Time Lapser
 | | Time Lapser v2.0 |
This past weekend I built a deck. I wanted to set up a webcam and do a time capture of the process so I got all the hardware set up and installed and set up some random piece of shitware called CaptureMax. After wrestling with it for a while I got it to capture video files so I got my tools out and started working on the deck. Later that evening I returned to my webcam set up and discovered that CaptureMax had only recorded the first 45 mintues (because it was "shareware").
Out of frustration I decided to build my own stream-lined capture program which turned out to be quite easy after I found a quick little example program on the internet somewhere. A couple hours later I had the perfectly functional Time Lapser finished. I set it up with the webcam on my laptop and set it to capture an image every twenty seconds. I then forgot about it for nearly fourty-eight hours! When I realized I'd left it running I found it happily capturing images just as I had told it to two days earlier. I'd call that a pretty good initial run.
The executable (and one DLL) is only 52k (but you will need to have the Microsoft .NET framework (v1.1) installed in order to make it go). It worked just fine with Andy's few-years-old cheapy Creative USB webcam. YMMV. Share and enjoy!
Version 1.1 requires the Microsoft
.NET Framework (v1.1)
Version 2.0 requires the Microsoft .NET Framework (v2.0)
Version 1.1 (06Oct8)
I tweaked it out a little bit
this afternoon. Added a context menu to the display ("Always On | Off |
Display Last Capture"). Added some versioning information. Fixed the
resizing (double click on the display screen to resize to the last
selected size). Cleaned up the source a bit.
Version 2.0 (09Apr)
Rebuilt it using the .NET 2.0 framework. It's a little tighter now. You'll like this one better.
Version 2.1 (09Apr)
Minimizes to system tray. Fixed bug whereby the interval was not being correctly set.
Time Lapser v2.1
Time Lapser v1.1
Comments:
Saturday, March 28, 2009 11:14 PM from
I dont know if you will even read this, but I really hope you do and am just hoping...
You might have heard or seen people using the PS3Eye camera on computers within the past few years, mainly thanks to [AlexP] over on nuigroup.com forums. Being the nice guy he is, after creating the necessary components, he also released the source code (SDK) to write into other programs to access the camera feed, which is very nice because the PS3Eye can support 640x480 resolution at up to 75fps, and 320x240 @ up to 125fps, the full specs, overview, and files to make it work (including the SDK) can be found at:
http://alexpopovich.wordpress.com/2008/10/02/sony-ps3eye-camera-directshow-capture-source-filter/
[there is a link on the PS3EyeSetup text in red right before the "works on my machine" image]
I am sure you are very busy, and who am I to demand, currently I am attending college full time, and my schedule thus far has not allowed me to take any computer programming classes (darn 3 separate prerequisites...) but I am really wanting to learn C++. It would rock to use your AMAZING Time Lapser program (works perfect with my other webcam) in conjunction with JPG to AVI to make good res time-lapses with the awesome PS3Eye...I am currently working on a simplified multi-touch interface/pad, but just curious to know if you could ever try supporting this camera, or possibly point me in the right direction.
Thank you so much for your programs! They are simple, reliable, and get the job done without the hassle and breaking the bank ;)
Also thank you for your time. Add a comment:
| |  | | JPG to AVI | I tried to use another piece of shitware called BMP2AVI to render all of my captured pics into a video file only to discover, a couple hours later, that the shareware version plasters "REGISTER NOW!" all over the video file. So I wrote my own called JPG to AVI. Maybe you would want to try it out.
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