The Waterfall Principle

This is the single most important concept to understand before you start. It will save you hours of rework.

The rule

Only move to the next step once you've fully optimized the current step.

Every step in creating a recipe builds on the one before it. If you skip ahead and then need to change something earlier, you have to redo everything that came after.

1

Physical Setup

Mount · Lens · Light

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2

Image Settings

Exposure · Gain · Lens

→

3

Template & Aligner

Capture · Align edges

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4

Regions of Interest (ROIs)

Draw ROIs

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5

AI Training

Label · Train model

→

6

Outputs

Pass/Fail · Node-RED

Changing image settings invalidates all downstream work

If you go back and adjust image settings after completing later steps, you will need to recapture the template, redo alignment, reposition all regions of interest (ROIs), and retrain your AI model. This applies to any step: changing something early forces you to redo everything that came after it.

Why it matters: a real example

Imagine you rush through image settings without enabling lens distortion correction. You capture your template image, spend 20 minutes setting up the aligner, carefully draw 15 regions of interest (ROIs), and start training your AI model.

Then you notice the aligner is unreliable near the edges of the frame. You realize it's because of lens distortion, something you should have fixed in image settings.

Now you have to:

1. Go back to image settings and enable lens correction
2. Recapture the template image (the old one is now invalid)
3. Redo the entire alignment setup
4. Reposition all 15 regions of interest (ROIs)
5. Retrain your AI model

20 minutes of skipping turned into 2 hours of rework.

The good news

When you follow the waterfall, every step gives you visual feedback. You can always click Live Preview to verify your work before moving on. The camera is designed to make this easy, but only if you go in order.

The waterfall mindset

Think of it like building a house. You wouldn't paint the walls before the foundation is set. Each step in the recipe is a layer. Get it right, verify it, then move on. Customers who understand this upfront find the camera works amazingly well.

The steps in order

Step	What you do	What to verify before moving on
1. Physical Setup	Mount camera, choose lens, set up lighting	Image is sharp, well-lit, part fills the frame
2. Image Settings	Exposure, gain, lens distortion correction	Clean, consistent image in Live Preview
3. Template & Alignment	Capture template, set up aligner	Alignment tracks the part reliably in all positions
4. Regions of Interest (ROIs)	Draw ROIs on areas to inspect	ROIs are small, well-positioned, move with alignment
5. AI Training	Label images, train model	Model shows correct results
6. Outputs	Configure pass/fail rules, IO	Global pass/fail matches your expectations

Ready to start? Go to Install the Camera.