Joystick settings

You can control most PTZ cameras with a joystick, but not all PTZ cameras support joystick control.

When you add a new joystick, it is given a default pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) configuration that you can customize.

Name

Description
Disable all joysticks Select to disable all your joysticks.
Add Select if you want to add a joystick for navigating in the video and the user interface. See Add a joystick for video and user interface navigation.
Select joystick

Select from the list of available joysticks.
Axis setup: Name

There are three axes:

  • X-axis (horizontal)
  • Y-axis (vertical)
  • Z-axis (the depth or zoom level)
Axis setup: Invert

Select to change the default direction the camera moves in when you move the joystick. For example, select to move a PTZ camera to the left when you move the joystick to the right and move down when you move the joystick towards you.
Axis setup: Absolute

Select to use a fixed rather than a relative positioning scheme (moving the joystick moves the joystick-controlled object based on the object's current position).
Axis setup: Action

Select the function for an axis:

  • Camera PTZ Pan
  • Camera PTZ Tilt
  • Camera PTZ Zoom
  • No action
Axis setup: Preview

Test the effect of your selections. When you have selected a function for the axis you want to test, move the joystick along the required axis to view the effect, indicated by a movement of the blue bar.
Dead zone setup: Pan/Tilt

Specify the dead zone for the joystick's pan and tilt functions. The further you drag the slider to the right, the larger the dead zone becomes, and the more you will have to move the joystick handle before information is sent to the camera. Dragging the slider to the far left disables the dead zone (only recommended for high-precision joysticks). Use the Axis setup preview to test the effect of your dead zone settings.
Dead zone setup: Zoom

Specify dead zone for the joystick's zoom function. The further you drag the slider to the right, the larger the dead zone becomes, and the more you will have to move the joystick handle before information is sent to the camera. Dragging the slider to the far left disables the dead zone (only recommended for high-precision joysticks). Use the Axis setup preview to test the effect of your dead zone settings.
Button setup: Name

The name of the button.
Button setup: Action

Select one of the available actions for the required joystick button.
Button setup: Parameter

If relevant, specify a parameter for the command or action. For example, if you want to specify the window and view item for the Copy the selected camera view item parameter, enter 2;1 to have the camera copied to the floating window (window 2), in the first view item (view item 1).

If your device's manufacturer has configured buttons for key-sequence support and the action you have chosen for the button supports it, you can leave the parameter field empty in the Settings window. In such cases, enter the parameter on the fly by first entering the key sequence on your device and then pressing the button to trigger the action.
Button setup: Preview

Verify that you are configuring the right button, press the corresponding button on the joystick. The relevant button will display in blue in the Preview column.