Guide - Enhancing head movement on TrackIR

[GK61]

that's a great video, thanks so much for doing that...did you happen to notice the default 6DOF of the Viper was set as:

 

limits_6DOF               = {x = {-0.13,0.45},y ={-0.45,0.16},z = {-0.2,0.2},roll = 90.000000}}),
-- limits_6DOF            = {x = {-0.13,0.30},y ={-0.06,0.16},z = {-0.18,0.18},roll = 90.000000},

I looked at the default for y values and thought is that a misprint?

[Rudel_chw]

59 minutes ago, GK61 said:

I looked at the default for y values and thought is that a misprint?

 

Don't know .. probably its more realistic to not allow the pilot to crunch, as in real life he cant do that .. but I prefer a bit  of slack on this, as the visual we have of the cockpit has a much lower "resolution" than in real life, don't care if purists find it unrealistic

 

Edited February 22, 2023 by Rudel_chw

[Rudel_chw]

1 hour ago, GK61 said:

was in checking some edits today on my server.lua and it appears something has changed since the latest patch where some edits no longer work, however if you edit the main server.lua in the installation directory which isn't recommended (fail integrity check of course) the edits work, why would this be?

hi, sorry that I didnt saw you prior post on February, I will address it tomorrow as I’m away from the PCat the moment.

regarding server.lua, I did notice what you mention but thought that it was an issue of the module I’m currently using, so I reported it on that module’s bug section:

 

 

With what other aircrafts have you noted this? Maybe it is a DCS issue and not a fault of a single module.

[Rudel_chw]

4 minutes ago, GK61 said:

Hi Rudel, try your TrackIR and let me know if your past view edits still work

Hi,

My modus operandi with DCS is to focus on a single Module at a time, for several months until I feel that I have had enough   so, even if my server.lua has edits for a lot of aircrafts that I’ve flown on the past, I only noticed the issue with my current aircraft, the Mirage F1.

tomorrow I will try other modules and if they present the same issue (not taking the edits that one does to /saved games/ server.lua) then I will fill a bug report as a DCS core bug, thanks a lot for bringing attention to this issue 

[Rudel_chw]

15 hours ago, Rudel_chw said:

With what other aircrafts have you noted this? Maybe it is a DCS issue and not a fault of a single module.

 

Hi,

Today I tested the Hornet and the Blackshark 3, and found that they do seem to take in all the edits that I do at /Saved Games/DCS/Config/View/Server.lua ... so, from my perspective only the Mirage F1 seems to not be taking these edits.

13 hours ago, GK61 said:

 Now, if I understand you correctly, none of your 6DOF x,y & z edits are working currently for the Mirage?

 

Yes, correct, tested it a lot and the Mirage F1 is not taking my custom server.lua edits.

 

13 hours ago, GK61 said:

from what I read and hear, mods in general, edits most likely are not working with this MT patch, edits not respected in the normal sense.

 

The Mirage F1 is an official DCS Module, created by Aerges. Tonight will try to customize the views of the Embraer A-29B user mod, and report back if it works or not.

 

13 hours ago, GK61 said:

also, noticed that none of your attached pics under the "Configure 6DOF" are showing...

 

Yes, unfortunately I have them on an http server and the Forum requires https .. I can't fix that, but if you right click on the images and select "open on another tab" then you will see the image.

[skypickle]

@Rudel_chwThank you for this helpful post. I was perusing your server.lua file which you posted some years ago and am curious about the entry for the Huey.

After you defined the local cockpit views, there was this code:

local function player(x,y)
return {	  CockpitLocalPoint      = {x,y,0.0},
  CameraViewAngleLimits  = {20.000000,140.000000},
  CameraAngleRestriction = {false,90.000000,0.500000},
  CameraAngleLimits      = {200,-90.000000,90.000000},
  EyePoint               = {0.00000,0.000000,0.000000},
  ShoulderSize     = 0.25,
  Allow360rotation    = false,
  limits_6DOF            = {x = {-0.050000,0.25000},y ={-0.300000,0.100000},z = {-0.30000,0.30000},roll = 90.000000},
		}
end

 

but nowhere in the server.lua file is the function, player(x,y) called.

 

Is it doing something ?

 

 

Also, I added an entry of the AH64D. In the originalViews.lua file for the Apache there is something similar.

