Free Alternative to TrackIR

[HitSqdhaXor 0]

I am not out to ditch this solution, but I think that others should know that this solution is not as "ideal" as a TrackIR.

Edit:

After playing with the setting a bit and making some adjustments, I got it working as good as I can. It is acceptable if you set everything up right, otherwise it gets annoying and just frustrates you to the point of not using it.

* Check to make sure the NewView folder and contents aren't set to Read-Only, especially the .ini files until after you have made all your adjustments.

-------------------

From my previous post:

"it doesn't stay locked on your nose, and drifts off center while in game."

Update: That last tip to have it "Center (without return)" made it work for me and fixed this issue. Otherwise, I was constantly pressing [CTRL+UP] to re-center and it became more of a annoyance than a feature.

"I also noticed a slight performance decrease due to the Cam2Pan streaming video to process facial movements in the background."

Update: I am sure this varies from machine to machine, drivers, resources and such play a big factor. I updated to a different webcam driver and this issue seems to have vanished. I am also currently testing another brand of webcam as well. My theory is that the "cheaper" the webcam, the better it will work. (Even the author of the software recommends taking the camera slightly out of focus to increase accuarcy.)

TIP: After you get it working (Be sure to launch NewView first, then Cam2Pan and hit start on Cam2Pan.) Start a flying mission in ArmA and just Alt/Tab to adjust the settings in Cam2Pan to your liking.

[HitSqdhaXor 0]

We found a small issue with using NewView.

- Anyone that uses NewView has to Alt-Tab out of the game and then go back in to get their keyboard to work.

Solution Link

Perhaps the Author has a updated version of that .dll??

Maybe a setting not set correctly?

.... Another reason to just go buy a TrackIR.

[Universel 0]

We found a small issue with using NewView.

- Anyone that uses NewView has to Alt-Tab out of the game and then go back in to get their keyboard to work.

Solution Link

Perhaps the Author has a updated version of that .dll??

Maybe a setting not set correctly?

.... Another reason to just go buy a TrackIR.

I think the Alt Tab issue is because you use a bad .ini file.

I gave a link for a good Arma.ini in my previous post.

Try it : http://groch.dyn.pl/~groch/TrackIR/ArmA_1.INI

[HitSqdhaXor 0]

I am not repeating myself. You go read the other thread.

PS: Your ini file is bad BTW.

"Error: Floating Point 46754265.432687 is invalid."

[Universel 0]

This is not "my" ini, this is a ini used by many ppl on this polish forum http://www.board.armedassault.pl/viewtopic.php?t=139 and elsewhere - and no keyboard problems reported so far on their forum.

But I wont be so affirmative untill I get back home and test the stuff.

Maybe I am wrong, once home it will take me 5min to be sure, and you could help me by uploading your Arma_1.ini file in the meantime so I could test it too.

[Universel 0]

Ok, tested and confirmed.

If it happens that your keyboard stops responding in Arma after installing NewView then you have an incorrect ArmA_1.ini file or no ArmA_1.ini file at all in your NewView directory.

To solve this, grab the good file here : http://groch.dyn.pl/~groch/TrackIR/ArmA_1.INI and then tweak it at your wish in config.exe.

[Rattus 0]

Cam2pan works like a charm, especially with a USB powered LED (from my "kewl" glowing mousepad... now it finally has a use).

It just convinced me to start saving money for real TrackIR

[kronzky 5]

I am not repeating myself. You go read the other thread.

PS: Your ini file is bad BTW.

"Error: Floating Point 46754265.432687 is invalid."

The floating point error seems to come from using an .ini file that was created where they use commas instead of period to denote a decimal "point" (i.e in Germany it's $3,50, not $3.50).

Just switch all those commas to periods (or the other way round, depending on where you are, and what .ini file you got), and you should be fine.

[HitSqdhaXor 0]

This is not "my" ini, this is a ini used by many ppl on this polish forum http://www.board.armedassault.pl/viewtopic.php?t=139 and elsewhere - and no keyboard problems reported so far on their forum.

But I wont be so affirmative untill I get back home and test the stuff.

Maybe I am wrong, once home it will take me 5min to be sure, and you could help me by uploading your Arma_1.ini file in the meantime so I could test it too.

I am sorry. You are right about the .ini file.

Now why does it go corrupt?

It was working fine .. or maybe I just Alt-Tab too much to notice it was creating an issue??!

Also I have to add Q&A from Leon the Cam2Pan author.

Q: Cam2Pan wont register.

A: Make sure you have a C: Drive and it is not removeable. Cam2Pan uses the C: Drive to encode the key.

Q: What camera do you recommend?

A: You should be able to use Cam2Pan with less expensive cameras. Most of the cameras you buy today support 30FPS. You don't heed a high resolution. CIF (160x120) is enough.

