Iris M Training

Manual
Version 2.3

Revision 2018112
pg. 2
Table of Contents

Section 1 Introduction to Motion Amplification 7

Technology Overview 8
Benefits of Motion Amplification 8
Traditional Technologies 9
Vibration Amplitude Units 13
Review 14

Section 2 Camera, Lighting, and Lenses 15

The Camera 16
The Lenses 17
Aperture Adjustment 19
F Ratio 20
Depth of Field and Aperture 20
Tripod Use 23
USB 3.0 Cable 24
Lighting 24
Review 25

Section 3 Introduction to Motion Explorer 27

RDI Software Applications 28
Motion Explorer 29
Getting Started 29
Ribbon Bar 29
Review 35

Section 4 RDI Acquisition 37

Data Acquisition 42
Recording Properties 43
Recording Association 44
Camera Properties 44
Aliasing 45
Spectral Resolution 46

pg. 3
Framerate vs Fmax 48
Lighting Modes 49
Lighting at 60 or 50 Hz 50
Relationship between Framerate and Brightness 51
Cropping the Image 53
Image Properties / Calculated Values 56
Lighting 57
Review 58

Section 5 RDI Motion Amplification 59

Launching RDI Motion Amplification 60
Basic Playback 61
Amplification/Playback Speed Sliders 62
Why is the recording so grainy? 63
Create Original/Amplified Side-By-Side Video 66
Modify Video Playback 68
Recording Editing Tools 70
Applying a Grid and Image Annotation 74
Vibration Measurement 77
Waveforms, Spectra, and Orbits 79
Applying Multiple Distance Measurements 84
Frequency Based Filtering 87
Explanation of Filter Types 89
Image Stabilization 93
How to Stabilize 93
Review 96

Section 6 Introduction to Motion Studio 97

Launching Motion Studio 98

Section 7 Maintaining the Motion Explorer Database and Basic Troubleshooting

Tips 101
Maintaining the Motion Explorer Database 102
Move Files 107
Troubleshooting 108

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Exercises

Exercise 1 - Create a Hierarchy 31

Exercise 2 - Storing a Video in Motion Explorer 32
Exercise 3 - Focus the lens 38
Exercise 4 - Changing lenses 40
Exercise 5 - Cropping the Image 55
Exercise 6 - Launch Motion Amplification 61
Exercise 7 - Basic Motion Amplification 63
Exercise 8 - Basic Video Export 64
Exercise 9 - Advanced Video Export 66
Exercise 10 - Advanced Video Export 68
Exercise 11 - Threshold Mapping 70
Exercise 12 - Applying an Amplification Region 72
Exercise 13 - Annotation 76
Exercise 14 - Vibration Plotting 81
Exercise 15 - Multiple Distance Locations 85
Exercise 16 - Frequency Based Filtering 87
Exercise 17 - Phase Analysis 90
Exercise 18 - Data Export 102
Exercise 19 - Data Import 105

pg. 5
pg. 6
 Section 1
Introduction to Motion
Amplification
Objectives:
1. Introduce Motion Amplification technology
2. Discuss how Motion Amplification compares with other
predictive maintenance technologies
3. Review Motion Amplification vibration amplitude units

pg. 7
Technology Overview
Motion Amplification (MA) is a relatively new
technology that allows the analyst to easily
visualize minute amounts of movement that
would ordinarily be invisible to the naked eye.
It uses a high-speed machine grade camera,
along with RDI Technology’s patented
processing algorithms, to create a meaningful
data file that can be analyzed using RDI’s
proprietary Motion Amplification software.
This Motion Amplification Software
effectively converts each pixel in the video
image into a sensor that measures vibration
and motion.

Benefits of Motion Amplification

Improved Safety – Since the measurements are totally non-contact, there is much less risk of
injury or even death, as compared to conventional route-based vibration analysis, since the
person acquiring the data never has to touch the machine.
Reduced Unplanned Downtime – Motion Amplification makes it easy to see exactly what your
“bad actors” are doing, so corrective actions can be more accurately planned and executed.
Complements RCA Activities – Root Cause is often visually apparent.
Diverse Applications – Motion Amplification can be used on a wide variety of equipment
including rotating machines, structures, process lines, piping, etc.
Quick and Easy – There is very little set up involved, and the capture process takes only a few
seconds, which means it can be used very often as a trouble shooting tool.
Actionable Information – The results of Motion Amplification are easy to see in standard video
format, which enhances communications with facility personnel.
Less Training – Compared to vibration analysis, which often takes years to learn, Motion
Amplification technology takes only a few days to become proficient.

pg. 8
Traditional Technologies
Vibration Analysis has long been used as a predictive maintenance tool and for maintenance
troubleshooting.
The typical process for vibration analysis includes:
● Setting up machinery measurement points in a vibration analysis software database.
● Transferring the measurement information to a portable vibration analyzer.
● Placing an accelerometer at each machinery measurement point, one by one, until all
measurements have been acquired.
● Transferring the measurements back to the vibration analysis software.
● Analysis of the vibration spectra and waveforms by a trained and experienced vibration
analyst in an attempt to identify and quantify the cause and severity of a problem.
● Report generation so the findings of the vibration analyst can be relayed to the
maintenance and planning personnel.
While vibration analysis has proven to be an indispensable technology in nearly every type of
industrial application, there are some major challenges involved:
● Measurements are typically made only at bearing housings.
● Measurement locations need to be physically accessible and (somewhat) clean.
● The data (vibration spectra and waveforms) needs to be analyzed by an experienced
vibration analyst. It can take upwards of two years for an analyst to get the necessary
training and experience required to properly analyze vibration data.
● Many times, the vibration data is inconclusive. Which means more troubleshooting, (e.g.
phase analysis or ODS) needs to be performed in order to identify the root cause of the
problem.
● Data collection is typically NON-Simultaneous, which means phase information needs to
be acquired using a separate process.

pg. 9
Phase Analysis is often the first line of advanced troubleshooting conducted by the vibration
analyst when the root cause of the machinery problem can’t be identified with the route-based
vibration analysis.
With phase information, an analyst can identify not only what frequency and amplitude the
measured machines components are vibrating at, but also the timing of when one part of the
machine is moving compared to when another part of the machine is moving.
Phase analysis often provides an analyst insight about conditions such as looseness,
misalignment, soft foot, bent shaft, etc.
The phase analysis procedure involves:
● Stopping the machine to apply reflective tape to the shaft.
● Setting up a photo tach, or, if using a two-channel analyzer, a reference vibration sensor.
● Acquiring amplitude and phase measurements at each location, one at a time.
● Manually recording the results to a bubble diagram.
● Analyzing the bubble diagram to interpret the result (if any).
Phase analysis presents nearly the same challenges as spectrum and waveform analysis, including
the fact that the resulting data, (bubble diagram), is only useful to an experienced vibration
analyst. Therefore, the results need to be interpreted and put into language that mechanics and
management personnel can understand and act upon.
ODS (Operational Deflection Shape) is an advanced method of performing phase analysis. This
is often the next logical step in the vibration analysis troubleshooting process. ODS is similar to
phase analysis in that the analyst is able to get a better understanding of how the machine in
question is moving. But unlike phase analysis, the analyst can view an animation of the
machinery movements instead of a bubble diagram.
The steps involved in performing ODS are as follows:
● Make a diagram or sketch of the machine being analyzed.
● Acquire amplitude and phase measurements at as many points and directions as deemed
useful. Measurements are taken on the base, on the machine, and on structural elements
of the machine.
● Transfer the measurement data to an ODS software.
● Create a visually accurate model of the machine in the ODS software.
● Number the measurement points in the model exactly as the measurements were taken
on the machine.
● Assign the measurement point data to the numbered points in the model.
● Perform the animation function in the ODS software to view the result.
● Create a video file of the animation to be forwarded to the customer along with any
recommendations gleaned from the analysis of the ODS animation.

pg. 10
A properly executed ODS can go a long way in helping to solve even complex vibration related
problems. But ODS also has drawbacks:
● Need to purchase separate ODS software
● Time spent modeling the machine typically measured in hours or days
● Time spent acquiring data typically measured in hours
● Very high risk of getting questionable data at one or more measurement locations
● Very high risk of making errors when assigning measurements to the model
● Even with hundreds of measurement locations, important locations may still be missed
● Typical ODS animation includes movement from “interpolated” points, which aren’t
actually measured.

pg. 11
Motion Amplification combines many of the benefits of traditional vibration analysis, phase
analysis, and ODS. For one thing, the amount of data available from a short high-speed video file
is infinitely more than with traditional vibration analysis.
Also, all the data in the entire image is collected simultaneously, which means phase information
is available without using a separate process.

With Motion Amplification, data from each pixel in the image can be used as a vibration
measurement location. So instead of 10 to 12 measurements from a typical motor-driven piece
of equipment, the analyst can get vibration information from millions of locations.

pg. 12
Vibration Amplitude Units
When proper setup and data acquisition procedures are followed, the IRIS M video data can be
used to measure vibration frequency and amplitude of almost anything in the image.
Using the Motion Amplification software application, the user can generate vibration waveform
and spectrum data. This is very similar to what a traditional Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) Analyzer
is used for in route based PDM activities.
What needs to be understood however, is that the measured vibration amplitude units used in
Motion Amplification are Mils (or microns) of displacement. This is different than the typical FFT
Analyzer, which typically measures G’s of acceleration.

