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
drone.camera.start_recording – Records video from a Vision Sensor.
drone.camera.stop_recording – Stops recording from a Vision Sensor.
drone.camera.capture_image – Captures an image from a Vision Sensor.
Mutators
controller.screen.show_camera – Shows the selected Vision Sensor on the VEX AIR Drone Controller.
controller.screen.hide_camera – Hides the Vision Sensor feed on the controller.
controller.screen.set_overlay_reticle – Shows or hides the overlay reticle.
controller.screen.set_overlay_telemetry – Shows or hides telemetry data.
Getters
drone.camera.is_recording – Returns whether the Vision Sensor is recording.
drone.camera.get_recording_time – Returns the time spent recording.
Actions#
start_recording#
start_recording
starts a recording with the specified Vision Sensor.
Usage:
drone.camera.start_recording(camera)
Parameters |
Description |
---|---|
|
The Vision Sensor to record with:
|
# 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 |
---|---|
|
The Vision Sensor to stop recording with:
|
# 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 |
---|---|
|
The Vision Sensor to take a picture with:
|
# 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 |
---|---|
|
The Vision Sensor feed to display:
|
# 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 |
---|---|
|
The state of 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 |
---|---|
|
The state of the telemetry data:
|
# 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 |
---|---|
|
The Vision Sensor to check recording status of:
|
# 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 |
---|---|
|
The Vision Sensor to check recording time of:
|
# 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)