Getting Started

What is the difference between the RDI Acquisition Software, the RDI Motion Amplification® Software, the RDI Motion Explorer Software, the RDI Motion Studio Software and the Motion Monitor Software?

•  The RDI Acquisition software is launched by clicking the icon shown above. This software interfaces with the video camera and allows you to take video recordings. This software can only be installed on the Acquisition System computer originally delivered with your Iris M™ system.

• The RDI Motion Amplification® software is launched by clicking the icon shown above. This software receives the video recording and uses proprietary data processing algorithms to Amplify the motion so that it can be seen with the naked eye. This software can be installed on a separate Stand Alone computer at your facility.

• The RDI Motion Explorer software was introduced in Version 2.1 of the Iris M software. If you do not have the icon shown above for Motion Explorer, please download the latest version of the software by visiting our "How do I update my Iris M™ software?" article. (Updating to the current version assumes your account is associated with an active Software Support Maintenance Agreement.) Motion Explorer is a program that helps you organize and manage all of the data associated with your recordings. It can even manage files not collected with RDI's software like PDFs, Word Documents, Images or MP4 videos.

• The RDI Motion Studio software was introduced in Version 2.3 of the Iris M software. If you do not have the icon shown above for Motion Studio, please download the latest version of the software by visiting our "How do I update my Iris M™ software?" article. (Updating to the current version assumes your account is associated with an active Software Support Maintenance Agreement.)  Motion Studio is a video editing tool you can use to produce MP4 videos for distribution or presentation. You can use Motion Studio to combine MP4's, compare before and after MP4's, add annotations, add title screens and transitions, for a more polished and finished product.

These four software applications, used in conjunction with the video camera, make up the IRIS M™ System.

• Motion Monitor was introduced in Version 2.6 of the Iris M software. This software is used in conjunction with the Iris CM™ version of the Iris M acquisition family. It is opened using the icon shown above found on the desktop of Acquisition Devices shipped with the Iris CM system. You will only need this program if you have purchased an Iris CM System.

Your Iris M™ Acquisition System is delivered with a USB Memory Stick with an RDI Technologies™ logo. On that stick you will find the licenses issued with your system. The same files have been copied to the "Downloads" folder on the Acquisition System. They will typically be identified by your company name and may also include a contact name from your company. The file will be in a Text format. See the "Typical Files on USB Stick" figure below.

Typical Files on USB Stick:

After you open the text file, you will see that there are two licenses delivered with your Iris M Acquisition System. ("Typical License File" figure below.) The first, which is preinstalled in the system before delivery, is the "Full" or "Acquisition System" license which will activate the RDI Acquisition, Motion Amplification®, Motion Studio and Motion Explorer software. (For the difference between these see this article: RDI Technologies™ Acquisition Software vs. RDI Motion Amplification® Software vs. RDI Motion Explorer Software vs. RDI Motion Studio Software vs. Motion Monitor Software) This license is already active when you receive your system. You should see the four different icons associated with the RDI Acquisition, Motion Amplification®, Motion Studio and Motion Explorer software on your desktop when you first boot up the system.

Typical License File:

The second license will be identified as "SA" or Stand Alone or "Analysis Only". These three labels are all the same. This license is used to activate the Motion Amplification®, Motion Studio, and Motion Explorer software on a second analysis computer. When prompted, enter the license information into the license screen and select "Activate a license or renewal" as shown in the figure below.

License Activation Window:

Related articles:

On how many computers may I install the RDI Technologies™ Iris M™ software?

What are the minimum computer requirements for installation of the Stand Alone Analysis Software?

Two different installations are possible:

The Acquisition Device in the Iris M System will come preloaded and licensed with the RDI Acquisition, Motion Amplification®, Motion Studio and Motion Explorer Software.

There is a second Motion Amplification® license on the USB memory device shipped with your kit. You may install a second bundle of Motion Amplification®, Motion Studio and Motion Explorer programs on a separate computer.

Related articles:

What are the minimum computer requirements for installation of the Stand Alone Analysis Software?

Where can I find the details of my software licenses?

How many users will the software support?

How do I update my Iris M™ software?

• Pick up
  • Address
    • RDI Technologies
      10024 Investment Drive
      Suite 150
      Knoxville, Tennessee 37932
    • Phone: (865) 469-5821
    • contact: Mr. Dominick SURACE
      dom.surace@rditechnologies.com
      
      
  • Hours
    • Monday-Friday 8am- 5pm Eastern Time USA
  • Access
    • We have a large ground-level Garage Door, but no elevated loading dock. For shipments over 150 pounds, we recommend a lift gate.
    • Map to the location of our Shipping/Receiving area in the building: Century Park - RDI Shipping-Receiving Entrance.pdf

• There are NO regularly scheduled pickups for UPS, DHL, or FedEx at our facility. Pickups must be requested.

