Camera Control

[geraldcor]

Hello all,
I have searched and searched but have come across nothing that suits my needs. Here it is:
I need to take pictures of all products as they arrive in our testing facility. This includes law labels and packaging. We need to be able to read said labels and packaging so we need fairly high resolution photos. I have been searching for a way to "automate" this as much as possible using ActiveX controls. The only things I have found are Twain controls and Webcam controls. Webcams don't work and twain is a bugger. I want to be able to just have a remote capture type situation where the user has a preview and then they can just click a button and the picture is taken and saved with the appropriate filename.

Anyone have any suggestions on ActiveX controls or other things that may work. Thanks in advance for any help.

Greg

 

[Simon_MT]

I would try looking at Dbpix from www.ammara.com or using Photoshop. Dbpix is not free, I have used it for 5 years and have about 13,000 images externally referenced to my database.

Simon

 

[geraldcor]

I tried that one a while ago but couldn't get it to work. I am trying that WIA stuff and it doesn't seem to work. I downloaded the sample they have on their website and it stalls at registering wiaaut.dll... and I can't open the capture form. I would love it if it would work. Do you have any code (obviously nothing sensitive) you could share or point me in the right direction. Do you use WIA? Thanks

 

[geraldcor]

Scratch that. I just got their example to work. It is a miracle. Um, so about that code, if you still feel like imparting a little wisdom on me that would be very great. Is there a way to preview what that camera is looking at?

 

[Simon_MT]

First of all you need to define the Image Path and Image File. If you are consistent then you can reuse this code anywhere in your application. I cheat a little on the Path its on the main Menu, hence the GetImageDir. I put a Clear and Visible = False to make sure that there is reiteration of an image id the next image is not available.

Simon


Function GetImage()

Dim FullPath As String

With CodeContextObject
FullPath = GetImageDir & .[Image File]

If Dir([FullPath]) <> Empty Then
.[ActiveXCtl0].Visible = True
.[ActiveXCtl0].ImageLoadFile (FullPath)
Else
.[ActiveXCtl0].ImageClear
.[ActiveXCtl0].Visible = False
End If
End With

End Function

 

[geraldcor]

This is acting more like an aquire program rather than a remote capture program and by that I mean it doesn't let me zoom in before I take the picture. It just opens the camera, takes a picture and closes the lens. I need to be able to compose the shot based on item size so that I can get a big enough image. Do you know if it has those capabilities or is it only point and shoot. The website is a little cryptic.

 

[Simon_MT]

I think that this is more a question of training the users to take the appropriate quality and content and here I would suggest that standards are implemented on the actual photgraphy. We are an art gallery and use SLR cameras with there own capture software that is transferred into Photoshop. The master images are about A3 about 50MB and the thumbnails are no more that 500 pixels. Getting the images right is not easy and we still make mistakes but this has nothing to with the operation of the database rather the photographer.

Simon