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Scaling Move Flips Camera Upside Down - Initialize Scaling

Summary

During scaled master/slave moves, Flair can choose the wrong kinematic solution and flip the camera upside down if Initialize Scaling is off. Setting Initialize Scaling to YES resolves the flip. Note: in recent Flair versions (Classic 7.28+ / Flair 7), this setting has moved from Miscellaneous Setup into a dedicated Setups → Target Tracking menu.

Where to Find Initialize Scaling

Flair Version Location
Classic prior to ~7.28 Miscellaneous Setup
Classic 7.28+ / Flair 7 Setups → Target Tracking

"Initialize Scaling can now be found in Setups > Target Tracking" — Ben Myers, 2026-06-10

"Now moved to Setups - Target Tracking menu." — Timothy Heys Cerchio, 2025-12-03

Flair Classic 7.28+ known bug: Changes made in the new Target Tracking Setup dialog are not applied until you run a move or another action. If you change Initialize Scaling here, open and accept the Miscellaneous Setups dialog afterwards to force the change to take effect. (Fix is in the pipeline per Simon Wakley, 2025-05-21.)

Symptoms

  • Scaling a move makes the robot want to flip the camera upside down.
  • The slave move is smaller, but the track wants to travel farther than expected.
  • The base or track appears to run away during the slave move.
  • Axis graphs show limits after scaling.
  • The move works only after changing Initialize Scaling or Carts Priority / kinematics settings.
  • On Milo/Talos: 2-point scaling fails specifically when the rotate value is negative (arm in x− direction).

Community Workflow

[CONFIRMED] Set Initialize Scaling to YES

Open Setups → Target Tracking (or Miscellaneous Setup in older versions) and set Initialize Scaling to YES before building the scaled move. Heiko Matting describes Init Scaling "yes" as one of the most important settings to always have checked.

Confidence: 0.9

[CONFIRMED] Prefer 1-Point Scaling

Simon Wakley's recommendation (2026-06-10): "I would recommend have the master and slave at the same angle in the set and know the scale and use 1 point scaling. Start simple with a 1:2 or 1:1 size scale. As you get better and more comfortable you can see that the math works well, but you have to know what you are doing and what the resultant move is going to look like."

1-point scaling is the method preferred by most experienced operators. Store the same first position for master and slave, choose 1-point scaling, enter the scale value, and scale to camera. Heiko Matting confirms: "I'm using 1 point all the time since it's way more easy to use" — learning the technique from Julian Hermannsen.

When 2-point scaling makes sense (Heiko Matting): - You cannot calculate the scaling factor yourself - You need to scale with a rotation to a fixed (miniature) set

Confidence: 0.9

[CONFIRMED] 2-Point Scaling — Best Practices

2-point scaling requires perfect measurement. Key tips from the community:

  • Go close to your reference — do not use two far-away points
  • Use large axis travel to measure — not just a small pan; use the track or largest axis available
  • Align the set along the track — if scaling up with a small rig, placing the set at 45° or more to the track means you will run out of range immediately
  • Master and slave should be at the same angle — not at different ends of the track (can be done but is not straightforward)
  • Do not commit until tested — try the move out first and verify model and axis graph are within limits

"To use 2 points scaling properly, go way closer to your reference, use a larger distance to corner pin, and, most important, use larger axes to take the measure, not just a little pan." — Heiko Matting, 2026-01-13

Confidence: 0.84

[CONFIRMED] Milo/Talos — Avoid Negative Rotate Values

Milo / Talos only: 2-point scaling historically did not work when the rotate axis value was negative. Keep the arm in the x+ direction (rotate positive) when doing 2-point scaling on Milo or Talos to avoid this issue.

"I remember 2 point scaling did not work with the Milo/Talos if the rotate value was negative. This might not matter anymore since a time, but you could try to avoid those values to troubleshoot your lesson. Means leave your arm all the time in x+ direction." — Heiko Matting, 2026-06-10

Confidence: 0.75 — may be resolved in current firmware; test first.

[CONFIRMED] Use Carts Priority (Advanced)

After scaling, the camera path may be shorter while track keyframes still reflect the master move. Advanced users can switch to Carts Priority, adjust track values while watching the rig model and axis graphs, then use Convert when returning to Axis Priority.

"Advanced users sometimes need to turn on Cart Priority and use the Master axes to allow the rig to do the slave move." — Simon Wakley, 2026-06-10

"Take care to use the 'convert' button to recalculate axis positions after changing back from carts, not just 'apply' the dialog!" — Heiko Matting, 2022-11-29

Confidence: 0.86

PDF Reference

Flair 7 Operator's Manual — Chapter 13 covers scaling in detail.

Flair 7 Operator's Manual

WhatsApp Excerpts

Timestamp User Evidence
2022-11-29 05:44 Sebastian Opitz "I had to set the drop-down menu point 'Initialize Scaling' under 'Miscellaneous Setup' to 'YES'. If it is set to 'NO' my robot always wanted to flip the camera upside down."
2022-11-29 07:30 Heiko Matting "Init scaling 'yes' is one of the most important settings you should always have checked indeed."
2022-11-29 07:30 Heiko Matting "Choose 1point, your scaling value, and scale to camera."
2022-11-29 07:30 Heiko Matting "Switch to carts priority ... put some smaller values into the track axis for your keyframes."
2022-11-29 08:04 Heiko Matting "Take care to use the 'convert' button to recalculate axis positions after changing back from carts, not just 'apply' the dialog!"
2025-12-03 Timothy Heys Cerchio "Now moved to Setups - Target Tracking menu."
2026-01-13 02:52 Heiko Matting "To use 2 points scaling properly, go way closer to your reference, use a larger distance to corner pin, and, most important, use larger axes to take the measure, not just a little pan."
2026-06-10 01:16 Ben Myers "Initialize Scaling can now be found in Setups > Target Tracking."
2026-06-10 03:15 Heiko Matting "I'm using 1 point all the time since it's way more easy to use. I remember 2 point scaling did not work with the Milo/Talos if the rotate value was negative."
2026-06-10 05:02 Villa "Our first try is working now before change initialise scaling to 'yes' 👍"
2026-06-10 06:35 Simon Wakley "2 Point scaling has to be measured perfectly to make it work. I would recommend ... use 1 point scaling. Start simple with a 1:2 or 1:1 size scale."