Because acceleration values are typically very small at low frequencies, traditional
accelerometers used with the FFT analyzers have a difficult time measuring low frequency data
below about 2 Hz, or 120 CPM. However, Motion Amplification measures actual displacement.
Therefore, it remains very useful, even on very slowly rotating equipment.
In most situations, the forces that cause rotating machinery to move with any measurable
displacement are Imbalance, Misalignment, and Looseness. Therefore, these are the most
common forcing functions identified through the analysis of Motion Amplification derived
vibration analysis.
Other higher frequency forcing functions, such as Anti-Friction Bearing Defects, Gear Mesh
Vibration, and Lubrication Defects are better detected and analyzed using traditional vibration
analysis techniques.
pg. 13
 Section 1
Review

1. How is Motion Amplification safer than traditional route-based vibration analysis?

2. What are the native amplitude units measured with Motion Amplification?

3. In what ways does Motion Amplification differ from ODS?

4. What are the most common machinery forcing functions identified through Motion
Amplification?

pg. 14
 Section 2
Camera, Lighting, and Lenses
Objectives:
1. Gain an understanding of basic photography techniques
2. Learn how to use the equipment included in the IRIS M kit
3. Understand common terminology associated with Motion
Amplification data acquisition

pg. 15
The Camera
Motion Amplification uses a high-performance streaming video camera capable of capturing high
quality grayscale imagery.
Camera utilizes an imaging sensor with pixel array of 1920 x 1200, resulting in a resolution of over
2.3 MP.
The camera is capable of capturing recordings at up to 1300 FPS (Frames per Second).
The camera is connected to the acquisition unit by a USB 3.0 cable, which provides power to the
camera and video streaming to the acquisition unit.
The USB 3.0 cable should be connected to the camera at all times by the screw lock connector
and the cable should not exceed 3 meters in length (9.84 ft).
It is possible to make the camera work with cables up to 5 meters in length, however this is
unsupported, as the camera can lose data integrity at these lengths.
If the camera is disconnected from the acquisition unit while the acquisition software is running,
the software must be restarted once the camera is reconnected.

USB 3.0 connector with

screw locks

GPIO connector
(for future use)

pg. 16
The Lenses

A standard kit includes

several lenses with different
focal lengths.
To make the lenses easily
identifiable they are color
coded based on the prism or
rainbow color spectrum.

The types of lenses used with

the camera are C-Mount
lenses.
The lenses mount to the front
of the camera via a threaded
interface.

• C-Mount Lens
• Other lens types are
CS, F-mount
(Nikon), EF mount
(Canon) etc.
• Adapters exist but C
mount are typically
higher quality

pg. 17
The focal length of the lens determines the field of view and magnification.
The lenses supplied in the IRIS M system have a fixed focal length, which is printed on the body
of the lens. These lenses do not allow the focal length, or “zoom”, to be adjusted.
The only way to change the focal length of the camera is to change lenses.
By changing lenses to double the focal length, the magnification will double, while the field of
view will decrease by one half.
By changing lenses to half the focal length, the magnification will decrease by one half and the
field of view will double.

pg. 18
Aperture Adjustment
The aperture adjustments vary on most lenses from f/1.4 to f/22. These settings are sometimes
referred to as “f-stops”, because many camera lenses have detents that make it easy to
determine the exact aperture setting.
The lenses supplied with the IRIS M system do not have detents, so the actual aperture setting is
made by lining up the line on the camera lens to the desired setting.
In the illustrated example of aperture settings below, the aperture setting of f/1.4 allows the
most light to enter the camera sensor, while the setting of f/16 allows the least.
Each setting displayed here represents either a halving or doubling of the amount of light
entering the sensor. For instance, the setting of f/2.8 allows exactly half the amount of light than
the setting of f/2, but double as much light as the f/4 setting.

pg. 19
F Ratio
Notice that the aperture setting values appear to get higher as the aperture opening decreases.
This is because the setting is the ratio between the focal length of the lens and the diameter of
the aperture opening.
In theory, if the aperture opening was 50mm and the focal length of the lens was 50mm, the f-
ratio would be f/1. If the aperture were then closed to 25mm on the same focal length lens,
the f-ratio would be f/2.

Depth of Field and Aperture

Another consideration when making aperture adjustments is the Depth of Field.
The Depth of Field is the distance between the closest and furthest points in the image that is in
focus.
When the depth of field is shallow, a smaller amount of the image appears in focus, or put
another way, the closest and farthest objects in focus are not that far apart.
A shallow depth of field is often used in portrait photography, where the subject is in sharp focus,
but the background is blurry, to give emphasis to the subject being photographed.
On the other hand, landscape photography is typically done using a much wider depth of field so
that the entire image (all distances) can be focused.

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F Ratio = f/1.4

Shallow Depth of Field

With a larger aperture, the depth of field is
shallow.
Notice the blocks in the foreground are in
focus, but the blocks in the middle and at the
back are blurry.
Here the closest and furthest object in focus
are not far apart. This is typical of portrait
photography.

F Ratio = f/4.0
Medium Depth of Field
Closing the aperture, a bit makes the depth
of field a bit larger.
Here, both the blocks in the foreground and
in the middle are in focus, but the blocks at
the back of the image are still blurry.

F Ratio = f/22
Wide Depth of Field
Setting the aperture to f/22, the depth of
field is now much larger.
This allows all the blocks in the image to be
in focus.
Now the closest and furthest object in
focus are further apart. This is typical of
landscape photography.

pg. 21
One problem with closing the aperture to allow for a greater depth of field is that a smaller
aperture setting allows less light to enter the camera’s sensor, which then results in a darker
image.
If a larger depth of field is needed for the image, more light may need to be available.

pg. 22
Tripod Use
The tripod supplied with the IRIS M camera accessory kit is
designed to give the user multiple camera mounting options.
Using the various adjustment screws and configurations, there
is virtually no angle that can’t be achieved.
The most important consideration, next to safety, is camera
stability. Even the slightest bit of camera shake, or vibration,
may render the amplified recording less useful.
Although there are tools embedded into the Motion
Amplification software to help minimize the effects of camera
shake, the best way to get usable recordings is to eliminate
camera shake at the source.
With this in mind, there are a few suggestions that should
always be observed.
Always use the supplied vibration pads – These specially
sourced vibration dampers effectively reduce camera vibration
by 50%. Shock may be reduced by as much as 90%.
Move the camera away from the vibration source – By using a lens with a longer focal length,
often the same image size and resolution can be achieved.
Extend thicker portions of the legs first – Each tripod leg has two extensions. The extension
nearest the bottom has a smaller diameter tube than the one just above it.
If only a single extension is desired, extend the one further up first. Then, if further extension is
desired, use the extension nearest the bottom.
Avoid extending the center rod – This is the absolute last resort when trying to achieve a higher
camera position.

pg. 23
USB 3.0 Cable
A special USB 3.0 cable is supplied with the IRIS M
camera.
When connected to the Acquisition Unit, it allows the
camera to be powered, and it carries data from the
camera to the Acquisition Unit.
When connected to the camera, it is imperative that
the screw locks be utilized. This is to prevent possible
damage to the USB 3.0 connection port at the back of the camera.
If a longer cable is needed, contact RDI Technologies customer support and a new cable may be
supplied. However, use of a longer cable may affect data integrity and transfer rates between
the camera and the acquisition unit.

Lighting
Although image brightness can be enhanced
several ways using the RDI Acquisition software,
many situations will require additional light to
be able to adequately view the machine or
structure being analyzed.
For this reason, the IRIS M accessory kit includes
a DC powered LED light that can be used to add
light in a wide variety of situations.
This powerful light delivers 14,000 lux of
continuous light, which is dimmable from 10%
to 100% via onboard controls or the included
wireless remote control.
The light can be powered directly from any AC 110 V power source, or with the included Lithium
Ion battery. The battery life at full light intensity is approximately 23 minutes, so be sure to plan
accordingly when capturing data where no power supply is available.

pg. 24
 Section 2
Review
1. What is the maximum framerate of the IRIS M camera?

2. Do the supplied lenses in the IRIS M camera kit have adjustable zoom?

3. When should the supplied vibration pads be used with the camera tripod?

4. When should the screw locks on the USB 3.0 cable be used?

5. Which aperture setting would allow exactly half as much light to enter the camera sensor
as the f/4.0 setting?

6. Which aperture setting would give a wider depth of field?… f/5.6 or f/22?

7. What does FPS stand for?

8. Which focal length would make objects appear larger on the screen: 25mm or 50mm?

pg. 25
pg. 26
 Section 3
Introduction to Motion
Explorer
Objectives:
1. Introduce the four MA software applications
2. Build a database hierarchy using Motion Explorer
3. Launch the Acquisition and Motion Amplification
applications directly from Motion Explorer

pg. 27
RDI Software Applications
The IRIS M Motion Amplification Acquisition Unit comes preloaded with four software
applications.
These are RDI Acquisition, RDI Motion Amplification, RDI Motion Explorer and RDI Motion Studio.
Each application can be started by double-clicking the application icon on the desktop or with a
single left click on the application icon on the acquisition unit tool bar.

RDI Acquisition is used for the data acquisition. This application will only
work when the camera is connected to the acquisition unit.

RDI Motion Amplification is used to view and edit the recorded data after
acquisition has been completed. To conserve resources, the data acquisition
application automatically closes when the Motion Amplification application
is opened.

RDI Motion Explorer is used to create a database structure to help organize

and store raw data, mp4 videos, and stored images. It is also a convenient
place from which to launch the other two applications.

RDI Motion Studio brings video editing capabilities into the RDI software
suite. Users can build movies from individual Motion Amplified MP4’s as
well as still images. Titles can also be included. This application helps tell a
complete story when evaluating the health of an asset using Motion
Amplification.

pg. 28
 Motion Explorer
Motion Explorer allows the user to create a hierarchy of folders and assets and
organize links to recordings, exported MP4 videos, and other files under the
appropriate asset.
Assets have one or more associated collections, and these collections are where recordings and
exported MP4 videos reside.
When the RDI Acquisition application is used to acquire a recording, it is automatically associated
with the selected collection from the asset hierarchy.
When Motion Amplification is used to create a recording as a result of filtering or stabilization,
the recording is automatically associated with the same collection as the original recording. MP4
videos exported from Motion Amplification are also associated with the same collection as the
source recording.

Getting Started
When Motion Explorer is launched for the first time, the hierarchy contains only an item
representing the company and an Unassigned folder.
The company item can be renamed to something appropriate for your organization. Folders and
Assets can also be added to represent the logical organization of your facility or facilities.
Recordings and exported MP4 videos are associated with the assets that are defined here.