There is the expected viewSettings but also a bunch of functions not referenced. For example,

local function head_pos_default_PLT(tab)
	if not tab then
		tab = {}
	end

	tab.viewAngle	= tab.viewAngle		or	76.0
	tab.hAngle		= tab.hAngle		or	0.0
	tab.vAngle		= tab.vAngle		or -10.0
	tab.x_trans		= tab.x_trans		or	0.0
	tab.y_trans		= tab.y_trans		or	0.0
	tab.z_trans		= tab.z_trans		or	0.0
	tab.rollAngle	= tab.rollAngle		or	0.0

	return tab
end

Again, the function, head_pos_default_PLT(), is not used in the original Views.lua file

 

What do you imagine it is for?

[skypickle]

Also, editing the server.lua in the Saved Games folder for the Apache does not work. Edits have to be made in the View.lua file in the game folder. 

[Snacko]

What is the status of this now?  I was testing the FA-18 in OB with no MT and the server.lua in Saved Games still does not work.

 

Has anyone posted this in the bugs forum? 

[TheMisled]

Just in case anyone is wondering, for the F-15E Strike Eagle, you'll want to use "F-15ESE"

[virgo47]

On 5/27/2019 at 2:33 PM, Farrow said:

Is it possible to adjust the 6DOF limits for the UH-1H? I've been trying for a while now but I can't seem to make it so I can move my head farther to the left (i.e. over the top of the centre console).

I'm pretty sure the module name is "UH-1H" but no matter what I change it doesn't seem to have an effect - and I can't see any mention of UH-1H adjustments in this thread or elsewhere on the forum so I'm wondering if maybe it isn't possible to adjust for that particular aircraft.

This one seems to be tricky. I extended the numbers in limits_6DOF, but this seems to work only for non head-tracking situation. I can easily move with above the central console with the bindings (when TrackIR is off), but not with the trackIR. I'm still not sure what is happening, but there definitely is a discrepancy between camera movement limits with bindings and TrackIR. I discovered this in UH-1H, but so far I'm not sure about other modules.

EDIT: Perhaps the head-tracking range itself is not adjusted (I'm still not sure about it), but the "center" of the head is definitely modified - so you can combine the extended limits, move your camera/head where you want with the camera keybinds, and then additionally move it from there with head tracking. It's interesting to see your headless body this way... but I'd still like to see wider movement with the head-tracking because the head-tracking SW shows that I'm tracked in a wider range, but DCS stops moving within narrower limits.

Edited June 2, 2024 by virgo47

[Kageseigi]

I have a few questions...

First, did DCS' file structure change since this was posted?

Second, does this pass Integrity Check in the current version?

Third, does this allow (or is there another way to allow) the pilot to look more than 90 degrees straight up/back? Maybe I missed something or my controls are all a mess, but my pilot still wouldn't look up past 90, though TrackIR does.

Thank you!

[virgo47]

1 hour ago, Kageseigi said:

I have a few questions...

First, did DCS' file structure change since this was posted?

Second, does this pass Integrity Check in the current version?

Third, does this allow (or is there another way to allow) the pilot to look more than 90 degrees straight up/back? Maybe I missed something or my controls are all a mess, but my pilot still wouldn't look up past 90, though TrackIR does.

Thank you!

I believe, the file structure did not change, although for some planes this requires more Lua, especially for two-seaters. A few examples from my Config/View/Server.lua. In all the cases I mostly only modify limits_6DOF, but for your needs, did you try to change CameraAngleLimits and *Restrictions (not sure what the difference is)?

A simple example for F-5:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- Custom view settings overriding defaults from other planes
-- Axis mapping minus-to-plus: x - back-to-front, y - down-to-up, z - left-to-right

ViewSettings["F-5E-3"] = {
	Cockpit = {
	[1] = {-- player slot 1
		CameraViewAngleLimits  = {20.000000,140.000000},
		CockpitLocalPoint      = {3.022,0.860,0.0},
		CameraAngleRestriction = {false,90.000000,0.500000},
		CameraAngleLimits      = {200,-90.000000,90.000000},
		EyePoint               = {0.05000,0.100000,0.000000},
		ShoulderSize		   = 0.25,
		Allow360rotation	   = false,
		limits_6DOF            = {x = {-0.05,0.21},y ={-0.10,0.08},z = {-0.19,0.19},roll = 90.000000},
	},
	}, -- Cockpit 
	Chase = {
		LocalPoint      = {-5.0,1.0,3.0},
		AnglesDefault   = {0.000000,0.000000},
	}, -- Chase 
	Arcade = {
		LocalPoint      = {-21.500000,5.618000,0.000000},
		AnglesDefault   = {0.000000,-8.000000},
	}, -- Arcade 
}