• RDI Technologies Employer Identification Number (EIN) - 814 392 719
  

  
  

• Shipment details (your shipment will be ONE of the following-please see the Commercial Invoice to decide which one you will be receiving):
  • Basic Iris M System (contains "Iris M Packing List.pdf" items) 
    • Weight
      • 35 pounds/16 kilograms
    • Dimensions
      • 33 x 24 x 11 inches/84 x 61 x 28 centimeters
  • Iris M System with Accessories (contains BOTH "Iris M Packing List.pdf" and "Accessory Packing List.pdf" items) 
    • Weight
      • 75 pounds/34 kilograms
    • Dimensions
      • 39 x 24 x 19 inches/99 x 61 x 48 centimeters
• Packaging
  • The kit is packaged in a Pelican case. That case is then overpacked in a double-walled cardboard box. No pallet of any type is used for shipping.
• Contents:
  • Sample packing list attached below in documents named "Iris M Packing List.pdf" and "Accessory Packing List.pdf". A packing list containing specific serial numbers will be issued before shipping.
• Battery Information
  • Basic Iris M System (as listed in "Iris M Packing List.pdf" attachment on this page)  
    • Contains Lithium Ion Batteries in compliance with Section II of PI967. UN3481.
    • See attachment named "2020-01-30-LithiumIonBatteryDeclarationIrisMSystem.pdf" for a Section II exemption declaration form.
  • Iris M System with Accessories (contains both "Iris M Packing List.pdf" and "Accessory Packing List.pdf" items) 
    • Contains Lithium Ion Batteries in compliance with Section II of PI966. UN3481.
    • Contains Lithium Ion Batteries in compliance with Section II of PI967. UN3481.
    • See attachment named "Indi-95S MSDS.pdf" for the Safety Data Sheet and details on the supplemental lighting battery pack.
    • See attachment named "2020-01-30-LithiumIonBatteryDeclarationIrisMWithAccessories.pdf" for a Section II exemption declaration form.
  • Specific battery information for any kit containing the Microsoft Surface Book, identified as Models 1900 AND 1909, can be found in the "Lithium Battery Transportation Documents" and "Safety and Regulatory information" links on the Microsoft Site.
  • Specific battery information for any kit containing the Dell Model 5420 option can be found in the "bat-lgcsds20.pdf" attachment.
• Country of origin:
  • Final assembly done in the United States of America
• Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS)/ Harmonized System (HS)/ Schedule B code
  • 8471.30.0100 (number format may change slightly -with or without decimals- but will remain under the category of Portable Automatic Data Processing Machine) 
  • see attachment "2018-09-18IrisMHTSDescription.pdf"
• Export Administration Regulations (EAR) Export Control Classification Number (ECCN):
  • Microsoft Surface Book or Dell Model 5420 
    • ECCN 5A992
      
  • All remaining components of kit (camera, lens, cases, etc.)
    • EAR99
  • NLR (No License Required) when shipped to countries and users not considered an embargoed country, not considered an end user of concern, or not in support of a prohibited end use.
• CE Declarations for the Acquisition System (Surface Book/Toughbook) and Camera
  • CE Declaration for Microsoft Surface Book 2
  • CE Declaration for Panasonic Toughbook
  • CE Declaration for Iris M Camera
• Testing / System Calibration Document 
  • See attachment "Iris_M_calibrationv2.pdf"

There is no specific maximum length of recording. It will depend on the available free Hard Disc space on the Acquisition Device. Keep in mind that processing time increases at a faster rate than recording time.

Related Articles:

How do I get a higher frequency resolution in a recording?

For Video Acquisition - Because you need the USB ports, using the Surface Book as a tablet takes a little creativity. But, if you detach the tablet from the keyboard, turn it around, reattach it, and close it up - this is a little awkward because of the extra protective case - you can use the stylus and onscreen keyboard to acquire data.

For Motion Amplification® - You can detach the tablet and use the Motion Amplification® software. Here again, use the stylus and onscreen keyboard as necessary.

Microsoft Surface Book 2 Update (released about Nov 2017)

The stylus is no longer standard with the Surface Book 2 according to Microsoft.

Check things in this order:

1. Make sure that the lens cover is removed (OK we'll give you this one, but we had to mention it!)
2. Adjust the aperture setting to its lowest value (widest opening to allow the most light) for the current ambient light conditions as discussed in the article What is the Aperture ring and how do I use it?
3. Begin sliding the "Brightness" slider all the way to the right, toward 100% as describe in the article What is the Brightness slider for and how do I use it?
4. Slowly add gain as described in the article What is the Gain slider for and how do I use it?

