Using the Leap Motion Controller Settings Dialog

This article describes the Leap Motion Controller Settings dialog, which you use to set the available options for your Leap Motion Controller.

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Overview

The Leap Motion software communicates with the Leap Motion Controller hardware and transmits hand tracking data to Leap-enabled applications. Thus, the Leap Motion service (Windows) or daemon (Mac and Linux) must be running when you access Leap Motion data in your application. A separate Leap Motion task bar or menu bar application allows the user to control his or her Leap Motion software.

When the Leap application is running, it displays an icon in the notification area of the Windows Taskbar or Mac Finder bar. When the Leap device is plugged in and working properly, the icon turns green. The icon will flash yellow while the software is initializing and turn red if an error has occurred.

When you first run the Leap Motion software, it checks to see if you have logged in with your Leap Motion developer credentials and whether you have the calibration file for your Leap Motion device, which is necessary to run the Leap. The Leap Motion software automatically downloads the calibration file for your device after you log in.

Leap Motion Settings

You can adjust the behavior of the Leap Motion system using the Leap Motion Settings dialog.

On the Tracking page, you can set options affecting tracking, such as the operating mode (see Operating modes) and reverse the horizontal orientation with the Reverse Orientation button.

On the Logging page, you can set log file options, save the current log to a file, and set automatic bug reporting options.

On the Screen page you can register the relationship between the Leap Motion device and a selected monitor so that the Leap Motion software can accurately calculate the intersection of the screen with rays projected from fingers and tools. See Screen location.

On the WebSocket page, you can enable and disable the WebSocket server. The WebSocket server provides JSON-formatted tracking data to Web and other types of applications that connect through the WebSocket protocol.

On the Advanced page, you can adjust the Leap Motion frame rate and light sensitivity. Use these controls to test your application under a variety of conditions. You can also globally disable background applications from receiving Leap Motion tracking data.

Operating modes

The Leap Motion system has several operating modes which determine how the system analyzes data. The following modes are user-selectable from the Settings dialog of the Leap Motion application:

The Robust Mode improves the reliability of the tracking data in bright lighting conditions. Robust mode allows the Leap Motion Controller to operate in a wider range of environmental conditions; however, other performance characteristics may be reduced. The main effects on performance are that there will be increased processing latency and very fast motions by the user will cause a loss of tracking data.

The Leap Motion Controller automatically drops into robust mode when lighting conditions become poor. The Leap Motion switches back into the last user-selected operating mode when lighting conditions improve, but will remain in robust mode for at least 30 seconds. The Leap Motion task bar or menu bar icon changes from green to yellow when in this mode.

When the Leap Motion enters robust mode because it detects bad lighting conditions, it saves a diagnostic file. If the cause of the lighting problem is not obvious, you can send this diagnostic file to Leap Motion. This information helps us improve the lighting analysis algorithms. See Reporting bugs for information about diagnostic files.

Device recalibration

If the sensors on the Leap Motion Controller are knocked out of their initial alignment, the device must be recalibrated. Symptoms that may indicate the need to recalibrate include:

  • Persistent jumpiness
  • Frequent discontinuities in the tracking data
  • Aberrations in tracking data that occur only in certain areas of the field of view
  • Poor tracking range

You can look for these symptoms using the the Leap Motion Visualizer.

To recalibrate your Leap Motion Controller:

  1. Open the Leap Motion application menu using the icon on the Windows Taskbar or Mac Finder bar.
  2. Select the Recalibrate command.
  3. Follow the on-screen instructions to perform the calibration procedure.
images/Leap_Recalibrate.png

You will need a flat, reflective surface. A mirror is ideal, but many other reflective surfaces like a flat screen monitor will work accetably as well. During the procedure, hold the Leap Motion Controller so that the LEDs shine on the reflective surface and are reflected back into the top of the device. The calibration window displays a disk that moves as you change the angle between the surface and the device. Rotate the controller to move this disc so that it "paints" the window. Moving the Leap Motion Controller up and down or side to side does not adversely affect the calibration, but calibration requires rotation.

