Accessing Atlas3D Raspbian desktop with a tight VNC Server tutorial

One interesting option of the Raspberry PI is to access to its Raspbian desktop using a tight VNC Server. It allows using the Raspberry in another way, not only like the core of the Atlas 3D but as a little computer without using a keyboard neither a monitor. You connect to the Raspberry using a VNC client or a simply VNC Viewer for Google Chrome whether it is your favorite browser.

Here are a few basic steps to install and configure a tight VNC Server. I have not checked if it this server could consume a lot of the RAM memory of the Raspberry PI or could affect the performance of the Atlas 3D scanner application during the scaning process. I only want to share how to configure it if somebody is interested in this kind of remote access.

1- Install the tight VNC Server

$sudo apt-get install tightvncserver

2- Set a password. I answered NO to the view-only password question. This is the password you need to connect the server form the client.

$vncpasswd

3- We can start the server to do a test:

$vncserver :1 

4- If your favorite browser is Google Chrome, you can install the VNC Viewer for Google Chrome offered by realvnc.com. It is free and the first one listed if you search for it.

5- Run the VNC Viewer application or the Chrome VNC Viewer and enter in the address box the IP of your Atlas3D Scanner followed by :1. For example:

192.168.1.101:1

   
Choose the desired picture quality and enter the password you set in the step #2. Automatically you will watch the Raspbian desktop of your Raspberry PI in a window with the icons of the installed applications. Now you can use your Atlas 3D Scanner in another way, not only like a 3D Scanner.

6- If you want to stop the server you can do it with:

$vncserver -kill :1

7- You can start the server in a more complex way configuring the resolution and the depth of the screen. You could do it like these examples:

$vncserver :1 -geometry 1280x800 -depth 16 -pixelformat rgb565

or

$vncserver :1 -geometry 800x600 -depth 16

I guess the manual will explain all the available parameters of the vncserver command.

8- Also if you want to start the tight VNC Server automatically when the Atlas 3D boots up, you only have to add the following line to the /etc/rc.local file:

We can edit it using nano editor:

$sudo nano /etc/rc.local

for adding a line similar to this:

su -c "/usr/bin/vncserver :1 -geometry 1280x800 -depth 16 -pixelformat rgb565" pi

If you want another screen configuration you have to specify it properly like was said before. You will need to check the command help.

Hope this minitutorial helps if you want to test VNC access to your Atlas 3D Scanner.

Regards
Serxio Sierra