System Design
The System Design is the foundation to any zactrack setup. This step is crucial and cannot be overlooked. Having a complete understanding of how the system is designed to fit into your show and venue will ensure its success.
Assistance from someone with experience and first hand knowledge about planning a tracking system is advised when planning out your setup. If you are setting up for the first time this guide below will give you the basic understanding of how to proceed. However for a more complex setups we advise getting training from a zactrack technician.
Plan the anchors around your tracking area. Based on TWR technology it is possible to walk outside of this "box".
Depending on the used product there are differently sized applications possible. Hardware Overview
MINI Size 15m x 15m | 50ft x 50ft
SMART Size 30m x 30m | 100ft x 100ft
PRO up to stadium
Tip
In case of bigger venues please contact us!
The Anchors should be asymmetric around your tracking area. For 3D tracking, different height levels of the anchors are also necessary.
Don't hide anchors behind large loudspeakers, video walls or large equipment
Radio waves can travel thru non metallic materials. Therefore, it is not necessary to have a visible connection when an anchor is behind materials like cloth, cardboard, plastic, or wood.
Warning
Pay attention to metal constructions of the venue
Use pipes to downrig the Anchor
In the tracking area there need to be 4 anchors in range to calculate a position
MINI <15m / 50ft
SMART <30m / 100ft
PRO <50m / 165ft
Warning
4 Anchors is the absolute minimum! For redundancy plan more than 4 Anchors!
70% of the human body is made up of water. UWB radio waves can be completely blocked by body parts. Placing the zactrack Tracker between two hands will render it invisible to the Anchor antennas.
Optimal Tracker Placement
Good radio tracking results rely on the optimal placement of zactrack Trackers on the performer .The best placement for redundancy and secure tracking is by using two Trackers per actor.
Trackers should be placed on a high position on the body to have direct radio "visibility" to as many ANCHORS as possible. The TRACKER must reach at least 4 Anchors to get a valid 3D position.
Using only one Tracker is not optimal .Try to position it as high up as possible, best on top of the head. (under a hat or in the hair dress).
TRACKERS can be hidden under the cloth of the costume.