Ribbon Bar

Ribbon Bar
The Ribbon Bar is context sensitive, so it shows only the functions that can be performed on the
currently selected item.

pg. 29
 Adding Items to the Hierarchy
When the Company item is selected, Folders and Assets can be added as
children. When a Folder is selected, Folders and Assets can be added as
children. When an Asset is selected, Collections may be added as children.

Cut/Copy/Paste
Items can be Cut and Pasted to perform move operations. Items can also
be Copied and Pasted to perform copy operations. Recordings, exported
MP4’s, and other file items can’t be copied from within Motion Explorer.

Remove
Any item except the Company can be removed from the hierarchy.

Important: When an item is selected to be removed a dialog will be displayed asking; Would you
like to: A) Remove selected item and its children from the hierarchy, but do not delete associated
files, or B) Remove selected item and its children from the hierarchy and DELETE any associated
files.
Recordings, exported MP4’s, and other files associated with a collection are not actually stored
in the RDI Hierarchy Database. They are stored separately in the Windows File System and a link
to their storage location in the RDI Hierarchy Database. Hence the choice to remove just the link
to the file OR remove the link and delete the associated files. If the files are deleted, they cannot
be recovered.

Rename
Any item can be renamed with the Rename function. When this option is selected, the
selected item in the left or middle pane will be shown in edit mode. Use the keyboard to
rename the item and press enter to commit the change.

pg. 30
Exercise 1 - Create a Hierarchy
Step 1 - Open the IRIS M Acquisition Unit and turn on the power.
Step 2 - Launch the Motion Explorer application.
Step 3 - Highlight Company Name in the left pane and rename the company name to your
company’s name.
Step 4 - Add a new folder and name the new folder “Classroom”.
Step 5 – Inside the Classroom folder, add a new asset named “Rotor Kit 1”.
Step 6 – Inside Rotor Kit 1, add a new collection named, “Exercise 1”.

The result should look something like this:

pg. 31
Exercise 2 - Storing a Video in Motion Explorer
Step 1 – Connect the USB 3.0 cable to the camera. Make sure to fully seat the screw connectors
into the camera.
Step 2 – Connect the USB 3.0 cable to the Acquisition Unit. A green LED should light up at the
back of the camera. If not, ask for assistance.
Step 3 – Select the 25mm lens from the kit and attach it to the camera. Remove the lens cap and
set the aperture to f/2.8.
Step 4 – Highlight the newly created collection under Rotor Kit 1 and use the New
Recording icon on the Ribbon Bar to launch the RDI Acquisition application.
Step 5 – Launch the RDI Acquisition application by clicking the New Recording icon
in the Ribbon Bar within Motion Explorer. A live image should appear in the
software. If this is not the case, ask for assistance.
Step 6 – Aim the camera lens at the class rotor kit so that the rotor kit can be seen on the
acquisition screen. Focus and adjust the lens aperture as needed.
Step 7 – Use the laser rangefinder to measure the distance to the rotor kit and enter the value in
the distance field under Recording Properties.
Step 8 – Set the Duration Type to Time (Seconds).
Step 9 – Enter 3 for a 3 second acquisition time.
Step 10 - Select “Motion Amplification” for Acquisition Mode and “Other” for Lighting.
Step 11 – Set the Framerate (fps) to 120.
Step 12 - Adjust the Brightness to properly expose the image.
Step 13 – Set the Gain to 0. The screen should look something like this:

pg. 32
 Record Button

Step 14 – Press the Record Button to acquire a recording.

Delete

Play
Save Button
Step 15 – Press the Save Button to save the recording. Congratulations you have just saved your
first recording!
Note: When either the save or delete buttons are clicked, the application automatically resets to
acquire another recording.
Step 16 – Once the recording has finished being saved, exit the RDI Acquisition application.
Step 17 - With Motion Explorer now open, highlight Exercise 1 under Rotor Kit 1 in the tree and
the saved recording should be listed in the center panel of the screen.

pg. 33
The recording will automatically be named with the date of the acquisition with a .rdi extension.
Note that this .rdi file can only be opened using the RDI Motion Amplification application.

Saved Recording
Step 18 - Highlight the saved recording and a thumbnail preview of the recording appears in the
right pane of the screen, along with the properties associated with the recording. The Focal
Length and Distance can be edited, and Notes can also be added from this screen.

pg. 34
 Section 3
Review

1. Which MA software application allows the user to create a database hierarchy?

2. Can user notes be stored with the Motion Amplification recording?

3. The Motion Amplification raw data is stored as which file type?

4. Are Motion Amplification recordings stored automatically?

5. In Motion Explorer, which button in the Ribbon Bar initiates recording acquisition?

6. If the delete button is pressed after acquisition, is there any way to recover the deleted
recording?

pg. 35
pg. 36
 Section 4
RDI Acquisition

Objectives:
1. Learn techniques for proper image focus and lighting.
2. Discuss RDI Acquisition settings and their impact on video
data quality.
3. Discuss how these settings also impact vibration data
quality.

pg. 37
Mini Exercise
Step 1 – In Motion Explorer, create a new collection named “Exercise 2”.
Step 2 – Highlight the new collection and launch the RDI Acquisition application by clicking the
New Recording icon on the Ribbon Bar.

Exercise 3 - Focus the lens

Step 1 – Use the digital zoom button to zoom closer to the rotor kit.

Digital Zoom Controls

pg. 38
Once the image is zoomed it is easier to
see the focus quality.
Notice that in this example, the words on
the motor tag are unreadable.
Step 2 – Adjust the focus ring on the lens
so that the words on the motor tag are
better defined.

After adjusting the focus ring of the lens,

even the small words are at least
somewhat distinguishable.
Step 3 – Set the zoom back out to the
original setting.

The image is now focused as well

as possible.
These steps: (Digital zoom in,
adjust focus and zoom back out)
should be taken each time prior
to capturing an image.

pg. 39
Exercise 4 - Changing lenses
Step 1 – Remove the 25mm lens from the camera and install the 50mm lens.
Step 2 – Set the aperture to f/2.8
Step 3 – Center the object in the image and adjust the focus as in the previous exercise.

Notice the field of view and how much of the image can be seen.
The field of view has decreased by half, but the rotor kit has doubled in size in the image.
Also notice that while using the digital zoom to focus the image, there is better detail in the
zoomed image.
One more thing to note is that the Displacement Resolution has been increased by a factor of 2.

pg. 40
How Focal Length and Distance Affect Displacement Resolution
Distance to Focal Length of Displacement
Object (D) Lens (F) Resolution (R)

2m 25mm 0.40 mils (10.0 microns)

2m 50mm 0.20 mils (5.0 microns)

1m 50mm 0.10 mils (1.2 microns)

In the image captured with the 25mm lens, the camera was situated about 2 meters from the
rotor kit.
Using the values listed in the table above, the minimum displacement resolution was then about
0.40 mils (10.0 microns).
In the latest image, which was taken with the 50mm lens at the same distance, the minimum
displacement resolution is 0.20 mils (5.0 microns). Which means a smaller amount of movement
would be visible in this latest image than in the image taken previous with the 25mm lens.

Calculating Minimum Displacement Resolution

𝑫 𝑫
𝑹= × 𝟓 𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒔∗𝒎𝒎
-or- 𝑹𝒖 = × 𝟏𝟐𝟓 𝒎𝒊𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒔∗𝒎𝒎
𝑭 𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑭 𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒓

Where:
R = Minimum Displacement Resolution (mils)
Rµ = Minimum Displacement Resolution (microns)
D = Distance from the lens to the object (meters)
F = Focal Length of Lens (mm)
𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑠∗𝑚𝑚 𝑚𝑖𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑠∗𝑚𝑚
Note: 5 and 125 are empirical based conversion factors.
𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟

pg. 41
Data Acquisition
Before making the acquisition
Application Settings settings, review the acquisition
options by clicking the Gear
Wheel button at the upper right
corner of the screen.

These are the default settings.

Settings are for Storage Location,
Default Recording Name, Line
Frequency, Units, and Disk Space
Warning Value.
The Line Frequency (50 or 60 Hz) is used
to set the framerate when Motion
Amplification mode is set to Indoor.
The units (Hz or CPM) apply to vibration
data.

Make any desired changes here and then click OK to return to the Data Acquisition screen.

pg. 42
Recording Properties
Recording properties are entered at
the upper left corner of the Data
Acquisition screen.
These fields can be edited as
desired.
Name – Sets the filename of the
recording. In the event a file with
the same name already exists the
software will append an auto
advance number at the end of the
filename.
For example, if a recording with the
filename “motor.rdi” exists the software will name the next file “motor_01.rdi”.
Distance – Stores the distance from the lens to the object in the recording for retrieval later.
This value is extremely important, as the vibration amplitude accuracy is directly related to this
recorded distance.
A 5% error in this distance value will result in a 5% error in vibration amplitude accuracy.
Focal Length (mm) - Stores the focal length of the lens in the recording for retrieval later.
Duration Type – Determines whether the duration of the recording is specified in terms of the
number of frames or total time in seconds.
Number of Images – If the duration type is set to “Number of Frames” this option will be visible.
The entered value specifies the length of the recording in terms of the number of images to
collect. For example, 240 images recorded at 120 fps will give a 2 second recording.
Duration – If the duration type is set to “Time(sec)” this option will be visible.
The entered value specifies the length of the recording in terms of the number of seconds to
collect data at the specified framerate.
The number of frames that will be collected based on the specified time appears in the
“Calculated Values” section.

pg. 43
Add Notes – Clicking the Add Notes buttons opens a separate window where notes can be
entered. The entered notes then become a permanent part of the data and can be viewed in the
Motion Explorer application anytime the particular recording is highlighted.

Recording Association
Collection – Specifies the name of the
collection the recording will be
associated with.
A Collection can be chosen, and a new
collection can be created with the
acquisition software under the
Collection Selection Window by
pressing the “Change” button.
By associating a recording with a collection and asset in the acquisition software, that recording
is automatically associated similarly in Motion Explorer on the same computer.
Asset – Determines the asset under which the recording will be associated. Assets cannot be
created in the acquisition software
Note: Because the collection, (Exercise 2), under Asset, (Rotor Kit 1), was highlighted in Motion
Explorer when the RDI Acquisition application was launched, the Recording Association values
have automatically been set.

