Max Lyons Forums

[maxlyons]

I have just uploaded a second beta version of PTAssembler 5.1.

This version adds support for Autopano-SIFT-C as a control point picker program (previous discussions here and here), and adds a few more GUI refinements including the ability to delete multiple control points from the preview viewer screen (ctrl-right click and drag mouse to draw a rectangular region around the points to be deleted). I have also added the option (on the processing options screen) to remove the original input files and/or intermediate files after a project has finished processing (intermediate files can be deleted or sent to recycle bin, original/input files are never deleted, only sent to recycle bin).

A complete list of changes since PTAssembler 5.0 is below.

Download here

Max

============================

Feature: Added support for Panomatic as a control point picker plugin.
Empirical testing suggests that Panomatic works well with very large
numbers of images, assuming enough memory is available. 2GB seems
more than sufficient for projects with 150+ images sized at 15 megapixels
each, on a 2-core machine. Panomatic seems to run quickly for
small/medium sized projects and generates very well distributed control points.
See: http://aorlinsk2.free.fr/panomatic/?p=home to download Panomatic.

Feature: Added support for Autopano-SIFT-C as a control point picker plugin. Based
on Autopano-SIFT, Autopano-SIFT-C is a single command line program that runs
more quickly than the original Autopano-SIFT.
See: http://tksharpless.net/ to download Autopano-SIFT-C.

Feature: Numerous GUI speed enhancements. Redesigned several time intensive
operations such as reading/writing project and script files, displaying
control point information, thinning images, etc. PTAssembler should
feel more responsive and operate more quickly...particularly noticeable
for projects containing large numbers of images and/or control points.

Feature: Added option (on the processing options screen) to remove
input and/or intermediate files when creating blended TIFF output. Input
(i.e. original) files are awlays sent to recycle bin if removed. Intermediate
files can be sent to recycle bin or permanently deleted if removed (configured
via new option on behavior tab of preferences screen).

Feature: Added ability to delete multiple control points from preview screen
by holding ctrl key down, right-clicking and dragging mouse to draw a rectangular
region around points to be deleted.

Feature: Made the "control points" and "Yaw/Pitch" display options on the
preview viewer sticky...i.e. last settings are remembered between sessions.

Feature: Added new syntax when invoking PTAssembler from the command line.
Using the "-" token in a file list will cause PTAssembler to "expand"
the list of files using neighboring filenames, and assuming files are
named using sequential numbering. For example these two
commands are equivalent:

ptasmblr /autocreate img_0200.tif img_0201.tif img_0202.tif img_0203.tif
ptasmblr /autocreate img_0200.tif - img_0203.tif


Bug Fix: Corrected problem that could produce incorrect statistics
about control point information on Step 1 screen.

Bug Fix: Fixed Autocreate so that it requests the number of control
points specified by user on Autocreate tab. (Note the number of control
points cannot be accurately specified for all three supported control
point picker programs, so PTAssembler tries to request the specified
number as best as possible, depending on which control point picker
program is used).

Bug Fix: Corrected problem displaying incorrectly positioned image on
preview screen after deleting a control point.

Bug Fix: Corrected operation of option to "Auto-detect stacking groups,
and perform stacking" during Autocreate. This was not working
correctly. Autocreate also performs "thin by stack ID" operation
when stacking groups are identified.

Change: Updated Control Point Picker configuration screen and changed
default options for some control point picker programs. Note that
when running control point picker program manually (i.e. not via autocreate),
you can specify the number of points to create by modifying the command
line options for the appropriate program. Consult the documentation
for the control point picker program to learn how to specify the number
of points to request.

Change: Removed option (behavior tab of preferences screen) not to show
control point info on step 1 screen.

Change: Removed option (autocreate tab of preferences screen) to specify
maximum control point placement error. Wasn't implemented correctly,
and this can be specified by modifying the command line options for the
appropriate control point picker program (see documentation for
control point picker program).

Change: After adding a new straight line control point (e.g. type t3, t4, etc.)
on step 3 screen, the line type selector box is set to the type of the
most recently added line type.

Change: On preview viewer screen, when control points are displayed, holding
the alt key down will cause PTAssembler to show only those control points
that are not part of a stacking group (previous version of PTAssembler used
the ctrl key for this function).

