System requirements

What you need before installing and running AR 51. Each area links to a detailed page; this is the checklist to confirm first.

AI server (the CV server)

A single on-prem machine runs the computer-vision server and drives the whole system.

• GPU — a high-end NVIDIA GPU (RTX 4090-class). The pose-estimation models run on the GPU; this is the main performance driver.
• RAM — fast memory is critical because every camera image is copied into memory each frame:
  • DDR4-3200 for up to 8 × 5 MP cameras
  • DDR5-5200 for up to 8 × 9 MP cameras
  • Enable the rated speed in BIOS/UEFI (XMP / EXPO / DOCP).
• Network cards (PCIe) — enough PCIe lanes to feed every camera at full rate:
  • ≥ PCIe 3.0 ×4 per card for 5 MP
  • ≥ PCIe 3.0 ×8 or PCIe 4.0 ×4 per card for 9 MP
  • A typical build uses 2 × PCIe4 ×4 cards = eight 10 GbE ports.
• OS — Ubuntu (see Ubuntu installation).

note

Very large 9 MP arrays may be split across multiple PCs. See the hardware overview and choosing a camera system.

Cameras

AR 51's markerless cameras, available as 9 MP, 5 MP, and 1.3 MP models, running at 120 FPS.

• A standard 6–7 m capture space uses 8 cameras, two per corner. See camera mounting.
• Match frame rate to mains frequency to avoid flicker: 120 FPS (60 Hz regions) or 100 FPS (50 Hz regions).

Network

AR 51 is a local-network system; bandwidth and addressing matter more than anything else here.

• One subnet. The server, Mocap Studio, and every client must be on the same subnet or they won't discover each other.
• Camera bandwidth. Cameras connect directly to the server's 10 GbE ports, or through a qualified 100 G aggregation switch — never an ordinary router/consumer switch. See system architecture overview.
• Cables. Cat7 (or Cat6a for short runs); keep unshielded Cat6a away from power cables.
• No deep-packet inspection. Security software that inspects all traffic (e.g. Trend Micro) can break throughput — disable it or add exceptions.

warning

The server must reach the AR 51 cloud licensing server over the internet to validate its license and start. Air-gapped? Contact AR 51 for an offline option.

Client machines

Whatever consumes the live data or recordings:

• Mocap Studio — AR 51's desktop app for visualizing, recording, and exporting (FBX and other formats).
• Game engines — Unity or Unreal, via the AR 51 plugins; or any client through the .NET / C++ / Python SDKs.
• VR — supported headsets include Meta Quest, HTC Vive, and Pico. Clients must be on the same network as the server.

Quick checklist

• Ubuntu AI server with a high-end NVIDIA GPU
• RAM speed matched to camera count/resolution, enabled in BIOS
• Enough PCIe-lane network cards (direct) or a qualified 100 G switch
• Cat7 / Cat6a cabling
• All components on one subnet
• Internet access for license validation
• Deep-packet inspection disabled or excepted

Where to go next

• Quickstart — first capture on a running system.
• System architecture overview — topology and cabling in depth.
• Ubuntu installation — set up the server OS.