I have OctoPrint set up to help me manage my 3D printer, record timelapses and remotely monitor it. OctoPrint is a great tool and something I strongly recommend to everyone.
I have a Logitech C β one of the highest regarded webcams available, and yet I was still getting poor results. Read on to find out how I fixed this. However, in the case of mounting it up close on a 3D printer with a quickly moving subject, the auto focus and exposure really struggles.
Results may vary on other setups. A good starting value is probably around , but it varies with your specific set up. You should play around with this number by adding or subtracting at a time until you get a good quality image.
Run the command below to set your exposure to a value of This was the biggest problem for me as the webcam was hunting for focus all the time resulting in a near constant blurry image. Turn off auto focus by running the command below:. With auto focus off, we can now play around with the focus settings. My webcam is mounted above my 3D printer towards the front, and is about 50cm away from the build plate pictured above.
Start with a focus value of 1 and then work your way up from there by adding 1 at a time. Set the focus value to 1 with this command:. First you should combine all the commands together like the code snippet below, be sure to replace with your dialed in values:. You may have to try both. Use your favourite text editor. Create a new line at the very end of the file and the code snippet from above there.