Camera Properties
Acquisition Mode – Determines
whether priority is given to
displacement by applying
oversampling to reduce aliasing or
Motion Amplification without the
oversampling.
Possible values are Displacement or
Motion Amplification.
In Displacement Mode, the frame rate
is set higher than the requested Fmax to allow for an oversampling antialiasing mode.
In Motion Amplification, the frame rate is not set higher and no oversampling is applied.

pg. 44
Note that when Motion Amplification mode is selected, the maximum framerate (fps) is 125.
Next, change the acquisition Mode from Motion Amplification to Displacement.
Now, there is no longer a field for
Framerate.
The Framerate field has been
replaced by Fmax (Hz).
Also, the value has changed.
Instead of 125 Hz as in the MA
mode, the value is 31 Hz, or
approximately ¼ the Framerate
setting.
This is because the method used to
prevent aliasing in the vibration
data involves 2x oversampling
which results in sampling at a rate of 4x the highest frequency of interest.
In Displacement mode the user enters the highest frequency of interest (Fmax), and the software
automatically makes the appropriate settings needed to capture raw data that will allow a
vibration spectrum to be acquired up to the requested Fmax without the possibility of aliasing.

Aliasing
Aliasing is the appearance of “ghost” peaks in the vibration spectrum caused by digitally sampling
an analog signal too slowly.
Traditional vibration analyzers avoid aliasing through the use of an analog low pass (anti-aliasing)
filter. The filtered signal is then digitally sampled at a rate of 2.56x the Fmax.
With Motion Amplification, an analog filter is impossible because the data used to generate the
vibration waveform is already digital. Therefore, Anti-aliasing is accomplished through a different
process.
With Motion Amplification, in Displacement mode, the raw recorded data is sampled 4x faster
than the highest frequency of interest (Fmax). Then, any frequency values between 2x and 4x
Fmax are rejected. FFT is then performed on the remaining data and the result is a spectrum free
from any of aliasing up to a much higher frequency where displacements are severely attenuated.
So, by setting the “Acquisition Mode” to Displacement you are providing protection against
aliasing in the vibration data.

pg. 45
Spectral Resolution
Motion Amplification allows the user to
generate vibration waveforms, spectra, and
orbits from virtually any part of the
amplified recording.
The characteristics and quality of the
vibration data are largely dependent upon
the recording acquisition settings. The most
important of these are Framerate and
Duration of the recording, T.
When the Displacement Acquisition mode
is used, the Fmax is directly set by the user,
in which case the only concern may be spectral resolution.
The setting that determines spectral resolution is the total Duration of the recording, T. The
spectral bin and minimum frequency in the spectrum will be equal to 1/T .
In this example the Number of Frames was selected as the “Duration Type” and was set to 360.
Any spectrum generated from this data will therefore contain exactly 180 Lines of Resolution.
For a 120 fps recording this will result in a 3 second acquisition so the frequency resolution and
minimum frequency in the spectrum will be 1/3 Hz.

Calculation for Spectral Resolution or Bin Width (in Hz)

𝑹 = 1/T
Where: R = Resolution (in Hz)
T = Total Recording Time (in seconds)
Calculation for Number of Lines (or Bins) of Resolution

𝑳 = F/2
Where: L = Number of Lines (or Bins) of Resolution
F = Total Number of Frames

pg. 46
 When Time (Seconds) is selected as the
“Duration Type” in the Recording
Properties, the Number of Frames will be
calculated using the number of seconds
entered for the Duration multiplied by the
Framerate (fps).
This value can be found at the bottom of
the left side of the screen under
Calculated Values.
In this example, the duration has been set
to 3 seconds and the framerate to 120 fps.
The resulting recording capture is then
360 total frames, which will render a
spectrum with 180 Lines of Resolution.
Again, the frequency resolution and
minimum frequency in the spectrum will
be 1/3 Hz.

Framerate vs Fmax
pg. 47
When in Motion Amplification mode, the Fmax (maximum frequency) of the vibration spectrum
is determined solely by the Framerate.
The Fmax of any spectrum derived from the Motion Amplified recording will be exactly half the
framerate. So, if the framerate is 120 fps, the Fmax of any spectrum generated from that
recording would be 60 Hz.
But a spectrum with an Fmax of 60 Hz would not be able to properly resolve a peak at exactly 60
Hz, so it is highly recommended that the minimum Framerate be set to 2.5x the highest vibration
frequency of interest.
Take for example a motor-pump combination that has a turning speed of approximately 1800
RPM (30 Hz). Vibration due to offset misalignment would occur at 2x turning speed, which would
be approximately 3600 CPM, or 60 Hz. 60 Hz is then the highest frequency of interest. Therefore,
the frame rate in this example should be set no lower than 150 frames per second (fps).
It should also be understood that because 2x oversampling does not occur when using the Motion
Amplification acquisition mode, peaks could appear in the higher frequency range of the
spectrum as a result of Aliasing.

Traditional Vibration Analysis

-Compared to-
Motion Amplification

pg. 48
Lighting Modes
There are two selectable modes for lighting: Other and AC Indoor.
When Other is selected, the user can set the frame rate to any value.
But when AC Indoor is selected, the
available framerate settings are
limited to 120 fps or 60 fps. (For
international it is 100 fps or 50 fps.)
This is because if the framerate
indoors is out of sync with the
pulsation frequency of the lighting,
noticeable light “flicker” will often
affect the video quality.

pg. 49
Lighting at 60 or 50 Hz
In the U.S. and most of North America, the
frequency of the alternating current is 60 Hz.
Which means that the voltage changes from
positive to negative 60 times per second.
On the way from the positive voltage peak to
the negative voltage peak, the amount of
voltage decreases.
During this time, the light intensity is less than
when the voltage is near either the positive of
negative peak.
This results in a constantly changing light
intensity or flicker, with a frequency of 120 Hz.
This flicker is typically not perceptible to the human eye because it occurs so fast and the actual
change in intensity is not very much.
But with Motion Amplification, the amount of
change is amplified, along with everything else
in the recording.
So, it is common to see flicker in the Motion
Amplified recording even though it is not
apparent in the raw recording.
This can occur any time the framerate of the
data acquisition is out of sync with the
pulsation rate of the indoor lighting.

When AC Indoor is selected in the Camera

Properties screen, the Framerate selections are
limited in such a way that the framerate will
always be in sync with the frequency of the
lighting flicker.
Thus, when selecting “AC Indoor” for the Lighting
setting in camera properties there is much less
chance that flicker will be apparent, even in the
amplified recording.

pg. 50
Framerate (fps) – Determines the number of images to be collected in one second. Equivalent
to a vibration analyzer’s sample rate. The maximum framerate of the camera is 1300 fps.
Fmax – Determines the maximum frequency available in the spectrum for frequency
measurements. This option also replaces and sets the framerate while in Displacement mode to
the necessary framerate to achieve the desired Fmax.
Brightness (%) – Adjusts the brightness of the image by changing the exposure time of the image.
The larger the brightness level the longer the exposure time. This value is scaled from 0 to 100
percent.

Relationship between Framerate and Brightness

In the example above, the Framerate and Brightness are both set to their maximum settings.
Take particular note of the level of light that appears in the image.

Next, move the Brightness slider to the left until it is at 50%.

pg. 51
Note the diminished level of light that now appears in the image. By decreasing the brightness,
the exposure time for each frame has been decreased, which results in a darker image.
Next, move the Framerate slider to 62 fps.

Now, the image retains the same level of noticeable brightness, but the Brightness (%) has
automatically decreased to 25. This is because at the lower framerate, (which is about ½ the
original framerate setting), the exposure time available for each frame is now double.

Now, move the Brightness (%) slider to the right, all the way to 100%.

The image now appears even brighter than the original image. The framerate (62 fps) is
approximately half the original framerate (125 fps). Which means that the maximum exposure
time available is 2x longer than before. 2x more exposure time for each image results in a
brighter looking image.

pg. 52
Gain – Adjusts the sensitivity of the camera’s sensor. By increasing the gain, the image will be
brighter, but more noise will be introduced, and this decreases the quality of the measurement.
Sometimes this is necessary when the image is too dark.
Only add gain after all other methods of brightening the images have been used.
Image Rotation – Rotates the image in the Image Viewer Window. The image is permanently
rotated and appears the same when opened in Motion Amplification. The image can be rotated
90° Clockwise, 180°, and 90° Counter Clockwise.

Cropping the Image

The camera’s maximum framerate was listed earlier as 1300 fps. Yet the framerate slider in the
Camera Properties field currently has a maximum value of only 125 fps.
Part of the reason for this difference has to do with the necessary exposure time for each frame
and the required level of brightness for the image. However, brightness isn’t the only factor that
limits acquisition framerate.
The data also needs to travel from the camera, through the USB 3.0 cable, to the acquisition
system. The USB 3.0 cable can only accommodate a limited amount of data flow.
The camera’s sensor has over 2 million pixels, and data from each pixel needs to be read and
transferred for each image. At the current setting, the maximum data transfer rate has been
reached at 125 fps.
To get around this limitation, the acquisition application allows the user to crop the image. When
the image is cropped, only the pixels in the cropped area of the sensor are used, thus making
faster framerates possible.

To crop the image, left click

and hold the mouse button
down while moving the
cursor.
A crop window will be
drawn in red, increasing in
size with the movement of
the cursor.
Release the mouse button
when the desired crop size
has been reached.

pg. 53
Note that with the newly-cropped image, the maximum available framerate is 200 fps. However,
this higher framerate comes at a cost.
Not only is the image smaller, it is also darker, even though the brightness setting is still 100%.
Once again, the increased framerate leaves less exposure time for each image, resulting in a
darker image.
The lesson here is that if a higher framerate is desired, (usually in order to get a higher spectrum
Fmax), the object in question should be framed as to allow for image cropping while still allowing
the entire object to remain in the frame.
Also, if the object is indoors, plan on supplying additional lighting, as the cropped image will be
darker than the uncropped image.

pg. 54
Exercise 5 - Cropping the Image
Step 1 - Starting with a full, uncropped image, crop the width of the image to 50% of its original
size by editing the Width value in the Image Properties to half its original value (from 1920 to
960). This has the effect of cropping the image to exactly 50% of its original width without
affecting the height.

