MFSM || frequently asked questions

Alexandre R.J. François

Code release version: 0.8
ARJF © 2001-2006

Note: The FAQ for MFSM 0.7 and previous versions can be downloaded from the MFSM project site on SourceForge.net.

contents

General

• Where to start?
• What is a (your favorite SAI term)?
• Where can I get more information about SAI?

FSF

• Does Fsf work with my operating system?

Programming

Debugging

• Why is the process method in a cell not called?

Modules

• How do I get webcam input on Linux?

general

Where to Start?

You are new to the whole project, and you just don't know where to start... Here are a couple of pointers:

1. Read the introduction to get an idea of what this is all about
2. Follow the user guide

What is a (your favorite SAI term)?

You can consult the glossary for a quick refresher on SAI terms.

Where can I get more information about SAI?

You can refer to the SAI page for the latest publications on SAI, its implementation and its applications.

The most recent and up-to-date description of SAI can be found in the following Technical Report: Software Architecture for Computer Vision: Beyond Pipes and Filters, by Alexandre R.J. François, IRIS Technical Report IRIS-03-420,University of Southern California, Los Angeles, July 2003.

FSF

Does Fsf work with my operating system?

Fsf 0.8 is coded in portable ANSI C++, and has been successfully tested on Linux, Mac OS X and Win32/Cygwin. A slightly modified version for the Win32 platform, that compiles with MSVC++, is available in a separate release. Both flavors can be downloaded from the MFSM project site on SourceForge.net.

Note that cross-platform modules should compile and work with either version of 0.8.

programming

debug

Why is the process method in a cell not called?

There are two main reasons why the process method would not be called:

• the cell is not active (passive filtering fails: the parameters are not found)
• the cell is not triggered (active filtering fails: no input data in the active pulse)

So here are a couple of things to check:

1. make sure your cells and sources are connected correctly,
2. check the filters in the cells (both active and passive) and make sure they match what is actually in the pulses (active and passive)

modules

How do I get webcam input on Linux?

The Philips USB Wecam Driver for Linux (PWC) is currently maintained by Luc Saillard. The current development version of the MFSM PWC-based Input module has been tested with version 10.0.4 of the driver. The Compilation and installation page gives a detailed step-by-step list of instructions.

A current development version of the PwcInput module is available in the MFSM CVS repository, in module "Modules". The PwcInput module implements the interface I/O pattern in its "push" flavor: the device drives the pulse generation. The module uses the Video4Linux API as well as the PWC API. A PwcStereoInput module, also available on in the MFSM CVS repository, implements synchronized simultaneous input from 2 sources.