[PSHRutPark]

Thanks very much Max,

In my testing so far, Beta 2 has worked well. I tried a mosaic of 15 images x 3 rows comprising a few relatively difficult featureless sky images. Used APS-C implementation and the result was good.

I appreciate the delete intermediate images option, and also for retaining the PTOptimizer and PTMender modes.

PETER
_________________
http://www.pastoralsystems.co.nz/photography/index.html

[JMB]

Hi Max,

Not really a comment on the current beta, but I was wondering it it might be possible to include an option somewhere that you could use to execute Smartblend (or whatever blending program you want to use) after the images have been remapped and such...

Typically, what happens for me is that I discover a problem with the final panorama after stitching and blending (obvious blending problems due to misalignments during multiple exposures, etc). AT this point, I usually go back to PTA, delete all the "dark" pictures and re-output the "light" panorama, and then go back to the original PTA file, delete all the "light" pictures and re-output the "dark" panorama, and then blend the problem areas manually in Photoshop.

Now I remember that you once told me where I could find the script that was used to invoke Smartblend, but what would be nice is if there were an option where (if you've already remapped (and or Tufused) the images) you could simply specify which images you would like sent to the blending program...

Another thing that might be interesting/useful (to some... *smile*) would be if you could also choose to output a low quality jpg file (of the same dimensions as the finished panorama (or some specified scaling quantity)) that simply showed the regions of the panorama that were blended together (i.e., black in the regions that are blended together by the blending program and white in regions that aren't blended). That way, it would be easier to check for blending/stitching errors by simply overlaying the jpg (or whatever format) over the stitched panorama in Photoshop and looking for misalignments in those regions...

In any case, thanks for the continued updates to PTA!

JMB

[fredmurray]

I have been unable to force myself to find and keep a
folder of my past and current preferences files.
Consequently, when WinXP crashes, freezes, or pukes in
some unforeseen manner, while PTA is running in the
background, too often I find that my PTA preferences
have vaporized in some magical fashion during the
computer's "seizure".

Subsequent to a recent "crash", while rooting through
other files to find the preferences info to resurrect
PTA as the fine functioning application it is, I have
found out, too late, that my severe panomania, coupled
with my black mood and blue language, has forced my
dogs to seek new masters, my wife to divorce me, the
local gendarmes to place my residence under 24 hour
surveillance, and another impending stock market
relapse.

So it is, with tears in my eyes, that I beseech
PanoMaster, or one of his knowledgeable acolytes, to
end my misery with comforting words that explain, to
this most miserable and unworthy appliance operator,
how PTA might be instructed to save the preference
information in some manner that does not disappear so
readily.

I know, ol' geezers shouldn't play with "stuff" they do
not understand completely, no one else's computer has
"fits", configuration info never vaporizes in anyone
else's computer, and if my family and the cops can't
stand my language then earplugs are a better
alternative.

P.S. mood altering chemicals are not an option...

Unfortunately, I have no clue, often, as to why my
machine crashes, because I play with tons of bleeding
edge applications. I have never had any reason to
believe, at any time, that PTA has been the "cause" of
any of my problems, beyond the configuration vaporizing
symptom, my life falling apart, and the tanking of the
stock market....

Any takers for the "vaporizing effect"?

Da Ol' Geezer

[maxlyons]

Fred,

PTAssembler stores its configuration information in a file called "ptasmblr.ini". The location of this file varies depending on the operating system. In general, on most Windows XP installations, you will find it in a location like this:

C:\Documents and Settings\{user}\Application Data\PTAssembler\PTAsmblr.ini

(where {user} is the name of the user).

PTAssembler relies upon the Windows Operating System to tell it where to store the file, so if you have a non-standard installation (e.g. your "Documents and settings" folder is on a different drive) then the precise location may vary. If you use the Help->Check Installation option in PTAssembler you'll see a line like this one that tells you the directory in which to find the ptasmblr.ini file:

Application data directory: C:\Documents and Settings\Max\Application Data\PTAssembler

Assuming that you can locate this file, then I suggest copying to a different location so that you can reinstate it as necessary. Note that PTAssembler reads this file whenever it starts, and rewrites this file every time it exits, so it is best to copy this file after closing PTAssembler, rather than while it PTAssembler is running.