Step 2 – Move the Framerate (fps) slider all the way to the right and note the maximum
framerate.
In the example here the image width has been decreased from 1920 pixels to 960. The maximum
available framerate is 144 fps.
Step 3 – Return the image to its original size by changing the Width back to 1920 pixels.
Step 4 – Now edit the value in the Height field under Image Properties to half its original value.

pg. 55
Step 5 – Move the Framerate slider all the way to the right. Note the maximum framerate is now
250 fps, which is higher than the maximum framerate when the width of the image was cropped.
In the example here the highest available framerate of the height cropped image is 250 fps,
compared to 144 fps for the width cropped image.
The key point here is cropping the height provides considerably higher available framerates
(which in turn provides higher Fmax) compared to cropping the width.

Image Properties / Calculated Values

Width - Adjusts the width of the image in pixels.
Height - Adjusts the height of the image in pixels.
Left – Offset of the image from the left if the image
is less than full width.
Top – Offset of the image from the top if the image
is less than full height.
Acquisition Time (s) – Total time of the acquisition
based on the current frame rate and number of
images. Displayed if the Duration Type is set to
“Number of Frames”.
Number of Frames –Number of images that will be collected based on the specified duration and
frame rate. Displayed if the Duration Type is set to “Time”.
Recording Size (GB) – Total size of the recording based on the number of images.
Available Disk Space (GB) -Available space on the disk drive selected to store recordings.

Lighting
pg. 56
Proper lighting is essential for Motion Amplification. It makes the recording easier to see and
analyze and gives it a more professional quality. Remember, in Motion Amplification the video
is the report. So, it is wise to pay particular attention to the image lighting.
To aid in proper lighting,
the pointer in the RDI
acquisition application
lists the percentage of
saturation of any pixel
upon which it lands.
Notice in the image here,
the portion of the rotor kit
that is being referenced is
100% saturated. This
means that this pixel in
the camera’s sensor is
completely full of light
photons and can hold no more.
This also means that if a pixel is listed at 100% it is impossible to know exactly how much light is
actually coming into this pixel compared to other pixels in the image.
For example, a pixel in the same image with a listed saturation of 50% can’t be assumed to be
getting exactly ½ the light as the pixel listed at 100%, because once the saturation point reaches
100% there is no way to know how much over 100% it is. There might actually be 200% of light
hitting this pixel.
So, any time the saturation value hits 100%, the amount of actual saturation is unknown. Also,
when it comes to Motion Amplification, any pixels that are 100% saturated will not get amplified
and cannot provide an accurate time waveform.
Depending on the lighting characteristics of the machine or structure being filmed, it may be
impossible to avoid completely saturated areas of the image. Reflective surfaces are especially
prone to oversaturation.
It such cases, it may be helpful to paint the reflective surface with a flat paint or avoid lighting
the surface directly. It is not necessarily bad to have oversaturated areas within the image just
so long as the oversaturated portions of the image are not areas of interest.

pg. 57
 Section 4
Review
1. What should be done prior to focusing the lens to get a better-focused image?

2. What would be the minimum displacement resolution if the camera is located 5 meters
from the machine using a 25mm lens?

3. In camera properties, the Framerate (fps) maximum value is 125, but you want to record
with a framerate of 250 fps. How can this be accomplished?

4. What can be done to reduce lighting flicker when filming indoors?

5. What advantage does the Displacement Acquisition mode offer?

6. What is more effective for achieving a higher framerate, cropping the width or height of
an image?

7. Can digital zoom be used to increase framerate?

8. What does increasing the Gain do to the image?

9. What happens to the exposure time for each frame when the brightness setting is
decreased?

pg. 58
 Section 5
RDI Motion Amplification

Objectives:
1. Identify and discuss Motion Amplification tools
2. Generate vibration data from Motion Amplification data
3. Complete classroom exercises to practice Motion
Amplification skills

pg. 59
Launching RDI Motion Amplification
The Motion Amplification software is used to amplify, analyze, and create mp4 recordings of the
captured .RDI recorded files. It can be launched a few different ways:

1. By clicking the Motion Amplification shortcut on the desktop

2. By clicking the Motion Amplification button

in the Acquisition software after acquiring a
recording.

3. From Motion
Explorer, by either double-
clicking any .rdi recording,
or highlighting the
recording and clicking the
Motion Amplification
button in the Ribbon Bar.

pg. 60
Exercise 6 - Launch Motion Amplification
Step 1 - Launch Motion Explorer.
Step 2 - Highlight the stored .rdi file from the RDI Data Acquisition Exercise in Section 3 of this
manual and launch Motion Amplification.

Source File

The Motion Amplification screen opens showing the recording captured in exercise 1. The
recording file is identified at the upper left corner of the screen as the Source File.

Basic Playback

Play Loop Progress Bar Export Video

At the bottom of the screen are the Play Amplified Recording and Loop Playback controls. Also,
the progress bar allows the user to see the recording playback progress, and to go directly to a
desired location in the recording.

pg. 61
Amplification/Playback Speed Sliders
There are two sliders at the right side of the screen.
You can either control the slider position by left clicking or dragging the slider
to the desired position or “Specify a Value” numerically for amplification or
playback speed by right clicking on either slider.
Amplification Amount Slider
The top slider is used to set the amount of amplification, from “0” to 50X.
Note the position of the amplification slider will default to the last value you
set.
Before any amplification can be seen in the recording playback, this slider
needs to be raised above “0”.
It is recommended to begin with the amplification slider near its top position,
and then decrease the amount of amplification if the movement seems
excessive.

Playback Speed Slider

Original Capture Rate

The bottom slider used to set the playback speed.

The small horizontal line near the top of the slider indicates original capture
rate. When the slider is set here, the recording playback will match the original
recording capture rate.
When the slider is set below this line, the playback rate is slower than the
capture rate. When the slider is set above this line, the playback rate is faster
than the capture rate.
It is a good idea to view the Motion Amplification recording at a few different playback speeds
to determine which playback speed best illustrates the motion. It is recommended to start near
or at the bottom of the bar (slowest playback) and work up to find a suitable playback speed. The
software defaults to starting at 10% the original capture rate.

pg. 62
Exercise 7 - Basic Motion Amplification
Step 1 – Click the Loop button to enable the loop function for recording playback.
Step 2 – Without adjusting the Amplification or Playback Speed sliders, click the Play button to
view the Unamplified recording.
Step 3 – Drag the Amplification slider up to its highest setting (50x amplification).
Step 4 – Adjust the Playback Speed slider and observe the motion at different speeds. Start from
the bottom of the bar and work upwards.

Why is the recording so grainy?

All digital images contain an inherent amount of digital noise.
This noise is a result of the camera’s electronic sensor (The Iris M uses a CMOS sensor) not being
absolutely perfect in the way that it measures the amount of light in each pixel.
It is typically more noticeable in low light conditions, where the ratio of the amount of light to
the amount of noise is lower. But there are other things that can cause the noise to be more
noticeable.
The first is the gain setting in the camera itself. As previously discussed, when gain is used, the
image gets brighter for a given amount of light. This, unfortunately, also increases the amount of
noise in the image.
Motion Amplification also increases or amplifies the amount of noise in the image. When Motion
Amplification is applied to the recording, it causes the movement of the objects in the image to
be amplified, which means they move more in the amplified recording than they were moving in
the original recording.

pg. 63
Exercise 8 - Basic Video Export
Once the settings for amplification and playback speed have been adjusted to desired levels, the
recording can be exported in .mp4 format. This is an important step because the original .rdi
data files are not viewable outside of the Motion Amplification software application. The .mp4
video file often serves as the most important file used for reporting purposes.
Step 1 – Click the Export Video button at the lower right corner of the Motion Amplification
screen.

Note: An “Export Content and Layout” pop up

window will appear.
This is where you can choose or create a file name,
select video content, configure video layout, define
plot data to include as well as company logo and
export descriptions.
Step 2 – In the “Video Content” box select Include
Only Amplified Video and click “OK”.

Note: During the video export, a progress

window will appear on the screen.
The time needed for video export will vary based
on the number of frames and image size.

pg. 64
When the video export is complete, a window appears with the assigned file name appearing
just below the words, “Video export complete”. Below that, the user is prompted to select one
of three options.
“Play Exported Video”- Opens the .mp4 video
file using the user’s selected mp4 playback
application. The .mp4 file is also automatically
stored.
File Name
“Open File Location” - Stores the .mp4 file, but
also opens the Windows Explorer application
to the location of the file on the Acquisition
Unit hard drive.
“None” - Simply stores the .mp4 file without
any additional action.

Step 3 - Select “Play Exported Video” in the Video Export Complete window and click “OK”.
Step 4 – Allow the mp4 video to play. If the video playback is satisfactory, close the mp4 playback
window and proceed to step 4.
Note: In some instances, the mp4 playback speed will not be the same as the playback speed in
Motion Amplification. This is because the conversion of the raw .rdi file to the .mp4 file requires
at least some degree of data compression in order to reduce the .mp4 file size. The method of
data compression varies between different mp4 video players, so it is impossible to predict what
the final mp4 video playback will look like. If the playback speed does not represent the motion
as desired, close the window, change the playback speed in Motion Amplification, and perform
steps one through three again.
Step 5 – Close Motion Explorer and verify that the stored mp4 video appears

Stored mp4 video

pg. 65
Exercise 9 - Advanced Video Export
Create Original/Amplified Side-By-Side Video
To help viewers visualize how much the raw recording is being amplified, an option exists in
Motion Amplification which allows for the creation of an .mp4 video that shows both the
unamplified and amplified videos being played side by side.
Step 1 – Make sure the amplification slider is all the way up Click the Export Video button at the
lower right corner of the Motion Amplification screen.

