Logitech QuickCam Active-X control

[jon_mcbee]

Hello,

I am using a Logitech QuickCam Ultravision SE and need to incorporate it into a project so that I am able to take a snapshot.   I have done some research on the forum and have come across the use of IMAQ as well as a couple third party options.  So far this appears to be the best option, however it references an Active-X class called Hydra Video Portal class that I do not have.  Before I can get that to work I will need to drop that class into a container.  If anyone has any other suggestions I am all ears.

Cheers!

[jon_mcbee]

Please let me know if I am correct in stating that the IMAQ USB Drivers are what I need in order to be able to access my usb webcam.  In order to be able to use the IMAQ USB Drivers I have to have NI Machine Vision which is not part of the standard developers software kit?  As best as I can tell this is true, but I would love to know if there is a way that I can capture images from my webcam without having to purchase Machine Vision.  Any ideas will be greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

[jon_mcbee]

If anyone is having the same problem as I am having I recommend going to this post on the LAVA forum.  It is the most fruitful lead I have found.

Cheers!

[McCarty]

Hello jmcbee,

If your Logitech QuickCam UltraVision SE USB webcam is DirectShow compliant, then you can use the NI-IMAQ for USB Cameras Driver to acquire images from it.  The NI-IMAQ for USB Cameras Driver does require the NI Vision Development Module.  You can run this software in evaluation mode for thirty days, but you would need to purchase the software after the evaluation period expires. 

If you can get your USB webcam to work in LabVIEW using a third-party driver and ActiveX controls, then more power to you.  LabVIEW offers an excellent programming environment, although I suspect you may still want the NI Vision Development Module so that you can process your images in LabVIEW after you have acquired them.  You can find ActiveX examples in the NI Example Finder if you are looking to examine working programs that use ActiveX controls for inter-program communication.

Best Regards,
T. McCarty 

[Matthew_Kelton]

In my application, I did not need to do any processing of the image, just save them, and I started out using the Logitech Quickcam SDK.  I cannot find for the life of me how to download it it.  I have a version which is 2.5 years old.  It would save an image directly to file if desired.

I ultimately ended up using videoocx.  I was trying to display the live image as well, and the Logitech solution ate up way too much CPU.  The videoocx solution allowed me to set the frame rate for the live images and still save images to a file if desired.  You can find them at www.videoocx.de.  Best of all, it's only $100 to buy, but you get a free 30 day trial, so you can makesure it does what you need it to.

[jon_mcbee]

Hello McCarty,

Believe me when I say that I would love to be able to use the Ni Vision Development Module, however I dont see my company purchasing it for this one application.  Also, I am not interested in any image processing I just need to be able to capture an image and save it to file.  It seems to me that LabVIEW should be able to offer this without having to purchase the NI Vision Development Module if only because the NI Vision Development Module brings much more to the table than just the ability to capture a jpeg from a webcam.  So I am forced to go with a third party driver and ActiveX control (the best one I have found is here for others in my position).  Thank you very much for your reply and I will definitely update this post if I get my application working as I know that others are looking for a similar solution.


Cheers!