Track Data Overlay for Gopro 3+ Black
02-09-2014, 02:04 PM
#1
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Track Data Overlay for Gopro 3+ Black
Guys,
Could anyone point me to a thread that discusses options for software and GPS devices that work with the Gopro 3+ Black Edition? The camera works great for other applications and I would like to use it for track days. I would like to have the typical stuff like speedo, tach, track map, G's, etc.
I have seen that a lot of people use Traqmate stuff but I have heard that they do not have an interface / software for the Hero 3.
Thanks very much for the help!
Could anyone point me to a thread that discusses options for software and GPS devices that work with the Gopro 3+ Black Edition? The camera works great for other applications and I would like to use it for track days. I would like to have the typical stuff like speedo, tach, track map, G's, etc.
I have seen that a lot of people use Traqmate stuff but I have heard that they do not have an interface / software for the Hero 3.
Thanks very much for the help!
02-09-2014, 02:35 PM
#2
Nordschleife Master
Just went through this with 2 customers. Both bought a new GoPro 3+. Both opted for selling the GoPro 3+ Black (still have one for sale with remote and rollbar mounts used once, $340 shipping included) for a new SmartyCam with ECU bridge.
02-09-2014, 04:57 PM
#3
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1) The easiest to use and to put the information logged on the GP 3+ video, then burn a file for a lap or the whole session is probably Traqmate.
Traqmate works fine with the GoPro 3+ Black, you just need to turn the devices on separately, turn them off separately, then download both files (video and data), then sync it manually.
This typically takes me about 5-12 minutes from the time you come in and go through the motions to the point where you can see "intelligent video" (information that you've put down as important to you overlaid on the HD video.)
The lease expensive way is to buy a Traqmate Basic or Classic Complete, a tachometer (RPM) input and TraqStudio, the software to blend it both together. $699 plus a $39 serial to USB, $49 for the RPM input and $199 for the software.
There are very, very powerful things you can do with this setup, particularly in the fact that the software assembles a video fastest theoretical lap (all your best segments, or best individual corners from the WHOLE session) from the GoPro 3+ video. An amazing carrot that shows you what works and what is better or not. You can add track map with one button.
Example of GoPro HD 2 video with this setup here:
2) Another way is to purchase an AiM Solo ($399) and a third-party software like Trackvision, Dashware or my favorite, Race Render ($39). You export a .csv file from the logger, import the matching video and the data in .csv form into the software, sync it and let it crunch. This takes about 30-45 minutes per session, typically, and you need to be patient and have a computer that can crunch the 3+ enormous video files... It's somewhat more of a PITA, and no way of geting RPM or car info other than speed, g's, track position and lap timing, but sometimes, that's enough.
Demo of Race Render (using a Replay HD 720 standalone camera) of the great Brian Redman at Laguna Seca last year in an Aston Martin Group C car from the late Eighties here:
You can get throttle position, brake pressure (on some of the 2012+ cars), temperatures and other things. I've sold four dozen of the cameras (mostly with loggers) over the winter and people REALLY like them. I do, too.
The nicest attribute of the SmartyCam HD (with an ECU or RPM Bridge, or a logger like the Solo DL, which can supply power and GPS antenna info to the camera, all of these function as a "translator" of the vehicle's information to the camera), is that the video is written with the information REAL-TIME.
Pull the chip out and there it is. No muss, no fuss. The video and image stabilization is fantastic!
Here is an example of The AiM SmartyCam HD (fed car data from an EVO 4) on my older car at a "gimmick race" at Roebling a few weeks ago:
Here is a picture of the camera in a 2012 Cayman R I installed yesterday:
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Last edited by ProCoach; 02-09-2014 at 05:37 PM.
02-09-2014, 09:20 PM
#4
Rennlist Member
Peter and the experts have hit the big notes. I'll throw in one more amateur-ish option: Harry's Lap Timer. It's an iOS/android app that can provide similar data to the ecu bridge solutions listed above (plus it's built in gps, gmeter, etc) when paired with a Bluetooth or Wifi obd module. It is capable of recording it's own video or you can have it just log data and add videos later, once added it is capable of overlaying the data on the video and rendering it all out in just a few minutes (by using the dedicated video hardware present in today's smartphones)
You can see an example in my thread about big willow this morning. That is data collected by HLT with no ecu bridge (as my 76 has no obd), and then I quickly snipped down 2 go pro videos of the lap and added them to Harrys and rendered the video.