Step 2 – In the “Video Content” box of the “Export Content and Layout” window select Include
original and Amplified Video.
Step 3 – Click the selection arrow for “Video
Layout” and select Horizontal. Then click the
OK button, which will initiate exporting the
video.

Step 4 – When the Video Export Complete

window appears, select Play Exported Video.

A split screen will be displayed show both the

unamplified and amplified videos playing simultaneously.

pg. 66
Step 6 – Exit the mp4 player window, and also exit the Motion Amplification window.

The new mp4 file is now listed in Motion Explorer in the Exercise 1 collection.

2nd Stored mp4

pg. 67
Exercise 10 - Advanced Video Export
Modify Video Playback
Motion Explorer allows the user to edit the length of the exported video.
This is helpful when only a portion of the video is useful, or when the size of the exported file is
too large to easily distribute and share.
Motion Explorer also allows the user to start and stop the amplified portion of the video. Both
controls are demonstrated in the following exercise.
Step 1 – In Motion Explorer, highlight the .rdi file and launch Motion Amplification.
Step 2 – Slide the amplification slider to its highest setting.

Drag

Step 3 – Drag the slider in the Playback Bar at the bottom of the screen to right about two thirds
of the way to the end of the playback.

Step 4 – Right Click on the slider and select Set Export

End. The green flag signifying the end of the export
should now appear here.

Drag

Step 5 – Drag the slider in the Playback Bar to the left about halfway back to the beginning of the
playback bar.
Step 6 - Right Click on the slider and select Set
Amplification Start. The blue flag signifying the start of
the amplification will now move to this position.

pg. 68
 A window opens warning that
reamplification of the video will
need to occur before the changes
will take effect. Click “OK”.

Step 7 – Right Click the progress bar slider and

select Reamplify Recording.

The Playback Bar should now look something like this:

Amplification Start Amplification End

Export Start Export End

Step 8 – Click the Export button. When the “Export Content and Layout” window pops up select
Include Only Amplified Video in the “Video Content” box, and then click “OK”.
Step 9 – In the “Video Export Complete” pop up window, select Play Exported Video, and then
click “OK”.
Step 10 – View exported video. When finished, close the mp4 player and exit Motion
Amplification. Note the changes in the new video and notice how what you see matches the
settings above in the playback bar.

pg. 69
Recording Editing Tools
The Motion Amplification software includes many tools to help refine and improve both the
visual quality, and functionality of the raw recording.
In many instances, raw data that is acquired in the field under less than optimal conditions, can
be manipulated later using Motion Amplification to render recording data that is even more
useful and compelling.

Exercise 11 - Threshold Mapping

Step 1 – In Motion Explorer, highlight the .rdi file and launch Motion Amplification.
Step 2 – Click the Adjust Threshold Mapping button in the Motion Amplification Toolbar.

Adjust Threshold Mapping

The Threshold Editor

opens in a new window.
There are two setting
that can be adjusted
here.
The sliders at the bottom
Sliders of the histogram can be
moved so that unused, or
little used portions of the
light intensities are
ignored.
This adjustment can
greatly increase contrast,
and thus enhance the user’s ability to see detail in the more shaded areas of the recorded image.

The slider at the right side of the screen that allows the user to adjust the brightness of the
Motion Amplified recording.

pg. 70
 Step 3 – Reposition the
sliders in the histogram to
positions that are just
below and just above the
portions of the graph with
the highest intensities.
Sliders

Step 4 – Click the OK button and view the image on the screen. Pay close attention to the more
shaded areas. You should now be able to see more detail in these darker areas.
Note: Adjustments made to the Threshold Mapping do not permanently change the original .rdi
file to which they are applied. Once the file is closed, any changes made to the Threshold Mapping
revert to normal.
If the video is exported while the adjustment is in effect, the adjustment will be visible in the
exported mp4 file.

pg. 71
Exercise 12 - Applying an Amplification Region
The Amplification Editor allows the user to apply Motion Amplification to selected portions of
the recorded image, while at the same time excluding amplification of other areas of the image.
This is useful in situations where the recording contains components such as hand rails, piping,
or electrical conduit, which really have nothing to do with the structural characteristics of the
asset being studied.
If the user feels that the amplified movement of these components detracts from the usability
of the recording, they can be “de-amplified”, while the remainder of the image remains
amplified. Or, the user may choose to amplify only one component in the image, thereby
focusing more attention on that single component.
Step 1 – Click the Amplification Region button in the Motion Amplification Toolbar.

Amplification Region

Step 2 – In the “Amplification

Region Editor” window, click
the “Default Amplification
Behavior” box and select
Amplify All.
This shades the entire recorded
image green, letting the user
know that everything in the
image is amplified.

Step 3 – Select the polygon just to the right side of the words, “Select Shape to Not Amplify”.

pg. 72
 Step 4 – Using your mouse, left click
to begin drawing your polygon
when you move the mouse. Left
clicking again will end that line and
begin a new one.
Continue this process until you have
the desired shape, which will be
shaded in red. Double left click of
the mouse will end the drawing
process for this shape.
You may now reposition the shape
as desired by holding left click down
on mouse in the shape and dragging
it and dropping it.
You may also adjust the size and form of the shape by holding left click down on mouse on the
small circles at its corners and dragging it and dropping it.
Step 5 – Click the Finished button in the “Amplification Region Editor”, and then play the
amplified recording.
Step 6 – In the “Export Description” field at the top of the screen type: Amplification Region
Edited, and then export the video.

Note: While adjustments made with the Amplification Editor do not permanently change the
original .rdi file, the adjustment will remain in effect as long as the asset remains in the Motion
Explorer database.
Even after the file is closed, any changes made with the Amplification Region Editor will continue
to be in effect the next time the file is opened in Motion Amplification. Also, when the video is
exported, the adjustment will be visible in the exported mp4 file.
Step 7 – In Motion Amplification, open the Amplification Region Editor and click, “Delete All”, to
remove the excluded region of the recording, and then click “Finished”.

pg. 73
Applying a Grid and Image Annotation
A grid can be superimposed over the recorded image to provide a non-moving reference, from
which the motion of the machine or structure may be more easily discernable. It is enabled by
clicking the Show/Hide Grid button on the Motion Amplification toolbar. Its color and size can be
adjusted in the Application Settings.

Show/Hide Grid Annotations

Basic annotations can be added to the recording by using the Annotation

Editor. The Annotation Editor is opened by clicking the Annotations button
in the Motion Amplification Toolbar.
The type of annotation is determined by the selection made in the pop-up
window.
If text is selected, an “Annotation Properties” field appear where the
desired text can be entered, and color and
font can be chosen.

If a line or shape is selected, simply

click and hold the left mouse button
and draw the line or shape on the
image. Release left mouse button
after completing.

Once the left mouse button is released “Annotation Properties” field appear where the desired
text can be entered, and color and font can be chosen.

pg. 74
 If an image or plot is
selected, simply click and
hold the left mouse
button and draw a box on
the image. Release left
mouse button after
completing.

Once the left mouse button is released “Annotation Properties” field appear where the desired
image or plot can be selected as well as other display properties.

The annotation may be moved to any location on the image by clicking the annotation with the
left mouse button and then holding down the button while moving the mouse to drag it to a
new position.
Annotations can be resized by selecting one of the white “handles” at the edge of the
annotation when you left click on or inside the annotation. Selecting with a left mouse click and
holding down the left mouse button while moving the mouse will result in a resize of the
annotation.
Annotation Properties can be edited by left clicking on or inside a shape.
Deleting an annotation can be accomplished by right clicking on the line or shape and selecting
delete annotation. Deleting can also be done by selecting the annotation editor.

pg. 75
Exercise 13 - Annotation
Step 1 – Place a red arrow in the recorded image of the class rotor kit and make it point at the
base of the machine.
Step 2 – Create a text annotation with the words, “Unsecured Base”, and position the text
annotation in line with the arrow.
Step 3 – Overlay the image with a yellow grid with a grid size of 200 pixels.
Step 4 – Amplify the recording to 50x, export the video, and then play the exported video.
Step 5 – Close the mp4 player, close Motion Amplification, and rename the stored video file in
Motion Explorer, “Annotated with grid.mp4”.

pg. 76
Vibration Measurement
Vibration measurements can be made directly from the recorded files in Motion Amplification.
To do this, a Region of Interest (ROI) must be drawn on the image at the location where the
measurement is desired.
To draw an ROI for which displacement measurements are to be made, Left Click and hold the
left mouse button while dragging the mouse over the region to be measured. When the ROI
reaches the desired size, release the left mouse button. From this ROI, the software then makes
the displacement measurement.
The number of ROI’s you may draw on an image is unlimited.
Note: The software can look at any location within the ROI to measure displacement. This is done
to ensure the software is given adequate signal to make a quality measurement. It is important
to only draw an ROI over an area in which it would be suitable to make a measurement anywhere
within the ROI.
It is important to understand the basics of drawing an ROI to return accurate vibration data. If an
ROI is drawn incorrectly, the resulting vibration data could be inaccurate and misleading.
Therefore, the following rules should be adhered to whenever an ROI is created.
ROI Rule # 1 – Keep it small
Small ROI’s are almost always more accurate than larger ROI’s. The larger the ROI is, the larger
the chance that some unintended or undesired portion of the image will be used as the source
of the vibration measurement.

pg. 77
ROI Rule #2 – Capture Contrast
It is important that contrast be present within the ROI. The software needs contrast in order to
“see” the vibration. An ROI drawn in an area with no, or too little contrast will fail to generate
any vibration data at all.
The Iris M accessory kit includes contrast stickers and magnets which can be applied to surfaces
of equipment that is lacking contrast. Another option would be to use a marker or paint pen with
a contrasting color to mark the desired surface.

