Basic eCapture Pro Usage

After installing the hardware and software, perform the following procedures in eCapture Pro to stream and display a camera's images:

1. Start eCapture Pro.
2. Purchase and install the eCapture Pro license if needed.
3. Add the local server, NIC Ethernet port, and camera to the system graph.
4. Stream and display the camera’s images.

Procedure 1: Start eCapture Pro

1. Launch the application:
   • ‍On Windows: Double-click the eCapture Pro icon on the desktop. Alternatively, double-click the eCapturePro.cmd file in the eCapturePro folder (typically located at C:\Program Files\EVT\eCapturePro\).
   • ‍On Linux: Double-click the eCapture Pro icon in the list of installed applications. Alternatively, run the eCapturePro.sh script in the eCapturePro directory (typically located at /opt/EVT/eCapturePro/).
2. Do one of the following:
   • If your instance of eCapture Pro doesn't have a license installed, it will open the license screen (see Figure 1). Go to procedure 2.
   • If your instance of eCapture Pro already has a license installed, it will open the default screen (see Figure 2). Go to procedure 3.

Figure 1: eCapture Pro license screen

Figure 2: eCapture Pro default screen

Procedure 2: Purchase and install the eCapture Pro license

Note: To manage more than two Emergent cameras with eCapture Pro, you must purchase and install an eCapture Pro license. If you have already installed a license or if you want to use eCapture Pro in trial mode with two or fewer cameras, you can skip this procedure and go to procedure 3.

1. To purchase a license for eCapture Pro, contact Emergent Sales. They will ask you to generate and send them a system fingerprint file that identifies the computer/server on which you installed eCapture Pro.
   Note: The license will be valid only for that computer/server.
2. To generate the system fingerprint file:
   a. On the eCapture Pro license screen (see Figure 3 below), click the fingerprint button. A dialog will open.
   b. In the dialog, select the location to save the file and click Select Folder. eCapture Pro will generate the file and display its location and name on the license screen.
3. Send the system fingerprint file (hostinfo.dat) to Sales.
4. When Sales sends you the license file, save it on the computer/server on which you installed eCapture Pro.
5. Install the license file:
   a. On the eCapture Pro license screen, click the license button. A dialog will open.
   b. In the dialog, select the license file and click Open. eCapture Pro will open the default screen (see Figure 2 above).

Figure 3: Use the buttons on the eCapture Pro license screen to generate a fingerprint file, install a license, or enter trial mode

Procedure 3: Add components to the system graph

The following procedure adds the local server, NIC Ethernet port, and camera to the system graph:

1. In eCapture Pro, open the system graph: On the Graph tab, select the System subtab. eCapture Pro displays a blank system graph.
2. Add the local server: In the left panel, click the local server icon (house) . If prompted, enter the server’s password. A server icon appears in the system graph.
3. Add one of the NIC's Ethernet ports:
   a. In the system graph, select the server icon.
   b. Then, in the left panel, click the add button (+) beside the Ethernet port that is physically connected to the camera. An Ethernet port icon appears in the system graph.
4. Add the camera:
   a. In the system graph, select the server icon.
   b. In the left panel, click the add button (+) beside the camera. A camera icon appears in the system graph.
5. Automatically configure the IP addresses, subnet masks, and maximum transmission unit (MTU) of the camera and NIC:
   a. In the system graph, select the server icon.
   b. In the left panel, select the gear icon. Then, in the context menu, select Auto-reconfigure interface and camera IPs.

Figure 4: This example of a system graph in eCapture Pro shows a server connected to two Ethernet ports, two cameras, and a GPU

Procedure 4: Stream and display camera images

The following procedure streams and displays the camera’s images:

IMPORTANT: The images shown in eCapture Pro are preview images with reduced resolution, not the full-resolution images from the camera. This is done to minimize system overhead, especially when managing large numbers of cameras or high-resolution ones.

1. On eCapture Pro's Live View tab, right-click the camera’s blank image display box. Then, in the context menu, select Camera stream setting > Stream and display. The camera's captured images appear in the diplay box (see Figure 5).
2. To improve image quality, adjust the camera’s physical position, lens, and lighting.
3. On the Live View tab, use the features in the right panel to adjust camera parameters, such as Exposure and Gain.

Figure 5: An example of Emergent camera views on the Live View tab in eCapture Pro and the camera parameters on the right panel