's close enough, it'll look good, especially considering that the viewer won't have a fixed perspective either.

Finally, there was one LED left that just didn't get a good scan for its Z coordinate. I checked the photos and saw that it was indeed on, but just wasn't visible from either of the two opposite sides. I decided to just set the coordinate manually, so I lit it up as well as some LEDs around it. I identified which were its closest neighbors and gave it a coordinate between them, which I manually put into the output file.

With the new mapping, the next thing to do was of course to run the test effect again. I think the actual changes were relatively small, but the whole effect looks a lot more smooth to me...

(Well, I promise it does in person, at least.)

As before, all the code I wrote for this project can be found on GitHub.

Is the this the end of this project, then? Not just yet. The basic setup is done now, but I do still need to run effects on the thing. I am planning to both write some of my own and run the ones submitted to project that serves as inspiration for this one...