The camera is black or not showing in Totum, how do I fix it?

If the camera feed in Totum is black, blank or not showing, work through these steps in order. They start with the quickest checks.

This guide is for Totum using Inovus cameras including LapAR and HystAR cameras.

1. Check the camera itself

Make sure the lens cap or protective film has been removed and, if your simulator has a separate light source, that it is switched on. A very dark image can look completely black.

This also applies to HystAR cameras that have not been adjusted correctly. Use the zoom, focus, and white balance adjustments to ensure proper operation of the camera.

2. Ensure the camera is plugged in before opening Totum

When starting Totum, the cameras are initially connected and paired. Therefore, a quick check is to restart Totum with the camera already installed into the machine.

1. Close Totum and remove the camera from the USB port.

2. Install the camera into the USB port.

3. Restart Totum.

3. Choose the right camera in Totum

On certain Totum activities, e.g. LapAR activities, Totum requires a specific LapAR camera to run the activity. If you detect a camera on the Windows camera viewer, ensure that this is not a built-in webcam or a HystAR camera on a LapAR activity.

4. Try a different USB port

Plug the camera directly into the computer rather than through a USB hub, dock or extension cable as this can add another point of failure that could be disrupting the camera feed into Totum. Check Step 2 when installing into another USB port.

5. Check the camera in your computer's own camera app

On Windows, open the Camera app and use the camera-switch icon if it shows your built-in webcam. If you can see a picture here, the camera itself is working. Close the camera app when you have finished, because it can stop Totum from using the camera.

Pyxus HD and Pyxus HD Move users can find more detail in I've purchased a Pyxus HD or Pyxus HD Move simulator and cannot get the camera to work.

6. Close any other program that might be using the camera

By default, cameras can typically only be used by one program at a time. Therefore, if there are other applications such as Teams, Zoom, web browser tabs, OBS or virtual-camera apps using the camera, this may interfere the camera feed from being streamed into Totum. Therefore, do the following:

1. Close Totum.

2. Close down any other applications that are/could be using the camera.

3. Restart Totum.

7. Check camera permissions

Sometimes, camera permissions might not be allowed on certain devices, blocking the camera from being able to stream into Totum. To ensure the camera has the correct permissions, do the following:

1. Press the Windows key and type "Settings".

2. Go to Privacy & security in the left-hand menu.

3. Scroll down to App Permissions and select the Camera option.

4. Scroll down and turn on Camera access and Let desktop apps access your camera.

5. Restart Totum and check the camera feed.

8. Make sure the PC and Totum are both up to date

For Windows, do the following:

1. Press the Windows key and type "Check for updates".

2. Click "Check for updates" and go through the update process (you may need to restart your machine).

For Totum:

1. Launch the application and the latest version should download if you are not on the latest version already.

2. If you would like a clean install the application, follow this article to download the latest version, see How do I find the Totum simulation app? If the problem continues, uninstall Totum and install it again.

For graphics drivers, it depends on the graphics card you have in your machine (if you have one). Typically, we use Nvidia cards:

1. Launch the Nvidia App. If it is not installed, do the following:

   • Download the Nvidia App from their website and install for Windows.

   • Install the Nvidia App application.

2. Check for the latest drivers and install and restart the PC if required.

Once the updates are complete, relaunch Totum and test the camera again.

Still stuck?

Get 1:1 personal support by clicking the button at the top of the page. To assist you as fast as possible, please include details like:

• Your Totum version (found in the bottom-left of the Main Menu or in the Settings Menu).

• Your operating system (Windows or Mac).

• Which simulator you are using.

• Whether the camera works in your computer's own camera app.

• A screenshot of what you see in Totum.