Knowledge Base

Problem

Users who acquired tracking data using one detection setting (e.g., center-point only) want to reanalyze or retrack the same videos using different settings (e.g., 3-point tracking), but cannot change the detection settings in the original experiment after acquisition.

Details

Affects EthoVision XT users across versions. After data acquisition, the Setup panel settings (including body-point detection technique) are locked and cannot be changed within the same experiment. Users attempting to switch from center-point to 3-point (or vice versa) within an existing experiment after trials have been acquired will find these options unavailable. This applies to Phenotyper studies and other long-running acquisitions.

Solution

1. Do not attempt to change detection settings in the existing experiment — Setup panel settings are locked after acquisition and cannot be modified.
2. Create a new experiment using the existing experiment as a custom template:
a. In EthoVision, go to New Experiment and select 'From Existing Experiment' or 'Custom Template,' then choose your original experiment file.
b. This carries over arena definitions, zone layouts, and profile settings into the new experiment.
3. In the new experiment, configure the desired detection settings (e.g., switch from center-point to 3-point tracking) before adding any trials.
4. Add trials using 'From Video File' and select the original video files from your previous acquisition.
5. Run tracking on the new experiment. The resulting tracking data will use the new detection settings and can be analyzed and compared to the original experiment's results.
6. Keep the original experiment intact so you retain the originally acquired data for comparison or backup purposes.