Max

[fredmurray]

Thanx, Max.

Now I have decent idea of why my PTAsmblr.ini settings "vaporize".


Caveat! The below is the babbling of a programming igronamus!

Question:

I assume that PTAsmblr.ini entries are saved by the current project, and reflect the changes for that project, or the previous project, assuming that none of the previously used settings are changed.

As I always make sure that PTA has started to process a project correctly, before I switch to or open another window, then I assume (again...) that, from the symptoms I described, the .ini
file is saved some time after the project starts and before my computer "seizes, or ..."

Soooo, can the .ini settings be saved at the time I mash the AutoCreate, Preview, or Create button?

Assuming (for the third time) that the current .ini settings are saved before the computer requires reset button therapy, then, might I assume, again, that PTA would not overwrite that previously written .ini file, as it terminates in an abnormal fashion?


Food for thought; or silliness?



I know; ya tole me backing up my .ini file, regularly, would do the trick, but..., lazy old geezers are loathe to leave the hearth, or learn new tricks.

Thanks again Max, for a great product and support.

[maxlyons]

[fredmurray]

Hi Max.

I knew my assumptions, based on total ignorance, were likely to get me in trouble... ;-)

Even though WinXP is getting long in the tooth, I have no reason to suspect it, or my hardware. I have many reasons to suspect my "trouble" is due to my interest in playing with the latest and greatest alpha and beta versions of software, with numerous open windows, while I am running PTAssembler.

Perhaps it is time to move PTA to my Vista 64 HTPC, with a lot more horespower and memory, and a lot less junk running. As I recently acquired a new T1i, the image file sizes have increased
markedly, stressing the WinXP box, accordingly. I am now running into the necessity to view my larger panos on the HTPC box.

I expected your message to any responsible computer user, "Backup your PTAsmblr.ini, and other important files, regularly,
and you won't get hurt. " I also expected you to take the time to explain why.

Thank you, again.

Da Lazy Ol' Geezer

[fredmurray]

After running in circles over the weekend, I took a break to salvage my marriage.

This evening, I started anew by checking my PTA preferences for the umpteenth time. This time, when looking at the choice of optimizers, instead of leaving the path to ptastitcher as shown in choice (1) below:

(1)
G:\Program Files\Imageware\PTAsmblr\ptastitcher.exe

I chose Helmut's?:

(2)
G:\Program Files\Imageware\PTAsmblr\PanoTools\PTOptimizer.exe

and ran the same two image pano that had failed too many times with the first (1) preference listed above. With the choice of PTOptimizer, located according to the second (2) path listed above, PTA worked fine.

Then I defined the choice of optimizer with the original path (1) that had failed dozens of times in succession, to find that it, now, worked as advertised, as it did before my computer froze and I lost my PTAsmblr.ini fileup.

The cause of my computer seizing up at the time of the PTAsmblr.ini loss was due to a trace.log filling up my root drive because an option with BootVis, when selected, failed to turn off the logging.

Other than guessing, does anyone have an idea why the defined path would not work until I changed it from choice (1) to choice (2) and then back to choice (1)?

Regardless of why, I expect PTAsmblr to work for me as flawlessly as it has in the past... ;-)

Da Happy Ol' Geezer

[TKSharpless]

Hi Max

I see that 5.1b2 runs autopano-sift-c with the legacy-style command line, that lists the image files separately. That works, however it means that several of the more useful features of APSCpp are only available by editing the command line options in 'preferences'; and this would have to be done on a per-project basis.

The preferred way is to give it the project file instead of the separate image files. Then it will automatically pick up the lens type and FOV, and enable stereographic projection for fisheye lenses (which definitely gives better results). To do that, you would have to save a project when someone hits 'Auto-Create', which may not be convenient; but if it is, that is how you should run APSCpp.

Assuming the project file is 'foo.ptp' the command line would be
autopano-sift-c <user options> result.pto foo.ptp
You could use a temp project file if you don't want to leave anything in the user's directory.

Since I put a certain amount of work into making APSCpp read PTAssembler projects, I'd like to see this change if it is possible.

Regards, Tom

[maxlyons]