Snake Measuring Software

[Auskan]

I downloaded the snake measuring software mentioned on another thread and tried it out last night. First try, I was thrilled - it seemed to do a very accurate job of measuring. However this morning I decided to play around with it a little more and now I'm not so sure. When taking my pics, I had taken about 8 different shots, so I took measurements on three others - with vastly different results each time. The measurement I got last night was 14.33. This morning my results were 16.29, 12.27 & 16.67. The same length marker was used in each of the photos and I am being very, very careful when measuring the snake to get a lot of points along the way to take into account each curve of the snake. Has anyone else experimented like this. What have your results been? I'm no longer sure what to record as my snake's length, though the original (14.33) being in the middle, still seems my best bet. (And no, length is not that important to me. At this point it is more a case of curiosity - I've had snakes for about 2 years now and this is the first time I've tried to measure one. However if I am going to use it, I'd like to be accurate).

[Removed_2815]

Hi,
I am guessing it was my post that you were referencing so I will try to answer some of your questions.
Chuck mentions some of the possible sources of error on his site but I think the main problem might be due to parallax. To minimize this source of error you should try to get as much of the snake in the centre of the photo and as close to the reference item as possible (also make sure to take the photo as directly overhead as possible).
As the snake or the measuring device approaches the periphery of the photograph area, error begins to increase as objects in the distance will appear smaller than objects that are perfectly centered.
You can also test how accurate your camera is by taking a picture of a grid (like graph paper) and you will likely see the lines become skewed around the periphery of the photo.
I have taken different photos of the same snake with different reference items and different positions and never get an error of more than +/- 0.75"
Good luck.
Cheers,
R

[JD@reptiles]

where'd you get your program. i would love to give it a shot

[Removed_2815]

Serpwidget's Snake Measurer (http://www.serpwidgets.com/cornsnakes/Apps/apps.html)

[Brent Strande]

The link above is dead, but it can be found here:

http://www.serpwidgets.com/Apps/apps.html

[corr]

I use this program all the time and have never had a problem. My only advice would be to make sure you are measuring along the spine of the snake (going off can make a huge difference) and try not to use TOO many points.

[Removed_2815]

Originally posted by Brent Strande
The link above is dead, but it can be found here:

http://www.serpwidgets.com/Apps/apps.html
LOL! Oh well, what can ya do, the post is approaching its 1-year anniversary - sorry folks, don't follow my link ;)
Ryan

[corr]

LOL! I didn't even look at the dates. I thought it was a new thread!

[Brent Strande]

No prob. I just was looking for the site for a friend and couldn't find it, so I did a search (instead of starting ANOTHER thread asking about it!) And it didn't work, so I figured that I'd update incase anyone else decided to do a search for it...