Environment Setup Guidance
This guide provides environmental requirements and recommendations for optimal VIO, SLAM and Scene Understandingperformance on Spectacles.
Understanding Environmental Requirements
Visual tracking systems rely on environmental features and stable lighting to function effectively. The quality of your environment directly impacts tracking stability, power consumption, and user experience.
Key Systems
- VIO (Visual-Inertial Odometry): Tracks position and rotation (trajectory) over time by identifying features in the surrounding area
- SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping): Builds a map of the environment while simultaneously determining Spectacles' position within that map, enabling spatial awareness and persistent anchoring
- Scene Understanding: Determines depth and surfaces in the environment
Why Environment Matters
- Feature Detection: The system identifies unique visual points (corners, edges, textures) to establish spatial reference
- Light Dependency: Insufficient lighting forces longer camera exposure times, increasing motion blur and power usage
- Pattern Recognition: Repetitive or uniform patterns confuse the system, leading to tracking drift
- Thermal Impact: Environmental temperature affects device thermals, which directly influence runtime and performance throttling
Reference Specifications
Lighting
| Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|
| Minimum LUX | 100 LUX is recommended (some tracking possible below this) |
| Measurement Point | Reflected light from walls and floors, not direct light sources |
| Impact Below Minimum | Degraded tracking quality, increased power usage, especially during fast motion (rotating or running) |
Add overhead or diffused lighting to maintain consistent levels across the space.
Visual Features
| Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|
| Features per Viewpoint | Several unique and corner-rich features |
| Feature Distribution | Every viewing direction should contain distinct visual markers |
| Issues | Insufficient features or repetitive uniform patterns that have fewer than 2 unique features per view can result in mapping drift and tracking loss |
Add stickers, posters, decals, or textured props on walls and floors to enhance feature richness.
Recommended Environmental Elements
Effective Items
| Surface | Recommended Items |
|---|---|
| Walls | Posters with bold designs, geometric decals, 3D textured panels |
| Floors | Contrasting rugs, floor stickers (shapes, arrows, checkerboards), geometric mats |
| Props | Small cubes, stools, plinths, textured display objects |
| Plants | Cactuses, succulents (static geometry, corner-rich) |
Items to Avoid
| Item | Reason |
|---|---|
| Tape lines | Only 2–4 corners and repetitive which can confuse the system |
| Leafy plants | Move with airflow, disrupting tracking |
| Duplicate graphics | Repetitive patterns cause system confusion |
| Large uniform surfaces | Provide insufficient feature differentiation |
Spatial Layout Guidelines
- Break up large open spaces with distinct markers or props
- Place features at varied heights and angles
- Ensure every direction has visually distinct characteristics
- Avoid environments where multiple viewpoints look identical
Temperature and Cooling
| Parameter | Impact |
|---|---|
| Ambient Temperature | Directly affects thermal performance and runtime |
| Higher Temperature Environment | Accelerates device heating and can cause earlier throttling, thermal standby mode, or shutdown |
| Lens Power Budget | Over-budget lenses and high ambient temp will reduced device runtime |
Ensure good airflow, minimize direct sunlight exposure and maintain cooler ambient conditions to maximize device runtime and stability. For Lens optimization, see performance-optimization for lens optimization guidance.
Validation Tools
Point Cloud Lens
Use Point Cloud lens (CV 6DoF Points) to visualize how the SLAM system perceives features in your space.
| Point Color | Meaning | Indication |
|---|---|---|
| Green | High confidence features | Strong tracking expected |
| Red | Low confidence features | These features may be discarded and tracking may struggle |
Interpretation:
- Abundance of red points: SLAM system likely struggling with tracking
- Abundance of green points: SLAM system should provide stable tracking
While mapping uses different technology for point re-detection, VIO struggles indicate mapping will also be negatively impacted.
Quick Reference Checklist
Use this checklist when setting up or troubleshooting your environment:
- Lighting measures 100+ LUX on walls and floors
- Each viewpoint contains several unique and corner-rich features
- Removed or replaced tape lines with varied graphics or 3D props
- Added non-repetitive visual elements (posters, decals, props)
- Using static plants only (cactuses/succulents, not leafy plants)
- Large spaces broken up with distinct markers at varied heights
- Good airflow and ambient temperature control in place
- Validated environment with Point Cloud Lens (abundant green points)