Camera#

Introduction#

The VEX AIR Drone includes two Vision Sensors that serve as its onboard cameras—one on the front and one on the bottom. These can capture both images and video during flight. In VEXcode AIR, the word “camera” always refers to one of these Vision Sensors. For example, in a command like drone.camera.start_recording(FORWARD_CAMERA), camera refers to the Vision Sensors, and FORWARD_CAMERA selects the front-facing one.

To transfer video recordings and images from the VEX AIR Drone Controller, connect the controller to your computer. It will appear as a mass-storage device (similar to a USB drive), allowing you to copy files directly. After ending a project, wait about a minute for the controller to finish downloading any images or recordings from the drone before attempting to copy them.

Below is a list of all available methods:

Actions

Mutators

Getters

Actions#

start_recording#

start_recording starts a recording with the specified Vision Sensor.

Usage:

drone.camera.start_recording(camera)

Parameters

Description

camera

The Vision Sensor to record with:

  • DOWNWARD_CAMERA
  • FORWARD_CAMERA
# Press button 7 to end recording
def end_recording():
    drone.camera.stop_recording(FORWARD_CAMERA)
    drone.land()

controller.button7.pressed(end_recording)

# Record a video as you fly around
controller.screen.show_camera(FORWARD_CAMERA)
drone.take_off(climb_to=500)
drone.camera.start_recording(FORWARD_CAMERA)
while True:
    # Move with controller
    drone.move_with_vectors(
        forward=controller.axis4.position(),
        rightward=controller.axis3.position(),
        upward=controller.axis1.position(),
        rotation=controller.axis2.position()
    )
    wait(5, MSEC)

stop_recording#

stop_recording stops the recording of the specified Vision Sensor.

Usage:

drone.camera.stop_recording(camera)

Parameters

Description

camera

The Vision Sensor to stop recording with:

  • DOWNWARD_CAMERA
  • FORWARD_CAMERA
# Press button 7 to end recording
def end_recording():
    drone.camera.stop_recording(FORWARD_CAMERA)
    drone.land()

controller.button7.pressed(end_recording)

# Record a video as you fly around
controller.screen.show_camera(FORWARD_CAMERA)
drone.take_off(climb_to=500)
drone.camera.start_recording(FORWARD_CAMERA)
while True:
    # Move with controller
    drone.move_with_vectors(
        forward=controller.axis4.position(),
        rightward=controller.axis3.position(),
        upward=controller.axis1.position(),
        rotation=controller.axis2.position()
    )
    wait(5, MSEC)

capture_image#

capture_image takes a picture with the specified Vision Sensor.

Usage:

drone.camera.capture_image(camera)

Parameters

Description

camera

The Vision Sensor to take a picture with:

  • DOWNWARD_CAMERA
  • FORWARD_CAMERA
# Press button 7 to take pictures
def take_picture():
    drone.camera.capture_image(FORWARD_CAMERA)

controller.button7.pressed(take_picture)

# Take pictures while you control the drone
controller.screen.show_camera(FORWARD_CAMERA)
drone.take_off(climb_to=500)
while True:
    # Move with controller
    drone.move_with_vectors(
        forward=controller.axis4.position(),
        rightward=controller.axis3.position(),
        upward=controller.axis1.position(),
        rotation=controller.axis2.position()
    )
    wait(5, MSEC)

Mutators#

show_camera#

show_camera sets the current screen mode to the specified Vision Sensor feed.

Usage:

controller.screen.show_camera(camera)

Parameters

Description

camera

The Vision Sensor feed to display:

  • DOWNWARD_CAMERA
  • FORWARD_CAMERA
# Switch camera feeds after 3 seconds
controller.screen.show_camera(DOWNWARD_CAMERA)
wait(3, SECONDS)
controller.screen.show_camera(FORWARD_CAMERA)

hide_camera#

hide_camera hides the specified Vision Sensor’s feed.

Usage:

controller.screen.hide_camera()

Parameters

Description

This method has no parameters.

# Hide camera feed after 3 seconds
controller.screen.show_camera(FORWARD_CAMERA)
wait(3, SECONDS)
controller.screen.hide_camera()

set_overlay_reticle#

set_overlay_reticle enables or disables the overlay reticle.

Usage:
controller.screen.set_overlay_reticle(state)

Parameters

Description

state

The state of the overlay reticle:

  • True – Enables the overlay reticle.
  • False – Disables the overlay reticle.
# Hide the reticle when not aligning to a landing area
controller.screen.show_camera(DOWNWARD_CAMERA)
drone.take_off(climb_to=500)
controller.screen.set_overlay_reticle(False)
while True:
    # Move with controller
    drone.move_with_vectors(
        forward=controller.axis4.position(),
        rightward=controller.axis3.position(),
        upward=controller.axis1.position(),
        rotation=controller.axis2.position()
    )
    wait(5, MSEC)

set_overlay_telemetry#

set_overlay_telemetry enables or disables the visibility of the drone’s telemetry data on the controller’s screen.

Usage:
controller.screen.set_overlay_telemetry(state)

Parameters

Description

state

The state of the telemetry data:

  • True – Enables viewing telemetry data on the screen.
  • False – Disables viewing telemetry data on the screen.
# Clear the camera video for better visibility
controller.screen.show_camera(FORWARD_CAMERA)
drone.take_off(climb_to=500)
controller.screen.set_overlay_telemetry(False)
while True:
    # Move with controller
    drone.move_with_vectors(
        forward=controller.axis4.position(),
        rightward=controller.axis3.position(),
        upward=controller.axis1.position(),
        rotation=controller.axis2.position()
    )
    wait(5, MSEC)

Getters#

is_recording#

is_recording returns a Boolean indicating whether a specified Vision Sensor is currently recording.

  • True – The specified Vision Sensor is recording.

  • False – The specified Vision Sensor is not recording.

Usage:

drone.camera.is_recording(camera)

Parameters

Description

camera

The Vision Sensor to check recording status of:

  • DOWNWARD_CAMERA
  • FORWARD_CAMERA
# Use button 7 to start and stop recording
def toggle_recording():
    if drone.camera.is_recording(FORWARD_CAMERA):
        drone.camera.stop_recording(FORWARD_CAMERA)
    else:
        drone.camera.start_recording(FORWARD_CAMERA)

controller.button7.pressed(toggle_recording)

# Make video recordings while you control the drone
controller.screen.show_camera(FORWARD_CAMERA)
drone.take_off(climb_to=500)
while True:
    # Move with controller
    drone.move_with_vectors(
        forward=controller.axis4.position(),
        rightward=controller.axis3.position(),
        upward=controller.axis1.position(),
        rotation=controller.axis2.position()
    )
    wait(5, MSEC)

get_recording_time#

get_recording_time returns the amount of time a specific Vision Sensor has been recording for as a float in seconds.

Usage:

drone.camera.get_recording_time(camera)

Parameters

Description

camera

The Vision Sensor to check recording time of:

  • DOWNWARD_CAMERA
  • FORWARD_CAMERA
# Record a video for 10 seconds
controller.screen.show_camera(FORWARD_CAMERA)
drone.camera.start_recording(FORWARD_CAMERA)
drone.take_off(climb_to=500)
while not (drone.camera.get_recording_time(FORWARD_CAMERA)) >= 10:
    wait(5, MSEC)
drone.camera.stop_recording(FORWARD_CAMERA)