Manual Particle Tracking Velocimetry Tool (ManPTV)

Manual tracking of objects in two frames with interactive input and visualisation. Calculates displacement and velocity.

ManPTV is a manual particle tracking velocimetry tool developed in MATLAB. It allows users to track objects or particles between two frames manually and compute displacement and velocity vectors in physical units. The tool is ideal for experimental setups in hydraulics, geosciences, or fluid mechanics where automated tracking fails due to noise, occlusion, or complex patterns.

Key Features

• Manual point tracking in two selected image frames
• Interactive coordinate system definition (origin and x-axis)
• Transformation to physical coordinates using pixel-to-metre scaling
• Calculation of displacements and velocity magnitudes (in m/s)
• Automatic result export as tables (.csv, .xlsx) and vector plots (.png, .fig)
• Clean and user-friendly visualisation of motion vectors
• Full compatibility with high-resolution images and custom frame rates

Included Tools

• ManPTV_V150.m: Main tool for tracking and velocity computation
• SplitVideo.m: Frame extractor from video files (.mp4)
• CalculateLengthScale.m: Calibration tool for pixel-to-metre scaling

Typical Use Case

1. Extract two frames from a video using SplitVideo.m
2. Calibrate scale using a reference image with CalculateLengthScale.m
3. Track objects across two frames using ManPTV_V150.m
4. Review results and use exported data for further analysis

Requirements

• MATLAB R2021a or newer
• Image Processing Toolbox
• Manual interaction (no automation or batch mode)