HELP CENTER

QUICK START CHECKLIST

1. Install SPECTER on a Windows 10/11 field unit with USB 3.0 ports.
2. Plug in your depth sensor before launching the app (D435i or Kinect v2).
3. On first launch, pick your sensor type on the setup screen.
4. Wait for the WARMING UP overlay to clear (RealSense sidecar, can take 30-90 seconds).
5. Press S if you need to change source, always pick the sidecar entry for RealSense, never the bare UVC camera.
6. All detectors start OFF each session, enable them when you are ready.
7. Activate your license in Settings → License (or use the 10-minute demo).

FEATURE GUIDES

Deep-dives on the depth, gallery, recording, and session features:

• Technical Field Guide, the complete operations manual with downloadable print PDF.
• View modes & performance presets, the V-cycle and Light / Balanced / Show.
• DEPTH & 3D depth controls, RANGE, DEPTH COLOR, orbit, saved viewpoint.
• Gallery: RGB / DEPTH / 3D & Save view, review and re-grade detections.
• Recording (MP4), F9, smaller files, transcode bar.
• Troubleshooting index, depth, gallery, performance, recording, licensing.

FIRST LAUNCH & SENSOR SELECTION

SPECTER asks you to choose a primary sensor on first run:

• Kinect v2, depth + RGB + 25-joint body skeleton (Windows, Kinect SDK required).
• Intel D435i, depth + RGB via the RealSense sidecar (recommended for most installs).
• Webcam / HDMI, RGB only, no depth views.

A guided startup tour walks through every control. Replay it anytime from Settings → Interface.

INTEL REALSENSE D435i

Requirements

• USB 3.0 port (blue port or SS marking), USB 2.0 will not stream reliably.
• Intel RealSense SDK 2.0 installed on the field unit (see below).
• D435i plugged in directly, avoid unpowered hubs when troubleshooting.

Install RealSense SDK

1. Download Intel RealSense SDK 2.0 for Windows from Intel’s site.
2. Run the installer, include the depth camera drivers.
3. Verify in the Intel RealSense Viewer that depth + color streams work.
4. Close RealSense Viewer before launching SPECTER (exclusive camera access).
5. Launch SPECTER, the sidecar starts automatically and shows WARMING UP until ready.

Source picker, critical

Warming up / no feed

• The sidecar may take 30-90 seconds on cold boot, this is normal.
• SPECTER retries silently; no action needed unless it exceeds several minutes.
• Try a different USB 3.0 port or cable.
• Reboot the field unit with the D435i already connected.
• Settings → restart sidecar (if available) or relaunch SPECTER.

Depth views (DEPTH, point cloud, room map)

Press V to cycle views. If you see “CONNECTING TO DEPTH SENSOR”, the sidecar is still booting or the device is unplugged.

MICROSOFT KINECT V2

Requirements

• Windows 10/11, Kinect for Windows v2 sensor + power adapter.
• Kinect for Windows SDK 2.0 installed.
• USB 3.0 controller (Kinect v2 is bandwidth-heavy).

Install Kinect SDK 2.0

1. Download and install Kinect for Windows SDK 2.0 from Microsoft.
2. Connect Kinect power supply first, then USB 3.0.
3. Open Kinect Studio or the SDK configuration verifier, confirm all streams green.
4. Launch SPECTER and select Kinect v2 on the setup screen.
5. In the source picker, choose Microsoft Kinect V2 (built-in).

Common issues

• Not available in picker, SDK not installed, USB 2.0 port, or Kinect still booting (wait 5 s and press S).
• Image backwards, Settings → enable Kinect horizontal mirror.
• Low FPS, Settings → reduce Kinect JPEG resolution / interval.
• No skeleton, ensure body tracking enabled in Settings; stand 1.5-4 m from sensor.

WEBCAM / HDMI CAPTURE CARD

RGB-only mode, no depth, point cloud, or room map. Useful with a capture card feeding a live HDMI source into the detection pipeline.

• Enable Decouple RGB from depth in Settings to run a USB capture card for RGB while Kinect/RealSense provides depth in the background.
• Set USB resolution/FPS to match your capture device (1080p30 typical).

DETECTORS & DEMO MODE

Every session starts with all detectors OFF (Face, Body, Spectral, SLS wireframe). Toggle them on when ready.

Demo mode (unlicensed)

• 10 minutes total demo time from first launch.
• All detectors active on the live sensor feed at their standard thresholds.
• DEMO MODE badge shown at the bottom of the viewport.
• After expiry, purchase at specter-imaging.com and activate in Settings.

Licensed mode

1. No time limit, run sessions of any length with no DEMO MODE countdown.
2. Unlimited session time, no 10-minute cap and no DEMO MODE badge.
3. Detector sensitivity is set entirely by your choices in Settings.

LICENSE ACTIVATION

1. Purchase at specter-imaging.com ($399 one-time).
2. Check email from support@specter-imaging.com for key SPTR-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX.
3. SPECTER → Settings → License → enter email + key → Activate.
4. Each key binds to one computer. Offline use works after first activation.

REMOTE MONITOR & RECORDING

• Remote monitor, Settings shows the URL for phone control on the same Wi‑Fi.
• F9, toggle session recording.
• F7, snapshot to detection gallery.
• G, open gallery.
• Recordings and detections folders: Settings → paths (open in Explorer).

PERFORMANCE TIPS

• Close RealSense Viewer and other camera apps before SPECTER.
• Lower Kinect JPEG quality / interval on i3-class hardware.
• Disable 3D views if not needed (Settings → 3D views off).
• Use wired power on the field laptop; disable battery saver.
• Room map / point cloud are GPU/CPU heavy, use on capable hardware only.

STILL STUCK?

Email support@specter-imaging.com or open a ticket:

Include your sensor type, Windows version, and what you see on screen (e.g. WARMING UP, no feed, sidecar timeout).