Knowledge Base

Duplicate an Arena

Aim

To make copies of an existing arena in the same video image. For example, in an experiment with four PhenoTypers, draw an arena for cage 1, and then copy that arena for the other three cages.

Important: Before duplicating an arena, make sure you have created all the zones for that arena.

Procedure

1. In the Arena Settings window, click the row for the arena you want to duplicate.
2. Click the Copy Arena button, or right-click the row and select Duplicate Complete Arena.
3. In the Duplicate Arena window, select an option from the drop-down list. If you select the option All Other Arenas, also select how the arenas are arranged in rows and columns. The Multiple Arena Setup now opens.
4. Select Duplicate Content to Existing Arenas if you want to duplicate zones and points to the other arenas.
5. Move the duplicated arena to the appropriate location.
6. Repeat steps above for all consecutive arenas.
7. Adjust the position, shape and size of individual arenas. See Move, Rotate and Resize a Shape.
8. If the arenas are evenly distributed in the video image, use the Multiple Arena Setup to move, scale, rotate and space all arenas.

Notes

• To duplicate an arena, you can also right-click the outline of the arena and select Duplicate.
• When you copy an arena, calibration is also duplicated if it is unshared. See Calibrate Multiple Arenas.
• An arena to which another arena is duplicated loses its previous definitions and contents.
• If you select the option Duplicate Content to Existing Arenas, the position of existing arenas is maintained. If you do not select this option, the position of each arena is adjusted based on the number of arenas and their layout. See The Multiple Arena Setup.

Add and Delete an Arena

You cannot add or delete an arena in the Arena Settings. You can only delete the shape that defines the contour of the arena.

To Add or Delete an Arena

In the Experiment Settings, increase or reduce the number of arenas in the drop-down list next to Number of Arenas.

Note: You cannot add or delete an arena in the Experiment Settings once you have carried out Acquisition in the Experiment.

The Multiple Arena Setup

Use the Multiple Arena Setup to configure multiple arenas which are regularly distributed (for example, four open fields placed on a 2x2 grid). Taking into account the number of arenas and their layout (that is, the number of arenas on rows and on columns), EthoVision XT creates a virtual grid in which the arenas are initially evenly distributed. You can then configure the multiple arenas with the Multiple Arena Setup.

There are two ways to open the Multiple Arena Setup:

• The Multiple Arena Setup window opens automatically when you copy an arena to all other arenas.
• In the Arenas and Zones section, click the Arrange Arenas button.

Arranging Arenas

The following options are available in the Arrange Arenas window:

1. Move Grid. You can move all shapes (including zone shapes) both horizontally and vertically, by using the slider, by pressing the up/down arrows of the corresponding box or by entering a number in a box.
2. Scale Arenas. To resize all shapes by using the sliders, by pressing the up/down arrows of the corresponding box or by entering a number in a box. By default the option Keep Proportions is not selected. If you select this option, both the height and width of all shapes are changed while the original shape and position is kept. If you do not select the option Keep Proportions, you can resize the height and width of all shapes separately.
3. Rotate Grid. To rotate all shapes. The shapes rotate around the geometric center of Arena 1.
4. Arena Spacing. To change the space between the shapes. By default, the option Keep Proportions is not selected. If you select this option, spacing is done both in horizontal and vertical direction relative to Arena 1. If you do not select Keep Proportions, you can change the space between the shapes separately in the vertical and horizontal direction (relative to the first row and first column, respectively).

To Reset the Multiple Arena Setup

Set the values back to zero. Make sure to deselect the option Keep Proportions. Alternatively, press the Cancel button; this resets all configurations.

To View Details in Multiple Arenas

If you have multiple arenas, you can view or hide layers and labels of all arenas for better viewing. In the Arenas and Zones section, right-click an arena and select one of the options:

• To show or hide the border of all arenas, select Show All Arenas or Hide All Arenas, respectively.
• To show or hide the fill color and the label of all arenas, select Show All Fills and Labels or Hide All Fills and Labels, respectively.
• To show or hide a zone group or a zone in all arenas, right-click that group or zone and select Show in All Arenas or Hide in All Arenas, respectively.

Applying Colors to Arenas and Zones

To Apply a Color to All Arenas

1. Change the color of one arena.
2. In the Arena Settings window, right-click the row of that arena and choose Apply Color to All Arenas, or right-click the color field and select Apply to All Arenas.

To Apply the Color of a Zone in All Arenas

This changes the fill color for a zone in all arenas where a zone is defined with the same name.

1. Make sure the zone is present in all arenas and has the same name for all of them.
2. In the Arena Settings window, change the fill color of the zone in one of the arenas.
3. Right-click the row of that zone and choose Apply Color to All Arenas, or right-click the color field and select Apply to All Arenas.

To Change the Contour Color of a Zone in All Arenas

The color of the contour of a zone depends on the color selected for the zone group (layer). By changing the contour color of a zone, you also change the contour color of all zones in that group.

1. In the Arena Settings window, change the color for the zone group the zone belongs to by clicking the color cell for the row with the zone group name.
2. Right-click the row of that zone group and choose Apply Color to All Arenas, or right-click the color field and select Apply to All Arenas.

Further Information on Arena Settings

Learn About

• The x-y coordinate system in the arena

What Do You Want to Do?

• Modify the coordinate system of the arena
• Check the video aspect ratio
• Adjust the video aspect ratio
• Use the Arena - Hardware mapping