What Is VideoPoint

VideoPoint(tm) is a video analysis software package for Windows(tm) based computers that allows you to collect position and time data from digital video in the form of "Video Points." Data is collected by clicking on the location of the items of interest for each frame of a QuickTime(tm) movie. These points can be combined to form other calculations such as center of mass locations and distances between points. Furthermore, multiple reference frames can be used to analyze relative motion. Check out the VideoPoint features for a more comprehensive list of the features or check out the Sample Analysis.

Developed in conjunction with the Workshop Physics curriculum at Dickinson College, VideoPoint has had extensive classroom testing and is pedagogically sound. Its plethora of features, ease-of-use and cross platform capabilities led Computers in Physics to name it as one of its winners in their software contest.

It can be used in a lab or workshop setting, for homework assignments, interactive lecture demonstrations, or as a visual aid in class.

Who Developed VideoPoint?

VideoPoint was developed by Mark Luetzelschwab, Priscilla Laws and Michael Gile in conjunction with the Workshop Physics Program at Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA. Prof. Patrick J. Cooney, Millersville University, has provided many insights on program design and data analysis. He has also been co-instructor in many VideoPoint workshops over the years. All current production, publishing and updates are completed by Lenox Softworks, Inc.

Awards and Reviews

VideoPoint was a winner in Computers In Physics Sixth Annual Software Contest. The article starts on page 594 of the Nov./Dec. 1995 issue (Vol. 9, No. 6). Here's some of what they had to say...

"We liked the fact that we were able to run this program even before reading the manual. Such ease of use will encourage students to experiment and analyze their own videos."

"The software comes with several QuickTime movies that were interesting to analyze. We expect that VideoPoint will be popular with students and instructors in a variety of contexts."

Physics Courseware Communicator, Autum 1995, Vol. 3, N0. 1.

VideoPoint is reviewed along with other video tools in this issue. Here is some of what they had to say about VideoPoint:

In general...

Laws and her colleagues have created a powerful video utility. That it runs on both computing platforms and comes with many video clips makes it an extremely attractive choice for both beginning and experienced users of video tools. There are no integrated lesson plans for the supplied clips, but the power available to the user makes it ideal for student projects. Highly Recommended.

About the Center of Mass and other mass features...

VideoPoint excels in its treatment of collections of mass objects.

About the extensive movie library on the CD...

These clips are a tremendous resource and make VideoPoint an important package, apart from the analysis software.

VideoPoint Installer

Double-click on this to install VideoPoint, QuickTime, one sample movie and VideoPoint data files onto your computer.

The Movie Collection (MOVIES)

The movie collection contains a set of 267 QuickTime movies that can be used with VideoPoint. Use these movies or make your own.

DSON
Most of these movies have been made by students at Dickinson College for a project or during Workshop Physics classes.

PASCO
These movies were shot on location at PASCO scientific using their equipment. There are movies covering many mechanics concepts; be sure to check out some of the more unusual films that use not-so-standard equipment.

NASA
Digitized from the NASA archives, these movies show mostly rocket launches.

HRSY
The Hersheypark collection is a set of movies taken at an amusement park in Hershey, PA.

UMD
These movies, shot at Dickinson College by University of Maryland graduate students, show some wave motion using stretched springs.

PRU
The Princeton Univeristy collection is a series of air-table movies. Along with the normal collisions, there are some movies that can be used for modeling entropy and molecular motion.

Examples

This folder contains a set of sample video analysis done using VideoPoint. They cover a broad range of topics and show some of the features of VideoPoint. This folder also includes templates (HUMANCM) that let you do human body motion analysis without having to enter in all the data yourself. There are files for both an average man and an average woman.

The Users Guide

The User's Guide is provided in Adobe Acrobat Format. If you have Word for Windows, you can read this file directly. If you use a similar word processor, you should be able to import the entire RTF file.

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