Q: Are you going to add TrackIR emulation to Cam2Pan?

A: NewView is doing TrackIR emulation, and it should work with Cam2Pan. NewView is a free program. - Leon

So it looks like this is all the further it goes for $10.

Next step is the real deal.

[kestrel7e7 0]

Someone could do this with the Wii-mote controller.

It uses Bluetooth and has already been used as a mouse and tilt sensor for PC (using GlovePIE). Since it uses two dots instead of one it would give you more DOF.

[Maddmatt 1]

Someone could do this with the Wii-mote controller.

It uses Bluetooth and has already been used as a mouse and tilt sensor for PC (using GlovePIE). Since it uses two dots instead of one it would give you more DOF.

So will you have to tape the remote to your head?

[Maximus_G 0]

We found a small issue with using NewView.

- Anyone that uses NewView has to Alt-Tab out of the game and then go back in to get their keyboard to work.

Solution Link

Perhaps the Author has a updated version of that .dll??

Maybe a setting not set correctly?

.... Another reason to just go buy a TrackIR.

NewView -> Additional Settings -> Miscellaneous -> Direct keyboard scan (LockOnMode) = TRUE.

That would fix the issue.

----

I've been using NV for years, first with the joystick's hat buttons (good old Il-2 days), then with my webcam, now i use it with my TIR.

NV is a very good middleware. Standard TIR software lacks some important features, like Floating deadzone, so even now NV is a must have for me.

BTW, there is at least one alternative to TIR, which is much cheaper (about 55$ ) and doesn't yield to TIR in most aspects - HeadJoy. And if you know how to handle with the soldering iron, you can make it yourself.

Demo videos here

http://gadget63.narod.ru/hj54.htm

All the questions here (it's in Russian but it's OK to post in English).

http://forum.sukhoi.ru/showthread.php?t=35842

[Espectro (DayZ) 0]

We found a small issue with using NewView.

- Anyone that uses NewView has to Alt-Tab out of the game and then go back in to get their keyboard to work.

Solution Link

Perhaps the Author has a updated version of that .dll??

Maybe a setting not set correctly?

.... Another reason to just go buy a TrackIR.

NewView -> Additional Settings -> Miscellaneous -> Direct keyboard scan (LockOnMode) = TRUE.

That would fix the issue.

----

I've been using NV for years, first with the joystick's hat buttons (good old Il-2 days), then with my webcam, now i use it with my TIR.

NV is a very good middleware. Standard TIR software lacks some important features, like Floating deadzone, so even now NV is a must have for me.

BTW, there is at least one alternative to TIR, which is much cheaper (about 55$ ) and doesn't yield to TIR in most aspects - HeadJoy. And if you know how to handle with the soldering iron, you can make it yourself.

Demo videos here

http://gadget63.narod.ru/hj54.htm

All the questions here (it's in Russian but it's OK to post in English).

http://forum.sukhoi.ru/showthread.php?t=35842

Seriously, I would rather save a litle more than be buying that big box to sit on my head, lol. It uses batteries or something?

[kestrel7e7 0]

Seriously, I would rather save a litle more than be buying that big box to sit on my head, lol. It uses batteries or something?

It uses USB power, so no batteries are required, but the head mounted box is exceedingly large considering how little is in it.

Still, I'm impressed they've managed to include 3DOF by measuring forward/back motion. With the right software 6DOF could easily be achieved using similar cheap, simple hardware.

If TrackIR were more affordable, more casual gamers would adopt the technology which would encourage developers to include support in their games. Wouldn't it be great if all FPS games had fully independent head tracking? *drools*

[tj72 0]

I agree with the above post. Wouldnt it be possibe to get your forward back motion from another webcam looking at the side. And if you had a way to track your chin versus forehead you should be able to tell the difference between a tilt and a lean. Might be abit wonky to set up but I find it interesting. Also if you combined the webcam setup with 3d Glasses wouldnt that count as a nifty VR helmet solution? Its a very interesting technology and sounds like the next step. If there were more solutions on the market then the price of TrackIR would likely come down a bit. Also dont forget that multiple monitors set up is another alternative to consider if a gamer wants this kind of expansion.

[EricM 0]

My brother bought a Track IR not too long ago, and the truth is it's really fun. Kind of weird at first as a foot soldier, but a blast to pilot helicopters. I still think it's way overpriced... I'd buy it at 45 or 50 euros maybe. I

I don't get why a company like Logitech doesn't make a similar products already. They have the technology, and they certainly have the know-how : they have web cams following people and avatars mimicking your head movements !!!

http://www.logitech.com/index.c....yid=446

[EricM 0]

I tried the cam2pan + newview

A bit of a pain to setup (I didn't have the right version of newview at first), but now it works really well both in IL2 and Armed Assault.