Reporting bugs

If you are having problems with the Leap Motion software or hardware, please contact us so we can help you resolve the issue. You can submit reports on the Leap Motion Developer Portal or by using the Bug Report form of the Leap Motion application.

We may ask you to reproduce the issue on your device and record some diagnostic information which you can send to Leap Motion to help us assess the problem. You can start and stop the recording of diagnostic information from the Leap Motion Bug Report form. The data is compressed and encrypted and is not useful for your local application debugging. The data recorded can grow large over time, so we do not recommend recording diagnostics for an extended period.

To report a bug,

  1. Open the Leap Motion application menu using the icon on the Windows Taskbar or Mac Finder bar.
  2. Select the Report Bug command.
  3. On the Bug Report form, select the reason that best fits your bug from the Reason drop-down list.
  4. Add any important details, such as how to reproduce your bug in the Details section.
  5. For some types of bugs, you will be asked to record diagnostic information.
  6. When finished, click the Send button. Your bug information and recorded diagnostics will be sent to Leap Motion.

If you are asked to record diagnostic information,

  1. Press the Record button.
  2. Reproduce the problem (it may help to have the Leap Motion Visualizer running).
  3. Press the Stop button after a short period of time.
  4. Click Send to upload the diagnostic file to Leap Motion for analysis.

Automatic bug reporting

The Leap Motion application provides the option to automatically send us diagnostic information when certain types of errors are encountered by the Leap Motion system. This option defaults to off, but we encourage you to turn it on to help us improve the Leap Motion software.

To turn on automatic bug reporting,

  1. Open the Leap Motion application menu using the icon on the Windows Taskbar or Mac Finder bar.
  2. Select the Settings... command.
  3. On the Leap Motion Settings dialog, click the Logging tab.
  4. Check the Auto-Send Bug Reports option.
  5. Click OK.

Application log

To view events related to the Leap Motion application, open the application log using the Leap Motion application menu from the Windows Taskbar or Mac Finder bar. If you are having problems, we may ask you to save the log and send it to Leap Motion to help us assess the problem. You can save the log from the Logging page of the settings dialog.

Screen location

Screen Location is only needed to use the Screen class in the Leap Motion API. All other features of the Leap Motion system work without running the Screen Locator tool.

You can use the Screen Locator tool to register the position and orientation of a monitor in relation to the Leap Motion device.

Establishing the location of a screen is not required for most features of the Leap Motion system to work correctly. However, when a monitor's position is known, a Leap-enabled application can access additional information. This information includes the coordinates and orientation of the screen within the Leap Motion coordinate system as well as the intersection points between the screen and rays projected from fingers and tools.

The Screen Location tool must be run whenever the Leap Motion Controller or the monitor are moved.

To register the location of a screen:

  1. Place the Leap Motion device in the desired position relative to the monitor.

  2. Launch the Leap Motion application and open the Settings dialog using the Leap Motion application menu.

  3. Click the Screen tab on the Settings window.

  4. Select the monitor to locate from the detected screens list (if more than one monitor is attached to your computer).

  5. Click the Locate Screen button.

  6. The Leap Motion software opens a full screen window on the selected monitor and provides instructions on how to complete the process.

    During the procedure, the Screen Locator application displays a sequence of circles. Place a tool or finger into the Leap Motion Controller's field of view and point at each displayed circle in turn. The circle will change color when you are pointing close enough to the circle. The more accurately you point, the more accurate the results. It may help to sight along the tool or finger while pointing.

  7. Click the OK or Apply button when finished.

You can view the location results in the Leap Motion Visualizer. (Press the B key while in the Visualizer to display the computed screen bounds and finger-screen intersection points.)

See Screen API for information on using screen location information in a Leap-enabled application.


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Leap Motion proprietary and confidential. Not for distribution. Use subject to the terms of the Leap Motion SDK Agreement available at https://developer.leapmotion.com/sdk_agreement, or another agreement between Leap Motion and you, your company or other organization.