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

• start_recording – Records video from a Vision Sensor.

• stop_recording – Stops recording from a Vision Sensor.

• capture_image – Captures an image from a Vision Sensor.

Mutators

• show_camera – Shows the selected Vision Sensor on the VEX AIR Drone Controller.

• hide_camera – Hides the Vision Sensor feed on the controller.

• set_overlay_reticle – Shows or hides the overlay reticle.

• set_overlay_telemetry – Shows or hides telemetry data.

Getters

• is_recording – Returns whether the Vision Sensor is recording.

• get_recording_time – Returns the time spent recording.

Actions

start_recording

start_recording starts a recording with the specified Vision Sensor.

For information about viewing and retrieving recordings, go here.

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.

For information about viewing and retrieving recordings, go here.

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.

For information about viewing and retrieving captured images, go here.

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)