How To: Get a Data Input File

To create data displays in RaceRender, you will need to add a data input file. If you have a compatible GPS-enabled camera, this may be simplified and automated for you. Otherwise, you will generally need to first use your data system's software (or other software) to export your data into a compatible CSV, tab-delimited Text, GPX, TCX, FIT, or NMEA file, if it isn't already.

Don't have a data source to use? Try our TrackAddict smartphone app for motorsports, or one of the many other compatible data products and GPS-enabled cameras.


This document contains basic instructions for how to get certain 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 the specific instructions here only cover a limited selection of the huge variety of data products and data sources that may work with RaceRender.

GPS Cameras: If you have a GPS-enabled camera that embeds NMEA data or certain other formats into its video file, RaceRender may be able to automatically detect and extract that for you when you add the video file to your project. Otherwise, you'd need to use the manufacturer's software or a third party tool to export the data into a compatible format. Some users have reported success using Registrator Viewer / Datakam Player to extract GPS data from their video files.

Additional Technical Information

Instructions for Specific Products


TrackAddict for iPhone®, iPad®, and Android™
TrackAddict is a RaceRender LLC product that is designed for maximum compatibility with RaceRender.
  • WiFi Transfer:
    • Connect your TrackAddict device to the WiFi network that your RaceRender computer is on.
    • 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, 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'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.

  • Apple iTunes File Sharing (via USB cable):
    • Connect the iPhone or iPad to your computer using its USB data cable, 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 drag&drop them into a folder them to your computer
    • The .CSV (data) and .MOV (video) files are already synchronized, so they can be used easily in RaceRender

  • Android File Transfer (via USB cable):
    • Connect the Android device to your computer using its USB data cable
    • Put the Android device into USB "MTP" file transfer mode
      • Unlock the Android device and swipe down on its status bar
      • Tap on the item that refers to the USB connection mode
        (this may also refer to being connected for charging, as a media device, or as a camera)
      • Select the option that refers to use for file transfers, "MTP" mode, or as a media device
    • Open the Android device's file system on your computer
      • Windows Users: Use Windows Explorer; it should appear as one or more removable drives on your system
      • Mac Users: Use the "Android File Transfer" program
    • Select the drive or storage device that relates to where your session files are stored
      (devices with an SD card may have two storage areas available here, both with very similar appearances)
    • Navigate to the "Android/data/com.hptuners.trackaddict/files" folder
    • Select the "Log-" files you want, and drag&drop them into a folder to your computer
    • The .CSV (data) and .MP4 (video) files are already synchronized, so they can be used easily in RaceRender

HP Tuners VCM Scanner
  • Open your session data in the HP Tuners VCM Scanner program
  • Go to the "Log File" menu and select "Export Log File"
  • Set the "Output Format" option to "Comma Separated Text (.csv)"
  • Set the "Data Range" option to "Entire Log"
  • Click the "Export" button to select a file name and location
  • Once complete, the CSV file you created should be ready to use in RaceRender


360fly (4K model with GPS)
  • RaceRender can detect and extract the GPS telemetry data embedded within a supported 360fly video file, when you add the video file to your project.
  • This requires the video to have been recorded by a 360fly 4K camera that has software version 2.0 or newer, and GPS turned on.
  • Please make sure to check and enable the camera's GPS option before each recording, as this setting may have been reset when you last turned the camera off.
  • Available data channels can include GPS (when enabled), accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, and yaw/pitch/roll.
  • For best results, aim the camera so that the fly icon is facing towards the front of your scene. In this case, the control button will then be facing the rear.

Affectiva Q Sensor
  • Use CSV format

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. "Select All" is recommended. Otherwise, you'll want at least:
    • 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 laps for the desired Run)
  • 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)

aLapRecorder HD
  • Use CSV format

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.

BJR Technology L-Sys2
  • Use CSV format

Contour GPS Camera
  • RaceRender may be able to detect and extract the embedded NMEA data when you add its video file to a project
  • Otherwise, use the Contour software to export the data into CSV or NMEA format

DynoJet / WinPEP
  • DynoJet WinPEP 8
    • Open the DynoJet Power Core software, and launch the WinPEP 8 Data Center
    • Open your dyno run file (.drf) in the WinPEP 8 Data Center
    • Right-click on your file under the "File View" section, then select "Export"
    • Choose the "Time Export" tab, and set the data rate to 50 ms
    • Click the "OK" button to create the .CSV file for use in RaceRender

  • DynoJet WinPEP 7
    • Open your dyno run file (.drf) in the WinPEP 7 software

    • First time setup to ensure that your data channels are exported:
      (Exported data may be incomplete if you don't do this, but you should only need to do it once)
      • Right click on the graph and select Properties
      • Go to the "Axis Selections" tab
      • Click on the boxes around the graph image and set each one to a different data channel that you want to be available in RaceRender, such as:
        • Power
        • Torque
        • RPM / Engine Speed
        • Speed
        • Air/Fuel
      • Close the WinPEP 7 program, then open it again, and open your dyno run file again

    • Go to File -> Export Data
    • Ensure that the following options are set:
      • Display Page Header: Enabled
      • Display Column Headers: Enabled
      • Display Time: Enabled
      • Format For Printing (No Delimiters): Disabled
      • Delimiters: Tab ( \t ) or Comma ( , )
    • Click the "Export" button to create the .TXT file for use in RaceRender

Garmin GPS Products

Garmin VIRB Elite
  • Use .GPX file located on memory card (see /Garmin/GPX folder)
  • It should have a very similar file creation / modification date & time to your video file

GoPro (HERO 5 & 6 with GPS)
  • RaceRender can detect and extract the GPS telemetry data embedded within a supported GPS-enabled GoPro video file, when you add the video file to your project.
  • Please make sure to enable any related GPS options on the camera before recording.
  • It can be helpful to have the camera powered on for 15-30 seconds before starting the video recording, so that the GPS has a good fix.
  • Our data support is intended for normal video recording mode; timelapse compatibility is as-is, and may not be timed to the video.

