daedalos86 10 Posted June 18, 2009 Hello there, I'm currently working on a project for my university which is about using a custom made Eyetracking system in video / computer games. Since I still play Operation Flashpoint regularly but needed a more recent game, I decided to go for its successor, Armed Assault. I was utterly impressed by those TrackIR videos floating around the net and want to create something similar, but with the use of an eyetracking system. Currently I'm looking for the best way to feed the eyetrackers data (pixel coordinates) into ArmA. I thought of emulating a Joystick via PPJoy and then assigning the joysticks' axes to the analog field of view controlls in ArmA. But maybe you guys might now of a better way to do so, or know places where I can get more information about ArmA's engine / controll interfaces and stuff like that. I'm grateful for any comments. So long, deadalos. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bushlurker 46 Posted June 18, 2009 (edited) Try googling for Freetrack - its essentially free software similar to TrackIR, but you can use any webcam - it works with Arma 1 (though NOT Arma 2) and also interfaces with PPjoy... Still leaves you with EYE, rather than HEAD tracking to worry about, but the ready made interface might help some, and it's open source, so you can take a look at the code... Essentially, for Arma 1 anyway, Freetracks best option is to make use of built in TrackIR support in Arma 1 - I guess you could do the same... Beware however - TrackIR are now encrypting their interface so you're forced to buy their hardware - bad news for the thousands of Freetrack Arma 1 users hoping to do the same in Arma 2 - so making your interface dependent on theirs might be a Bad Idea, at least for forthcoming games... Sounds like a massively interesting project - please keep us posted on your progress! Good luck B Edited June 18, 2009 by Bushlurker Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TAW_RiEvEr 10 Posted July 2, 2009 Eye tracking seems a strange system to use, since this means your eyes will have to look away from the centre of the screen which seems counter-intuitive to me. Head tracking enable you to keep your viewpoint at the screen centre while the view shifts in line with your minimal head movements (usually 30 degrees or less). Freetrack does work with Arma2 if you install PPJoy, btw. That's what I use. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TAW_T-Bone 10 Posted July 11, 2009 You most be running XP cause i can't get it to work on vista 64 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bushlurker 46 Posted July 11, 2009 ppJoy isn't compatible with X64 I'm afraid - same problem here... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TAW_T-Bone 10 Posted July 11, 2009 I have been looking for a similar software - but also no success. I was thinking as TrackIR is compatible with x64 is there a way to use their program to make the Wii (what i want to use) compatible as a device for the TrackIR software Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FallujahMedic -FM- 867 Posted July 11, 2009 Try googling for Freetrack - its essentially free software similar to TrackIR, but you can use any webcam OOh, I don't know that I would use the Free****k word, it might get the the thread locked or someone banned. Seems to be alot of that going on here with regard to that subject. Swedish Neutrality "A few of the concessions, and sometimes embreachments of the nation's neutrality, the Swedish government made in favor of the Nazis were: * Allowing the Wehrmacht to use Swedish railways to transport the 163rd Infantry Division "Division Engelbrecht", along with war material freight, i.e., howitzers, tanks and anti-aircraft weapons and associated ammunition, from Norway to Finland * Transiting soldiers on leave between Norway and Germany - The so called permitenttrafik." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bushlurker 46 Posted July 12, 2009 (edited) hehehe I think the Bold Placebo - also from Sweden I believe - also has sufficient neutrality to realise we're talking about an entirely different and mostly theoretical topic here... Freetrack is perfectly legit open source software that can be used perfectly legitimately in a number of ways... for capturing point data for motion-capture for example - another way was via the TrackIR interface in games - therein lies controversy, so we shall venture no further in that direction nor indeed mention it again.. However, I believe tha Placebo and certainly other Devs have mentioned the use of freetrack via its associated ppJoy joystick emulator before - I don't think mentioning that away back here in the plain old Arma1 forums while discussing eye tracking is treading on anyones toes... Anyway - no need to mention the scary FT any further - re-reading daedalos' original post it seems that he has his point data - its getting it into games thats open to suggestions... @TAW - I know very little about TrackIR I'm afraid - you'd best ask in their thread - I'm not sure if they have one under Arma 1, but certainly someone from the Arma2 thread should be able to help you with your question... back to ppJoy - and the interesting eye tracking... Eye tracking seems a strange system to use, since this means your eyes will have to look away from the centre of the screen which seems counter-intuitive to me. I think actually a combination of eye tracking and head tracking would have to be used to emulate how we look around ourselves - you don't always look in exactly the direction your head faces, just as you don't always keep your head at the exact same angle in relation to your body.. Fortunately for Daedalos our eyes work in pairs hehe... In headtracking terms - theoretically you have 6DoF degrees of freedom with head movement - in practical terms you mostly just use two for looking about you... However, your eyes, working as a single unit, have independent 2DoF movement in conjunction with overall head movement... Of course - there are limits to this - thank god! - you very rarely turn your eyes to the left while turning your head to the right, for example - in fact, its quite tricky to do... so the software and tracking system(s) don't need to cover all the physically impossible manoeuvres... However, I'm rambling in conceptland.... good idea though... Anyway - as I said before - if you already have point data and want to get it into the widest possible range of games - using a joystick emulator is definitely the way to go - you only really need 2DoF support for the point data... However, as I also mentioned - ppJoy is OLD... its fairly clunky resolution and it has severe problems with x64 (unsigned drivers)... If you could find a DirectX joystick emulator, or had the necessary driver-level coding skills to program one you'd be sorted... anyway... keep us updated on your interesting project Daedalos B Edited July 12, 2009 by Bushlurker Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NaturalPoint_Vincent 0 Posted July 12, 2009 I have been looking for a similar software - but also no success.I was thinking as TrackIR is compatible with x64 is there a way to use their program to make the Wii (what i want to use) compatible as a device for the TrackIR software The TrackIR software is designed to only be used with the TrackIR hardware. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
daedalos86 10 Posted July 12, 2009 Hey guys, thank you very much for your input, I'm still struggeling to find the right method. As Bushlurker said, I already got the eyetracking data and I am trying to find a way to feed it to Armed Assault. Joystick emulation was one of my choices, but if I can find another, more convenient way, I'll use this one. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FallujahMedic -FM- 867 Posted July 12, 2009 Please keep us posted, it does sound very interesting. I keep thinking back to the old Nintendo Power glove (or whatever it was called) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
