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How To: Add a Data Overlay
For a list of GPS systems and dataloggers that have been known to work, please see
Compatible Data Sources.
To add a data overlay to a RaceRender project, you will need to first use
the data system's software to export your data into a compatible CSV, tab-delimited Text,
GPX, TCX, FIT, or NMEA file, if it isn't already.
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Many data acquisition systems, similar smartphone apps, GPS-enabled video cameras, and even
some general GPS devices, are capable of saving data into one or more of these formats.
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CSV format is common for motorsports dataloggers, and is also known as a comma-delimited
text or spreadsheet file.
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Similar spreadsheet-style text file formats delimited by commas, tabs, or semi-colons, may
also work.
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Details on how to create these files for several popular data systems are provided
further below and in the Compatible Data Sources list.
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GPX, TCX, FIT, and NMEA formats are most commonly used by general GPS dataloggers, and more
detail is included below.
Once you have your data in a compatible file format, it can be added to the current project
as an input file. You can do this either during the initial project setup on the
New Project Menu, or at any time on the
Main screen. A version of the
Template Menu will appear and display several data overlay
templates to choose from.
You can also add more display objects with the
Display Object Toolbox,
available by using the Add button under the Display Objects list, the icon under the
Input Files list, or by right-clicking on an input file in the list and selecting "Create Display Object".
The Synchronization Tool can be
used to synchronize the data file with the video files of your project.
Because data product capabilities vary widely, some data visualization objects and options
may not be supported by your data file. It is recommended that you arrange and configure the
data visualization objects to your liking, and then
create a template of them, so that they can be easily
imported into your future projects. Template files you create can also be shared
with other RaceRender users.
RaceRender's data features require certain data to be provided in the input file,
and in a form that it recognizes. Depending on the actual output of your data system's hardware
and/or software, some RaceRender features may not be functional with all data sources or in all
cases. In some cases, you may be able to improve compatibility by manually assigning the data
fields on the
Input File Configuration screen.
How to Fix Missing Lap Numbers & Times
Some data systems do not provide lap numbers in their exported data, or in a compatible format.
This is needed for several features, including lap counters & timers, and cleaner drawing of
track maps. However, this missing lap data can be substituted by
manually setting the Start / Finish point,
from the Input File Configuration screen.
Note: RaceRender will automatically attempt to do this for you, if the data file provides
standard GPS decimal coordinates, and it contains laps around at a recognized track configuration.
This should work in many cases, but will not be able to accommodate every data system or race course.
How to Display Speeds in MPH, Km/h, Knots, or m/s
There are two ways to choose the units that speeds are displayed in:
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Method #1:
Click the Project Setup button
on the main screen and change the "Preferred Speed Unit" setting to your desired unit of measure: MPH, Km/h, Knots, or m/s.
This setting is applied to the vehicle speed display in the current project, when practical. Changing this
will also set the default for future projects.
This is only applied when the data file's "Vehicle Speed" field selection is still set to automatic
(on the Input File Configuration screen), which is
typical. If displayed speeds are still using the wrong unit, please use Method #2 below.
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Method #2:
By default, RaceRender will attempt to convert and display speeds in the unit you selected in Method #1 above.
Some data files may be unclear, so it wont always be able to do that.
To use other units for the speed, or to manually adjust it, please follow these steps:
1) Double-Click on your data file under the "Input Files" list. This will open the
Input File Configuration screen.
2) Go down to the selection for the "Vehicle Speed" data field, and replace the automatic setting by choosing the
appropriate field name from the drop-down list.
3) The boxes to the right of the "Vehicle Speed" selection should no longer be grayed-out. You can now either enter your
own conversion factor, or use the "From" and "To" drop-down lists to calculate one for you. Set the "From" selection to
match the units used in your data file, and the "To" selection to be the units that you want the speedometer and other
visualizations to use.
Gear Number Estimation Feature
When your data file contains a "Gear" or similar data channel that contains the current gear number, RaceRender can easily
display that. This is the preferred method, but is not available from all data systems.
The current gear number will be automatically estimated if your data file does not contain actual gear information, but it does
contain both engine RPM and vehicle speed. Because this is a universal feature that could be applied to a wide variety of data
systems, vehicles, and circumstances, results will vary and it will not work perfectly for all situations. If you find that the
indicated gear is not accurate and/or fluctuates wildly, then you may want to disable the gear indicator display. The cause for
those issues is often a lag in the speed and/or RPM readings, resulting in an inconsistent ratio between the two, and therefore
RaceRender is unable to clearly distinguish the vehicle's true gear ratios. The most common problem sources are a lag in GPS
speed readings (can apply to some GPS hardware or data systems more than others), excessive clutch or wheel slip, and automatic
transmissions when the torque converter is not locked.
