In case you didn't already know, what this program does is import the GTech Pro's (PASS-exported CSV files) data so that you can replay your drag race or road race session and get it into your video. Of course, in order to do this you need to be able to review the data, and while we're at it, why not analyze it, too?
I already have a number of videos on StreetFire.net that show the results. I can provide links, but in the meantime here is a frame from an earlier video.
Here are some screen shots from today:
Here's where the replay takes place. The data are replayed on a blue screen which you later merge with your video. The gauges are all new and work better than before, plus you have more control over how they look. The panels are nicer, too, and include gradient fills and text with drop shadows, which can make them look much crisper in the video.
Pop-up menus let you change the properties of the gauges and panels. I estimate that switching to these using pop-ups saved me something like 5000 lines of code. (A complete build is over 200,000 lines of code.)
By the way, I'm using Mike Smith's data in this example and I don't know much about his car, so the gearing, weight, and other numbers are just made up.
Here's a second screen style, using dial gauges. On the right you can see other display options.
Here's the drag-sheet, from a drag race session, naturally. The chart shows the rpm and speed. Notice any wheel spin? The vertical line marks the 60ft mark in this race (note the buttons in the lower-right corner of the chart) and the horizontal line marks the engine's redline. The table below the chart shows the actual data, which is very useful when inputting the gear selection, something that is used in a second method of estimating the speed. The table automatically scrolls to the row after clicking the "event" buttons or clicking on a data point on the chart. With from 1,500 to 30,000 data points, you wouldn't want to be scrolling manually to find stuff. The top section of this sheet summarizes the analysis of the session.
Here's a dyno plot. It shows the raw power and torque (from the car's run) and the aero-corrected results. I selected a portion of the drag race to use in this plot. All that shifting and wheel spin can give you really messy dyno plots. Also, I have no idea of what this car's aero factor or frontal area is. I just picked some realistic numbers, so don't take the results too seriously. It's just an illustration.
Here's a speed plot. Estimating speed can be tricky so the program offers three methods, accelerometer-only, RPM-only, combined accelerometer and RPM. The green line is the RPM-only speed. During shifts I just hold the speed constant. For the accelerometer-RPM version the accelerometer data are spliced in during shifts. This works pretty well and is recommended for road racing sessions. For drag races the accelerometer-only method works well.
Why not? Late one night I got the idea to include a little simple modeling in the program. You can enter your torque curve by clicking the dyno chart and the program will calculate the corresponding power, connect the points using a B-spline, then calculate a rough 1/4-mile run. The calculated and measured data are plotted together in the lower chart. It's a simple model and I'll do more with it later, but I just thought it would be fun so I stuck it in, even if it took some weeks to get this part of the program written.
Here are some close-ups. If you double-click the charts they'll fill the whole sheet, left-click and drag to zoom and unzoom, CTRL-right-click to bring up a list of options, which include saving, exporting, and printing the chart and changing its appearance.
This week I finished the charting features. Originally the charts were all black with white axes and some color. Now you can change a lot of that, including using a gradient fill and even a background image. Here are a couple of examples.
Traditional:
Gradient:
Background Image:
I might have a week of programming left on this phase of the project. But then there is writing the manual, the help files, ...
Which relative do I need to send onto the afterlife to get a copy of this app? I have three track days worth of data and video that I'm just WAITING to unleash BS4TV on...