As I understand it from experts like Peter, it really comes down to your need and use case. As they explained to me the most requested and applicable use of data overlaid on video for teaching should happen quickly between sessions so you can review and adjust on the fly. For that, the smartyhd seems to be the winner.
In my case, I don't mind tinkering a little bit after the weekend and adding data to make more interesting videos, but it's certainly not as simple. That said, it wasn't horrible, I probably spent about 1.5 hrs in the hotel room syncing the videos, trimming, moving to phone and rendering out. To be fair, I was learning everything as I was doing it for the first time, I'm sure the next one would be in that 30-45 min window like some of the other post processed solutions mentioned above.
You can see an example in my thread about big willow this morning. That is data collected by HLT with no ecu bridge (as my 76 has no obd), and then I quickly snipped down 2 go pro videos of the lap and added them to Harrys and rendered the video.
As I understand it from experts like Peter, it really comes down to your need and use case. As they explained to me the most requested and applicable use of data overlaid on video for teaching should happen quickly between sessions so you can review and adjust on the fly. For that, the smartyhd seems to be the winner.
In my case, I don't mind tinkering a little bit after the weekend and adding data to make more interesting videos, but it's certainly not as simple. That said, it wasn't horrible, I probably spent about 1.5 hrs in the hotel room syncing the videos, trimming, moving to phone and rendering out. To be fair, I was learning everything as I was doing it for the first time, I'm sure the next one would be in that 30-45 min window like some of the other post processed solutions mentioned above.
02-09-2014, 09:32 PM
#5
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Peter and the experts have hit the big notes. I'll throw in one more amateur-ish option: Harry's Lap Timer. It's an iOS/android app that can provide similar data to the ecu bridge solutions listed above (plus it's built in gps, gmeter, etc) when paired with a Bluetooth or Wifi obd module. It is capable of recording it's own video or you can have it just log data and add videos later, once added it is capable of overlaying the data on the video and rendering it all out in just a few minutes (by using the dedicated video hardware present in today's smartphones)
You can see an example in my thread about big willow this morning. That is data collected by HLT with no ecu bridge (as my 76 has no obd), and then I quickly snipped down 2 go pro videos of the lap and added them to Harrys and rendered the video.
As I understand it from experts like Peter, it really comes down to your need and use case. As they explained to me the most requested and applicable use of data overlaid on video for teaching should happen quickly between sessions so you can review and adjust on the fly. For that, the smartyhd seems to be the winner.
In my case, I don't mind tinkering a little bit after the weekend and adding data to make more interesting videos, but it's certainly not as simple. That said, it wasn't horrible, I probably spent about 1.5 hrs in the hotel room syncing the videos, trimming, moving to phone and rendering out. To be fair, I was learning everything as I was doing it for the first time, I'm sure the next one would be in that 30-45 min window like some of the other post processed solutions mentioned above.
You can see an example in my thread about big willow this morning. That is data collected by HLT with no ecu bridge (as my 76 has no obd), and then I quickly snipped down 2 go pro videos of the lap and added them to Harrys and rendered the video.
As I understand it from experts like Peter, it really comes down to your need and use case. As they explained to me the most requested and applicable use of data overlaid on video for teaching should happen quickly between sessions so you can review and adjust on the fly. For that, the smartyhd seems to be the winner.
In my case, I don't mind tinkering a little bit after the weekend and adding data to make more interesting videos, but it's certainly not as simple. That said, it wasn't horrible, I probably spent about 1.5 hrs in the hotel room syncing the videos, trimming, moving to phone and rendering out. To be fair, I was learning everything as I was doing it for the first time, I'm sure the next one would be in that 30-45 min window like some of the other post processed solutions mentioned above.
And I've enjoyed HLT since 2008. They now have a link up with the VBOX Sport for more accurate GPS sample data (20Hz), WAY better than the iPhone.
02-09-2014, 10:46 PM
#6
Race Director
Another super simple easy product that is plug and play with instant data review and video is Race Keeper. Only issue is it in not HD.
