I am trying to get SC to use ASTAP for PS but if I select Astap as the "Preferred Plate Solver" in settings, SC ignores it and still uses astrometry.net.
I can't find anywhere to tell SC where my ASTAP is installed so I suspect it is looking for it in a standard location. My ASTAP is installed in a non-standard location.
Is this why I can't get it to use ASTAP? If not any ideas as to what I might be doing wrong?
TIA
Help Using ASTAP for Platesolving
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Re: Help Using ASTAP for Platesolving
Hi,
You are correct that SharpCap looks for Astap in the default install location – that is either
"c:\Program Files (x86)\Astap\Astap.exe"
or
"c:\Program Files\Astap\Astap.exe"
There isn't a way to configure SharpCap to look in different locations currently, but you could create a link from one of those locations that points to your real installation of Astap.exe. Modern versions of Windows have a mklink command that will allow you to do this - see https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/window ... nds/mklink . You will have to run the command from an administrative command prompt in order to be allowed to make a link in the program files directory and you will probably have to create the Astap folder manually before you put the link in it.
Cheers, Robin
You are correct that SharpCap looks for Astap in the default install location – that is either
"c:\Program Files (x86)\Astap\Astap.exe"
or
"c:\Program Files\Astap\Astap.exe"
There isn't a way to configure SharpCap to look in different locations currently, but you could create a link from one of those locations that points to your real installation of Astap.exe. Modern versions of Windows have a mklink command that will allow you to do this - see https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/window ... nds/mklink . You will have to run the command from an administrative command prompt in order to be allowed to make a link in the program files directory and you will probably have to create the Astap folder manually before you put the link in it.
Cheers, Robin
Re: Help Using ASTAP for Platesolving
Thanks for the quick reply and for confirming my suspicions. I'll get cracking on mklink - it has been my friend for years
Might I humbly suggest an option in a future release to manually specify a non-standard path to ASTAP...
Might I humbly suggest an option in a future release to manually specify a non-standard path to ASTAP...
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Re: Help Using ASTAP for Platesolving
Hi,
yes, I'll put that on my list.
Cheers, Robin
yes, I'll put that on my list.
Cheers, Robin
Re: Help Using ASTAP for Platesolving
I tried setting up a symbolic link. That worked for finding the astap.exe file, but when I try running the plate solver, it can't find the index files, which are in the non-standard directory.
Here is my configuration:
My astap files are actually in D:\Program Files\astap
As admin, in the C:\Program Files (x86) directory, I ran: mklink \Astap "D:\Program Files\astap" but SC can't find the astap.exe file.
If I make a \Astap directory in C:\Program Files (x86) then do a symbolic link to astap.exe, SC can now find the executable and start it, but astap does not see the index files.
I can run astap directly and that works fine.
Recommendations?
Here is my configuration:
My astap files are actually in D:\Program Files\astap
As admin, in the C:\Program Files (x86) directory, I ran: mklink \Astap "D:\Program Files\astap" but SC can't find the astap.exe file.
If I make a \Astap directory in C:\Program Files (x86) then do a symbolic link to astap.exe, SC can now find the executable and start it, but astap does not see the index files.
I can run astap directly and that works fine.
Recommendations?
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Re: Help Using ASTAP for Platesolving
So, in spite of the web documentation not listing, ASTAP as a plate solving solution, SharpCap will work with ASTAP. Is that correct?
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Re: Help Using ASTAP for Platesolving
Hi,
yes, the documentation is out of date (will be updated for SharpCap 3.3).
cheers,
Robin
yes, the documentation is out of date (will be updated for SharpCap 3.3).
cheers,
Robin