Studio Robotic Control Systems

SmartShell Control System

At a Glance

All Ross robotic solutions can be controlled from a flexible, intuitive user interface that can be scaled to suit both large and small installations. SmartShell Control System combines a touchscreen interface with an ergonomic joystick control panel.

*Ross PTZ-12G/NDI and select models of Sony, Panasonic and Canon PTZs

Whether you have Furio+ dollies, SkyDollies, free-roaming CamBot pedestals, PT heads, BlackBird pedestals or even PTZ* cameras, all your Ross robotic systems can be controlled by a common control system using a centralized Ethernet-based architecture.

Unlimited Shots

SmartShell offers the flexibility to store and recall an almost unlimited number of camera presets, from any number of cameras, eliminating the need for constantly uploading or synchronizing show files, while providing a simple and easy to use interface for organizing and accessing shots

Scalable

Simplified and straightforward solution scales easily from a simple two head studio to more complex studio automation and multi-camera control environments.

Complete Control

Combine with other Ross applications, such as Vision[Ai]ry Ft (Facial tracking), DashBoard (PTZ and camera control), OverDrive (Automated Production Control) and Lucid Studio (Virtual Studio/Augmented Reality) to create a complete robotic camera control station for manual and automated workflows.

Introducing SmartShell v6.0

SmartShell provides a flexible, intuitive user interface for controlling all Ross Robotic solutions that can be scaled to suit both large and small installations. Watch our video to find out more about our latest release.

Features

IP-Based Control

Each SmartShell control station communicates with the robots using native IP-based protocols over an Ethernet infrastructure, simplifying integration into new or existing facilities. Our modern network architecture enables remote and automated production by consistently delivering the same visual results, whether controlled locally, remotely over a high-speed network, or via automated control software.

Shot Manager

Presets and Moves can be organized in tabs allowing you to group shots by show, scene, operator, or anything else you desire, making it easy to manage every shot from across your productions. Shots or groups of shots can be locked from editing/deleting to prevent unwanted changes. Matrix view provides direct access to a consolidated matrix of Presets and Moves from any or all of your connected cameras. Matrices can be saved, shared, and recalled and a different matrix can be created for each show or segment as desired.

Intuitive Hard Panel

Precision joysticks and knobs provide responsive inputs for all robotic axes, while backlit buttons provide direct access to most commonly used functions and indicators. Because the real-world can be unpredictable, MotionDirector allows for inflight joystick and time corrections without interrupting the ongoing shots.

Drag & Drop

Creating key-framed Moves, managing the Matrix View and moving presets/moves into categories is as easy as dragging and dropping them into the right spot, using either Mouse or Touchscreen.

User Settings

Joystick view provides a complete view of all joystick axes at once, allowing the user to customize settings for each robot independently. Settings can then be saved to a file, so that each operator can have their own personal configuration, without worrying about what previous users may have changed.

PTZ Control

Control PTZ cameras, such as our own PTZ-12G/NDI models, as well as popular models from the leading PTZ vendors in the industry, just like they are Ross Robotic systems, with presets, categories, thumbnails and smooth, responsive joystick control.

What’s new in Version 6.0?

Enhanced Studio Management – Streamlines tasks by allowing users to easily select and group cameras instantly from within SmartShell. Operators can now dynamically define a subset of their cameras so that they only see the ones they need for their current production without having to add or remove cameras from their SmartShell configuration. This is especially useful when managing multiple rooms, studios, or locations from a common control room.

Keyframe Insertion – Enables quick and efficient insertion of keyframes at any point during a move replay.A simple one-step operation allows the operator to easily manipulate or fine-tune the movement without adjusting the camera, creating a new preset and adding it into the Move.

 

Notification Window – Displays notifications in a small window at the bottom of the UI, improving workflows and reducing disruptive pop-ups unless user intervention or acknowledgement is required.

Limits Visualisation – Provides a clear visual representation of all axes, enabling the operator to easily view where the robot currently sits within its axis limits, where the temporary limits sit relative to the fixed limits, and indicates when the robot runs into a limit.

SmartTally for X350 – Customises and converts the X350 touchscreen into an On-Air tally lamp, eliminating the need for any additional equipment on the camera or head to provide a simple and elegant tally solution.

Components

SmartShell Station

Each SmartShell station consists of a Windows PC running the SmartShell application, coupled with a Unified Control Panel. Standard configuration is an All-in-One Touchscreen PC, that minimizes control station footprint. Also available is an Integrated Server version that is based on a compact desktop PC with a separate touchscreen display. This version also includes all Robotics Server functionality, eliminating the need for a central server, making it suitable for smaller installations where only a single control station is required, and control station redundancy is not a priority.

Unified Control Panel

The SmartShell control panel combines high quality joystick controls with direct access to key functions in a polished, ergonomic unit. Available in both single (3-axis) and dual (6-axis) joystick configurations, the more cost-effective single joystick model is perfect for simple pan/tilt environments, while the higher end dual stick model is required for systems that include tracks or pedestals. To minimize latency, the joystick panel communicates directly with each head, providing a responsive and natural feel. Configuration menus in the SmartShell GUI allow for complete customization of every axis, allowing each user to tailor joystick performance to their own personal preferences.

SmartShell UI

SmartShell graphical user interface (GUI) provides a simple, easy-to-use interface for creating, managing, and recalling shots on all your Ross Robotic cameras, helping deliver consistent, high quality productions without sacrificing creativity.

Robotics Server

Robotics Server provides centralized storage and management for thumbnails, communications with robotic systems*, Tally (TSL over IP), PTZ plugins and router control. With the ability to simultaneously support every control station within your facility, this central server architecture simplifies control station redundancy, and easily pools and shares all robot resources between SmartShell control stations.

*PT series Heads, C-series BlackBird and Legacy CamBots only

Downloads

Brochures

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We’ll put you in touch with a member of our team to discuss your specific needs.