firestar5683
2.6 KiB
Clip
clip.py records a video of a driving route by replaying it into a desktop UI and capturing the result. Use it to export footage of a route without watching it live.
Setup
Install dependencies (this pulls in uv, ffmpeg, and xvfb):
tools/ubuntu_setup.sh
To clip a route from your comma account, authenticate first:
python3 tools/lib/auth.py
Public routes and --demo need no authentication.
replay and the c3 UI runtime are built automatically on first run, so expect the first
clip to take a few extra minutes.
Usage
# Clip the demo route
python3 tools/clip/run.py --demo -o output.mp4
# Clip seconds 140-260 of a route, timing in the route ID
python3 tools/clip/run.py 78511c37de32c375/00000958--8cb1d3e165/140/260 -o clip.mp4
# Same, timing as flags
python3 tools/clip/run.py 78511c37de32c375/00000958--8cb1d3e165 -s 140 -e 260 -o clip.mp4
Recording happens in real time, so a 120s clip takes about 120s to produce.
UI
Clips use the c3 raylib UI.
python3 tools/clip/run.py --demo -u c3 -o output.mp4
The UI exports its frames straight to ffmpeg. This bypasses screen capture, so it also works
where a compositor hides window contents from x11grab (notably WSLg).
Options
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
-o, --output |
Output path, must be .mp4 (default output.mp4) |
-s, --start / -e, --end |
Clip window in seconds; omit if timing is in the route ID |
-u, --ui |
c3 (default) |
-f, --file-size |
Target size in MB (default 9, sized for Discord/GitHub) |
-q, --quality |
high (hevc, default) or low (qcam) |
-x, --speed |
Record at this speed multiple |
-d, --data-dir |
Use local route data instead of downloading |
-p, --prefix |
openpilot prefix to isolate the run |
The default 9MB target suits short clips. For anything longer than about a minute, raise it
(-f 250) or the bitrate drops low enough to be visibly bad.
WSL
Recording works on WSL2 under Windows 11, which supplies a display through WSLg.
python3 tools/clip/run.py -u c3 -f 250 -o ~/clips/foo.mp4 78511c37de32c375/00000958--8cb1d3e165/140/260
Running the tool rebuilds native extensions, and this repo tracks those build artifacts in git, so the working tree ends up dirty afterwards. That does not affect running it again, it only matters when pulling:
git checkout -- . && git pull
The discarded files are rebuilt on the next run. If you have source edits you want to keep,
commit or stash them instead, since git checkout -- . discards all unstaged changes.