Planning guide / structure brief
How to plan a modular camera array brief before fabrication
A useful brief connects the capture purpose to the physical frame without pretending that structure alone can decide the imaging system.
Guide contents
01 / Brief
Start with eight inputs, even when several are still open
A camera-array frame should not begin as a guess about diameter, material or camera quantity. It should begin with a short record of what the capture team is trying to achieve, what it already knows and what the system integrator still needs to define. The eight useful input groups are purpose, camera list, capture geometry, subject volume, site, access, cable and equipment routes, and transport or support expectations.
Purpose comes first because a bullet-time arc, a dense face array, a full-body photogrammetry dome and a long scan tunnel solve different spatial problems. Describe the moment or volume the cameras must observe. Note whether the subject stands still, moves through the structure, performs inside it or arrives as an object that needs protected access. Avoid turning a creative description into a structural claim before camera positions and sight lines are available.
The camera list should identify the actual camera-and-lens combinations when known, but unknown models do not prevent an early structure discussion. Record quantity, approximate mass information supplied by the customer, mounting interface, cable exits, access needed for media or batteries, and whether nodes require adjustment after assembly. Mark every unconfirmed field. The frame concept can carry assumptions, but the final node and structure cannot.
02 / Capture envelopes
Separate the subject, camera, frame and service envelopes
The subject envelope is the space that must remain available for the person, object, action or neutral scale target. The camera envelope surrounds the planned camera bodies, lenses, adjustment travel and cable exits. The primary frame occupies another layer. Service clearance sits between and around them so a technician can reach a node, open a section or replace a cable without dismantling the whole system.
These envelopes should be drawn or described independently before they are merged. A frame can appear compact while leaving no practical path to a rear connector. A wide opening can still fail if a curved segment, base or cable bundle blocks the equipment route. A tunnel can have enough internal width for the subject yet leave no space for a person to inspect side nodes. The brief should state which routes must stay open during setup, capture, maintenance and emergency access.
Geometry follows the envelopes. An ARC leaves one side open and can concentrate viewpoints around a moment. A RING closes the orbit but needs a planned entrance. A DOME adds vertical coverage. A GRID distributes cameras across a plane or room boundary. A TUNNEL extends capture along a path. MOBILE describes a delivery emphasis rather than one geometry. None of these names fixes dimensions or performance.
03 / Camera nodes
Define the interface, adjustment and retention questions together
A camera node is more than a plate attached to a rail. The brief should identify the customer-approved mounting interface, the required adjustment directions, the expected working orientation, cable clearance and how the final position will be verified. If the camera layout may change, record which adjustments must remain available and which positions should be repeatable after transport.
Primary locking and secondary retention are separate questions. The node concept should show how the position is set, how the lock is applied and what additional retention interface is required by the customer or integrator. Do not infer a safe capacity from a familiar thread, plate name or visual fit. Final suitability depends on the complete camera build, geometry, load direction, dynamic use, manufacturer information and the user's risk decision.
Node density affects the frame. Closely spaced cameras may require more rail depth, cable exits, service access and local support. Long lenses or offset accessories may move the camera envelope away from the frame. The brief should allow the structure team to review these interactions without taking ownership of camera selection or imaging performance.
04 / Cable and service access
Route the system so the crew can still reach it
Power, network and synchronization cables should be treated as physical systems with bend, exit, strain-relief and replacement needs. The structure brief should identify likely cable groups, equipment-box locations, preferred service exits and areas that must remain clear. Exact electrical and network design remains with the customer or system integrator, but the frame needs enough information to provide realistic paths and supports.
Quick-open segments, removable rails and service bays should be connected to real maintenance tasks. State which cameras need frequent access, whether a person must enter the volume, what equipment travels through the opening and whether a section can be removed while neighbouring nodes stay in place. An opening that looks generous in an isolated model may become unusable once cases, cables, lights or set pieces occupy the site.
Equipment trays can support agreed switch, power or synchronization boxes without implying that StelMount selects or designs those systems. Record the supplied equipment envelope, mass information, connector direction, ventilation and removal path. Unknown items should remain marked for confirmation rather than being filled with generated specifications.
05 / Disassembly and restoration
Decide how the array comes apart before finalizing how it goes together
Portable structure is not achieved by adding quick releases everywhere. The project should identify the largest acceptable transport piece, handling constraints, case limits, available crew and the desired restoration method. Module breaks should protect structural logic, camera-node relationships, cable groups and access openings while avoiding a bag of visually similar parts with no reliable order.
Identification connects the physical frame to the handoff. Modules, joint groups, fastener trays, cable kits and cases need a simple restoration language. The final deliverable may include packing views, assembly order, fastener groups, orientation references and a record of agreed checks. The exact documentation level belongs in the scope because a touring array and a one-time studio installation need different support.
Pre-assembly can reveal whether modules align, openings are reachable, cables have exits and cases accept the planned parts. It does not prove every site condition or imaging result. The customer still confirms the destination, local floor or structure, electrical work, safety approvals and final camera layout. The brief should name which checks occur before shipment and which remain at the destination.
06 / Responsibility
Write the boundary before the quotation, not after the installation
The default StelMount scope can include agreed frame configuration and manufacture, geometry joints, camera-node interfaces, cable provisions, service openings, stability components, equipment supports, pre-assembly, numbering, packing and restoration materials. The exact list should be written for the project.
The customer or system integrator normally owns camera and lens selection, triggering, synchronization, network and power-system design, calibration, reconstruction, software, final camera coordinates, imaging quality, local site conditions, permits and acceptance of the capture result. A project may change that boundary only through an explicit written scope.
A concise brief does not need to answer everything. It needs to show what is confirmed, what is assumed, who owns each open decision and what evidence is required before fabrication. That discipline is part of the finished structural solution.
Share the capture purpose, planned geometry, camera list, subject envelope, site, access route, cable and equipment needs, and transport expectation. Leave unknown values open.
Build the project brief07 / References
Project records and source boundary
References for a real camera-array project are traceable inputs, not a decorative bibliography. Keep the source, revision, owner and approval state beside every value that can change the structure. A concept can begin with open fields, but fabrication inputs should point back to the record that supplied them.
- Customer-approved capture brief and drawings. Record the intended capture purpose, subject envelope, planned geometry, camera positions, access routes and transport constraints. Mark working assumptions separately from approved inputs.
- Equipment manufacturer documentation. Use the exact camera, lens, mounting-interface and accessory instructions supplied for the selected configuration. A familiar interface name or representative image is not compatibility evidence.
- Site and integrator records. Keep confirmed floor or support information, available space, cable and equipment envelopes, local responsibilities and the integrator's camera, power, network and synchronization decisions with their owners.
- StelMount-controlled records. Connect the agreed structure configuration to drawing revisions, node and module identification, pre-assembly observations, packing groups and restoration materials within the quoted scope.
Representative imagery on this site explains structure families and workflow only. It is not a customer record, test result, manufacturer instruction or proof of payload, stiffness, dimensions, setup time, compatibility or capture performance. Project evidence begins with the approved records for that exact configuration.