For best results with gear number estimation, have your data system obtain speed readings via OBD-2 or directly from a vehicle
speed sensor, if possible. Those data sources tend to be more responsive and maintain a more consistent relationship to the
measured engine RPM. To make RaceRender use an alternate speed reading, double-click on your data file under the "Input Files"
list, then change the "Vehicle Speed" selection to the desired data channel.
NMEA, GPX, TCX, and FIT Format Support
(General GPS Loggers)
Note: The GPX format referred to in this section is the GPS eXchage file format (.GPX), and
should not be confused with dataloggers that may use the letters "GPX" in their product name.
RaceRender also includes support for the NMEA, GPX (GPS eXchange), and Garmin TCX and FIT file formats,
which are used by many popular GPS loggers. NMEA is also often used in compatible GPS-enabled
video cameras. Support for these formats requires certain typical characteristics, such as the data
samples must contain timing data and be in normal sequential order, and any NMEA, GPX, or TCX files must
be in standard ASCII or UTF-8 text encoding. Many common GPS data fields are supported, but some
non-standard or extension data might not be picked up.
When compatible GPS data is present, this will typically provide data for a track map and vehicle position,
and lap numbers and times at certain race tracks, but other data may or may not be available via these formats.
RaceRender can usually estimate speed, heading, and G-force from the GPS data, when they are not otherwise provided
or supported from the data file. In order to get lap counts and times, as well as draw a cleaner track map
(based on one selected lap), you may need to
manually set the Start / Finish point.
RaceRender will also attempt to do that for you automatically for recognized race courses, but it can't accommodate
all situations.
NMEA data must contain RMC, GGA, and/or GLL sentences, in the standard format of one NMEA 0183
text sentence per text line. Valid fix times are required on all applicable NMEA samples, and they should
be marked as Active where applicable. RMC and GGA are recommended; GLL support is included for
compatibility reasons. All NMEA sentences must start with "$GP", such as "$GPRMC", "$GPGGA", and "$GPGLL".
GPX, TCX, and FIT data will only work if the session is logged as a set of "track" points
(not waypoints, etc), and each of those points includes a timestamp in the standard format.
GPX is a somewhat loose format, so there may be variations that do not work with RaceRender,
and non-standard or "extensions" data may not be picked up. Generally speaking, the file must begin
with an <?xml> tag, and for GPX, each track point should look similar to the following example:
<trkpt lat="39.602613" lon="-105.020217">
<ele>1624.77</ele>
<time>2011-06-02T14:28:35Z</time>
<speed>31.2</speed>
</trkpt>
The time tag is always required. The elevation and speed tags are optional, but recommended.
GPX and TCX speeds are expected to be measured in meters per second (m/s), but some systems have been
known to use km/h instead. If that's the case, the the speeds may be incorrectly high when displayed in RaceRender.
This can be resolved by double-clicking on the data file under the "Input Files" list to open its
Input File Configuration screen,
then going down to the "Vehicle Speed" selection, selecting the Speed field, and then using the controls on the right
to convert it from km/h to your desired display unit.
How to Export a Datalogger Session into a Compatible File
These are basic instructions for how to get several data systems to export data for use
with RaceRender, based on information available at the time of this writing. This depends on
functionality provided by these other products; compatibility and the accuracy of this
information may change at any time and without notice.
Please note that many other data sources can also work with RaceRender, some of which are named in the
list of Compatible Data Sources.
TrackAddict HD
for iPhone® and iPad®
- Easy WiFi Method:
- In RaceRender, go to File -> Receive Files Over Network / WiFi.
- If you have a firewall or are prompted, be sure to allow RaceRender to access the local network.
- In TrackAddict HD, go to the "Sessions" view, select the session to transfer, press the "Share"
button, then select "WiFi Transfer".
- After the quick network scan is complete, your computer that's running RaceRender should be
listed on TrackAddict HD's screen.
- Select if you want to include the video or not (if applicable), then tap on your RaceRender
computer to begin the transfer.
- When complete, RaceRender will automatically create a new project with the transferred
session, and prompt you to select a datalogger overlay template from a menu.