It's not as robust or sophisticated as Track IR but having tried both, and given the few games that truly use the 6 Dof, I think that will do for now... And even though some will say you can't compare both, it's still better than nothing.

For those interested, i used the flashlight mode, and in order to improve the tracking I used various technics:

- I use a dark baseball cap and put the marker at the tip of the eyeshade. By doing so i provide a dark baground for the marker, improving the contrast for tracking, and I amplify the movements of the marker by decentering it from the neck axis. Hence, slight head movements still get noticed without the need to overdo it. You can later fine tune the smoothing and responsivness to your tastes in cam2pan or newview

- For the marker, I currently use 2 technics :

First : a ball of reflective material (aka ball of aluminium paper) at which I orient my desk lamp slighlty. The shiny ball stands out nicely on top of the mat black cap and stays visible to the camera in every position of the head. I guess if you have a webcam with integrated light and true reflective tape, it's even better. Tracking is nice even with the window of my room in the back.

Second : I cracked open a keyring which had a tiny red led. Once the shell is gone, one can see the led mounted on a small support with the button-like battery. The whole system weight about 5 grams and can be perfectly stuck at the end of the cap without even noticing. It works wonders in a darker room. I will see if I can find a more powerful led device (mini led torch)...

Bye

Eric

[4 IN 1 0]

the only reason i choose a TIR instead of this little pice of software is that i am not intend to get myself a webcam, it waste my space on my desk and i cant find anything to do with it

[Shins 0]

Another potential candidate for TIR replacement. Think this is 6DOF too...

http://n.camil.chez-alice.fr/index.php

[Maddmatt 1]

Another potential candidate for TIR replacement. Think this is 6DOF too...

http://n.camil.chez-alice.fr/index.php

That looks good. Anyone going to try it with ArmA?

[NaturalPoint_Vincent 0]

At the moment, Lomac 1.02/Flaming cliffs, Falcon4 and Forgotten Battles/Pacific fighters are supported.

Known bugs.

The in-game pilot head doesn't move realy smootly. Freetrack is not as good as a TrackIR.

On exiting or while changing resolution, the video capture freeze the software quite often.

[kestrel7e7 0]

Another potential candidate for TIR replacement. Think this is 6DOF too...

http://n.camil.chez-alice.fr/index.php

Awesome. This shows that TrackIR is really just a relatively basic piece of software (that an individual programmer can make for FREE) coupled with some basic commercial off-the-shelf hardware.

If NaturalPoint, the makers of TrackIR, had made their software for generic webcams it would have been pirated like crazy, robbing them of profit. They did the smart thing and tied their software to a specific hardware device making it impossible to pirate.

TrackIR is a massive ripoff, if it was priced reasonably everyone would have one and force game developers to make head tracking a standard control input in all games. It should be as commonplace and cheap as a mouse.

[EricM 0]

The Freetrack stuff is still in early development and is clearly not as smooth as the real thing, yet. But nonethless impressive and OPEN SOURCE, meaning that it can only get better...

So far the problem seems to be rather the export of data to the game than the tracking by itself. The 3D head movements seems pretty smooth in the freetrack window, but in the Lomac video it was very laggy. Another thing I discovered using Cam2Pan and equivalents is that it seems to suck around 20% or more of your CPU power to analyse the data in background, therefore it's not so advisable if your specs barely meet the minimum requirements for ArmA.

As far as the Track IR hardware goes, you can make an IR webcam for less than 20 Euros. It may only be 30 fps, but still...

Mass produced, it could be even cheaper for a company. Couple it with the software and I'm pretty sure you could sell it for around 40 euros and still make a nice profit, compensing in volume of sales what you lost in margin.

If only for one thing, this kind of clones should make the real track IR become more affordable. Then I'll buy the real deal.

[Maddmatt 1]

So far the problem seems to be rather the export of data to the game than the tracking by itself. The 3D head movements seems pretty smooth in the freetrack window, but in the Lomac video it was very laggy. Another thing I discovered using Cam2Pan and equivalents is that it seems to suck around 20% or more of your CPU power to analyse the data in background, therefore it's not so advisable if your specs barely meet the minimum requirements for ArmA.

Not such a problem for dual/multi-core CPUs. Since ArmA isn't multi-threaded it wont impact performance much.

[Universel 0]

Another potential candidate for TIR replacement. Think this is 6DOF too...

http://n.camil.chez-alice.fr/index.php

This is MAJOR news.

A few weeks before I spoke in this thread about my dream to have a 3-points tracking software that could emulate 6dof.

Seems it's finally out

Can't wait to see it implemented in newview and arma, shouldn't take more than a couple of weeks since it's opensource.

Vive la France