Legacy edition, no longer supported: SharpShot Vision units shipped before 2026-10 (School and WRO editions) are no longer supported; their guides and examples stay here for reference. To upgrade to the current SharpShot Vision, contact the distributor you bought it from and send it back: the firmware update is free, and the buyer pays shipping both ways. Looking for the current SharpShot Vision? →
MBC SharpShot Vision School edition × EV3-G (EV3 Lab software)

Read the camera with EV3-G in three steps

In the EV3 software (EV3-G), the SharpShot Vision School edition shows up as a LEGO Infrared Sensor. So you do not import a library: you read it with the Infrared Sensor block in the right mode. Work through the steps on the left and the blocks on the right grow with you. These pictures were taken in EV3-G after opening each program (100% size, English interface), so they look exactly like the software.

1

Start: Start block + Loop

You need to read the sensor again and again. A new program already has the green Start block. Attach an orange Loop block after it and put a Wait block inside, so it reads every 0.1 seconds.

  1. Open the EV3 software (EV3-G) and make a new project.
  2. Drag a Loop from the orange Flow Control tab and attach it after the Start block (it repeats forever by default).
  3. Drag a Wait block into the loop, choose the Time mode and set it to 0.1 seconds.
2

Meet the reading blocks (Infrared Sensor)

On the EV3, the SharpShot Vision School edition shows up as a LEGO Infrared Sensor. Drag the Infrared Sensor block from the yellow Sensors tab and choose the mode at the bottom left of the block; the number at the top right is the port: choose 1 (the sensor is in port 1). The product puts different values in different modes:

BlockWhat you getRange
Measure → ProximityColour (hue)0 to 100, -1 = black / white / grey
Measure → Beacon, channel 1: ProximityColour vividness0 to 100
Measure → Beacon, channel 2: HeadingBrightness0 to 100
Measure → Beacon, channel 2: ProximityMotion0 to 100
Measure → Beacon, channel 3: HeadingBlob X position0 to 100 (left → right), 0 = not found
Measure → Beacon, channel 3: ProximityBlob Y position0 to 75 (bottom → top), 0 = not found
Measure → Beacon, channel 4: HeadingBlob width0 to 100, 0 = not found
Measure → Beacon, channel 4: ProximityBlob height (bigger when closer)0 to 75, 0 = not found

Use blocks of only one mode in a program (Proximity, Beacon or Remote). Every mode change makes the EV3 pause for about 1.1 seconds.

3

Show it on the EV3 screen

Use the Text block from the red Data Operations tab to join a name (for example POS) and the reading, then feed it into the green Display block (mode Text → Grid, Y = the line). The yellow and orange lines are data wires: drag one from the sensor to the Text block, and one from the Text block to the Display block. Put a "Display → Reset Screen" block before the loop. Click a function and the blocks and result change to its example.

Pretend sensor (what the camera sees): drag the blob and watch the output on the right

The simulator is only a sketch: drag the blob to move it and use the sliders for size and colour. The conversion is simplified; it is not the camera's own method.

Block example for each function

Every value EV3-G can read has a small program you can copy (sensor in port 1). Press "Try it" to jump to step 3.

What EV3-G cannot read: blob area and "blob found" (check width greater than 0 instead). The modes 3 to 6 added in firmware v4.0 (for example millimetre distances, bitmaps, connection state, device ID) cannot be read with EV3-G blocks either. For these, use Pybricks (the EV3 needs a different microSD card) or clev3r.

Things to know

  1. Plug the sensor into port 1. If you use another port, change the port number on the block. Switch the EV3 on first, then plug in the sensor; if the number never changes, unplug it and plug it in again.
  2. Use one mode per program. Each change between Proximity, Beacon and Remote makes the EV3 pause for about 1.1 seconds, and a racing robot can lose control.
  3. When the sensor is unplugged: the EV3 cannot read it, the number becomes "not a number" and the screen shows ----. Each reading also waits about 1.2 seconds. The program does not stop, and it works again when you plug the sensor back in.
  4. Set the sample point and the colour to find first: press the side button on the camera to open its menu (see the product page). The EV3 only reads the numbers.
  5. When no blob is found, X, Y, width and height are all 0. Use "width greater than 0" to check for a blob.
  6. English interface: the block icons are the same in other languages; only the menu text differs.
  7. For complete projects (line following, avoiding obstacles, driving …) see the EV3 examples page; most examples have an EV3-G file to download.