Vr sim pits?

[BlacleyCole]

Has anyone figured out the best way to get switches buttons and knobs to work with a vr hmd (head mounted display) to work hand in hand? Is it to build a switch panels to mimic the one in the dcs air craft or use a virtual way to manipulate them? I have tried captogloves but they didn’t like my laptop wouldn’t sync in the setup app. I’m getting ready to try point Ctrl once I did out my Velcro and zip ties and mount it but first need to get my new rift s working with dcs just tried once and put it all away.

[Bob_Bushman]

I have never played DCs without VR, and in my experience finding buttons isn't a big deal. Except for keyboard mappings those are impossible.

 

The crucial thing is to make sure the buttons and setup itself doesn't move around much that way muscle memory will set in.

I don't find it difficult to fly several planes becaude my landing gear flaps etc i keep mapped to the same buttons.

 

What I don't have buttons for I use a trackball.

Capto gloves sounds neat and all, but hardly anyone is getting them, and this they will hardly have any support and bug fixes

Edited November 25, 2019 by Bob_Bushman

[Mr_sukebe]

Similar to the above. I barely use the keyboard.

Where possible, the same button is used for all aircraft (and I fly just about everything in game). So for example, my landing gear is the same flip switch on my button box, regardless of aircraft.

It helps that I now have enough buttons to map everything that I normally use whilst flying.

Where I prefer to use the mouse (e.g. with the UFC in several aircraft), I use either my normal mouse with my right hand, or trackball with my left.

For calls to my airbase and similar, that's done using voice attack.

[Rosebud47]

Same with me as mentioned. Never flew without VR. Got a trackball left and one to the right, but try to use them only while being on the ground ( startup etc. ). Mapped gear, fuel probe, Antiskid to the same buttons on the HOTAS for every plane ( currently 2 ) and the others close in configuration to each other jet. Also orientating to map the switches close to the position in cockpit, like left console / right console. For interface with DCS using a small gaming keyboard, like refuel/rearm, comms menu, F10 map, F1 - F12, kneeboard, etc. p.p.

[Fri13]

Since CV1 and touch controllers I don't bind to HOTAS anything else than the real aircraft functions. Everything else I do with the virtual cockpit. So if I want to retract landing gear,I need to take my hand off from throttle and reach where the lever is.

If I need to to adjust radios, I need to again reach my hands in that position. If I need to change radar modes like in mirage, I need to reach to those switches.

 

You learn to appreciate the aircraft designs and functions when you can't just flip button in HOTAS or use mouse to do things. Just like why trackir becomes cursing as you can just look directly at your six without problems, while with VR you feel the challenge.

 

You as well learn the modules far faster with touch controllers as your muscle memory really gets used. So if you have not fly the aircraft for time, you do remember that you need to do something in that general area, and looking at it reminds that what you needed to do.

[Bob_Bushman]

Problem with touch controllers is you have to find them. Pick them up properly, do the thing, then put them back somewhere that allows for them to be picked up again and more likely than I would like I drop it during that last part and have to fish out from under me.

 

Capto gloves or leap motion would promise to solve most of this, but a trackball is a lot cheaper, better supported and can be velcroed to a fixed position..

[FragBum]

I'm with Bob on this one, physical panels and they don't necessarily have to mimic the modules, I have been building a "generic" VR simpit it's all about functionality for me.

[BlacleyCole]

Similar to the above. I barely use the keyboard.

Where possible, the same button is used for all aircraft (and I fly just about everything in game). So for example, my landing gear is the same flip switch on my button box, regardless of aircraft.

It helps that I now have enough buttons to map everything that I normally use whilst flying.

Where I prefer to use the mouse (e.g. with the UFC in several aircraft), I use either my normal mouse with my right hand, or trackball with my left.

For calls to my airbase and similar, that's done using voice attack.

 

How many buttons, switches and encoders are on your button box?

[Fri13]

Problem with touch controllers is you have to find them. Pick them up properly, do the thing, then put them back somewhere that allows for them to be picked up again and more likely than I would like I drop it during that last part and have to fish out from under me.