Related Articles:

My camera (hardware) isn't recognized or I get strange behavior in the software the first time the program runs. What could be wrong?

In order to save and replay Raw Video files from another location, all of the original files must be transferred and stored in the same location. There will be a file folder and individual file which both have the same name. The individual file will end in ".RDI" and is recognized by the Motion Amplification® software as a known file type. Clicking it will launch the Motion Amplification® software and load the video.

To extract files from a Compressed (Zipped) Folder follow these steps:

1. Save the ZIP file to the "Recordings" directory on your computer. The default location will be "C:UsersUserDocumentsRDIRecordings" where "User" will be replaced by the name of the User who is logged into the computer
2. Right-click on the ZIP file and select "Extract All..." from the pop-up menu items
3. From the "Select a Destination and Extract Files" window, select the "Recordings" folder. Most likely, you will just have to delete the file name from the end of the path shown in the window.
4. Click "Extract"
5. When the process is complete, you can click on the file name which has the .RDI ending and the Motion Amplification®  Software will open.

Please see the attached video for a demonstration of the extraction process.

Related Articles:

How do I send Raw Video to a user who has RDI Motion Amplification Software for Analysis?

The Gain slider adjusts the sensitivity of the camera’s sensor. Use it sparingly. By increasing the gain, you will brighten your image, but you will introduce more noise and decrease the quality of the measurement. Sometimes this is necessary when the image is too dark. This value is scaled from 0 to 30.0. Always set the Brightness slider first, then add the least gain necessary. You may also want to add supplemental lighting to reduce the need for excess gain. There are three ways to move the slider:

1. You can place the cursor over the slider and left-click and hold it. While holding, move the cursor left or right to adjust as necessary.
2. You can left-click on the slider then use the Left/Right arrow keys to step the values up or down.
3. You can click inside the box and manually type numbers into the field. NOTE - the value will not change until you exit the field. You can either press the TAB key or click in another box.

In the attached video the three adjustment methods are displayed. You can also see the effect that moving the slider has on the image.

Version 2.5 UPDATE

The Gain slider plays an important part in Shaft Inspection recordings. Here, you want to set the Gain slider as HIGH as possible and the Brightness slider as LOW as possible. This allows for the shortest exposure time and clearest picture of a rotating shaft.

Related Articles:

What is the Brightness slider for and how do I use it?

There is no picture on the computer screen with the camera connected and the Acquisition Software open. What could be wrong?

Behavior in Version 2.3 and earlier:

Lighting is the biggest challenge when recording inside. Because indoor lighting is typically powered by Alternating Current (AC) the fluctuations in light intensity can be seen when using Motion Amplification®. One of the symptoms is found in the article: My recording flashes bright and dim during analysis when I move the Motion Amplification® slider. The Iris M™ System contains helpful tools to automate selecting compatible recording rates. Using the selections from the "Acquisition Mode," "Lighting," "Framerate (fps)" and "Fmax (Hz)" boxes under the "Camera Properties" section of the RDI Technologies™ Acquisition software will configure your recording for compatible frame rates giving you the best quality videos at all Motion Amplification® settings.

Be aware, we have even seen flash rates at frequencies "around" line frequency. So, your filters may have to be adjusted slightly to eliminate the actual frequency.

Version 2.4 UPDATE

To simplify the recording process, the Acquisition Mode and Lighting settings have been removed from the user interface. Now, all that is required is to slide the "Framerate (fps)" slider to the needed setting.

See the attached videos for locating and using these controls.

Related Articles:

What are some of the challenges when recording outdoors?

My recording flashes bright and dim during analysis when I move the Motion Amplification® slider.

During installation, the software contacts the RDI Technologies™ server and validates that installation on that computer.

This is true for both the Acquisition System and the Analysis Only installation on a second computer.

Related Articles:

How many users will the software support?

This behavior has changed several times since it was first introduced. In some cases, the original behavior was retained, in some cases, it has been improved and updated. Please see the instructions below for the specific versions.

Appearance and behavior in Version 2.0

In Version 2.0, the ROI icon will appear as shown above. To add multiple ROI's in your video you have to left-click, hold and drag the first box. It will be RED in color. To draw the second box, you had to press the Control [CTRL] key then left-click, hold and drag additional boxes. New boxes will be BLUE, GREEN, ORANGE, YELLOW, PINK, then RED with this sequence repeating. Between each ROI, you have to wait for the measurement calculations to complete before starting to position the next ROI.

Appearance and behavior in Version 2.1

In Version 2.1, the ROI Icons were changed to those shown above. In this version, a "Persist" mode was added.

When the Motion Amplification® software is set to "Standard Mode", your icon will look like this: . In this mode, you add multiple ROIs by following the same procedure as described above for Version 2.0.