ROI Rule #3 – Do Not Include Multiple Components

When more than one component is included in a single ROI, there is simply no way to determine
which component is being used by the software to generate the vibration data.
Often, an edge of a component is used for the ROI because there is contrast at the edge. This is
acceptable only if the background behind the selected edge has no contrast.

pg. 78
ROI Rule #4 – Do not capture Rotating Components
The software is not capable of measuring the displacement of rotating components.
Any vibration data that is generated from an ROI that captures any part of a rotating element is
invalid and should be ignored completely.

Waveforms, Spectra, and Orbits

Once an ROI is drawn on the image in Motion Amplification, the software automatically generates
a vibration waveform for both the X and Y axes of the image.
By default, the waveforms
will graph vibration
amplitude versus time.
The amplitude scale will
be displacement in either
units of Mils (thousandths
of an inch), or Microns.
The time scale will be
seconds. The time length
of each waveform will be
exactly equal to the time
length of the recording.

pg. 79
At the same time the waveform is generated, the software uses the values in each waveform to
generate a vibration spectrum.
Each spectrum plots
vibration amplitude
versus frequency. The
amplitude scale will be
displacement in Mils or
Microns, and the
frequency scale will be
either Hz (cycles per
second), or CPM (cycles
per minute).
If Motion Amplification
mode was used to
capture the recording,
the maximum frequency
(Fmax) plotted in the
spectrum will be equal to exactly half the framerate.
If Displacement Mode was used, then the Fmax will match the Fmax setting used to capture the
recording.

pg. 80
An X-Y orbit is also available, although it does not get generated automatically each time an ROI
is drawn, as is the case with the waveforms and spectra. To generate an orbit, click the Orbit
button after drawing an ROI.

Orbit
The orbit is plotted as the vibration amplitude of the X-axis
waveform versus the vibration amplitude of the Y-axis
waveform.
In most applications of vibration analysis, a filtered orbit is
preferred, so it may be best to filter the data before an orbit
is generated. (See frequency-based filtering later in this
section.)

Exercise 14 - Vibration Plotting

Step 1 – Draw an ROI on the image in Motion Amplification. This will result in a waveform and
spectrum window to appear on the screen.

Cursor Position

Step 2 – Left click inside the X-axis spectrum to activate the cursor. Use the arrow keys on the
keyboard to position the cursor at the center of the dominant peak. When activated, the
frequency and amplitude of the cursor’s position are listed in
the lower right corner of the plot.
Step 3 – Right click inside the spectrum and select “Setup
Options” in the drop-down menu.

pg. 81
 Step 4 - Under “General Plot Options”, select
Velocity for the Spectrum Amplitude Units. Also,
check the “Automatically Locate Spectrum
Peaks” box.
Note: Only Displacement and Velocity are
options for “Amplitude Units”, Acceleration in G’s
is not an option.
Often, the true center of a peak is not plotted
because of limited spectral resolution. Checking
this box enables a function that automatically
estimates the true center of a peak’s location.
Step 5 – Click the OK button.

Note that now the cursor’s position when it is moved to the center of the dominant peak is listed
as a slightly different frequency value than before the Automatic Locate feature was enabled.
This Peak Locate feature can also be applied manually by right-clicking in the plot and selecting
“Locate Peak” from the drop-down menu. Also note that the amplitude values are now
expressed in Pk Vel (In/sec) instead of Pk-Pk Disp (mils).

pg. 82
Step 6 – Click the Application Settings button at the upper right corner of the Motion
Amplification screen.
Step 7 – At the bottom of the
Application Settings window,
select CPM for Frequency
Units and then click the “OK”
button to close the window.

Step 8 – Close the Spectrum Plots window and then immediately reopen it by clicking the
Spectrum button in the Motion Amplification Toolbar.

Open Spectrum

The frequency values are now listed as CPM instead of Hz.

Step 9 – Right click in the spectrum and select Save

Image > Current Plot.

pg. 83
 Step 10 – Name the saved file with the current
date followed by “Motor Inboard” and click “OK”.

Step 11 – Open the

Motion Explorer
window.
The spectrum has
been stored, along
with a still image of
the video, as a .png
file and listed in the
database tree under
this asset.

Applying Multiple Distance Measurements

As discussed earlier in this manual, the vibration amplitude accuracy depends greatly on the
distance measurement entered into the camera properties screen.
If this distance measurement is off by 10%, the amplitude accuracy of any vibration data
generated from that image will also be off by 10%. So, it is important that the distance
measurement be as accurate as possible.
In many instances, especially when capturing recordings of large structures and machines, the
distances will vary significantly across different parts of the image. To address this issue, the user
can load different distance measurements for different locations in the image.

pg. 84
Exercise 15 - Multiple Distance Locations
Step 1 – In Motion Explorer, highlight the .rdi file of the rotor kit and launch Motion Amplification.

Locations
Step 2 – Click the Locations button in the Motion Amplification toolbar.

Step 3 – In the Define Locations

window, click the Add button.

Add

Step 4 – Left click anywhere in the

image, which will place a red
thumbtack where you click.

Step 5 – Measure the distance to

another location on the rotor kit and
enter that distance into the second
distance field in the Define
Locations window.
Also, enter the location name.

pg. 85
Step 6 – Drag the red thumbtack to the measured position and drop it there.
Step 7 – Click the “Active” bubble to make the new location active and click “Finished”.

Step 8 – Draw an ROI on the image at the newly

measured location.
When the Performing Calculations window
opens, note that the new distance is now being
used to calculate the vibration displacement
values.

Important! When multiple locations are defined in an .rdi file, it is important to first click the
distance button in the toolbar and activate the proper distance measurement before any ROI’s
are drawn. Failure to choose the correct distance measurement before drawing an ROI could
result in significantly inaccurate displacement amplitude values.

pg. 86
Frequency Based Filtering
Frequency Based Filtering is useful in a few ways. First, it allows the recording to be edited to
show the movement of only selected frequencies. This allows the user to analyze movements
caused by different forcing functions separately.
In machinery trains involving multiple components turning at different speeds, this function can
be very helpful for identifying root cause.
Second, by passing only frequencies at which motion is occurring, most of the noise that causes
the amplified recording to appear grainy can be removed. This can make even greatly amplified
recordings, and recordings that were captured using a significant amount of gain, appear as clear
and well defined as the original unamplified recordings.

Exercise 16 - Frequency Based Filtering

Step 1 – In Motion Explorer, launch Motion Amplification for the .rdi file from the previous
exercise.
Step 2 – In Motion Amplification, click the Filter
Recording button located in the upper right corner of the
screen.

Filter Recording

Step 3 – When the Filter Specification window opens, draw an ROI on the rotor kit in the image.
A spectrum now appears in the bottom of the window. This spectrum will be helpful when
defining the filter values.
Step 4 – Click the “Add” Filter button on the
left side of the window under “Filters to
Apply”.

Add Filter
pg. 87
 Step 5 – Click the selection arrow under
“Type” to select the type of filter. (See
“Explanation of Filter Types” on the next
page.) Select the Bandpass filter.

Step 6 – Using the pointer, click and drag the filter “handle” on the left and position it just to the
left of the dominant peak in the spectrum. Then position the other filter “handle” just to the
right of the peak.
This sets the Low and High Cutoff values for the filter. If you would like to add to or change the
filename do so now. A descriptive filename often helps with organization. Click “Apply” when
finished. Wait for the filtering process to finish.

Filter Handle Filter Handle

Step 7 – Slide the Amplification slider up and play the new filtered recording.
Note: The application of a filter does not change the original .rdi file. When a filtered recording
is created a new file is created in Motion Explorer with the word “filtered” automatically used
in the file name as an extension.

pg. 88
Explanation of Filter Types

Bandpass

Bandpass: The user sets a Low and a High Cutoff value. Only frequencies which fall between
these values pass through the filter. All other values in the spectrum are ignored.

Lowpass

Lowpass: The user sets a single High Cutoff value. Only frequencies which fall below the High
Cutoff value pass through the filter. All other frequencies are ignored.

Highpass

Highpass: The user sets a single Low Cutoff value. Only frequencies which fall above the Low
Cutoff value pass through the filter. All other frequencies are ignored.

Bandstop

Bandstop: The user sets a Low and a High Cutoff value. Only frequencies which fall below and
above the Low and High Cutoff values pass through the filter. The frequencies in between the
Low and High Cutoff values are ignored.

pg. 89
Exercise 17 - Phase Analysis
As explained in Section 1 of this manual, Phase Analysis is often used as the next level of
troubleshooting after route-based vibration analysis.
Traditionally, there are two methods for acquiring phase data. The first method, commonly
referred to as Synchronous Phase, involves the use of a vibration analyzer along with some type
of once-per-revolution pulse generator such as a Key sensor, or Photo-tach.
With this method of phase data collection, a once per revolution pulse is superimposed over a
filtered (usually a 1x TS Band Pass) vibration time waveform. The difference in time between the
pulse and the waveform high spot is then measured and converted to degrees of shaft rotation.
The second method, referred to as relative or cross-channel phase, is accomplished by overlaying
two simultaneously measured, filtered (also 1x TS Band Pass) vibration waveforms, and
calculating the amount of shaft rotation between the high spot of the first waveform and the
high spot of the second.
Because a 1x TS Band Pass Filter was applied to the filtered recording in the previous exercise, it
can now be used as a source of filtered vibration waveform data to assess phase relationships
between virtually any two locations in the recording.
Step 1 – In Motion Explorer, highlight the filtered .rdi file from the previous exercise and launch
Motion Amplification.
Step 2 – Draw an ROI on the left side of the rotor kit. This ROI will appear red in color.
Step 3 – Draw an ROI on the right side of the rotor kit. This second ROI will appear blue in color.

Click & Drag

pg. 90
The waveform window now shows four waveforms, two from the X-axis of the image, and two
from the Y-axis of the image. Note that the left margin of the window is shaded red for the
waveforms that were generated from the red ROI, and in blue for the waveforms that were
generated from the blue ROI.
Step 4 – Click the arrows at the right side of the window to hide the X-Axis waveforms so that
only the Y-axis waveforms appear on the screen as in the image above.