 

Capto gloves or leap motion would promise to solve most of this, but a trackball is a lot cheaper, better supported and can be velcroed to a fixed position..

 

That is kind of a problem, but you can find and use them faster and easier than trackball or mouse. I have used all the three, mode, trackball and touchpad and the controllers are the best ones.

 

If I would take something, it would be ED support for leap. Like why have not ED done that ALREADY!?

 

Like... 3D space indeed finger as pointer and use thumb as mouse click?

 

Well, not until gloveless hand movement is supported, I do not see better way to appear.

[whitav8]

Use voice commands for complex commands - just like your new car !

 

Siri: Set up for ground attack, finger formation, ...

[Harlikwin]

Yeah, this is something I've been going on about for a good long while, you can search through the forum for my old posts on this.

 

Generally speaking what I've found to work best so far is just working with the VR pit and then as close HOTAS setup as you can find. And then move it around to position it as close as you can in the virtual pit. For example I have F16/F18 and Vipril TM-50 sticks, WH and cougar throttles. This lets me replicate:

 

A10: perfect

F18: Good on the stick, So/So on the throttle

F16: Perfect

Harrier: Good on the stick, So/So on the throttle

 

Other modules, not so great, but most of the russian stuff works ok with the TM-50 as well as the mirage.

 

For in-pit interaction, point control is the best thing I've tried. Though I haven't tried capto-gloves since no one seems to actually have them working in DCS.

 

For radio menu commands I use voice attack. But I find it immersion breaking to use it for much else (the tomcat ejection seat arm too, and carrier hookups and launch as well).

 

For theoretical discussions, setting up a hybrid pit is something I think about, but at the end of the day I'd need like 5 different pits and thats not happening. In terms of setup you would have to have good hand tracking (captoglove) and then physically align panels with the VR pit. Which at guess would be a pain.

 

I would like better ways to interact with the VR pit (like captogloves) and haptics, but thats about it.

Edited November 27, 2019 by Harlikwin

[BlacleyCole]

Yeah I’m hoping to get my point control working soon and if it works as expected I’ll be set.

[Wmacky]

Harlikwin - Have you tried the DCSLeap app? I wonder how workable it is compared to Pointcontrol?

[Habu_69]

Yeah I’m hoping to get my point control working soon and if it works as expected I’ll be set.

Unsolicited testimonial. Strongly recommend PtControl finger control units. No haptic feedback like in a real pit, but best extant solution. Point with finger, click with thumb. Couldn't be (much) simpler and very intuitive.

[TWC_Alamo]

For VR flying I've settled on 3 elements to avoid touching the keyboard and mouse.

(1.) Homefries' TARGET Profiles for all normal HOTAS (and adding an extended set of a/c commands on the HOTAS, like landing gear, hook, master arm, etc.)

(2.) VAICOMPRO for communication with in game AI and Voice Attack for view and sim management ("show flyby", "show map," "labels on", "active pause on" etc.)

(3.) PointCTRL for everything else in the cockpit.

[Harlikwin]

Harlikwin - Have you tried the DCSLeap app? I wonder how workable it is compared to Pointcontrol?

 

I have not. It looks interesting and I'm keeping my eye on it.

[Harlikwin]

For VR flying I've settled on 3 elements to avoid touching the keyboard and mouse.

(1.) Homefries' TARGET Profiles for all normal HOTAS (and adding an extended set of a/c commands on the HOTAS, like landing gear, hook, master arm, etc.)

(2.) VAICOMPRO for communication with in game AI and Voice Attack for view and sim management ("show flyby", "show map," "labels on", "active pause on" etc.)

(3.) PointCTRL for everything else in the cockpit.

 

Its one approach. My philosophy is to click on everything in the Pit like a real pilot would have to do, so I map the hotas as best I can to the real plane. Then I have a shift key and a few things like VR zoom, escape, recenter view mapped to the hotas too cuz when you need those you need em quick. I use voice attack for the F-keys and a very few small other things like switches you can't reach/see.