Which Headtracker?

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AlexH
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Location: Hertfordshire

Which Headtracker?

Post by AlexH » Sun Jan 20, 2019 3:50 pm

Hi,

I have been using Condor with HTC Vive in VR. I love the immersive VR experience but after longer Condor multiplayer sessions of 2-2.5 hrs in a row (max normally recommended for VR 30 min.) I start to feel eye strain. I noticed to have developed a temporarily short-sightedness. After a few days rest for my eyes, vision has luckily gone back to 20/20. I normally only play condor in the multiplayer sessions of 1.5-2.5 hrs. The next best thing after VR would be head tracker. I would like to buy the TrackIR headtracker but this seems awfully expensive for what it is.

What would you recommend for best experience head tracking hardware? Edtracker, DelanClip, TrackIR, others?

janjansen
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Re: Which Headtracker?

Post by janjansen » Sun Jan 20, 2019 4:58 pm

edtracker afaik doesnt support 6DoF. The upcoming version of condor will.
Your choice is then basically between a trackir and any of the "clones" based on a modified PS3 eye camera and using Opentrack as software. Ive used both and they are pretty comparable. The clones are significantly cheaper, arguably the trackir is a little easier to setup. And using opentrack has one disadvantage, that may just be due to Condor, but you can no longer use a hatswitch for view panning if the software is installed. It locks you hard looking forward if the headtracker is not in use. That may or may not be fixed in a future patch.

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EDB
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Re: Which Headtracker?

Post by EDB » Mon Jan 21, 2019 12:57 am

NaturalPoint TrackIR 5 + TrackClip Pro

mada2000
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Re: Which Headtracker?

Post by mada2000 » Sat Jan 26, 2019 2:17 pm

Like Jan mentioned above - the best one in my opinion, using by most of Polish Condor pilots, is edtracker so i realy reccomend it. if you are able you can do it by yourself - easy and cheap. They created "hybrid" solution which supports 6DoF https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcXYrzoZ5DQ
main page - http://www.edtracker.org.uk
workaround - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-pLsD0arqE

Cheers
Adam

AlexH
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Location: Hertfordshire

Re: Which Headtracker?

Post by AlexH » Sat Jan 26, 2019 10:42 pm

Thanks for the replies.
I got the NaturalPoint TrackIR 5 with TrackClip Pro in the end.
Very expensive, but works great.
I am still working on the motion adjustments in my TrackIR profile.
Only a fraction of the immersive feeling of VR, but no more eye strain.

janjansen
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Re: Which Headtracker?

Post by janjansen » Sun Jan 27, 2019 12:05 pm

mada2000 wrote:
Sat Jan 26, 2019 2:17 pm
. They created "hybrid" solution which supports 6DoF https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcXYrzoZ5DQ
AFAICT, the tracker still only detects 3 rotations axis, they just configured opentrack so that head rotation can result in lateral movements too. I really dont think thats a viable solution, particularly not for moving your head closer to the instrument panel. Then if you consider an edtracker costs more than true 6DoF alternatives, I simply couldnt recommend it (unless you have a special use case where infrared tracking doesnt work, for instance if you cant control ambient lighting and you have to contend with direct sunlight).

HJE
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Re: Which Headtracker?

Post by HJE » Tue Dec 21, 2021 3:50 am

Nobody mentions the easiest (and cheapest) option of them all? {Zero cost if you already have a Webcam}
I’m using OpenTrack with the “Aruco Paper Marker Tracker” as the input, and “FreeTrack” as output.
You simply print the marker (about 10cm square is big enough), mount it on a piece of cardboard and fasten it to your cap. It works really well in all lighting conditions. {No leds + batteries (that keeps going flat) on your head, no special filters for your webcam, no wires, no darkened room…}

To fix the problem with OpenTrack disabling your hatswitch, go into the FreeTrack settings and put a check- mark in the box at the bottom : “Clear (DLL) location when tracking is stopped”.

AstirAl
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Re: Which Headtracker?

Post by AstirAl » Mon Jan 03, 2022 11:29 pm

There is an even easier way to use OpenTrack and a standard webcam without strapping anything onto your head.

AITrack uses face recognition to determine which way you are looking and feeds that information into OpenTrack. (Set the OpenTrack input source to "UDP Over Network" and run AITrack as a separate program.)

For best results, I recommend changing the "model type" in the AITrack settings from the default "Fast" to the more accurate "Medium". I also set a fairly large dead zone in the OpenTrack mapping properties to avoid unintentional head movements.

The latest version of Opentrack can do face recognition on its own using the new "Neuralnet tracker" input type, but I find AITrack to be less prone to glitching.

HJE
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Re: Which Headtracker?

Post by HJE » Fri Jan 07, 2022 10:25 pm

I did try AITrack but it kept losing lock with my face.
Maybe my settings were not right, or I’m just too ugly for face tracking? :-)

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scottrev
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Re: Which Headtracker?

Post by scottrev » Sun Oct 22, 2023 9:53 pm

I cannot get AItrak to talk to opentracker. I do not see AItrack listed in the input dropdown.

Does anyone know how to set this up?
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