This is how you set multiple types the same way:

-- This is how to reuse one setting for multiple plane sub-types:
local viewSettingsMustang = {
	Cockpit = {
	[1] = {-- player slot 1
		CockpitLocalPoint      = {-1.500000,0.618000,0.000000},
		CameraViewAngleLimits  = {20.000000,120.000000},
		CameraAngleRestriction = {false,90.000000,0.500000},
		CameraAngleLimits      = {200,-90.000000,90.000000},
		EyePoint               = {0.025000,0.100000,0.000000},
		ShoulderSize		   = 0.15,
		Allow360rotation	   = false,
		limits_6DOF            = {x = {-0.050000,0.500000},y ={-0.230000,0.230000},z = {-0.250000,0.250000},roll = 90.000000},
	},
	}, -- Cockpit 
	Chase = {
		LocalPoint      = {0.200000,-0.652000,-0.650000},
		AnglesDefault   = {0.000000,0.000000},
	}, -- Chase 
	Arcade = {
		LocalPoint      = {-21.500000,5.618000,0.000000},
		AnglesDefault   = {0.000000,-8.000000},
	}, -- Arcade 
}
ViewSettings["TF-51D"] = viewSettingsMustang
ViewSettings["P-51D"] = viewSettingsMustang
ViewSettings["P-51D-30-NA"] = viewSettingsMustang

And this is how it can get complicated with a two-seater - but the original C-101 config was even more complicated, but I inlined some stuff:

-- Mods\aircraft\C-101\Views.lua is more complicated, so some calculations are repeated here
local function playerC101(x,y)
	return {
		CockpitLocalPoint      = {x,y,0.0},
		CameraViewAngleLimits  = {20.000000,140.000000},
		CameraAngleRestriction = {false,90.000000,0.500000},
		CameraAngleLimits      = {200,-90.000000,90.000000},
		EyePoint               = {0.05000,0.100000,0.000000},
		ShoulderSize     	   = 0.25,
		Allow360rotation       = false,
		limits_6DOF            = {x = {-0.05, 0.3}, y = {-0.3, 0.1}, z = {-0.23, 0.23}, roll = 90.000000},
	}
end
local viewSettingsC101 = {
	Cockpit = {
		playerC101(3.326,0.526),--front cockpit
		playerC101(1.74,0.841),--rear cockpit
	},
	Chase = {
		LocalPoint      = {-5.0,1.0,3.0},
		AnglesDefault   = {0.000000,0.000000},
	},
	Arcade = {
		LocalPoint      = {-21.500000,5.618000,0.000000},
		AnglesDefault   = {0.000000,-8.000000},
	},
}
ViewSettings["C-101CC"] = viewSettingsC101
ViewSettings["C-101EB"] = viewSettingsC101

From my experience, the limits_6DOF don't transfer (or at least not completely) to the movement freedom of the TrackIR itself, but allow to move the center more around, from which the TrackIR movement starts. It also helps with creating SnapViews that would not be possible by default.

[SharpeXB]

7 hours ago, Kageseigi said:

Third, does this allow (or is there another way to allow) the pilot to look more than 90 degrees straight up/back? Maybe I missed something or my controls are all a mess, but my pilot still wouldn't look up past 90, though TrackIR does.

Many years ago DCS had this odd head movement where you could indeed look “up” 180d and see the tail of your plane. That’s pretty weird though. This was improved and what we have today is realistic head and shoulder movement. To see your high 6:00 just turn your shoulders like you would IRL. TrackIR works best with the “Smooth” preset included with the software and not the initial “Default” curve IMO

[Kageseigi]

22 hours ago, virgo47 said:

I believe, the file structure did not change, although for some planes this requires more Lua, especially for two-seaters. A few examples from my Config/View/Server.lua. In all the cases I mostly only modify limits_6DOF, but for your needs, did you try to change CameraAngleLimits and *Restrictions (not sure what the difference is)?

Thank you. I only played around with it for a few minutes. Do you still use the Server.lua file for planes such as the F-5? Or do you use the Views.lua (Eagle Dynamics\DCS World OpenBeta\Mods\aircraft\F-5E) file from the specific module? I haven't touched the Server.lua file yet, but I editing the Views.lua file did have an effect. I tried to copy the Views.lua to the Saved Games directory (Saved Games\DCS.openbeta\Mods\aircraft) so I can possibly pass the Integrity Check for multiplayer servers, but the changes there didn't work.