When you click on the down arrow between the two icons, your icon will change to this: . To draw ROIs in this mode, you only need to left-click, hold and d

rag with your mouse. Every time you release, an ROI will appear. When you click another location, you will begin drawing a new ROI. Between each ROI, you have to wait for the measurement calculations to complete before starting to position the next ROI.

To switch between the two, simply click on the arrow to the right of the ROI icon, . Choose the mode you would like to activate and click on the name to close the menu:

Appearance and behavior in Version 2.2

In Version 2.2, Standard Mode was changed to "Independent Mode" as shown above. The behavior is still as described in Version 2.0 above, only the name was changed. "Persist Mode" behaves as described in the Version 2.1 section above.

Appearance and behavior in Version 2.3 and Version 2.4

In Version 2.3, the ROI Icon has returned to the original design. However, the behavior is as described under "Persist Mode" in Version 2.1 above. Simply left-click, hold and drag to add ROIs to the video. You can still hold the CTRL, left-click and hold to draw multiple ROIs as well.

You can now click the "Cancel" button as the first measurements are calculated. Early measurements will be suspended until all of the ROIs are placed. Allow the measurements to calculate after placing your LAST ROI and all previously placed ROIs will have their measurements calculated at once saving you time.

For example, if you want to place four ROIs in your video, you can left-click, hold and drag to place the first ROI. As the measurement dialog appears, click "Cancel" and place the second and third ROIs in this same manner. When you place the fourth ROI, allow the measurements to calculate and all four will be presented when done.

Appearance and behavior in Version 2.5

 In Version 2.5, the order of the two ROI icons is reversed. Delete is on the left and the Type of ROI selection is on the right. In this mode, you place ROIs by left-clicking, hold and drag in the area where you want to ROI. You can place multiple ROIs by continuing this process everywhere you want an ROI. You can suspend the measurement calculations and complete them with the last ROI placed.

In this version, you have two new ROI types, the “Horizontal Shaft” and the “Vertical Shaft” measurement tools. As the icons indicate, you will be able to measure shaft movement on a shaft which is recorded horizontally using the Horizontal Shaft tool. Shafts recorded in a vertical orientation are measured using the Vertical Shaft tool.

Appearance and behavior in Version 3.0

 The ROI Icons appearance is unchanged in Version 3.0, but there is a new “Transient” ROI tool.

This type of ROI will track translational movement and show you the path of such motion.

PURPLE was introduced as a 7th color in the sequence in this version. Now the color cycle, RED, BLUE, GREEN, ORANGE, YELLOW, PINK, PURPLE, RED, will repeat.

Related Articles:

What is an ROI in Motion Amplification® lingo?

Can I draw multiple ROIs on a single video?

How many ROIs can I draw on a single recording?

The only way to raise the frequency resolution is to increase the time of the recording. Frequency resolution can be expressed as 1/t where t = recording time. For example, a recording time of 1 second will allow you to resolve to 1Hz, at 10 seconds you can resolve to 0.1 Hz, at 20 seconds you can resolve to 0.05 Hz.

Related Articles:

How long of a recording can I collect?

How many lines of resolution will I get from my recording?

In order to increase Fmax, you must 'crop" the collected image. The best way is to decrease the vertical resolution (Height) of the image which allows you to increase the acquisition rate. Decreasing the Width of the recording will also allow you to increase Fmax, but at a slower rate.

See the video below for exactly how to do this and just what it means.

Related Articles:

What is the difference between a Region of Interest (ROI) and Zooming the View?

Please email your request to support@rdi-technologies.com and we will add you to the database. When new versions of the Iris M™ software are released, you will be notified by email.

Related Articles:

How do I update my Iris M™ software?

Processor:  i7 is recommended, the newer generation of i7 processors is desirable and these are usually labeled 6th or 7th generation

Memory: 16GB of RAM is highly recommended

Hard Drive: SSD is not required, but will improve performance for stabilization, filtering, etc.  If you do get a rotating HDD, suggest 7200 RPM.

OS: Win 10 Pro is the version of Windows we have tested and support

Related articles:

On how many devices may I install the RDI Technologies™ Iris M™ software?

Where can I find the details of my software licenses?

How do I update my Iris M™ software?

In general, you should select the distance and lens combination that allows you to fill the full frame with the entire asset, including the base. It may also be beneficial to include some background objects such as piping or structures. Specifically, it will depend on several things:

1. Size of the object you're recording
2. Distance between the camera and the object

Below are examples using five different focal length lenses on the same camera all positioned 5.5 feet (1.7 m) from the object. As you can see, each lens halves the field of view or doubles the zoom.

6mm lens