I've been doing less and less DE and am selling my Race Keeper with 2 cameras and OBDII cable and Blu Tooth dongle to use iPhone for visible lap timer.
I've been doing less and less DE and am selling my Race Keeper with 2 cameras and OBDII cable and Blu Tooth dongle to use iPhone for visible lap timer.
02-10-2014, 10:19 AM
#7
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Spoke to Traqmate within the past two weeks and Traqmate will NOT work with Hero3 or Hero 3+ right now. Only Hero 2 models. They are working on a solution but said it will take some time.
You can do this and do it several ways with a variety of equipment and software, depends on how much work you want to do.
1) The easiest to use and to put the information logged on the GP 3+ video, then burn a file for a lap or the whole session is probably Traqmate.
Traqmate works fine with the GoPro 3+ Black, you just need to turn the devices on separately, turn them off separately, then download both files (video and data), then sync it manually.
This typically takes me about 5-12 minutes from the time you come in and go through the motions to the point where you can see "intelligent video" (information that you've put down as important to you overlaid on the HD video.)
The lease expensive way is to buy a Traqmate Basic or Classic Complete, a tachometer (RPM) input and TraqStudio, the software to blend it both together. $699 plus a $39 serial to USB, $49 for the RPM input and $199 for the software.
There are very, very powerful things you can do with this setup, particularly in the fact that the software assembles a video fastest theoretical lap (all your best segments, or best individual corners from the WHOLE session) from the GoPro 3+ video. An amazing carrot that shows you what works and what is better or not. You can add track map with one button.
Example of GoPro HD 2 video with this setup here: http://youtu.be/TOR6U1LtxNA
2) Another way is to purchase an AiM Solo ($399) and a third-party software like Trackvision, Dashware or my favorite, Race Render ($39). You export a .csv file from the logger, import the matching video and the data in .csv form into the software, sync it and let it crunch. This takes about 30-45 minutes per session, typically, and you need to be patient and have a computer that can crunch the 3+ enormous video files... It's somewhat more of a PITA, and no way of geting RPM or car info other than speed, g's, track position and lap timing, but sometimes, that's enough.
Demo of Race Render (using a Replay HD 720 standalone camera) of the great Brian Redman at Laguna Seca last year in an Aston Martin Group C car from the late Eighties here: http://youtu.be/s6v_niMRJAM
The SmartyCam HD ($1148 with optional GPS antenna, which must be used without a logger) and the ECU Bridge ($249, also supplies power to the camera) is a terrific option for newer cars because you can put a lot more information ONTO the video than the Traqmate/GoPro 3+ or Solo/GoPro 3+ combo. For an older car, use the SmartyCam HD and the RPM Bridge ($219) to do the same thing.
You can get throttle position, brake pressure (on some of the 2012+ cars), temperatures and other things. I've sold four dozen of the cameras (mostly with loggers) over the winter and people REALLY like them. I do, too.
The nicest attribute of the SmartyCam HD (with an ECU or RPM Bridge, or a logger like the Solo DL, which can supply power and GPS antenna info to the camera, all of these function as a "translator" of the vehicle's information to the camera), is that the video is written with the information REAL-TIME.
Pull the chip out and there it is. No muss, no fuss. The video and image stabilization is fantastic!
Here is an example of The AiM SmartyCam HD (fed car data from an EVO 4) on my older car at a "gimmick race" at Roebling a few weeks ago: http://youtu.be/DAzS5ISgzHg
Here is a picture of the camera in a 2012 Cayman R I installed yesterday:
1) The easiest to use and to put the information logged on the GP 3+ video, then burn a file for a lap or the whole session is probably Traqmate.
Traqmate works fine with the GoPro 3+ Black, you just need to turn the devices on separately, turn them off separately, then download both files (video and data), then sync it manually.
This typically takes me about 5-12 minutes from the time you come in and go through the motions to the point where you can see "intelligent video" (information that you've put down as important to you overlaid on the HD video.)
The lease expensive way is to buy a Traqmate Basic or Classic Complete, a tachometer (RPM) input and TraqStudio, the software to blend it both together. $699 plus a $39 serial to USB, $49 for the RPM input and $199 for the software.
