3D (Stereoscopic) Camera streamer using Raspberry Pi and two Pi Cameras in a ProtoStax Enclosure.
You can either use a Raspberry Pi 5 which can support two camera inputs, or use two Raspberry Pi Zeros
Optionally Stack with ProtoStax Enclosure for RPI UPSPack Standard V3 (with the Raspberry Pi Zero setup) for a portable setup with backup power.
using
- 1x Raspberry Pi 5 OR 2x Raspberry Pi Zero W
- 2x Pi Camera V2
- EITHER ProtoStax Enclosure for Raspberry Pi Zero
- OR ProtoStax Enclosure for Raspberry Pi 3/4/5
- ProtoStax Stereoscopic 3D Camera Kit for Raspberry Pi Camera - 60mm Stereo Base
Stack with ProtoStax Enclosurefor RPI UPSPack Standard V3 for a portable setup with backup power (with the Raspberry Pi Zero setup - Raspberry Pi 5 requires 5A of power which cannot be provided by the UPSPack Standard V3).
For further instructions, see the Stereoscopic (3D) Streaming Camera and Viewer
Stereoscopic (3D) Streaming Camera and Viewer - Part 2
- Enable Camera on the Raspberry Pi - on the latest Raspberry Pi and Raspberry Pi OS, this is done automatically when you connect a camera to your Pi.
- Python 3. The code assumes you are using Python 3!
- picamera2 Python library. This project has been updated to use PiCamera2. If you are using an older version of Raspberry Pi OS (Buster or ealier) or are using the legacy camera stack please use the previous version of this project, which used PiCamera.
If you are using the 2x Raspberry Pi Zero setup, the program assumes that the two Raspberry Pi Zero Ws are named leftcam.local and rightcam.local. Either name the Raspberry Pi Zero Ws as above, or note their actual names to update in the program
Install on your Raspberry Pi 5 or on each your two Raspberry Pi Zeros.
If you are using the 2x Raspberry Pi Zero setup, the program assumes that the two Raspberry Pi Zero Ws are named leftcam.local and rightcam.local. Either name the Raspberry Pi Zero Ws as above, or note their actual names to update in the program
git clone https://github.com/protostax/ProtoStax_StereoscopicCameraPi
If you are using the 2x Raspberry Pi Zero setup, the program assumes that the two Raspberry Pi Zero Ws are named leftcam.local and rightcam.local. Either name the Raspberry Pi Zero Ws as above, or note their actual names to update in the program (stream.py)
cd ProtoStax_StereoscopicCameraPi
NOTE - Using Python 3 or higher!
python3 stream.py
The program will expose an MJPG video stream of the local camera via a simple webserver of the local video as
For Raspberry Pi 5:
http://yourpinamehere.local:8000/stream.mjpg http://yourpinamehere.local:8000/rightstream.mjpg http://yourpinamehere.local:8000/leftstream.mjpg
For Rasberry Pi Zero setup:
http://leftcam.local:8000/stream.mjpg and http://rightcam.local:8000/stream.mjpg
The program also has a home page (index.html) that will expose both video streams as a stereoscopic image (side-by-side), as
http://yourpinamehere.local:8000/ or (for Raspberry Pi Zero setup:) http://leftcam.local:8000/ or http://rightcam.local:8000/ (you can access the stereoscopic stream from either url)
You can open the link on your mobile phone browser and place the phone in a 3D stereoscopic viewer like Google Cardboard (or similar viewer) to get a 3D stereoscopic streaming camera on your viewer.
The viewer can thus see everything in 3D. The camera operator can move around to give the viewer a 3D tour from the comfort of their couch!
This project uses richtr's [NoSleep.js] (https://github.com/richtr/NoSleep.js) library to prevent the mobile phone from auto-locking after a period of inactivity which will happen when you display your phone in the Google Cardboard Viewer.
Stack with ProtoStax Enclosurefor RPI UPSPack Standard V3 for a portable setup with backup power, so the camera operator is not bound by power cables. When the battery is low, the camera setup can be plugged back in to provide power and also recharge the battery. (with the Raspberry Pi Zero setup - Raspberry Pi 5 requires 5A of power which cannot be provided by the UPSPack Standard V3).
As an alternative, the Python script can be started during boot by creating a service - more info at https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/linux/usage/systemd.md
- Edit stream.service - adjust the WorkingDirectory path according to where you've installed it:
WorkingDirectory=/home/pi/ProtoStax_StereoscopicCameraPi
- Copy the stream.service file into /etc/systemd/system as root:
sudo cp stream.service /etc/systemd/system/
- Start the service:
sudo systemctl start stream.service
- Check if the service is running:
sudo systemctl status stream.service
The output should be similar to:
● stream.service - 3D Stereoscopic Video Streamer
Loaded: loaded (/etc/systemd/system/stream.service; disabled; vendor preset: enabled)
Active: active (running) since Thu 2023-01-05 09:52:19 PST; 11s ago
Main PID: 2826 (python3)
Tasks: 9 (limit: 725)
CGroup: /system.slice/stream.service
└─2826 /usr/bin/python3 stream.py
Jan 05 09:52:19 leftcam systemd[1]: Started 3D Stereoscopic Video Streamer.
- If the service is running fine, you can enable it and reboot the Raspberry Pi to load it automatically during boot:
sudo systemctl enable stream.service
- To stop the service:
sudo systemctl stop stream.service
Written by Sridhar Rajagopal for ProtoStax. BSD license, all text above must be included in any redistribution
A lot of time and effort has gone into providing this and other code. Please support ProtoStax by purchasing products from us!