- Direct Connect Method:
- Connect the iPhone or iPad to your computer, and open iTunes®
- Click on the device's section within iTunes, then click the "Apps" tab at the top
- Scroll down to the "File Sharing" section, then click on TrackAddict
- Select the "Log-" files you want, and save them to your computer
- The .CSV (data) and .MOV (video) files are already synchronized, so they
can be used easily in RaceRender
Traqmate
- Open your session data in Traqmate's "Traqview" program
- Go to the "File" menu and select "Export Data"
- Set the "Export Type" option to "Traqmate Standard Export Format (CSV Format)" (do not use the "Raw Data" format)
- Click the "Browse" button to select a file name and location
- Click the "Export" button and wait for the progress bar to get to the end
- Click "Done", and now the CSV file should be ready to use in RaceRender
Race Technology (DL1, DL2, AX22, etc.)
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See information on this topic from Race Technology
- Open your session data in Race Technology's analysis software
- Go to the "File" menu and select "Export As Data..."
- Set "Export to file type" to "Spreadsheet .csv file"
- Make sure the delimiter is a comma
- Click the "OK" button
- Enter the desired file name in the box that appears and click "Save"
- The CSV file that you created should now be ready to use in RaceRender
Racelogic (PerformanceBox, DriftBox, etc.)
- Open your session data in Racelogic's "Performance Tools" or "DriftBox" program
- Click on the "Tools" button, select "Export Data", and then "To TrackVision"
- Enter a file name and click "Save"
- RaceRender should now be able to use the CSV file that was created
AIM
- Open your session data in AIM's "Race Studio Analysis" program
- Go to the "File" menu and select "Data Export in Excel"
- Select the channels to export:
- GPS_Longitude
- GPS_Latitude
- GPS_Speed
- GPS_Heading
- GPS_Elevation
- GPS_LonAcc
- GPS_LatAcc
- Speed
- LatAcc
- RPM
- Any others that you want to display
- Select the laps to export (recommended that you Select All)
- Set the "Compatibility" option to "CSV"
- Set the "Decimal Digit Separator" option to "Dot"
- Click the "Browse" button at the top to select the output file name and location
- Click the "Save and Exit" button at the bottom
- RaceRender should now be able to use the CSV file that was created
(Note that GPS data must be included to show track map, vehicle location, and lap info)
RLC Racing (Track Commander and others)
- Open your session data in RLC Racing's "Race Analyzer" program
- Go to the "File" menu and select "Export..."
- Use the "For ChaseCam DashWare" option
- Choose the file name and location
- Click the "Save" button
- RaceRender should now be able to use the text file that was created
RacePak (G2X, IQ3, etc.)
- Open your session data in RacePak's "DataLink" program
- Click the "Video Management" button on the Run Log Menu
Alternate Method:
- From the "Runlog" menu, select "Set Log Category"
- Select "Video" and click "OK"
- Click on the newly created "Video" tab (usually at the bottom)
- Click the "Create Track Vision video" button
- Select the channels to export:
- Time
- GPS_Data:Map_SF
- GPS_Data:Run_PosX
- GPS_Data:Run_PosY
- Engine RPM
- GPS_MPH
- Lateral G
- Accel G
- Gear Indicator
- Any others that you want to display
- Click "OK"
- A message box will appear to inform you of the exported CSV file name
and path. This is the file you will want to use with RaceRender.
MaxQData
- Open your session data in MaxQData's "Chart" program
- Go to the "File" menu and select "Export..."
- Select the session file to export from the list
- Set the "Export type..." option to ".CSV"
- Click the "Export" button
- RaceRender should now be able to use the CSV file that was created
(look in the same folder that your .MQD session file is in)
GTech-Pro RR Fanatic .GTR file
- The GTech Fanatic PASS software may not have a CSV file export feature.
- RaceRender includes experimental support to read the RR Fanatic's .GTR files directly.
- This functionality may not work correctly if the file format differs from what was
observed during RaceRender's development.
- For other GTech products, you should use its PASS software's export function to
create a CSV file for use with RaceRender.
Alfano
- Select your session data file in Alfano's "VisualData" program
- Below the "Export Files" button, set the selection to "*.csv"
- Click the "Export Files" button and select and output location
- RaceRender should now be able to use the CSV file that was created
- Important: Alfano data may include more than one session. By
default, RaceRender will use the first one. To select others, simply open the
Input File Configuration screen,
and change the Track number.
Sony Action Cam with GPS (HDR-AS30V, etc.)
- .LOG File Method:
- The Action Cam HDR-AS30V saves its GPS data into .LOG files, which use common NMEA format
- You can find these files on your camera's memory card in the PRIVATE -> SONY -> GPS folder
- The PlayMemories software might also copy them into your My Documents -> Sony PMB -> TrackLog folder
- Their file names are based on the date recorded, followed by a 2-digit count that starts at zero.