There are very, very powerful things you can do with this setup, particularly in the fact that the software assembles a video fastest theoretical lap (all your best segments, or best individual corners from the WHOLE session) from the GoPro 3+ video. An amazing carrot that shows you what works and what is better or not. You can add track map with one button.
Example of GoPro HD 2 video with this setup here: http://youtu.be/TOR6U1LtxNA
2) Another way is to purchase an AiM Solo ($399) and a third-party software like Trackvision, Dashware or my favorite, Race Render ($39). You export a .csv file from the logger, import the matching video and the data in .csv form into the software, sync it and let it crunch. This takes about 30-45 minutes per session, typically, and you need to be patient and have a computer that can crunch the 3+ enormous video files... It's somewhat more of a PITA, and no way of geting RPM or car info other than speed, g's, track position and lap timing, but sometimes, that's enough.
Demo of Race Render (using a Replay HD 720 standalone camera) of the great Brian Redman at Laguna Seca last year in an Aston Martin Group C car from the late Eighties here: http://youtu.be/s6v_niMRJAM
The SmartyCam HD ($1148 with optional GPS antenna, which must be used without a logger) and the ECU Bridge ($249, also supplies power to the camera) is a terrific option for newer cars because you can put a lot more information ONTO the video than the Traqmate/GoPro 3+ or Solo/GoPro 3+ combo. For an older car, use the SmartyCam HD and the RPM Bridge ($219) to do the same thing.
You can get throttle position, brake pressure (on some of the 2012+ cars), temperatures and other things. I've sold four dozen of the cameras (mostly with loggers) over the winter and people REALLY like them. I do, too.
The nicest attribute of the SmartyCam HD (with an ECU or RPM Bridge, or a logger like the Solo DL, which can supply power and GPS antenna info to the camera, all of these function as a "translator" of the vehicle's information to the camera), is that the video is written with the information REAL-TIME.
Pull the chip out and there it is. No muss, no fuss. The video and image stabilization is fantastic!
Here is an example of The AiM SmartyCam HD (fed car data from an EVO 4) on my older car at a "gimmick race" at Roebling a few weeks ago: http://youtu.be/DAzS5ISgzHg
Here is a picture of the camera in a 2012 Cayman R I installed yesterday:
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02-10-2014, 11:50 AM
#8
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You are speaking of the automated power and recording turn-on, turn-off feature that is optional and requires a TraqSync cable or TraqData interface box between the Traqmate and the camera.
While changes in the hardware in the GoPro Hero 2 and the Hero 3/3+ broke that functionality, it is still possible to manually turn on and off the camera and overlay the data over the video without much trouble at all.
The interface designed and tested for the Hero 2 will turn ON the Hero 3/3+, but it won't turn it off.
To repeat, you DO NOT NEED a connection or cable between the Traqmate and the GoPro Hero 3/3+ to yield data laden video through use of the software made by Traqmate.
I did say that in the first reply to the OP...
02-12-2014, 11:54 AM
#11
Rennlist Member
GotHP, a few comments from a newer user of this stuff: Used HLT for a few events, it works ok, and I had the external GPS for better accuracy, but it's just a bit of a pain. The biggest/best feature I liked was having all your laps on the phone, and being able to tag one, then compare on the map to see speed/braking compared across the track, and do it very easily. There are a lot quirky almost incomplete feeling features and the UI is not intuitive. I have been able to use it to gather data (timing, speeds, gs, etc) and then use a go pro using race render after the fact to merge the two for videos. This works fine, and race render is easy to use after a couple shots at it. The video overlay of HLT can only do one lap at a time for overlay, then you have to get those videos outside HLT and merge them. For a basic, low cost tool its not bad. Also, it only connects with ODB if you want engine info, and that's limited/slow. So if all you want is timing, plus to get video, HLT is pretty good and low cost. Oh, HLT can supposedly connect to your hero black via wifi and start/stop it. I just start them both manually, never tried the feature.
I just picked up an AIM Solo DL and installed it yesterday, this is an all in one unit that will get all the timing + engine info at the same time, at high speed. I plan to use this with my go pro for now, and use race render to overlay the data on the videos after the fact. Knowing how lazy I am I'll probably eventually pickup a smartycam... for one-stop shopping. The AIM gives you the real-time display + GPS + ECU connection + power for the smartycam. The software the AIM comes with is stupid powerful, and a bit complex, but I know I can use it as the learning tool I want/need.