If you copy the Server.lua to the Saved Games directory, will it pass IC?

 

15 hours ago, SharpeXB said:

Many years ago DCS had this odd head movement where you could indeed look “up” 180d and see the tail of your plane. That’s pretty weird though. This was improved and what we have today is realistic head and shoulder movement. To see your high 6:00 just turn your shoulders like you would IRL. TrackIR works best with the “Smooth” preset included with the software and not the initial “Default” curve IMO

Thanks. That's interesting. Yeah, I can understand not wanting a pilot to be able to twist his head around like an owl, haha! Though I do wish I could get more freedom with TrackIR similar to what a VR headset can give.

VR may be more apt to cause motion sickness if the game view doesn't match a player's true head movement, but trying to follow a bandit straight up can get disorienting for a TrackIR user also when his pilot's head stops, but his real head doesn't. I actually find myself straining to move my head up even more, thinking it will break the limit... only resulting in the TrackIR camera losing sight of my reflectors, haha!

It wouldn't be so bad if I could set limits on TrackIR itself (to never let it have a pitch output greater than 90 degrees), because when I look up and back (to the side), TrackIR thinks my pilot's head is facing a little "upside-down," but DCS doesn't. so when I have to follow my target from high-right and behind me to high-left and behind me, once my head crosses the center point horizontally, TrackIR throws a fit, and causes some crazy camera swings... making it extremely difficult to maintain visual. It's absolutely devastating in scissors

P.S. Good luck trying to follow my head movement in the last paragraph!

[virgo47]

1 hour ago, Kageseigi said:

Do you still use the Server.lua file for planes such as the F-5? Or do you use the Views.lua (Eagle Dynamics\DCS World OpenBeta\Mods\aircraft\F-5E) file from the specific module?

If you copy the Server.lua to the Saved Games directory, will it pass IC?

Server.lua (under Saved Games) is kind of override and has higher priority, Views.lua under DCS installation are the defaults.

I use Views.lua as a template when needed and put the ViewSettings = {...} block to Server.lua - but here it needs to be put under the right key - DO NOT override the whole ViewSettings table in Server.lua:

ViewSettings["TF-51D"] = { ... the same content as ViewSettings in installation dir ... }

The keys used are internal type names, not the map editor type names (although sometimes they are the same, not always). Find that in entry.lua in the installed mod, there will be some type = assignment. I have my incomplete list here, probably there are similar tables online for complete list, but it's not difficult to find in that entry.lua.

These changes in Server.lua do not affect Integrity Check - everything is green, don't worry.

 

[SharpeXB]

6 hours ago, Kageseigi said:

That's interesting. Yeah, I can understand not wanting a pilot to be able to twist his head around like an owl, haha!

Yes it’s much better now. The trouble is that if the vertical axis is so sensitive that tipping your view up looks at the tail of the plane it will be too sensitive for clicking in the cockpit. And mimicking the shoulder motion means you automatically look around the headrest instead of straight into it. It’s both easier and more realistic. To follow a target across the top of the canopy you just turn your “shoulders” a bit like IRL. 

[Kageseigi]

17 hours ago, virgo47 said:

Server.lua (under Saved Games) is kind of override and has higher priority, Views.lua under DCS installation are the defaults.

I use Views.lua as a template when needed and put the ViewSettings = {...} block to Server.lua - but here it needs to be put under the right key - DO NOT override the whole ViewSettings table in Server.lua:

ViewSettings["TF-51D"] = { ... the same content as ViewSettings in installation dir ... }

The keys used are internal type names, not the map editor type names (although sometimes they are the same, not always). Find that in entry.lua in the installed mod, there will be some type = assignment. I have my incomplete list here, probably there are similar tables online for complete list, but it's not difficult to find in that entry.lua.

These changes in Server.lua do not affect Integrity Check - everything is green, don't worry.

 

Thank you! I'll definitely give it a go!  I'm always worried about the IC, haha!

12 hours ago, SharpeXB said:

Yes it’s much better now. The trouble is that if the vertical axis is so sensitive that tipping your view up looks at the tail of the plane it will be too sensitive for clicking in the cockpit. And mimicking the shoulder motion means you automatically look around the headrest instead of straight into it. It’s both easier and more realistic. To follow a target across the top of the canopy you just turn your “shoulders” a bit like IRL. 