For example, the first one recorded on Jan 21, 2014 would be 14012100.LOG (Year 14, Month 01, Day 21, Count 00)
- These .LOG files should work directly in RaceRender. You will need to determine which one corresponds to your video file.
- .MOFF File Method:
- In some cases, you might have .MOFF files, which contain Sony data followed by the GPS data in common NMEA format.
- The PlayMemories software may create these after importing the video onto your computer, but it might make them hidden files.
- These .MOFF files should work directly in RaceRender. Their file names should match that of the associated video.
Dynolicious Log Box 1.2 (iPhone® app)
- Select your session in the Log Box "Results" screen, then press the "Attach Data To Email" button at the bottom
- When it is done processing, it will open the e-mail application and create a message that contains a download
link to your data. Address the e-mail to yourself and send it
- Open the e-mail on your computer and click on the download link
- Choose either the CSV (Comma Separated Value) or TXT (Tab Delimited Text File) format and download your file
- The downloaded .CSV or .TXT file should work with RaceRender
G-Tac Pro (iPhone® app)
This datalogger exports data into two separate CSV formatted sections, GPS and accelerometer,
so RaceRender will deal with it as two separate input files. Synchronize one of them with
your video, then just use the same starting time value for the other one.
- Open your session in the G-Tac Pro "results" screen, then press the "Export Run Data" button at the bottom
- e-mail the lap data to yourself, then open the e-mail on your computer. Make sure the entire e-mail is visible
(Gmail users: click the "View entire message" link at the bottom)
- If you want to overlay GPS track map, position, and speed:
(requires iPhone 3G and a clear GPS signal during the session)
- Locate the "GPS Data" section, then copy & paste only that data section into a new plain text file
(you may be able to use Notepad)
- Make sure the first line in this new file contains the column headings. It should start with "time (sec),Latitude,"
- Save this file with a .CSV file extension
- If you want to overlay G-force data:
- Locate the "Accelerometer Data" section, then copy & paste only that data section into a new plain text file
(you may be able to use Notepad)
- Make sure the first line in this new file contains the column headings. It should start with "time (sec),RPM,"
- Save this file with a .CSV file extension
- Add the .CSV file(s) that you just created to your RaceRender project
- If you are using both sets of data (ie two CSV files), they will function as separate input files. Synchronize one
of them with your video, remember the resulting starting time value, then enter that same value for the other file.
Other Data Systems
- RaceRender attempts to be compatible with CSV and similar files created by many dataloggers, some of
which are named in the list of Compatible Data Sources. However,
common data fields may not always be provided, or may not be in a consistent format, so compatibility
with RaceRender can be limited and/or unreliable when that's the case. In some cases, you may be able to
improve compatibility by manually assigning the data fields on the
Input File Configuration screen.
- Developers: click here for info and samples
- If you wish to edit a CSV file to be compatible with RaceRender, the following column
format is recommended:
(use standard ASCII or UTF-8 text encoding)
Column Heading | Column Description |
Time | Sample time in seconds. The first sample does not have to be zero. This may need to be the first column in the file. |
GPS Time | Alternate: Sample time in milliseconds. The first
sample does not have to be zero. |
Longitude | Vehicle position longitude (X). Can be feet, meters, or coordinates,
as long as it's in decimal notation. |
Latitude | Vehicle position latitude (Y). Can be feet, meters, or coordinates,
as long as it's in decimal notation. |
Altitude | Vehicle position altitude (Z) |
X | Acceleration / Deceleration (X) G-force |
Y | Lateral (Y) G-force |
MPH | Vehicle speed in Miles Per Hour (MPH) |
KPH | Alternate: Vehicle speed in Kilometers Per Hour (km/hr) |
Speed (m/s) | Alternate: Vehicle speed in Meters Per Second (m/s) |
Heading | Vehicle heading (degrees; 0 = North) |
Lap | Current lap number. This only needs to be set once per lap.
If not available, RaceRender will attempt to automatically detect GPS coordinates at certain recognized
tracks, or you can also
manually set the Start / Finish point.
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RPM | Engine speed in Revolutions Per Minute (RPM) |
Gear | Current transmission gear number (0 for Neutral, -1 for Reverse, -99 for Park) |
Throttle | Throttle position (0 to 100) |
Accuracy | GPS position accuracy (meters); used for loggers
with low or inconsistent accuracy (such as smartphones) |
The Time column is required, and the data rows must be in chronological order. Other columns can be omitted,
at the cost of the related overlay features not being available. Differences from this list can usually be
resolved by using the
Input File Configuration screen,
if they aren't understood automatically. Additional data columns may also be added, for use with custom gauges,
graphs, etc.
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