The one-stop shop make it easy is the aim solo dl + the smartycam, start driving, pull the memory card out with data when done. At a price though... then the prices go up from there. Someone has a very nice 4 camera setup for sale here!
I just picked up an AIM Solo DL and installed it yesterday, this is an all in one unit that will get all the timing + engine info at the same time, at high speed. I plan to use this with my go pro for now, and use race render to overlay the data on the videos after the fact. Knowing how lazy I am I'll probably eventually pickup a smartycam... for one-stop shopping. The AIM gives you the real-time display + GPS + ECU connection + power for the smartycam. The software the AIM comes with is stupid powerful, and a bit complex, but I know I can use it as the learning tool I want/need.
The one-stop shop make it easy is the aim solo dl + the smartycam, start driving, pull the memory card out with data when done. At a price though... then the prices go up from there. Someone has a very nice 4 camera setup for sale here!
02-12-2014, 12:10 PM
#12
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I just picked up an AIM Solo DL and installed it yesterday, this is an all in one unit that will get all the timing + engine info at the same time, at high speed.
Knowing how lazy I am I'll probably eventually pickup a smartycam... for one-stop shopping.
The AIM gives you the real-time display + GPS + ECU connection + power for the smartycam.
The software the AIM comes with is stupid powerful, and a bit complex, but I know I can use it as the learning tool I want/need.
The one-stop shop make it easy is the aim solo dl + the smartycam, start driving, pull the memory card out with data when done.
At a price though... then the prices go up from there. Someone has a very nice 4 camera setup for sale here!
Knowing how lazy I am I'll probably eventually pickup a smartycam... for one-stop shopping.
The AIM gives you the real-time display + GPS + ECU connection + power for the smartycam.
The software the AIM comes with is stupid powerful, and a bit complex, but I know I can use it as the learning tool I want/need.
The one-stop shop make it easy is the aim solo dl + the smartycam, start driving, pull the memory card out with data when done.
At a price though... then the prices go up from there. Someone has a very nice 4 camera setup for sale here!
No one has as much time as they need at the racetrack, and if you want to get benefit from these tools between sessions, so you can craft a plan for the next session, this is a great setup!
I sell that combo as pre-packaged, pre-configured and set up with the tracks the driver is going to, as much as possible to be PnP.
Even though I am familiar with "reading" data, I was cowed and intimidated by the various display and scaling options of AiM's Race Studio 2 software, but improvements over the last few years and terrific learning resources like Roger Caddell's online Vimeo tutorials have made the curve much less steep.
After using Traqmate Traqview, Race-Keeper Comparo and Video VBox Circuit Tools 2 software for many years (all of which I continue to sell and support), I have come to appreciate AiM's powerful software and prefer it on my car. I sell MoTeC too, if money is NO object!
AFA four camera and multi camera setups, I find that to be less of a return of the significantly increased buy in investment. I sell the Race-Keeper and Video VBox Pro, which both offer four camera capability, but I do not recommend them for driver improvement at the Club and HPDE level.
Sounds like a great plan you have there and you've supplied the reason I've sent out half a dozen Solo DL's (more than half with SmartyCam HD's) to former users of HLT in the last ten days!
Good luck!
02-15-2014, 11:27 AM
#13
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Thread Starter
I just picked up an AIM Solo DL and installed it yesterday, this is an all in one unit that will get all the timing + engine info at the same time, at high speed. I plan to use this with my go pro for now, and use race render to overlay the data on the videos after the fact. Knowing how lazy I am I'll probably eventually pickup a smartycam... for one-stop shopping. The AIM gives you the real-time display + GPS + ECU connection + power for the smartycam. The software the AIM comes with is stupid powerful, and a bit complex, but I know I can use it as the learning tool I want/need.
02-17-2014, 12:30 PM
#15
Rennlist Member
Gopro 3 black (not the +). I would like to sort out an audio solution, though. A lot of options but for whatever reason go pro decided to remove the separate audio input on the 3 series, so you need to use the USB connection which means you lose power, they make a combo cable but it's bulky. I'll figure something out eventually, not that perfect audio is a requirement for what I bought this thing for