GTech Pro Fanatic .GTR & .GTS files
  • The GTech Fanatic PASS software may not have a CSV file export feature.
  • RaceRender includes support to read .GTR (RR Fanatic) and .GTS (SS Fanatic) files directly.
  • This functionality may not work correctly if the file format differs from what was observed during RaceRender's development.
  • The .GTS files produced by the SS model have very limited data and will lack GPS coordinates / map / lap times.

  • For other GTech products, you should use its PASS software's export function to create a CSV file for use with RaceRender.

Haltech
  • Use CSV format

Harry's LapTimer
  • Export your session in CSV format
  • You may need to unzip / decompress it before using in RaceRender
  • If you get multiple files, the best option may be called LapTimerGPSRecDB.csv

Holley EFI
  • Use File -> Export (CSV format)

Hondata KManager
  • Use Datalog -> Export (CSV format)

iON Adventure (with GPS)
  • RaceRender can detect and extract the GPS telemetry data embedded within a supported GPS-enabled iON Adventure video file, when you add the video file to your project.
  • Please make sure to enable any related GPS options on the camera before recording.

Linszter Datalog v2
  • Use CSV format

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)

MegaSquirt
  • Use .MSL log file

Microtex FIRELOG
  • Use CSV format

Mini 0801 GPS Dash Cam
  • Use .LOG file located in GPS folder

MoTeC
  • Use CSV format

My Tracks
  • Use GPX export

Off Camber Data
  • Use "File" -> "Export Run Data" -> "for RaceRender..."
If multiple runs are open, right-click the run you want to export, then use "Export Run" -> "for RaceRender..."


Olympus (Tough TG-Tracker, etc.)
  • Go into the camera's "GPSLOG" folder and locate the ".log" file that corresponds to your video, then copy it into a folder on your computer.
    • These .log files contain GPS data.
    • There will likely be more of these files than you have video files, and not all of them will correspond to a video recording.
    • The file name will be different than your video, however it may have a similar file creation / modification date & time to your video file.
    • Note: In some cases, one .log file will contain data that spans multiple video recordings.

  • Optional: Obtain the corresponding ".sns" file from the "SNSLOG" folder, and copy it into the same folder on your computer as your .log file.
    • These .sns files contain additional sensor data (compass, barometer/pressure, temperature, accelerometers).
    • There may be more of these files than you have .log files, however the file name should match that of your .log file.
      • For example, if your GPS file is "16070504.log", then your .sns file will be "16070504.sns"

    • When you add an Olympus .log or .sns file to your project, RaceRender will attempt to automatically detect the other file (if it's stored in the same folder) and merge them into a new ".snslog" file, thereby giving you a more cohesive experience and eliminating your need to add and synchronize the second file.

  • Use the Synchronization Tool to adjust the data file's timing to match that of your video. Although they were both recorded during the same time, the actual start of the data file may not match the start of the video.

Parrot Drones
  • RaceRender can read the .json files produced by the Anafi, and possibly other models.
  • This functionality may not work correctly if the file format differs from what was observed during RaceRender's development.

Polar GPS Products

Porsche Track Precision app
  • Use CSV format
Note: The .VBO file format may also work.


PZRacing
  • Use .PRR file

Qstarz
  • Use CSV format

Race Capture Pro
  • Use CSV format

Race Technology (DL1, DL2, AX22, etc.)
  • 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

RaceChrono
  • Use CSV format

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"
  • You should now be able to use the CSV file that was created
Note: The .VBO file format may also work.


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.

Registrator Viewer / Datakam Player
  • This tool may help with extracting GPS data that's embedded in a video file
  • In that software, right-click on the clip -> Export Track -> CSV (GPS)

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
  • You should now be able to use the text file that was created

RoadHawk HD Camera
  • RaceRender should detect and extract the embedded NMEA data when you add its video file to a project

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. 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. Their file names should match that of the associated video.

SpeedAngle GMOS
  • Use .SA file

Starlane Athon GPS
  • Use CSV format

Torque
  • Use CSV format

Torque w/ Shift Lights Pro
  • Use CSV format

Trackmaster
  • Use CSV format
  • May need to choose "RaceChrono" format

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


Other Data Systems
  • RaceRender attempts to be compatible with CSV and similar files created by many data products. 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 HeadingColumn Description
    TimeSample time in seconds. The first sample does not have to be zero. This may need to be the first column in the file.
      GPS TimeAlternate: Sample time in milliseconds. The first sample does not have to be zero.
    LongitudeVehicle position longitude (X). Can be feet, meters, or coordinates, as long as it's in decimal notation.
    LatitudeVehicle position latitude (Y). Can be feet, meters, or coordinates, as long as it's in decimal notation.
    AltitudeVehicle position altitude (Z)
    XAcceleration / Deceleration (X) G-force
    YLateral (Y) G-force
    MPHVehicle speed in Miles Per Hour (MPH)
      KPHAlternate: Vehicle speed in Kilometers Per Hour (km/hr)
      Speed (m/s)Alternate: Vehicle speed in Meters Per Second (m/s)
    HeadingVehicle heading (degrees; 0 = North)
    LapCurrent 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.
    RPMEngine speed in Revolutions Per Minute (RPM)
    GearCurrent transmission gear number (0 for Neutral, -1 for Reverse, -99 for Park)
    ThrottleThrottle position (0 to 100)
    AccuracyGPS 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.