Click & Drag

Drop

Step 5 – Using the mouse or touchpad, drag and drop the waveform at the top of the window
onto the waveform at the bottom of the window.

Shift & Left Click

Release

Step 6 – Zoom to a smaller section of the overlapped waveforms. To do this, place the cursor at
the start of the desired zoom location, hold the shift key along with the left mouse button and
drag downward and to the right until the shaded zoom window captures the desired part of the
waveform. Then, release the buttons.

pg. 91
A zoomed window appears with both waveforms appearing overlapped in the same window. In
the example here, it appears that the two sides of the rotor kit are moving vertically in phase
with each other.
Step 7 – Store an image of the overlapped waveform and name the file “Y-Axis Phase Data”.

pg. 92
Image Stabilization
One of the most difficult environments to deal with is one in which excessive ground or floor
vibration, or wind, causes the camera to shake.
If the camera shakes, the resulting recording will shake as well. When Motion Amplification is
applied, this “camera shake” will be very apparent in the recording and may make analysis
impossible.
When camera shake is present, the best course of action is to isolate the camera tripod from the
vibration by using the vibration isolation pads, or to relocate the camera to a surface that is not
vibrating. If this is impossible, then stabilization may be the only course of action.

How to Stabilize
To stabilize a file, press the info button at the top right of
the Motion Amplification Analysis window.

When the RDI Information window

opens, click the Recording Information
button.

This opens the “Recording

Information” window. One of the
properties is “Stabilized”. This line
indicates whether the recording has
been stabilized.
If the recording has not been stabilized
this line will read “No” and the tripod
icon will be blue, indicating the button
is clickable. To stabilize the recording
press the tripod icon.

pg. 93
 After clicking the tripod icon,
the “Stabilize Recording”
window will be displayed.
The first entry box is where
the new filename is entered.
The second dialog box allows
a choice of stabilization types.
The user can choose between
stabilizing the file based on the entire frame (default) or selecting a portion of the frame for
stabilization.
If “Use Entire Frame” is selected the file will proceed to be stabilized.

If “Specify Portion of Frame” is selected, a new window showing an image of the recording will
be displayed.
Here, an ROI can be drawn on the image which tells the software which portion of the image to
use for stabilization. This ROI needs to be drawn on a portion of the image that is not moving,
and like all ROI’s, works best if there is some degree of contrast in the ROI. Once the OK button
is pressed the software applies stabilization based on the ROI drawn.

pg. 94
 After either stabilizing from the entire
frame or a portion of the frame, a progress
window will appear indicating stabilization
is occurring.

Once stabilization is complete a

window will appear informing the
user that stabilization is complete,
and the new stabilized recording will
be loaded in the software. The
original un-stabilized recording will
be closed.

After closing the “Stabilization Complete” window the

new stabilized file will be amplified.

Once the stabilized recording is

amplified, it is now ready to be viewed.
The “Recording Information” window
will still be open and must now be closed.
Note: The Stabilized entry now reads
“Yes”, and the stabilization tripod icon
now appears grayed and inactive,
indicating the file can no longer be
stabilized.
Note: When a file is stabilized, it creates a new stabilized .rdi file. The original file is not altered.

pg. 95
 Section 5
Review
1. Are waveform displacement values affected by the Amplification Slider position in Motion
Amplification?

2. How many ROI’s can be drawn on a single Motion Amplification image?

3. Would motion that occurs at 30 Hz be visible in a Motion Amplification recording in which

a 60 Hz Low Pass Filter was applied?

4. Does the application of a Filter permanently change the original .rdi file to which it is
applied?

5. Can Acceleration in G’s be selected for Waveform Amplitude Units in the General Plot
Options window?

6. What is the format of the file created when a Motion Amplified video is exported?

7. Can the displacement of a rotating component be calculated in Motion Amplification by

drawing an ROI on it?

8. Images acquired using gain often appear very grainy after Motion Amplification is applied.
How can the Motion Amplified recording be made to appear less grainy?

pg. 96
 Section 6
Introduction to Motion Studio

Objectives:
1. Launching Motion Studio
2. Basic functions

pg. 97
Launching Motion Studio
RDI Motion Studio brings video editing capabilities into the RDI software suite.
Users can build movies from individual Motion Amplified MP4’s as well as still images. Titles can
also be included. This application helps tell a complete story when evaluating the health of an
asset using Motion Amplification.
Motion Studio can be launched from within Motion Explorer or by opening Motion Studio from the
desktop.

When launching from within

Motion Explorer highlight
the collection from where
the mp4 videos are that are
to be used in Motion Studio
and click “New Movie
Project” in the ribbon bar.

This will launch Motion

Studio and import all mp4
videos associated with the
highlighted collection in
Motion Explorer.

These videos can now be

used to build movies to
include multiple mp4’s, and
thru the “Add Content”
function additional imported
photos and mp4’s and title
pages can be added.

pg. 98
The movie created may
me previewed prior to
saving.

When the movie is ready

to be saved click on the
“File” tab and click on
“Save Movie”.

The movie will be saved

in the same collection in
the hierarchy that was
initially highlighted when
Motion Studio was
launched.

pg. 99
pg. 100
 Section 7
Maintaining the Motion
Explorer Database and Basic
Troubleshooting Tips

Objectives:
3. Import, Export, and Move Files using Motion Explorer
4. Discuss Basic Troubleshooting Tips
5. Review Software Licensing Options

pg. 101
Maintaining the Motion Explorer Database
Motion Amplification files are large. It is not uncommon to acquire and store more than 100
Gigabytes of data in a single day of data collection.
The standard Iris M acquisition unit has a hard drive of 500 GB, of which about 180 GB is used by
the preloaded applications. This leaves about 320 GB of hard drive space to store data.
So, it is recommended that after the Motion Amplification data has been analyzed and processed,
it be permanently stored on either a server with a larger hard drive, or on a portable hard drive
device. The easiest way to accomplish this task is to use the Import, Export, and Move functions
within Motion Explorer.

Exercise 18 - Data Export

The Export function allows the user to move a group of recordings (and their parent collections,
assets, and folders) from the acquisition unit to another computer or to an external hard drive.
Step 1 – In Motion Explorer, highlight the Classroom folder in the
hierarchy and click Export at the top of the window.

Step 2 – In the Export Specification

window make the following
selections:
1) Select “All Collections not
previously exported”.
2) Put a check in all three boxes.
3) Leave the default export name, and
then click the selection box…

pg. 102
 Step 3 – In the Browse for Folder window,
click “Make New Folder”, and type “Export
Example” for the name of the new folder.
Then click, “OK”.

3) The Target Directory has now

been set to the newly created
“Export Example” folder.
4) Select “Leave Collections and
associated files on computer”.
Once these four questions have
been answered, click “Next”.

Step 4 – Export Specification page 2 opens.

Make sure the desired files are selected. If
certain files are not desired, they can be
deselected in the Export column. Click Finish to
proceed with the export.

pg. 103
Step 5 - In Windows Explorer, verify that the newly created export files are inside the folder on
the hard drive named, “Export Example”.

Step 6 – In Motion Explorer, Highlight the Classroom folder

in the hierarchy and click “Remove”.

Step 7 – Select “Remove

selected item and its children
from the hierarchy and DELETE
associated files from the
computer.” And click “OK”.

Step 8 – Click “Yes”.

pg. 104
 Result - The Classroom folder and all its
contents have now been removed from
Motion Explorer.
Also, all the data files that were linked
to this hierarchy have also been deleted
from the hard drive of the acquisition
unit, freeing up space to acquire data
for other jobs.

Exercise 19 - Data Import

The Import function allows the user to import data files that were exported from another system
or restore files that were exported from this unit.

Step 1 – In Motion Explorer, highlight the company name in the

hierarchy and click Import at the top of the window.

Step 2 – Select the .exp

file that was created in
the previous exercise
and click “Open”.

pg. 105
 Step 3 – Click “Yes”.

Result – The Classroom folder has been restored to the Motion Explorer hierarchy along with all
its original contents.
Also, the actual data files have been restored to the acquisition unit hard drive in their original
locations.

pg. 106
Move Files
The move files function allows the data files to be moved from one storage
location to another. For example, from the Acquisition unit’s internal SSD to
a network server.
An important difference between move and export is that the hierarchy for
the moved files will still be shown in Motion Explorer. Their place in the
hierarchy is not altered. They are just moved from one storage location to another, most likely
to increase available disk space.
This operation can be initiated from any level of the hierarchy. If it is initiated at a level in the
hierarchy above an individual file, all the files below the selected item will be moved.

Once a destination directory is

specified and “OK” is pressed, a
progress bar will be displayed.

After the move is complete, the hierarchy within Motion Explorer remains unchanged, as long as
a connection exists between the acquisition unit and the server or drive to where the files were
moved.
However, if the acquisition unit becomes disconnected from the server or drive where the moved
files reside, the affected levels of the hierarchy in Motion Explorer will have a faded, or grayed-
out appearance, and will not be functional if selected.

pg. 107
Troubleshooting
Lighting brightens and dims during playback/Motion Amplification.
For indoor recording, check the framerate (fps) during acquisition. If the frame rate is set at a
frequency other than 2x the line frequency a beating (beat frequency) between the frame rate
and lighting may occur.
Note: This light beating can be filtered out.
Motion Appears across the entire image.
It is possible the camera was shaking during acquisition. Ensure vibration reduction pads were
used during acquisition.
Motions seem too slow or stops when I adjust playback speed of the amplified recording.
It is possible to select a playback speed that affects the way the motion appears in the recording.
This is the classic “Wagon Wheel Effect”.
For example, if a motion is at 30 Hz and you select a 30fps playback it may appear stopped or
without motion. To accommodate this, it is recommended to try multiple playback speeds to see
what works best for the specific motion you are trying to illustrate.
It is recommended to start from the slowest playback speed and work up until a suitable playback
speed is achieved.
For more troubleshooting and general support see the RDI Technology Support page.
http://www.rditechnologies.com/support

pg. 108
pg. 109