Knowledge Base

Create an Experiment from a Predefined Template

Aim

To create a new experiment based on standard experimental setups like Morris water maze, Elevated plus maze, DanioVision, PhenoTyper, etc.

Procedure

1. Choose File > New From Template (Ctrl+T), or in the EthoVision XT Startup window, under New experiment, click New from template.
2. In the Select a template option window, select Apply a predefined template and follow the instructions in the guided setup.
3. Step 1 - Which video source will you use?
   • From video file: If you select this option, you can click Browse to select the video file. Optionally, you can also open the video file later.
   • Live tracking (and saving video files): Select this option and click Sources. In the window that opens, select the video sources for tracking. You can also set up your video source here. If you plan to co-acquire physiological data, select DAQ Co-acquisition. You can only select Live tracking if EthoVision XT detects an encoder board for analog cameras or a digital camera. See Cameras supported by EthoVision XT.
4. Step 2 - Which subjects will you track? If you select the option Rodents, Fish or Arthropods, select a species from the list. If your species is not in one of these lists, select Other. Based on the subject you select, different arena configurations are available in the next step of the guided setup, a suitable sample rate is selected and the nose-tail detection is made available.
5. Step 3 - How is the arena configured?
   • Arena template: Select a type of arena from the list (a picture is shown upon selection).
   • Zone template: Here you have the choice to select predefined zones for the type of arena you select in the Arena template list.
   • Number of Arenas: Select the number of arenas in the list. You can only select multiple arenas if you have the Multiple Arenas module.
   • Rows and columns: If you have multiple arenas, select the layout of the arenas.
6. Step 4 - How many subjects per arena will you track? You can only select multiple animals if you have the Social Interaction module. This step is skipped for some single-subject configurations like the Morris water maze.
7. Step 5 - Which features will you track? Select the tracked features. Also select whether the animal is Darker, Brighter or Brighter and darker than the background. The features option is skipped for configurations like the Novel object test, where tracking the nose-point is mandatory, or DanioVision where only the center point is tracked. You can change your selection later in the Experiment Settings. See Tracked features.
8. Step 6 - Initialize template experiment. This window gives an overview of the selected settings. Click Previous if you want to change settings, otherwise click Finish.
9. In the New Experiment window, in the Name field, enter a name for your experiment. Select GLP Experiment if you want EthoVision to help you make a Quality Assurance-compliant experiment.
10. Click Browse and select the location in which you want to store your experiment. Do not select a removable disc, like a USB memory drive.
11. Click OK. The EthoVision XT Overview window appears.
12. Next: check the Experiment settings.

Notes

• Each experiment is stored in a folder with the same name as the experiment.
• The default experiment location is the location specified during installation. See File locations.
• The pre-defined templates (*.tpl) are stored in C:\ProgramData\Noldus\EthoVision\XT 18\Templates. Do not move or delete those files.
• For experiments with one or two subjects per arena, you can select to use Deep learning to detect the nose and tail base of your subjects. Note that Deep learning works if a recent graphics card (GPU) is installed on your PC and its driver is up-to-date. See Deep learning: Requirements and More information on graphics cards (GPUs).
• If you select DanioVision as arena template, the EthoVision XT interface is adjusted for DanioVision. Unnecessary functions like the Manual Scoring Settings are not available. Detection settings are optimized for detection of zebrafish larvae and the arenas are detected automatically. For more information, see the DanioVision DVOC-0041 - Reference Manual. See Manuals.

Create a New Experiment Based on an Existing Experiment

Aim

To create a new experiment with settings (arena shape, detection settings etc.) imported from an existing experiment. Note that the new experiment will not contain data from the existing experiment.

Procedure

1. Choose File > New From Template (Ctrl+T), or in the EthoVision Startup window, under New experiment, click New from template.
2. In the Select a template option window, click Use a custom template.
3. Browse to the experiment folder of the existing experiment, click the experiment file (*.evxt) and click Open.
4. In the Name field, enter a name for your experiment. Select GLP Experiment if you want EthoVision to help you make a Quality Assurance-compliant experiment. See EthoVision XT and Quality Assurance.
5. Browse to the location in which you want to store your experiment, then click OK. The default location is the location that you specified during installation.
6. The EthoVision XT Overview window appears. Click the buttons to check and adjust settings if necessary.

Notes

• When you create an experiment based on an existing experiment set to Live tracking, the new experiment imports the camera settings from that existing experiment. Check that the camera settings, for example the frame rate and the exposure time, still apply to the new situation. See Adjust camera settings in EthoVision XT.
• If you create an experiment based on an existing experiment which used Live tracking and was created on a different computer, you must remake the Video source settings for the new experiment.

Protocols on the Web Featuring EthoVision XT

Researchers are encouraged to publish test protocols on the internet to improve reproducibility of animal experiments.

Browse to https://www.bio-protocol.org/en/searchlist?content=ethovision to find protocols created with or mentioning EthoVision XT.

See Also

• Your first EthoVision XT experiment