I was just testing TrackIR, and discovered that the Roll axis was really causing me crazy issues when I was looking close to or past vertical, so I disabled it, and had much better results. I'm still getting some issues when it is past vertical, though. Do you happen to know if there's any simple way to absolutely lock TrackIR out from giving an output of greater than 90 degrees on the Pitch axis?

[SharpeXB]

1 hour ago, Kageseigi said:

I was just testing TrackIR, and discovered that the Roll axis was really causing me crazy issues when I was looking close to or past vertical, so I disabled it, and had much better results. I'm still getting some issues when it is past vertical, though. Do you happen to know if there's any simple way to absolutely lock TrackIR out from giving an output of greater than 90 degrees on the Pitch axis?

You can adjust TrackIR any way you like but I’ve never found it necessary to set anything other than the “Smooth” profile preset.

[Nealius]

I'm unable to get these edits to work with any of the warbirds. The "Allow360rotation = true" entry is honored by DCS, however the 6dof edits are ignored. I am using the correct callback names for the modules, copied directly from the snapviews.lua entries. Here's an example of mine for the Anton:

ViewSettings["FW-190A8"] = {
	Cockpit = {
	[1] = {-- player slot 1
		CockpitLocalPoint      = {-1.133,0.842,0.000000},
		CameraViewAngleLimits  = {20.000000,140.000000},
		CameraAngleRestriction = {false,90.000000,0.500000},
		CameraAngleLimits      = {200,-90.000000,90.000000},
		EyePoint               = {0.05000,0.100000,0.000000},
		ShoulderSize		   = 0.25,
		Allow360rotation	   = true,
		limits_6DOF            = {x = {-0.9,0.9},y ={-0.9,0.9},z = {-0.9,0.9},roll = 90.000000},
	},
	}, -- Cockpit 
	Chase = {
		LocalPoint      = {0.200000,-0.652000,-0.650000},
		AnglesDefault   = {0.000000,0.000000},
	}, -- Chase 
	Arcade = {
		LocalPoint      = {-21.500000,5.618000,0.000000},
		AnglesDefault   = {0.000000,-8.000000},
	}, -- Arcade 
}

Allow360rotation works, but the limits_6DOF does not. Same issue with the Sptifire, P-47 (all variants), and 109 K-4.

All of my edits to modern aircraft modules work normally.

Edited January 17 by Nealius

[virgo47]

1 hour ago, Nealius said:

Allow360rotation works, but the limits_6DOF does not. Same issue with the Sptifire, P-47 (all variants), and 109 K-4.

All of my edits to modern aircraft modules work normally.

What does it mean "not work"? I'm not sure what limits_6DOF is supposed to do, but from my experience, it does not allow tracking to the limits you put there - perhaps only a little bit if the original small numbers restrict the tracking too much.

But it still allows placing the center of your head/camera within those limits - that is moving it around with key bindings.

[Rudel_chw]

1 hour ago, Nealius said:

Allow360rotation works, but the limits_6DOF does not.

you are using values too large, they are in meters so 0.9 means you could move your head 90 centimeters back and 90 forward from your rest position, same for the other axes. Try to stay within 0.1 (10cm) of the default values.

[Nealius]

25 minutes ago, Rudel_chw said:

you are using values too large, they are in meters so 0.9 means you could move your head 90 centimeters back and 90 forward from your rest position, same for the other axes. Try to stay within 0.1 (10cm) of the default values.

0.9 works for all other modules. In the Mosquito values up to 90.0 work (0.9 is actually more restrictive than the defaults). Wierdly in the Mosquito as well, 360rotation true is not honored for the pilot slot, but is for the navigator slot.

EDIT: I tried staying within 0.1 of default values and still not working.

Edited January 17 by Nealius

[Rudel_chw]

19 minutes ago, Nealius said:

EDIT: I tried staying within 0.1 of default values and still not working.

Ok, its been a while since I last adjusted this parameter, let me check it tonight and then I will get back.

[gonvise]

Is it possible to modify any of these parameters so that the oxygen mask be visible in the F16 or F18 VR pilot body view? It is disabled by default along with the helmet, but if you lean your head to the side it reappears.

[jack333]

Hi, I've verified that placing the server. lua in the config folder of previously saved games did have an effect, but now no matter how many changes I make, it doesn't change anything. I change the 6DFO parameters in the aircraft view in the Mod folder, and the only thing that works is zooming in, but the other parameters don't change. I say this because I want to zoom in on the MFD screens, especially the Harrier, but I can zoom in from above, but I can't bend my head. It's the y-axis I want to change. How do I do it? Best regards, and thanks.