MFD export in VR?

[RoyMi6]

One of the problems with VR is that unless you line things up perfectly it can be hard pressing the correct button.

 

I'm sure there's more people than just me that look through the nose of their headset to press their MFD buttons, and I find that swapping between looking at the VR view versus the real MFD buttons a bit tedious. As such, I'm keen on putting a screen behind my MFDs so that when I look through my nose at them I can quickly see what the next button press might be.

 

However, I'm finding it hard to export to screens using the /MonitorSetup/blah.lua files.

 

I've created a simple export below that works great in desktop mode, but doens't work at all in VR.

In short, is exporting the MFDs possible while using VR?

At the moment I'm just testing, I've not got my second display yet (pending these tests) so what can I change to make my test work? At the moment all I'm trying to do is display the LEFT and RIGHT MFD in the bottom left and right of my main monitor while using VR.

Cheers in advance!

 

_  = function(p) return p; end;
name = _('LMFCD+Camera+RMFCD-TEST');
Description = 'Left MFCD on the left,Right MFCD on the right and main display in the centre of one screen'
Viewports =
{
	Center =
	{
		x = 0;
		y = 0;
		width = screen.width;
		height = screen.height;
		viewDx = 0;
		viewDy = 0;
		aspect = screen.aspect;
	}
}
   --
LEFT_MFCD =
{
    x = 0;
    y = screen.height - 300;
    width = 300;
    height = 300;
}
   --
RIGHT_MFCD =
{
    x = screen.width - 300;
    y = screen.height - 300;
    width = 300;
    height = 300;
}

UIMainView = Viewports.Center
GU_MAIN_VIEWPORT = Viewports.Center

 

 

 

[RoyMi6]

Looks like there's a feature request in:

Also possible progress being made in this thread:

 

Edited August 5, 2021 by RoyMi6

[Rogue.]

Silicon bumps on the centre of each row of soft keys helps.

 

 

Edited August 8, 2021 by Rogue.

[Notso]

7 hours ago, Rogue. said:

Silicon bumps on the centre of each row of soft keys helps.

 

 

 

I do exactly this, but with little pieces of velcro on the center buttons so you can feel the texture.  With some practice, I don't have to look under the headset at all.  My fingers just naturally find the buttons.  

 

I've also built the panel for the MPDs to be very close to where I would see it in the VR cockpit.  So it feels fairly natural to reach down to the MFDs that I see and the real ones are right there.  It becomes a very natural motion.

 

 

Edited August 8, 2021 by Notso

[Magnate]

I use a variation of this approach with my Cougars. I have little self-adhesive rhinestones/jewels, rather than the silicone dot, but it's the same principle. I put one each on buttons 1, 3 and 5 in each row (horizontal and vertical). In addition I have one of the dots mounted on the horizontal surface of the MFD frame above the centre buttons on the top and bottom rows. And then on the vertical rows I have the same on the inside of the frame next to the centre buttons.

 

These dots on the frames are useful for centering at the start of a session as my muscle memory gradually kicks in.

 

I believe that using dots on alternating buttons is the best solution since it means I never confuse buttons 1 and 2 or 4 and 5.

 

I bought the dots on a sheet which included a few different sizes but I don't think my fingertips are sensitive enough to distinguish one size from another.

 

I'm also planning to make use of the corner rocker switches. So far, I'm using just the top left one (Gain) on the left MFD which I use for Master Arm On and AG Mode in the Harrier. I must check to see whether I can use the Pinky switch as a modifier with these rocker switches to get even more functionality out of them.

 

As you'd expect, I position the MFDs so as to closely correspond with where I perceive them to be in VR, so the whole setup works very well and feels very intuitive.

 

[Ala12Rv-Tundra]

Go for some of the solutions other users provided, and wait for a week for your muscle memory to develop.
I don´t think looking at a small angled LCD behind a Cougar while donning a VR headset is the solution to your issues.

[streakeagle]

Another solution is to try PointCTRL. It is kind of like TrackIR, except that you wear the sensor and your fingers have the LEDs. It works as a mouse, but you just point your finger to move the mouse cursor. You lose the tactile feel of pressing real buttons, but it is by far the best VR control solution I have tried for DCS since you can use either hand as required and get nearly the precision and speed of using a mouse. When it is calibrated properly, you still feel like you are putting your finger on the virtual controls, so it feels like you are using VR even though you are really just tracking one of your fingers in 2D as a mouse cursor.

 

There are disadvantages:

1) Currently, the IR sensor is very sensitive, so any bright IR sources (namely sunlight) entering the room can cause issues with tracking. The sensitivity may become adjustable in the future.

2) You have to wear the led/button assemblies on the index finger of both hands. 

3) The finger controllers are battery powered. They have a long life, but you still have to worry about keeping them charged.

4) The IR sensor requires a USB cable. If your headset has a cable, as most PC headsets do, no problem. But if you are using wireless with a Quest 2, you probably don't want to add a cable.

5) Most important of all (the others are relatively minor), you have to look towards the direction of the control you want to operate so that the mouse cursor can reach it and it is within the sensor's field of view limits.

 

Once PointCTRL becomes 2nd nature, you won't want to fly without it. But I use it in parallel with my physical controls. There are still times when the physical controllers are the way to go, such as when you need to toggle a switch/press a button without taking your eyes off of a target or in the rare case where you have to operate two controls at the same time, such as the flight control system test for the F/A-18 (for that one, I press the button on my Cougar MFD and use PointCTRL to toggle the switch on the right side of the cockpit).

 

Edited August 17, 2021 by streakeagle

[Mr_sukebe]

I use the velcro solution, as suggested by someone else.  I put the soft fluffy bit on the mid button on each of the vertical groups of 5 buttons, and then a velco spiky blob on the middle button on the top and bottom rows.  With that, I can very easily locate those 4 buttons without looking and from that, address the nearby buttons.

Works well for me.

[Baldrick33]

I have mapped every MFD button to be a mouse click. I look at the virtual MFD button I want and press a physical MFD button in the vicinity of it. No feeling around to locate the button. Works for me but maybe a bit unique!

[RoyMi6]

This is now possible by:
1) Add "VR_allow_MFD_out_of_HMD = true" to monitors.lua
2) Check the box saying "Use DCS System Resolution" in the VR settings in DCS